Dealing with mouldy figures :(

[DinoToyForum]

Sigh - I have a collector's nightmare to tell.

My parents came over today and brought with them a box of figures that have been in storage for a long time - in my parents' shed. To my dismay, an infection of black mould has swept through the neatly packaged figures, without mercy or remorse. I have deemed many unsalvageable, and so have discarded a few Jurassic Park figures out of necessity. Also badly affected by the mould are UKRD and AAA figures, and a precious Invicta. To make matters worse, for good measure, many of the figures have warped as well. I blame extremes in temperature, but mostly myself, for leaving them unattended for so long, and for not sealing them tight from the outside environment. I also fear for the state of a second box, which I have yet to investigate, but which I know contains WWDs and Invictas.   

It's probably not quite as bad as I make it out, some figures have escaped unscathed, but it doesn't take much black mould to put a downer on my day. 


An example of one of the affected figures - the black colouration is a thin layer of black mould. One of my favourites too


My Tyco Deinonychus has a twisted ankle! Anyone familiar with these figures will know how brittle they are.

Anyway, we have had discussions about how do deal with distorted figures, so we don't need to go over that again, but I wonder if anyone has any hints or tips on how best to treat mould like this, without damaging the figures further? Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[Himmapaan]

Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear this. I hope they can be restored. I've never had this problem with figures, I'm afraid. Only books, and in that instance, the damage was of course altogether irreparable.

[CityRaptor]

That happens to books aswell? Under what conditions?

As for the deformation, wouldn't  a hair dryer or hot water work here?

[Weaver]

I wonder if a diluted alcohol-solution (like 1 part rubbing alcohol to 2 parts water) would work here. Test various solutions as well. A cotton swab used gently could be a good idea. I would test it on a part of the dinos that isn't too visible to see how the plastic or rubber reacts to it as well as the paint. Man, that's not cool... especially on that Anklyosaurus. D:

[brontodocus]

Oh, sorry to see that. As you said, the distortion of parts is something that probably can be fixed. As for the black mould, since we mostly don't know what the paint of the figures really consists of it is not sure that a removal of all the black mould is possible without damaging the original paint. I hope the used paint isn't too porous... Sorry, I have no further experience on that, either.

[Takama]

OMG, (Faints in Terror)

[DinoToyForum]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've procured some mould/mildew bathroom cleaner that's listed as suitable for plastics. It seems to be doing the trick. I'll post the results soon. 

[brontodocus]

Fingers are crossed!

[Himmapaan]

That happens to books aswell? Under what conditions?

Surely most things that have been subjected to extended periods of damp in confined spaces will be in such danger? Even bathroom walls can be affected. An organic material like paper will be even more prone. Unless you meant what specifically happened to the books, in which case, it was a similar story to Adam's in that they had been in storage in less than happy conditions. 

I had been thinking about some kind of plastic-safe detergent too, Adam. Fingers crossed indeed!

[CityRaptor]

Oh yes, those conditions.  Well, that shouldn't be a problem with my books then. I was slightly worried. Guess I'm easily scared in that aspect. Thanks for answering my question.

[Himmapaan]

Oh yes, those conditions.  Well, that shouldn't be a problem with my books then. I was slightly worried. Guess I'm easily scared in that aspect. Thanks for answering my question.

Oh, I would be worried too where books are concerned! If I sounded puzzled by your question, it was because I'd assumed it was understood how the books got to be in that state, given what Adam had explained about his figures. 

(The internet has ways of warping people's tone. I get so anxious about how I might accidentally sound, I often feel I have to clarify.  )

[CityRaptor]

( Yep, that is an issue with the internet )

Guess keeping my books on a shelf  in a normal room should be fine then.

[Takama]

All of my UKRD figure have had some plack spots on cetain areas, but seeing this picture has made me scared about if they were actaully paint. .

I had them since i was a kid,


as for the warped figures, simply blow them with a hair dryer for a few minutes.   works like a charm for me

[deanm]

I have cleaned a variety of plastics (not monochrome or painted dino figures) with different agents.

Varying levels of success.

I have used a mild acetic acid solution (household vinegar) in a sonicating bath with some success. Most plastics doe not seem to be affected by vinegar. Rinse figures well under tapwater.

Hydrogen peroxide (household strength) also works well. I used to use it to surface sterilize mature orchid seed for sowing under sterile conditions (used supplemented MS media) in my plant tissue culture lab. Nice thing about hydrogen peroxide is that it will breakdown with further treatment.

[Darko2300]

I'm not sure how it would affect some paint jobs (though I don't think it should), but a bleach water solution usually works pretty well for mold removal. It's the only thing that will do it in some cases.

As far as prevention (which is of course, a little easier), I would perhaps look into purchasing some silica. (Among other things, its used as a desiccant. ["A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains a state of dryness (desiccation) in its local vicinity in a moderately well-sealed container." - Wikipedia]) Micro Mark sells a rectangular metal tin filled with silica to help keep tools and shop equipment from rusting. (http://www.micromark.com/rust-preventer,6540.html), though my solution has always been to recycle the little packets of silica that come in my various vitamin and supplement bottles. (I take a lot, lol)

I'm sure there are other outlets for purchasing silica for this purpose - I'd be surprised if most home improvement stores don't carry something along these lines.

Hope this helps.

[bigbear]

Coming to this thread very late, but I do a lot of art restoration and the best way to deal with mould is to let it dry out thoroughly, then brush gently with a soft paintbrush to remove the residue. Anything that's left will usually come off with a damp sponge, gently wiped. With a plastic dinosaur, a wash in warm, slightly soapy, (hand soap - non moisturising), will also help. It's getting the mould to  dry out that is key to removal. Wear a mask when brushing, as the spores are not good for you!

[sauroid]

thanks for that additional info on mould removal bigbear.


*aside from Dr Admin, only Cityraptor and Takama are the only surviving/extant members in this old thread*

[stargatedalek]

I had a mold outbreak once, it was a major nuisance but it didn't do any lasting damage. Just soap and water ad nauseam.