[NJARC] Mildew -- how do you remove it easily, without damaging stuff??

[john ruccolo]

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your two cents. I think vinegar sounds
like a good idea -- I know it's very versatile stuff.
It can be used for a lot more than just salads. ;-)
I'll have to try that.

I have TWO dehumidifiers. It's a BIG basement. They
both feed into the sump hole, where the sump pump
removes the water when thinks get really bad.

Of course, the basement has been OK lately, since we
haven't had siginificant rainfall in what, three
weeks?
But another swampy period is right around the corner,
I'm sure. When I saw that amazingly mildewed
nutdriver, I thought "I wonder if there's an easy way
to remove this?" Obviously, I'm not concerened about
damaging the nutdriver; it's damaging radio knobs that
I'm worried about. In fact, the nutdriver will make an
excellent test subject.

There does seem to be a GREAT deal of difference
between materials regarding their susceptibility to
mildew. And surface texture plays a role as well. It's
a rotten world. ;-)

Regards,

John

--- TrainBee at aol.com wrote:

> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> John,
>     I'm not an authority on the subject, but a
> diluted solution of vinegar 
> seems to work. At least it should do no harm. 
> Alcohol, mineral spirits, 
> Fantastic, & oven cleaners may take the sheen off of
> the knobs.  They could also 
> distort the item you are trying to clean.  I recall
> someone telling me some time 
> ago that some of the knobs and other "plastics" were
> made with cellulose.  
>     Is there some way for you to install a
> dehumidifier?  A simple way to get 
> rid of the water is to drain it to a bucket and use
> a pump with a float 
> switch to remove the water. 
> 
>  Just my .02¢ worth.
> 
> Joe Devonshire
> 
> 
> In a message dated 8/20/2006 4:51:57 PM Eastern
> Standard Time, 
> jr6v6gt at yahoo.com writes:
> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> Hi Folks,
> 
> This is another one of those "how to" questions:
> 
> I'm one of those unfortunate radio collectors who is
> stuck with a very damp basement. It's amazing how
> some
> items get mildewed. The knobs on my SX-28 get a
> little
> worse each year, especially the bandswitch knob --
> that's how I can tell how long that radio has been
> down there. ;-)
> 
> Anyway, is there an easy way to remove this stuff
> without messing up the plastic or bakelite
> underneath?
> Some platics seem much more prone to mildew than
> others, I'm not sure what the difference is. What
> inspired this question was the recent discovery of a
> big-handle Xcelite 1/4" nut driver in a bench drawer
> -- the handle looks like it was completely dipped in
> powdered sugar. The metal shaft still looks bright
> and
> shiny and new.  
> 
> Any suggestions? 
> 
> BTW, how did things go with the battery acid
> removal?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> JR
> 
> 
> 
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