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

[Nick Senker]

I think many of the old knobs and other plastic parts were made of Tenite.  This was a cellulose ester and as such was prone to hydrolysis (decomposition) in damp environments.  I recall a can of old knobs I had which were all white and had a foul odor, probably due to butyric  acid, a byproduct.  Additives in the plastic are also likely to migrate to the surface.  Cleaning with warm soapy water and a tooth brush would be the safest bet but adding some vinegar or ammonia (not both) to the mix wouldn't hurt.  Be sure to rinse thoroughly.  Nick Senker

-----Original Message-----
>From: john ruccolo <jr6v6gt at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Aug 20, 2006 4:51 PM
>To: njarc at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: [NJARC] Mildew -- how do you remove it easily,	without damaging stuff??
>
>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
>
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
>http://mail.yahoo.com 
>_______________________________________________
>NJARC mailing list
>NJARC at mailman.qth.net
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/njarc