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

[john ruccolo]

Hi Nick,

Excellent! Thank you! You have explained two things
that have always baffled me:

1) Why the knobs only "get moldy" when they are in the
Johnnytronics Swamp. I always thought it was just
mildew. This means there *may* be a reason other than
mildew.

2) Why some plastics seem totally immune to "mildew,"
while others seem to get ugly fairly quickly, like
that Xcelite handle.

My sincere thanks to everyone who replied. This was a
very interesting discussion -- for *me*, at least. ;-)

I will try to clean the knobs -- hopefully without
poisoning myself or causing a respiratory disorder.

Regards,

JR

--- Nick Senker <ns539 at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> 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
> >
> >
> >
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