Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[Dekan]

I have bought a kit that been stored for many years in a shed. The lite ply is showing signs of discolouration.

Whats the best way to clean the the sheets up?

[sailorboy61]

Weight it to keep it flat,warm it up and dry it out slowly, then brush of any dried moldy stuff and gently sand it down. Once it's discoloured, its unlikely you will remove it without sanding it right out.

[Dekan]

I know that the staining is unlikely to be removed.... I was wondering about some kind of anti-fungal spray...http://systemhygiene.co.uk/products/cleaning-chemicals/washroom-cleaners/dettox-mould-and-mildew-cleaner-1x500ml-product.html

[RaaArtyGunner]

Don't know about your climate, but if it is mould the mould can be "killed" with household bleach.
It is a fungus which lives on moisture and releases spoors into the air which travel approx 2 feet infecting other wood close by.


1. Apply household bleach, mixed ratio of 1 to 1 with water, to all of the ply.
2. Rinse of with clean water.
3. Then proceed as per sailorboy's listing.

[Martin (Admin)]

Is the black stuff on the internal wood 'mould' (on the old boat I've just bought)  the same thing?

[RaaArtyGunner]

Is the black stuff on the internal wood 'mould' (on the old boat I've just bought)  the same thing?

Some mould is Black in colour and treatable with bleach.
Difficult to explain, but it may appear as small patchy black spots to small or larger black patches dependant on the amount of mould growth. Also the remaining portion may be infected but not yet visible so beat to treat the entire piece.
As mould "feeds" on moisture, damp wood is susceptible.
Dampness being, getting wet and moisture from the air and lack of ventilation.
Hence why wood must be kept dry and sealed such as by painting especially in model boats which should be "left open" to dry out.

[Dekan]

Its not really black the wood is discoloured and has that slightly cobweb look that you get when some fungus decided to make their home in wood

[Dekan]

I cleaned the 3mm parts for the model stand with 50% domestos  bleach and water..It did not make any difference to the discoloration, no surprise there.

If its no good or warps like mad its not a big problem..Its now drying under pressure so hopefully it will stay reasonably straight...

I just hope that any tiny residue of bleach has no effect on the gluing process.. I going to use Titebond 111 or an aliphatic....

[RaaArtyGunner]

To minimise any distortion "flush" both sides of the ply with clean water. It will also neutralise the bleach.
If discolourisation is a problem, that is you want to polish the surface, replace the ply or cover it with veneer or planking.
All timber discolours with age and exposure to light some more pronounced than others.
One way to "restore" natural colour is by planing but ply is generally too thin to do so.

[Dekan]

The laminated parts although clamped flat warped badly...So it's back to the drawing board.

[Lord Bungle]

Another thing to remember when treating Mold is to wear a mask, some of those molds out there can make you quite ill, so the last thing you need to do is breathe them in,

[Colin Bishop]

Can you use the existing shapes as a pattern to be re drawn and cut out of new sheets of liteplay? Using the existing material sounds as if it is flogging a dead horse!

Colin

[Dekan]

I have decided to glue the kit together and the clean the wood up as best I can afterwards.