Removing mould inside bubble?

edd_jedi · Mar 17, 2021

My latest MOC purchase has an unwanted visitor inside the bubble... some white mould! It looked like sticker residue on the bubble in the photos when I bought it, but I can't really send it back as it was in the photos (although you would think the seller would mention it.)

Anyway, I have successfully removed 'frosting' from figures inside bubbles by putting them in the sun before, has anyone had success removing mould on a card similar to this?

lejackal · Mar 17, 2021

I imagine the same technique would be worth a try. I've not had to do it though

Robstyley · Mar 17, 2021

The bubble prob has a tiny hole or crack in it. You get mould from moisture and a low temperature. If a bubbles completely sealed moisture shouldn't be able to get in there. A warm temperature may help to dry it out inside, don't know if the white mould will completely disappear though.

poncho · Mar 17, 2021

The sun will harden it and kill it potentially but that needs physically removing

Snaketibe · Mar 17, 2021

edd_jedi said:
My latest MOC purchase has an unwanted visitor inside the bubble... some white mould! It looked like sticker residue on the bubble in the photos when I bought it, but I can't really send it back as it was in the photos (although you would think the seller would mention it.)

Anyway, I have successfully removed 'frosting' from figures inside bubbles by putting them in the sun before, has anyone had success removing mould on a card similar to this?

IMG_1571.jpeg

I agree with Poncho. I believe the mould would need physically removing, even if you managed to dry it out and kill it either with sunlight or heating the back of the card with a hair dryer (although I believe it would wipe off far more easily and completely if it could be done whilst it was still alive and moist, but of course that's impossible with a T-L bubble unless you open it).

However, mould inside the bubble is one hell of a lot more serious than sticker residue on top of it, and the seller had an absolute obligation to highlight it prior to the sale, in my opinion. All the more so if the photos weren't sufficiently clear or hi-res enough to properly identify the mould for what it was. Sticker residue on bubbles is fairly common and easily removed. Mould growing on the card behind them certainly is not, and as such I believe you have a perfect right to return it for a full refund. I know I bloody would!

Best of luck.

Jeremy

edd_jedi · Mar 17, 2021

Sadly you guys may be right. Here is the photo from the ad, as you ca see the reflection makes it look like it's on top of the bubble. I bought it on Facebook, no mention of the mould in the description. I am going to try sunlight tomorrow (assuming there is any :lol: ) but if it won't fry off I may have to think about contacting the seller again as I don't want to open it, and it certainly looks way worse in reality than it does in the below photo.

Grant_C · Mar 17, 2021

Can you locate any gap/crack on the bubble?

edd_jedi · Mar 17, 2021

Grant_C said:
Can you locate any gap/crack on the bubble?

It is lifting slightly in the bottom right corner, but I don't think it's enough to get something in to clean it

lejackal · Mar 18, 2021

edd_jedi said:
Grant_C said:

Can you locate any gap/crack on the bubble?

Click to expand...

It is lifting slightly in the bottom right corner, but I don't think it's enough to get something in to clean it

Rather than get something in could you possibly suck the mould out? ie use a vacuum cleaner (carefully) to suck the debris out.

jayums · Mar 18, 2021

lejackal said:
edd_jedi said:

Grant_C said:

Can you locate any gap/crack on the bubble?

Click to expand...

It is lifting slightly in the bottom right corner, but I don't think it's enough to get something in to clean it

Click to expand...

Rather than get something in could you possibly suck the mould out? ie use a vacuum cleaner (carefully) to suck the debris out.

Maybe a suction pen / ear wax remover if there is a crack in the bubble ...

Or you could try a covid nasal swab stick :lol:

edd_jedi · Mar 19, 2021

3 hours in the sun today and no improvement. I can't get inside the bubble without damaging it. I have messaged the seller about a refund

weasel · Mar 19, 2021

edd_jedi said:
Sadly you guys may be right. Here is the photo from the ad, as you ca see the reflection makes it look like it's on top of the bubble. I bought it on Facebook, no mention of the mould in the description. I am going to try sunlight tomorrow (assuming there is any :lol: ) but if it won't fry off I may have to think about contacting the seller again as I don't want to open it, and it certainly looks way worse in reality than it does in the below photo.

157193586_10219567839053693_1406421983306612729_o.jpg

That looks like a very deliberately chosen photo. The seller knew rightly and was chancing his arm.

jayums · Mar 19, 2021

edd_jedi said:
3 hours in the sun today and no improvement. I can't get inside the bubble without damaging it. I have messaged the seller about a refund

You should definitely get a refund. Surely that's the kind of thing that should be mentioned when selling. If I picked it up at a bargain beater price and it was listed 'sold as seen' etc then I'd think it fair enough, but if I had comms with the seller I would be pretty aggrieved if an issue like that wasn't drawn to my attention.

edd_jedi · Mar 22, 2021

The seller offered me a decent partial refund, so I accepted it and will have another go. I used some of the money to buy a UV-C lamp from Amazon, it was only £20 and after reading up on it apparently UV-C is the only light that kills mould, and there is only a tiny % of it in sunlight. For £20 it's worth a try.

Plan B is to put a very tiny needle or something under a lift in the bubble, but I would rather not do that. It would have been less hassle to send it back, but as you can see from my sales thread even this one is a massive upgrade on my other one, and it's a difficult MOC to track down so I want to try and save it!

Snaketibe · Mar 23, 2021

Best of luck, I hope it works.

welshwookie · Mar 23, 2021

If you want some fine wires Edd, my wife has a few different guage ones in work ?

edd_jedi · Mar 23, 2021

welshwookie said:
If you want some fine wires Edd, my wife has a few different guage ones in work ?

Thanks for the offer, I was thinking that I might try a really thin pipe cleaner or something. Needs to be thin enough to get in the bubble, but also have some kind of brush or bristles to remove the mould.

welshwookie · Mar 23, 2021

The sliver ones are thin, just a little thicker than cotton thread. Would you be wanting to poke something through the thickness of paper. If possible, if the bubble allowed?

Snaketibe · Mar 24, 2021

How about an interdental brush, but extended in some way? It would certainly be fine enough and has a built-in brush at the end:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391709515667

edd_jedi · Mar 24, 2021

Yes something like that!

Removing mould inside bubble?

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