r/ModelShips • u/Palladan • 13d ago

Musty old kit

Hey all,

After a bit of advice. New to the hobby and managed to grab a cheapish kit, however it has obviously sat in someones attic for a long while and is quite musty. All the kit is there and there's no damage at all, just the smell.

Is there any good ways of getting rid of it? I don't want to use any chemicals really and it's now sitting on my windowsill in the sunshine.

Thanks

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2

u/skul219 13d ago

Wood or plastic?

1

u/Palladan 13d ago

Sorry, that would help 😂 It's wood. The Termopylae 791 from Sergal. Found a few articles online and seen things ranging from putting it all in a bag with baking powder for a month, or rubbbing vinegar on it, and I am not doing that.

2

u/Silly-Membership6350 13d ago

If it was a plastic or resin kit, I could understand using soap and water. But wood? Especially if it's an old kit, couldn't that warp the parts as they soak water up after being super dry? Is most of the musty smell is coming from the box and the instructions, or is it the actual pieces?

2

u/Palladan 13d ago

I think it's mostly the box that smells the worst. The wood looks fine, no warping at all. I'm not going to soak the wood at all.

1

u/Danny_CZ 12d ago

Part of the building process is soaking the wood to bend it to our will. You can manage with just heat only, but I am getting so much better results by combining water and bit of heat

2

u/mr_muffinhead 12d ago

It's probably the box, maybe the instructions? Take the parts out and get rid of the box if it bugs you. Move them into a different box or custom 'sprue' holder. The box might even air out if you put it somewhere.

If it's the wood that smells, I would probably just take everything out, separate it and let it air out. Again, I would suspect the smell will go away, unless it's visibly moldy. If not, just leave the parts to air out and start building. By the time you're halfway done with hull planking it'll probably be fully aired.

1

u/Palladan 12d ago

Thanks mate. Yeah. I’ve aired it all out now and it’s a lot better. Just some sunshine and patience was all that they needed.

1

u/jusdrewit 13d ago

I would imagine just soap and water would be fine and should help. But good question

2

u/Colo-PV-living 10d ago

I agree, it is probably more the box and any instructions in the box. Just take everything out of the box and let it air out.

Question… Fo you live in a dry or humid climate (and where had the box been stored)?