• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Is this mould?
0

18 posts in this topic

Whatever it is, it looks nasty. Is the staple defect what appears to be rust migration? This and the stain you show in the first picture lead me to think this book was exposed to moisture at some point. And yes, for me it would affect the grade...

Edited by The Lions Den
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Lions Den said:

Whatever it is, it looks nasty. Is the staple defect what appears to be rust migration? This and the stain you show in the first picture lead me to think this book was exposed to moisture at some point. And yes, for me it would affect the grade...

I agree, these are nasty looking stains that will greatly affect the grade. IMO, if there is even a chance this is mold, get rid of this book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bolton said:

I assume theres no way to know for sure or to treat it.  If it was and I got it encapsulated would that protect it and most of all my other comics?

Thanks 

Maybe someone else has some insight into how to get rid of mold without destroying the paper...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True story, a couple years ago a comic dealer friend of mine bought a raw Golden Age comic collection. I helped him rebag and Board the comics. It turns out many of the books had mold. We both got sick within a day or two. It was terrible, almost scary, burning noses, etc.  I had some kind of giant rash on half of my face. I don't think people realize how dangerous live mold is. You should not be around it. My advice is don't mess with trying to remove it. Get rid of the book. Sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like it could be a coffee stain. 

Take a clean q-tip and wipe the area that is affected the worst. If it wipes off easily it could be molds that grew over the stain. 

Quick tip to get the heavy surface mold off is use an artists brush to gently wipe away what you can off the surface. The brush should be medium stiffness to the bristles.

If you plan on getting it graded, do not use any type of cleaner on it, as it will come back conserved or restored. 

Edited by joeypost
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, joeypost said:

Looks like it could be a coffee stain. 

Takea clean q-tip and wipe the area that is affected the worst. If it wipes off easily it could be molds that grew over the stain. 

Quick tip to get the heavy surface mold off is use an artists brush to gently wipe away what you can off the surface. The brush should be medium stiffness to the bristles.

If you plan on getting it graded, do not use any type of cleaner on it, as it will come back conserved or restored. 

Great I'll give that a try. Thank you for the replies, will let you know how it goes...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hydrogen peroxide does a decent job of killing mold spores on porous surfaces. Applied with a q-tip, it doesn't stain or warp the paper or appear to effect off-set inks. It can even remove some staining from the mold. It's considered an aqueous cleanser and therefore "restoration"( or is it "conservation" now?), but it's preferable to leaving mold spores which may not be dead on the paper. I'm not sure how traceable it is, but the couple of times I have applied it to low grade books, I disclosed it while selling. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I picked up an excellent movie lobby card (Mr. Moto In Danger Island) from 1939. Half of two borders were coated with a thick black mold. Part of my removal process was the use of hydrogen peroxide applied with a cotton swap. It does kill spores and also provides a mild bleaching. What I like about hydrogen peroxide if it leaves no residue, just evaporates into water and oxygen, Just adding a bit to the conversation but I would not recommend someone without real experience to attempt addressing that stain. It indeed looks pretty nasty and should be left to a pro.

OH - I should have mentioned I took safety measures: proper ventilation, covering the work surface, wearing gloves, using a breather etc. You don't want to mess around with mold unless you really know what your doing.

Edited by PovertyRow
added safety info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2019 at 10:31 PM, rjpb said:

Hydrogen peroxide does a decent job of killing mold spores on porous surfaces. Applied with a q-tip, it doesn't stain or warp the paper or appear to effect off-set inks. It can even remove some staining from the mold. It's considered an aqueous cleanser and therefore "restoration"( or is it "conservation" now?), but it's preferable to leaving mold spores which may not be dead on the paper. I'm not sure how traceable it is, but the couple of times I have applied it to low grade books, I disclosed it while selling. 

I've used a dry q tip and not much change. I'm not sure how confident I am using any chemicals on it.

22 hours ago, PovertyRow said:

I picked up an excellent movie lobby card (Mr. Moto In Danger Island) from 1939. Half of two borders were coated with a thick black mold. Part of my removal process was the use of hydrogen peroxide applied with a cotton swap. It does kill spores and also provides a mild bleaching. What I like about hydrogen peroxide if it leaves no residue, just evaporates into water and oxygen, Just adding a bit to the conversation but I would not recommend someone without real experience to attempt addressing that stain. It indeed looks pretty nasty and should be left to a pro.

OH - I should have mentioned I took safety measures: proper ventilation, covering the work surface, wearing gloves, using a breather etc. You don't want to mess around with mold unless you really know what your doing.

I think I'd have to get someone to do it for me. But if I'm honest, I just dont want it to spread throughout the comic or to my other comics. I can live with it there, the book otherwise presents really well 

Screenshot_20190426-235822_Messenger.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mold is typically white, black or grey on paper. It can flake off the paper too. A stain is in the paper and doesn't come off. The fact that is brown leads me towards a stain, but then you have some black specks. If those can be flaked off in any way, it is mold. No idea if its a good or bad or spreadable kind but I agree on getting rid of it.

Plus, mold stinks. Like worse than old paper. And while you can definitely get really sick, light exposure typically just hurts the nose and eyes. I had a book like that, have me a headache. I turfed it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2019 at 7:42 AM, joeypost said:

Looks like it could be a coffee stain. 

Take a clean q-tip and wipe the area that is affected the worst. If it wipes off easily it could be molds that grew over the stain. 

Quick tip to get the heavy surface mold off is use an artists brush to gently wipe away what you can off the surface. The brush should be medium stiffness to the bristles.

If you plan on getting it graded, do not use any type of cleaner on it, as it will come back conserved or restored. 

Almost looks like coffee and coffee grounds. If so, just brush off the debri and call it a day. I would be willing to look at it in hand if you still think it might be mold. 

Edited by MastrCntrlProgram
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
0