Safe Mold

knovotny · Sep 16, 2018

How do we safely get rid of the mold that keeps growing on the wood stocks on guns in the safe? We have moisture absorbent things in there but it just keeps growing. We have a lot of vintage rifles so we don't want to damage or strip the finish on any of those.

I'm fighting the good fight against mold on all things leather in the barn, so I have a lot of products, I just don't know what is safe for old wood stocks.

Is Murphy's Oil soap safe? A bit of vinegar? We do have good linseed oil on hand if needed afterwards. I'm sure we're not the only ones fighting this, but I couldn't find anything on here about it.

slsc98 · Sep 16, 2018

knovotny said:
How do we safely get rid of the mold that keeps growing on the wood stocks on guns in the safe? We have moisture absorbent things in there but it just keeps growing. We have a lot of vintage rifles so we don't want to damage or strip the finish on any of those.

I'm fighting the good fight against mold on all things leather in the barn, so I have a lot of products, I just don't know what is safe for old wood stocks.

Is Murphy's Oil soap safe? A bit of vinegar? We do have good linseed oil on hand if needed afterwards. I'm sure we're not the only ones fighting this, but I couldn't find anything on here about it.

We (once, many decades ago) dealing with the same issue(s); got one of these for each safe, installed each HORIZONTALLY toward the lower 1/4 of the safe (in our case, at the bottom of the side hinged doors - you want to create INVECTION via the dry air rising and circulating throughout the interior space) — PROBLEM SOLVED!

Goldenrod Original Dehumidifier: https://www.amazon.com/Goldenrod-72...=1537149904&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-20&ref=sr_1_2

It only just occurred to me as I was typing the above that, we bought and installed those goldenrods OVER FORTY YEARS AGO ( !!!!!!! :-O and have NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THEM and each of the safes, with the goldenrods, has been moved at least 1/2 a dozen times! Dayum ....

Also, those “moisture absorbent things” are the best thing one can do to DRAW MOISTURE INTO A CONFINED SPACE ... I wouldn’t have one in my house, let alone near any items I genuinely care about.

Best o’ Success (the solution to moisture is preventing it (not absorbing it). And, I imagine vinegar will be a failure path, certainly long-term.

Jake4U · Sep 16, 2018

+1 for the goldenrod. Mine's installed along the back and never had a mold problem.

CurlyDave · Sep 16, 2018

Any small heater will work. The goldenrod is the tried and true solution.

I spent several years as an engineer designing electric heaters and use a terrarium heater attached to a very heavy aluminum cookie sheet in my safe. About 40 watts I think. It has lasted 20+ years, but for a standard, off the shelf solution, get a 36" goldenrod.

slsc98 · Sep 17, 2018

CurlyDave said:
... for a standard, off the shelf solution, get a 36" goldenrod.

Hi, Curly!

Just one note, lest the OP make the mistake I did:

OP, measure - LEFT to RIGHT - the inside of your safe where you intend to put the goldenrod and ORDER THE “WIDEST” the interior of your safe will allow.

Reason being, you want to install (or set or, place) the goldenrod HORIZONTALLY. That way, you have, say, 24” of warm dry air rising up off the rod, up to the top of the interior space, over and over.

I mention my mistake because when I first ordered goldenrods I ordered one 24” and one 36” thinking, “if 2 feet is good an extra foot must be great.” Well, the 24” installed perfectly,just as the instructions* depict but, I had to install the 36” one vertically, straight up and down. Thing of it is, when we measured the humidity level in each of the safes a week or so later, the humidity in the safe with the goldenrod installed vertically measured appreciably higher than the one installed horizontally. That is when a family member (also an engineer! :beer:

) explained the “convection” process.

The upshot of all this is, and again this was in the late, very late 70’s, when I called Goldenrod and explained my mistake (and my thinking) the female employee who answered the phone there said, “Honey, that’s okay - you just send us that 36” one back and we’ll exchange it with a 24” which we’ll mail to you with a refund for the difference.”

I was completely bowled over and it was another example (for me) of the wonderful humans that share a passion for the shooting sports. They really do rock!

Best o’ Success!

* https://www.safeandlockstore.com/blog/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-golden-rods-and-gunsavers/

knovotny · Sep 17, 2018

I will certainly look into the Goldenrods, lots of good reviews for them!

That still leaves the question of what will safely remove and kill the mold already on the wood?

slsc98 · Sep 17, 2018

knovotny said:
That still leaves the question of what will safely remove and kill the mold already on the wood?

“Do the Least Harm First,” obviously.

The below article does a good job distinguishing between what will and wil not work on porous surfaces (depending on whether and how the wood you are dealing with is finished or coated) so, I would follow any solution tried with a good rinse of water ...

Vinegar and Peroxide Fight Mold Growth on Porous Surfaces

“Both distilled white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will do an effective job of killing mold spores in porous materials. Bleach can only kill mold on non-porous surfaces, as it does not penetrate porous surfaces; so mold roots are left to grow again.” — https://www.uexpress.com/first-aid-...5/5/13/vinegar-and-peroxide-fight-mold-growth

welder516 · Sep 17, 2018

No such thing as "Safe Mold" all mold is harmful ... :innocent0

I kid "K" don't have Art come kick my butt .

tallen702 · Sep 17, 2018

I'd skip the Murphy's in favor of vinegar for the mold at this time. Vinegar is extremely good at taking care of the problem without damaging the wood. Peroxide isn't very good to wood as it can bleach it and strip it of natural oils. Murphy's has vegetable oil in it which can actually seal the mold into the pores of the wood causing further blooming and damage under the surface and gives you a waxy buildup.

slsc98 · Sep 17, 2018

And, it appears my assumption about rinsing right away may be misinformed - at least with respect to the vinegar (interesting discussion):

“Trick is to wipe the wood with the vinegar and leave it damp,then let it air dry.This leaves acetic acid on the affected areas that the mold can't survive in,even once dry.You had to take care and keep the vinegar off any metal,for obvious reasons.” (Post # 42 here, https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?383077-Treating-mold-on-rifle-stocks)

Squaregrouper · Sep 17, 2018

In a confined space like a safe, a small ozone generator will work wonders for mold. They are being marketed as scent removal devices for hunting clothes and can easily be found online.

IMPORTANT ETA- Ozone production is severely hampered by humidity. Do not use an ozone generator without a Golden Rod, dessicant or something else to remove moisture. In strong concentrations, ozone is nasty stuff. I advise opening the safe and stepping away for 30 seconds or so vs. diving right into the safe upon opening. (Just in case)

.

Art3 · Sep 17, 2018

After a minute's worth of googling, I'd say the ozone generator sounds like something I need in my life, and not just in the safe. That's going to take a little research to find the right fit. Golden Rod should be on its way shortly. In any case, it sounds like I'm going to be drilling a hole it my safe for power. :tap:

That ought to be fun.

slsc98 · Sep 17, 2018

Ya, drilling a hole is what I did in our Treadlocks. I was very apprehensive until it was pointed out to me that is what mfrs do. Even though I deburred both sides of the hole, I lined the hole with a short piece of plastic tubing as well. It has been worth it.

Looking forward to your “fungal tribulations” being far behind you, as well! :thumbsup:

Flametamer · Sep 18, 2018

Art3 said:
After a minute's worth of googling, I'd say the ozone generator sounds like something I need in my life, and not just in the safe. That's going to take a little research to find the right fit.

EPA has some interesting information on ozone generators. Basically, if the concentration of ozone is high enough to kill mold, etc., it is high enough to cause health problems for people. I was thinking about a generator to control some mold on the basement walls, but vinegar and H2O2 did the trick faster and safer.

JohnnyE · Sep 18, 2018

Isn't ozone harmful to rubber and even plastic if the concentration is too high? Be cautious with ozone around these items.

Squaregrouper · Sep 18, 2018

JohnnyE said:
Isn't ozone harmful to rubber and even plastic if the concentration is too high? Be cautious with ozone around these items.

I work with large ozone generators for water disinfection every day. Mold would be oxidized long before inorganics would be affected.
The generators I am talking about for safes produce 10-25mg of ozone per hour (with a relative humidity under 20%). They aren't the 500g units used to disinfect hotel rooms and remove odors from flooded cars.
The item linked below claims to produce 20mg/hr of ozone for 8 hours. Inside a dry safe, a few cycles of this will oxidize any mold inside a safe. The only concern I would have would be opening the safe's door and taking a big whiff while the ozone is still being produced.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/SCE...I2vNptSy6LEOwwhR_FBoCcVkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

.

CruncherBlock · Sep 24, 2018

slsc98 said:
We (once, many decades ago) dealing with the same issue(s); got one of these for each safe, installed each HORIZONTALLY toward the lower 1/4 of the safe (in our case, at the bottom of the side hinged doors - you want to create INVECTION via the dry air rising and circulating throughout the interior space) — PROBLEM SOLVED!

Goldenrod Original Dehumidifier: https://www.amazon.com/Goldenrod-72...=1537149904&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-20&ref=sr_1_2

It only just occurred to me as I was typing the above that, we bought and installed those goldenrods OVER FORTY YEARS AGO ( !!!!!!! :-O and have NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THEM and each of the safes, with the goldenrods, has been moved at least 1/2 a dozen times! Dayum ....

Also, those “moisture absorbent things” are the best thing one can do to DRAW MOISTURE INTO A CONFINED SPACE ... I wouldn’t have one in my house, let alone near any items I genuinely care about.

Best o’ Success (the solution to moisture is preventing it (not absorbing it). And, I imagine vinegar will be a failure path, certainly long-term.

Does the golden rod run automatically and if not, how often do you run it?

teratos · Sep 24, 2018

Another vote for goldenrod.

Xshot · Sep 24, 2018

CruncherBlock said:
Does the golden rod run automatically and if not, how often do you run it?

Stays on 24/7

offthepaper · Sep 25, 2018

I have multiple safes.
Golden rods all the way.

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