Musty smelling 110 reel and enlarger equipment from basement advice?

[StoneNYC]

So,

A guy on freecycle (a community locally based system similar to Craigslist but with no direct website and just a web of email groups, and free) gave me an enlarger which I've never had and a developing tank, both are very old.

I haven't really looked at the enlarger but it has the same must smell that the developing tank has.

Now I own a few Paterson Super system 4 tanks which I love but they don't have a 110 option, this tank does, the reels actually fit in the Paterson tank which was astonishing to me since all the other tank/reel combinations I've found do not fit and I have to use rotation agitation instead of Inversion which is how I prefer it. And the old rotational tanks spill easily. As a bonus the 110 reels are SELF LOADING yes!

ANYWAY I'm SUPER excited to have found this tank and get the enlarger, but they all smell very musty, I THOROUGHLY hand scrubbed the tank and reels multiple times, but the plastic still has this must smell.

I'm not sure how porous plastic is or how long mold spores can survive and in what chemistry they become malignant but I'm ultra paranoid about developing film in them, then a year later my film is eaten by mold and has spread to other film in the folder.

So, what should I do with the reel? Is bleach too extreme? Like real bleach you use for laundry and then if it gets on your clothes they get spots, Clorox Bleach etc... Will that penetrate to the deeper parts of the plastic enough to kill any spores that are hiding deep down?

And then what the heck do I do with the enlarger? I can't bleach that! So is it a loss?

I was really looking forward to making a real print :/

Being poor and desperate sucks lol.

Thanks guys!

PS if anyone has been looking for a 110 reel like me forever, this is the brand and model that fits the Paterson/JOBO tanks.




~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[Whiteymorange]

Stone,
Use a fungicide like they sell for cleaning the bathtub or some dilute bleach. Believe it or not, bleach diluted 1:100 kills germs and mold spores better than pure bleach. Pure bleach hardens the cell walls on germs and leaves them alive. 1:100 sneaks in and kills 'em. If there is a lingering small, pack them up with a drier sheet, with Fabreeze. I don't think you have anything to worry about...except the cost or 110 film, of course.

[eddie]

Stone- You can do the same thing Whitey suggests, with the enlarger. Wipe down as much of it as possible, then place the entire enlarger in a large trash bag, using the febreeze/drier sheet combo. Twist tie, or duct tape the bag shut. Leave for a few days. Repeat as necessary...
What enlarger did you get?

[StoneNYC]

But febreeze isn't an antibacterial it's just an anti-scent device, so I don't want to hide the musty smell and think its ok and then really the mold spores are still there...

Or am I wrong?

The enlarger? I have no idea it's a rusty pile haha but it's a start...

The only marking is the lens....




~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[Patrick Robert James]

Bleach the tank. Put the enlarger out in the sun.

[Jon Shiu]

Ah, the Star D, Uniphot.

Jon

[StoneNYC]

Ah, the Star D, Uniphot.

Jon

is that good or bad? lol, I have no clue lol

[eddie]

Stone- It's the finest enlarger you own...

[StoneNYC]

Stone- It's the finest enlarger you own...

Lol! this is true, but it looks like something I would buy in walmart LOL haha I didn't really know before I got to his house but I just took the stuff and figured I would sort it out later lol

[Truzi]

I was going to suggest letting it sit in a garage if you have one (after disinfecting). Let it air out for a few weeks, so long as it's not damp or cold.