A quick question: the above photo shows some of my Distress Stains - I have the 36 basic colours plus Picket Fence - which seem to have acquired some interesting cultures which don't smell but I'm not quite sure how to deal with. I was about to take the whole set of 37 & just dispose of them & put Distress Stains & me down to not being compatible - but I wondered if there was some mileage in taking the tops off & whether the stains themselves would be usable in just spray form or I could use them for watercolouring with. I suppose the question really is whether the mould is inherent in the stains or it is just the gauze top that has somehow gone mouldy. My craft room is not damp & we have more than adequate heating.
I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. I have had the stains for over a year so I'm not considering returning them or asking for a refund & as I prefer the inkpads themselves I'm not looking to replace them. I just don't want to use them for water colouring & thereby 'contaminate' any artwork only to find that my artwork goes mouldy.
13 comments:
Gosh Paula, what a shame. I've had my stains over a year, (not had a lot of use as only got 6!), but they are still OK. Not known this to happen before.
Sandra
Hi Paula. I too have had my stains for over a year so I checked them, two out of six have a growth on them. I'm going to give them a little clean with some anti-bacteria kitchen cleaner and hope for the best. I'll let you know what happens! Rushanne.
Very interesting Paula, I wonder how many of us have been frantically searching our stash for this type of 'mould'. I don't have any products like this. Will be intrigued to find out what causes it. Off to surf the net!
Well that is interesting. I've just inspected my bottles of stain and on close inspection some of them do have some suspect texture on the top which I'd probably not have noticed had I not seen this post. I found that wiping carefully with kitchen paper removed the 'texture' and I'm quite happy to go on using them but might well 'get a move on' and use them more frequently to use them up in case they do deteriorate. I can't see why the liquid in the bottle couldn't be used as it still appears to be 'normal' and not discoloured at all. No nasty smell either.
I had to go and check mine after reading your post, but before commenting. Some of mine do look a little furry (for want of a better word) but after wiping the top with a damp cloth they seem to work. I guess using them a bit more often might help stop the problem. Better go and check them all now, not just the first few.
Sue x
How very curious Paula, it got me reaching for mine but they all look OK.
But some of my acrylic dabbers did take on a fury form once and like the lady above I just wiped it away and they were fine.
Will be interested to see if the same works with these. Keep us all posted won't you.
Hope you have a good weekend.
B x
How strange Paula, I have only had mine a couple of moths so they are fine and I only have half a dozen anyway so far.
Have you thought of asking Glenda about this?
Have a good weekend
Jackie x
very strange... I had never heard of that and don't own any stains so I can't help you there I'm afraid but I'd be very interested in having an update on this and I do hope you find a good solution.
I don't have Distress Stains, so can't comment. What a shame when you have the complete collection. I hope your weekend is going well. Shirleyx
Hi Paula. I have just checked mine and found a tiny bit on my antique linen but not the other colours. I only have six and bought them all at the same time, so I'm not sure why one should go and not the rest. I presume as long as the paper they are applied to is thoroughly dried they will be okay to use once they have been de-furred.
Have you considered e-mailing Ranger's customer service to see what they have to say? Distress Stains are way to expensive, and you've only had them for a year. It sounds like the problem is that the moisture left on the foams is causing the mold to grow, so using a disinfecting wipe on them would probably do the trick. I also think your idea of using them as sprays and/or watercolors would work well. However, I'm no expert in this area. I hope you are able to resolve this issue. Blessings!
Hi Paula,
I don't have any of these, but had considered getting some in the past. I would contact customer service at Ranger - even if you are not planning on returning them. Perhaps they have had this problem reported before and will either replace your set - or know what the problem might be. either way it is worth a shot. If it were me, I would probably throw out the ones affected - or at least the foam on top and use in a different way - as you mentioned.
I haven't had this on my stains, but when I went to use my Faber Castell big brush marker the other day found a mouldy bloom on the tip of two of them......I wiped it off with an anti bacterial wipe and now wait to see if it comes back.... Would be interested to hear how you get on!
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