Ahhhh! Mold!

[FHL FERG]

Wasn't sure where to put this topic so I appologize if I put it in the wrong place.

Life got in the way of a project and I made the mistake of storing it in a plastic container. I had cased the leather properly, layed down the image, and cut it with the swivel knife and was ready to tool. Thats where I stopped. I came back to it today after nearly a week and BLACK MOLD was all over the leather with some yellow mold in small areas!

D'OH!

So that was my Homer moment. How can I fix it? Is it salvagable or is it garbage? Will it affect the dye and sealant process?

I rinsed the piece while lightly scrubbing it with a dish brush from the kitchen sink (sorry honey I will replace it) and taht seems to have removed everything that is visible. My concern is that the leather is damaged now and these places will show through the dye or won't accept dye, or that there is mold in the piece at it's core and that will resurface later.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE HELP!!

Sincerely,

FHL FERG aka Bonehead!

[FHL FERG]

Several searches on leatherworker.net turned up similar results. Most people are recomending using vinegar to kill and remove the mold. This, however, was on pieces that were finished and were being restored. I am going to give it a try and see what happens. Cross your fingers....

[BillB]

I have used vinegar on unfinished leather that had developed mold. It worked fine.

BillB

[FHL FERG]

The project is mostly salvaged. It was 5 different pieces and I was able to save all but one with the vinegar. Anywhere there was black mold it worked fine, anywhere there was yellow mold it's trash.