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Storing my stash

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  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA
Storing my stash
Posted by widepaul on Friday, May 1, 2009 2:17 PM

Hi there,

Some of my kids are moving back home and I need to put my stash in another place - probably in the shed in my backyard.  I can see summertime temperatures reaching 120 degrees F at times in the shed - is this going to be too hot?  Will I end up with a bunch of wilted twisted parts?

Thanks for your help,

Paul

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Friday, May 1, 2009 2:42 PM
Well how big is your stash?Question [?] If it's not that big, make room in a closet or something. If you have a basement, find room in there.

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Friday, May 1, 2009 2:44 PM

At that temperature, decals will suffer, especially if humidity is also high. While 120°F will not melt, or even significantly soften styrene, prolonged exposure to such temperatures will cause it to become progressively more brittle, especially clear parts.

There are ways to help keep them cooler: Make sure that the shed has adequate bottom to top venting. Cooler air comes in at the bottom and hot air exits at the top. Don't store the kits near (3 feet) the roof. Stack the kits on a pallet or something like it to promote air circulation around them. If possible, put them in an insulating container, even just surrounding them with sheet styrofoam will help considerably.

The biggest problem may be humidity and it's effect on the cardboard boxes. Cardboard is great at absorbing and holding atmospheric moisture—and growing mildew and mold. Some molds will grow on the plasticizers slowly migrating from the styrene, too. This can occur even in relatively arid environments, since enclosed structures, especially with slabs-on-grade, gravel, or tamped earth floors, tend to draw and concentrate humidity. (See comment on venting, above.)

Lastly, don't store any petroleum product, or machinery that uses it, in the shed. Gasoline, even in vapor form, is hard on styrene, especially in a closed, hot environment. 

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Friday, May 1, 2009 3:31 PM
You would be better off selling them than trying to store them in those conditions. You will ruin the decals at best and at worst, ruin the kits.
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Friday, May 1, 2009 3:48 PM
Something just occurred to me: Near where I live, there is a storage facility that has "conditioned" storage. The temperature and humidity are controlled within limits that would certainly be safe for your kits. You might want to look into something like that.

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Friday, May 1, 2009 6:36 PM
Insert a ventilation fan, a heat duct booster will work. You just need to keep the air temp from building up. Add a little insulation to the shed, some of the pink foamboard. Spray for insects and add a couple of those Decon for mice paks. As long as the shed is dry you shouldn't have any problems.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Cat Central, NC
Posted by Bronto on Saturday, May 2, 2009 7:38 AM
I have over 3500 kits stored in a freight trailer outside my house.  I removed and store the decals in sealed plastic containers and keep these inside the house.  I have not seen any problems with the kits due to the heat - it probably gets around 120-130 in there in the NC summer.
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Ohio
Posted by mikepowers on Saturday, May 2, 2009 11:47 AM
3500? Wow!! [wow] Bow [bow]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: 41 Degrees 52.4 minutes North; 72 Degrees 7.3 minutes West
Posted by bbrowniii on Saturday, May 2, 2009 11:56 AM
 widepaul wrote:

Hi there,

Some of my kids are moving back home and I need to put my stash in another place - probably in the shed in my backyard.  I can see summertime temperatures reaching 120 degrees F at times in the shed - is this going to be too hot?  Will I end up with a bunch of wilted twisted parts?

Thanks for your help,

Paul

Hey Paul,

Not sure if anyone has offered or not, but you can store 'em at my house if you want... Angel [angel] Fees are negotiable (depending on what is in your stash)! Cool [8D]

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' - Edmund Burke (1770 ??)

 

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by widepaul on Monday, May 4, 2009 4:19 PM

Hey - thanks for all of the nice responses - but I've made up my mind - bbrownii if you give me you address I'll ship them all to you.

 Just kidding - I don't have any problem with dampness in the San Francisco Bay area where I live.  I think I'll try and improve some of the circulation in the shed and put the decals in the house in zip lock bags.  I don't have any gasolene in the shed so that isn't a problem.  I also think I'll put a remote temperature sensor in there to track the heat.  I only have about 50 kits so it isn't a lot.

 Thanks again for all of the help,

Paul

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • From: SE Pennsylvania
Posted by padakr on Monday, May 4, 2009 5:53 PM
Why not put the kids in the shed? Wink [;)]
  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Cat Central, NC
Posted by Bronto on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 5:55 AM

 mikepowers wrote:
3500? Wow!! [wow] Bow [bow]

 

Yeah, actually 3543, more than all of us put together will ever probably build!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 7, 2009 8:33 AM

you said some of your kids  how many and how many do you have total?

what ever happened to the days when if you could not make it in the real world you still never went back  you joined the military  

  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Cat Central, NC
Posted by Bronto on Thursday, May 7, 2009 10:03 PM
 i am the greatest modeler wrote:

you said some of your kids  how many and how many do you have total?

what ever happened to the days when if you could not make it in the real world you still never went back  you joined the military  

What difference does how many kids or why they are coming home matter to you?  How would you knowing this help him to decide where to store his kits?  Pretty dumb comment to make without knowing the person's situation.

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