Please Tell Me This Isn't Screwed Up!

[PDSimon]

I am currently soaking some bogwood in a bucket. Hadn't changed the water in a while...There is clingfilm over the top so no one spills anything on it as its in the garage.

Someone had moved a paintbrush tub and some turpentine to beside it.................................. so is it just a normal shine..like sometimes you find on river banks? or is it contaminated?

I also tested the pH and it was 6 or maybe a bit below(6 is as low as the test goes). this might just be the bogwood? my water pH is 7.5

 

[meguro]

the bucket was covered, i highly doubt it is contaminated

 

[PDSimon]

Clingfilm wasn't tight because its not quite wide enough to go around the bucket. so there was loads of layers but it kept falling down...

I've also been told by my mum that my dad had started the chainsaw in there this morning(which he neglected to tell me), which is playing up and oil was coming out of it apparently.

Not looking good, the spirit in the tray thing by my bucket was white spirit, which has a pH of 5.5-6.5 too.

 

[arobinson1984]

Try smell it, if it had been contaminated by white spirit you should be able tell due to the strong smell white spirit has.


Andy

 

[Mikaila31]

umm... thats just a biofilm. Its a common thing when you have no surface movement. Some fish like platies and mollies eat it. Its nothing to be worried about IMO. It is of biological origins, oil is too, which is why it looks like oil.

 

[PDSimon]

It doesn't smell. Although when I went in the garage the whole garage smelt of white spirit the other day... but I was doing something else so didn't think to look in the bucket.

All a bit iffy! the layer is very thin. It could be the gas/exhaust fumes from him starting the chainsaw in the garage( ) build up on the top? Stank out the whole house so the garage must have been prety stinky.

Cheers for the replies guys...

Hopefully its just a biofilm..

edit: does bogwood really bring the pH down that much? I guess its just a bucket anyway

 

[nurglespuss]

Yeah tannin complexes affect pH auite a bit at higher concentrations.

If you really want to test the film, grab a piece of blotting/filter paper, and lie it on the top briefly. Let it dty, if its greasy/oily, its oil, if not, its not

 

[OohFeeshy]

I wouldn't panic, try and blot it off with some paper, change the water if you want to keep it soaking, give it a good rinse before you put it in the tank.

 

[Twinklecaz]

I hate it when people do things like that!

Can you boil it up for a while and then put it outside in the bucket...........surrounded by guard dogs?

 

[PDSimon]

I hate it when people do things like that!

Can you boil it up for a while and then put it outside in the bucket...........surrounded by guard dogs?

I think I will this time.

"Dad, you see the bucket in the garage with clingfilm over it, stay away!!!!"

few weeks later...

I find turps and paint by it