stripped paint; now what's this? Mould?! (pics included)

[David Robinson]

I've never stripped paint before. I'm never doing it again either. But anyway...

I used NitroMors Paint & Varnish Remover first. Realising just how much it would take, I used B+Q's cheapest for the next two coats. All with just a scraper, though I attacked a few pitted sections with wire wool. Finished off with power sander. Not bad. Wiped down (just water). Spotted a few missed bits. Sanded a little more, wiped down again, left for the night.

Went back in today, and there's something on some of the surfaces - which were clean yesterday.

This is what it looks like...

if you rub it with your finger, it smudges it half away, making it look like this... is it? Mould? Bits of wire wool? (can't feel anything).

More importantly, what can I do about it?

My plan is to put wood stain on it (Ronseal Diamond Hard floor varnish beech satin - I know it's not a floor, but there's lots to do and it's cheaper bought this way) but I don't want these speckles underneath.

T.I.A.

Cheers, David.

[Tim W]

...and if you rub it with your finger, it smudges it half away, making

> What is it? Mould? Bits of wire wool? (can't feel anything).

It is very likely tiny bits of wire wool which have oxidised and given you the blue stain which I think is a tannin colour. You get a blue stain from steel (a tim can say) left on a damp kitchen worktop and it can be easily bleached out with lemon juice left over night under plastic to keep the wood wet and saturated. I don't know how you would do it over a larger area, but a mild acid should work.

Tim W

[David Robinson]

I think it looks more grey/black than blue, but I'll take another look. It may be only in the areas that I attacked vigorously with wire wool, so that would make sense.

Can I use vinegar? Or just sand it right before I treat it? Either way, I'm worried the polish will set it off again.

Cheers, David.

[David Robinson]

I think there's some of this mould/whatever on parts where I _didn't_ use wire wool. Can't be sure; it was late, I might just have scraped it everywhere, but I don't think so.

Might just try the vinegar on a little bit to see what happens.

Cheers, David.