Well great...my basement is flooded....

[disabled modeler]

Last night the wife said there was no hot water and after checking to see if there was anything wrong with the water heater we found out our basement is flooded.  Everything we had down there is ruined now pretty much i think.    Like we need anymore bad luck right now...smells like there might be some sewer in the water as well..?    And yes... I had some boxes of models down there for storage with some other related stuff.   If anyone has too much luck Id love to have you share it with me..LOL...

[shoopdog]

I'm very sorry to here about this and that you have to deal with this mess, I can't imagine the clean up involved and the loss of anything down there. 

[TarheelRick]

Paraphrasing a great literary work " Basements are the best of times and the worst of times".  When my Dad built the house I now own he did not see any need to spend a lot of money on basement waterproofing.  Over the years the weep tiles crumbled, filled with dirt, and one corner of the basement settled deeper than the others cracking the floor loose from the walls.  Over the years the basement has flooded with every heavy rain.  Most of my late 60's and early 70's 33 1/3 rock and roll albums were destroyed along with my 50's collection of baseball cards, luckily the majority of my models were stored in a closet upstairs.  But I digress.  Since moving back into the house and having some intensive renovations done I had the basement worked on.  Now I have an inside weep tile system that dumps into a three stage sump pump system (with 12 volt battery backup) and a large enough dehydrator to keep the basement quite dry.  When I rebuilt the shelves to store my models I put a sheet of 20 mil plastic between them and the walls just as an extra security.  So far everything seems to be staying quite dry.  I may purchase another smaller dehydrator to place in my model area just to ease my paranoid mind. 

All that being said, I am sorry to hear of your basement woes and know from where you speak.  Keep the faith and things will get better.

 

[NYLIBUD]

Oh man that sucks.Ive had that happen to me a few times over the 35 years I’ve been living in my house.Good luck.

[disabled modeler]

Thanks brothers.   well I got most of the water/sewer down now already had to bag up 3 large trash bags of stuff to toss out sadly....might not be able to save hardly anything I had in there..???   Seems I am not destined to repair/restore them for some reason at this point...???...dont know brothers..???     One giant motivation killer.

[SfanGoch]

The models won't suffer any damage. Wash the parts and place them in large zip-lock bags.

[StevenGuthmiller]

6 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

The models won't suffer any damage. Wash the parts and place them in large zip-lock bags.

agreed!

Don't toss them.

Especially if they are vintage kits.

The parts alone could be worth a small fortune.

I don't mind the smell.

 

Seriously Mark, sorry to hear of your bad luck.

 

 

Steve

[Dave Ambrose]

Yes. Wash the models, then dip them in a weak solution of household bleach to sterilize them. You’ll lose the boxes, instructions, and decals, but not the kits. Ne sure to label them and wear gloves when you wash them. 

[disabled modeler]

Thanks for the information Dave and Steve...I appreciate it was wondering about that..will try that I cant loose any more of them.  Some will need parts or more parts now since the boxes soaked up water,etc. and collapsed on others kind of crushing them.   Yes there were vintage models,boxes,instructions,promos in the boxes...and some later ones.   Shame..I love the old boxes they make me happy just to look a them...been collecting them for years and lost a bunch of them in the 2011 tornado here a long with many model kits and promos I had...still have not had any luck on finding the needed parts for those yet that remain of my dads old collection..now they might need more parts,etc...???    So far I have bagged up 5 large trash bags of old vintage boxes and instructions that had kits/models/promos in...couple of boxes of decals....old model artwork adds,etc.   I guess I dont have to say my motivation is at a new low....going to take some help or ? to bring it back up any right now.   I had enough fighting me as it was and did not need this added to it..almost make one think of giving up...but what else am I going to do with my time..???  I cant afford to just start over on any level.   I hope I can salvage them and or find what there going to need..and maybe replace some of the old boxes,etc. for them that meant a lot to me if I can...???

[landman]

I know how that feels. I've been through it twice here. I was about to suggest cleaning and reboxing but several members did it. No sense in losing more than you have to. 

[MeatMan]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Mark.

Our basement has flooded only once in 23 years, and they say it was because the sewer utility didn't keep the big drains clean. I've been skittish ever since when it rains hard, including last night.

I hope you can salvage your models.  Good luck.

[SfanGoch]

Mark, it's going to come down to you making a realistic and tough evaluation of your modeling situation. Using the "Judgement of Solomon" approach, take stock of what you have and decide which items are the most important to you as keepsakes and for building/restoring. Then, you need to inventory the damaged kits and sort the undamaged parts and consider selling them on ebay. That way, you can use the money to get the parts necessary to restore the valued ones in your collection. It's a hard thing to contemplate; but, one has to be pragmatic. BTW, I don't advertise the fact that I'm disabled. That's really nobody's business and it doesn't change the price of Malta at the bodega. I broke my neck in a trucking accident in 2007; so, I can empathize with you. I also live in what is probably the most expensive city in this country. My rent on a 2 BR apartment is almost three times what a lot of guys here pay on their monthly home mortgages; so, I know what it feels like to be walking a financial tightrope. I have to make judicious decisions on how to spend my money. My son is more important than a model kit. 

[MrObsessive]

Mark, I can feel your pain when it comes to having a flooded basement. Imagine coming home to this after being told to leave for several days due to an impending flood............................

That's the trap door to my basement after Tropical Storm Lee came through here in 2011. I was told by FEMA after they did some measuring that there was 5½ feet of water that came in. After it was all drained, this was what I was left with..........

Models (many diecast) I couldn't get out of the basement in time were trashed, not to mention books and most of my plaques and awards I won over the years.

The cost of getting this mess cleaned up, along with sanitizing everything was about $2000. Needless to say, NOTHING gets stored in my basement any longer! All my models are stored mostly on the third floor safe from any flood waters (I hope!)

[misterNNL]

If the water gets that deep it's time to start building a really big boat. If you need help building that boat I "Noah" guy

[disabled modeler]

Joe...sorry to hear about your accident...I dont advertise the fact Im a disabled builder just not ashamed or ? of being one..there are many like us that have this hobby to past time with...we all have our handicaps when building anyway...learning new skills or tricks,etc.  I have been at it for over 40 years and still need to learn some things myself..LOL..

I do have some that mean a lot to me very strong sentimental value to me...lost 75% of those in 2011 due to a tornado...many were in the basement for (safe keeping..?) due to that...well I guess it was not good enough after all.   Im trying to sort through what was down there and see what can be salvaged/cleaned up yet.   sadly most of the old boxes to them and ones I had collected since I like them will have to be tossed out no chance of saving them.   

Tom...LOL...maybe i should have made floating pallets to store them on..?    Thanks brothers you starting to cheer me up some.   

[SfanGoch]

Where in the world did you keep all that modeling stuff that it was torn up by the tornado, in your yard? Just kidding; but your place must've taken a beating.

[slusher]

18 hours ago, disabled modeler said:

Joe...sorry to hear about your accident...I dont advertise the fact Im a disabled builder just not ashamed or ? of being one..there are many like us that have this hobby to past time with...we all have our handicaps when building anyway...learning new skills or tricks,etc.  I have been at it for over 40 years and still need to learn some things myself..LOL..

I do have some that mean a lot to me very strong sentimental value to me...lost 75% of those in 2011 due to a tornado...many were in the basement for (safe keeping..?) due to that...well I guess it was not good enough after all.   Im trying to sort through what was down there and see what can be salvaged/cleaned up yet.   sadly most of the old boxes to them and ones I had collected since I like them will have to be tossed out no chance of saving them.   

Tom...LOL...maybe i should have made floating pallets to store them on..?    Thanks brothers you starting to cheer me up some.   

Mark, I am so sorry about you bad luck over the last several years. This country has took a beating also with the storms,floods, and fires. I feel so sad when I see the world news. I will keep you in my prayers. I can only imagine how it feels...

[disabled modeler]

11 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Where in the world did you keep all that modeling stuff that it was torn up by the tornado, in your yard? Just kidding; but your place must've taken a beating.

I had them stored in my converted enclosed back porch/model room my house is very small...room lost a few windows and the wind blew right through it...did pick up everything i could find in the yards that morning.

Carl my brother...  Thank you...its horrible to have such bad luck over the past 10 years...my collection and work has taken a huge beating...and my motivation as well.   I have tossed out 10 bags of old boxes,instructions,decals,etc. now.  Everything that was in them is in big tubs...quite a few bodies,glass,etc. will need to be replaced if i can..?...have to somehow.   Some are more common while others are not sadly.   I already needed enough parts,etc. as it was.   Ill have to compile a list of what else is needed for them now and see if I can find anything for them..???

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 6/1/2019 at 5:29 AM, disabled modeler said:

I had them stored in my converted enclosed back porch/model room my house is very small...room lost a few windows and the wind blew right through it...did pick up everything i could find in the yards that morning.

Carl my brother...  Thank you...its horrible to have such bad luck over the past 10 years...my collection and work has taken a huge beating...and my motivation as well.   I have tossed out 10 bags of old boxes,instructions,decals,etc. now.  Everything that was in them is in big tubs...quite a few bodies,glass,etc. will need to be replaced if i can..?...have to somehow.   Some are more common while others are not sadly.   I already needed enough parts,etc. as it was.   Ill have to compile a list of what else is needed for them now and see if I can find anything for them..???

I have to agree with Joe, Mark.

You're only real option might be to admit the fact that you will likely never find everything you need to restore all of these old kits, especially on a very limited budget.

Your best bet is probably going to be to let some of them go in order to save others.

It can be nearly impossible to find some of these parts, even if you are willing or able to spend a significant amount of money on them.

I know this first hand as I still have parts that I cannot locate for a reasonable price, if at all, after years of searching.

If I were you, I would gather up a dozen or so models that you know you will never be able to find parts for, and can find it in your heart to let go, and either put the parts up for sale on ebay, or post them for trade on the forums with the hope of finding parts for some others that you definitely want to save.

I think you're realistic enough to realize that the likelihood of finding everything you need in the way of parts, for little or nothing, in order to restore everything you have is virtually zero. 

At some point you will need to make the hard choices of what to let go in order to save others.

If not, there is every probability that you will save little or nothing and your entire collection, (or the major bulk of it) will languish and wind up someday becoming nothing more than a collection of parts which will in all likelihood have no meaning to your heirs and wind up in a land fill somewhere.

I think you would agree that this would be a sorry fate for you're father's prized collection.

 

Just some points to think about.

 

 

Steve 

Edited June 2, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[SfanGoch]

On 5/31/2019 at 6:56 AM, disabled modeler said:

...lost 75% of those in 2011 due to a tornado...many were in the basement for (safe keeping..?) due to that...well I guess it was not good enough after all.   Im trying to sort through what was down there and see what can be salvaged/cleaned up yet.   sadly most of the old boxes to them and ones I had collected since I like them will have to be tossed out no chance of saving them.

I gotta be honest with you, man. I'm perplexed. Why would you put all of those instructions, boxes and other items susceptible to water damage in your basement? I remember you telling somebody a couple years ago that you've been storing those items in your garage, specifically to preclude something like this from occurring. You should have kept them stored there and avoided this mess altogether. Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess.

[disabled modeler]

Steve and Joe.....

I understand where you both are coming from with the advise and I thank you both for it...my issue is other than funds is the sentimental value of them and most of them are ones Id want to build or restore myself since there my cup of tea.   I might see what I can sort out to ether trade or sell to save others as you suggested once I know more of what Im dealing with here.  

Joe...  I do have some in my garage...due to the loss in 2011 tornado I hesitantly stored some in the basement thinking they might be better protected from storms like in 2011...guessing I was wrong to..?     I already have an agreement with the family that none will go into a landfill or the trash..they know how I feel about that kind of stuff getting tossed out like their nothing.   Sometimes we make poor decisions we thought were good ones at the time...I had never expected any water to ever get that deep in my basement since we had it sealed and I had them in big boxes on top of a wooden skid pallet just to keep them off the floor.   Anyway...whats done is done cant do anything about it now.  After 40+ years collecting/building/restoring them I once had around 500 models till the 2011 storm here.   My house is a very small 3 room house around 400 square foot or so with an enclosed back porch redone into a model room for me so were limited on space.     Your right..hindsight is always 20/20 Joe.     We all do what we can to protect our collections but sometimes we can be wrong I guess..?     Sometimes we just have bad luck..?

[SfanGoch]

Yeah; but, you said that you stored all of the the instructions, decals and other perishable items in the garage to prevent possible water damage. I don't understand why you would go against your own reasoning and put that stuff in the basement. That's counterproductive and defies logic. You have to take the hit for using bad judgement.

[StevenGuthmiller]

14 hours ago, disabled modeler said:

 I already have an agreement with the family that none will go into a landfill or the trash..they know how I feel about that kind of stuff getting tossed out like their nothing.

That's all well and good Mark, but what do you think that your family is going to do with a collection of scattered and broken parts?

My guess is that they would be much more likely to cherish and save a few nicely restored models as a monument to their loved one, rather than a bunch of boxes of busted up plastic.

I wouldn't want to leave my family with the task of trying to figure out what's of value and what's not, and then burden them with trying to figure out what to do with it.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited June 4, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[Tom Geiger]

Mark, do you have a collection of models that you have already restored for your family?  I understand the sentimental value since some of these were your father's.   I have my collection of built models on display in my model space.  My low budget display cabinet is an old china cabinet I got for free.

[disabled modeler]

19 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Yeah; but, you said that you stored all of the the instructions, decals and other perishable items in the garage to prevent possible water damage. I don't understand why you would go against your own reasoning and put that stuff in the basement. That's counterproductive and defies logic. You have to take the hit for using bad judgement.

Joe...  I did store some in the garage so not all them got wet..thankfully.   Your right I guess it was a poor moment of judgement on my part to use the basement we had sealed a few years ago thinking it would be safe for them.   Now Im paying for it as you said.    I guess its one of lifes lessons.    

Steve/Tom....   I do have just a few restored there in a store showcase a friend got me from our local Kirlins Halmark store here that closed up...there in it.   That is one of the issues with a very small house...space.    I have some stored in a closet,garage,and model room which is a glorified enclosed back porch we converted into my model room...house is only around 400 square feet and old.   I might take your advise to part with some of them that might be able to be traded or..? for what I need...its just going to be tough.  There cleaning up well.