Maybe some can help me here.
I have a home that was built in 1961 and I have found black spots while
painting the interior. The spots are approx. 1" in diameter and are
very hard. I tried to paint over them and they bleed back thru the
paint. The strange part is that if I try to use a scraper to remove
them they appear to smoke. The same also happens if I use a cleaner
such as 409. Looks like some sort of chemical reaction. I have only
found 4 or 5 of the spots in different areas of the house ???? Any
ideas what it could be ?? . I first thought perhaps some sort of flux
used by a plumber or something but some of the spots are in closets
with no plumbing anywhere close.
Thanks for any ideas.
Steve / NE Texas.

mold ? i'd dig thru all the way to see what's going on.

steve wrote:
Maybe some can help me here.
I have a home that was built in 1961 and I have found black spots
while painting the interior. The spots are approx. 1" in diameter and
are very hard. I tried to paint over them and they bleed back thru the
paint. The strange part is that if I try to use a scraper to remove
them they appear to smoke. The same also happens if I use a cleaner
such as 409. Looks like some sort of chemical reaction. I have only
found 4 or 5 of the spots in different areas of the house ???? Any
ideas what it could be ?? . I first thought perhaps some sort of flux
used by a plumber or something but some of the spots are in closets
with no plumbing anywhere close.
Thanks for any ideas.
Steve / NE Texas.

Sounds like mold to me. Use bleach to kill it and a sealer to seal it,
then paint it. If there is a lot on a wall, I would replace that panel of
drywall. If you have someone who might be mold sensitive, that might be a
good idea anyway and it is possible you have a leak of some time there
creating a moisture problem and that should be addressed first.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

I'm postive it's not mold. It looks like a hard grease spot or
something petroleum based. It looks like maybe it dripped
down the wall during building ? I can spray 409 or windex
on the spot and it has a chemical reaction and gives off
a few puffs of smoke ???? I've painted the entire house
and found 4 or 5 of these spots. I've used rubber gloves and a
scraper to remove them and then painted over them.
There not a problem now but I still can't figure out what they
were.
Thanks , Steve

I'm postive it's not mold. It looks like a hard grease spot or
something petroleum based. It looks like maybe it dripped
down the wall during building ? I can spray 409 or windex
on the spot and it has a chemical reaction and gives off
a few puffs of smoke ???? I've painted the entire house
and found 4 or 5 of these spots. I've used rubber gloves and a
scraper to remove them and then painted over them.
There not a problem now but I still can't figure out what they
were.

Your local government might have some sort of hazardous materials testing
service. Or a local college. Cut a chunk of it out and have it tested.

steve wrote:
I'm postive it's not mold. It looks like a hard grease spot or
something petroleum based. It looks like maybe it dripped
down the wall during building ? I can spray 409 or windex
on the spot and it has a chemical reaction and gives off
a few puffs of smoke ???? I've painted the entire house
and found 4 or 5 of these spots. I've used rubber gloves and a
scraper to remove them and then painted over them.
There not a problem now but I still can't figure out what they
were.
Thanks , Steve

If they are along joints, mebbe they are corroded nail heads?

Can't imagine what would smoke if 409 or Windex were applied. Perhaps
it is mold that is dry and dusty. There are mushrooms that look like
they smoke when ruptured because they give off fine spores. I would
wipe the spots with bleach, cut out surface, patch with spackle or joint
compound, prime, paint.

I did some looking and found another spot. I am almost
postive it's something petroleum based. The spots are
very hard on the outside and I have to scrape them off.
I'm sure it's not a mold. I took a picture of a spot he
http://bedair.org/SPOT1.JPG
This is against a door jam in a closet.
I sprayed the 409 on it and there's a chemical reaction but I could
not get a picture of that.
Here's another place in the same closet:
http://bedair.org/SPOT2.JPG
All the other spots have been on the sheetrock, this one is on
the mortar side of a fireplace.
The only places I have found these are in closets. Nothing in the
closets
except for a light. And I found three spots in a utility closet where
there
is a lot of plumbing. It looks a lot like creosote ????
I may try to see if I can get a piece tested just to see what it is.
Thanks,
Steve

steve,
is there perhaps a live wire behind the drywall?

steve,
is this dripping tar and nicotine?

--

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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"steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
I did some looking and found another spot. I am almost
postive it's something petroleum based. The spots are
very hard on the outside and I have to scrape them off.
I'm sure it's not a mold. I took a picture of a spot he
http://bedair.org/SPOT1.JPG
This is against a door jam in a closet.
I sprayed the 409 on it and there's a chemical reaction but I could
not get a picture of that.
Here's another place in the same closet:
http://bedair.org/SPOT2.JPG
All the other spots have been on the sheetrock, this one is on
the mortar side of a fireplace.
The only places I have found these are in closets. Nothing in the
closets
except for a light. And I found three spots in a utility closet where
there
is a lot of plumbing. It looks a lot like creosote ????
I may try to see if I can get a piece tested just to see what it is.
Thanks,
Steve

No wires behind a couple of the areas.
And the house was built by a doctor and never smoked in.
I have a friend who says he can have it tested.
I'll let you know what he finds.
Thanks for all the help.
Steve

"steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
I did some looking and found another spot. I am almost
postive it's something petroleum based. The spots are
very hard on the outside and I have to scrape them off.
I'm sure it's not a mold. I took a picture of a spot he
http://bedair.org/SPOT1.JPG
This is against a door jam in a closet.
I sprayed the 409 on it and there's a chemical reaction but I could
not get a picture of that.
Here's another place in the same closet:
http://bedair.org/SPOT2.JPG
All the other spots have been on the sheetrock, this one is on
the mortar side of a fireplace.
The only places I have found these are in closets. Nothing in the
closets
except for a light. And I found three spots in a utility closet where
there
is a lot of plumbing. It looks a lot like creosote ????
I may try to see if I can get a piece tested just to see what it is.
Thanks,
Steve

Looks like construction adhesive in one picture, and splattered stain in
another. Did the previous owner have any windows or trim redone in those
rooms, or maybe refinish some now-gone furniture there? If all these backed
up to a fireplace, I'd say creosote.

If they scrape off, and a test hole in the surface below doesn't look like
they came through the wall, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

aem sends....