Firearm smells awful
- Thread starter beeenbag
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beeenbag
Member
Yeah, its weird how it worked out. This guy has fallen upon hard times, he tried selling it to me for $350. I told him I didn't need it but would help him find a buyer. Later in the day me, him, and another neighbor were all working together and we get to talking about it and he tells me to make him an offer. I told him I didn't need it and the best I could do was the $100 I had in my wallet and him keep the ammo, had around 45 rounds with it. The next day he came to the house and said he really needed the money and would take the $100. I got a bill of sale with his name, signature, date, and DL # on it just to be sure.
Ian Sean
Member
Ozone?...O3?....really?
Ozone is an oxidizer and if you don't want to turn it into a sewer pipe with a wooden stock, keep ozone, bleach or any other oxidizer away from it.
musicman10_1
Member
Wipe it down with Ballistol. Inside and out - go heavy and then repeat.
Yes they do, which is why putting greasy metal through a dishwasher gets rid of the grease so well.
Aside from the AKM that I put through the dishwasher, it's not something I do routinely, but I do use lye to clean cosmoline off of milsurps .
I use Drano granules, which also contain lye (AKA caustic soda or Sodium Hydroxide) and dunk the metal parts of the gun in it for a few minutes.
I usually give the parts a gentle scrub with a toothbrush then dunk them again for a few more minutes.
A thorough flushing with very hot water and an oil bath later, and the metal parts look and smell like they are brand new.
You have to be careful dealing with lye, but I use it instead of even nastier stuff like flammable solvents etc, so I think overall it's safer.
I've left parts in it overnight by accident, and the bluing was unaffected.
If I ever find myself in the financial position to collect milsurps on a larger scale, I'll get a piece of PVC pipe long enough to hold a barreled action and make a lye dipping tank.
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r1derbike
Member
Ballistol...yes! Then it will smell like licorice and your sweaty underwear, but it will be clean!
I use ballistol. It it good stuff. Mineral oil based, use it on all my long guns and sidearms, for minor cleaning chores outside the barrels, and of course a lubricant. Safe on wood too.
I use ballistol. It it good stuff. Mineral oil based, use it on all my long guns and sidearms, for minor cleaning chores outside the barrels, and of course a lubricant. Safe on wood too.
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bdgackle
Member
A word of caution -- if it HAS been in a house fire, and the metal got hotter than about 300-400 degrees (F), there is a good chance that the temper of the steel could have been changed. There are lots of other things that might cause the smell, but that one is worth considering.
I'd at least take off the wood and look at the inside. Wood begins to char at about the same temperature that hardened steel begins to soften -- any sign of burning in there and I'd be very cautious. If the magazine follower is plastic (can't remember if they are or not on that gun), I'd examine that for any sign that melting happened. Weakened springs are another good thing to look for. If you see any sign that the gun was heated in a fire, you’ll want to very carefully consider whether it is safe to fire.
As far as smell, you might try sticking JUST the wood in the safe for a few days, and then just the gun with wood removed. That way, you can see which one is stinking up your safe. Then you’ll know what to focus your cleaning efforts on.
If it’s the metal, you might try removing anything oil based from the metal by washing all the metal parts in hot water with soap (Dawn works well too). If you live someplace that has soft (and thus slightly acidic) water, mixing some baking soda in with the wash water will help prevent flash rust. Dry right away, and get some oil back on the metal. Acetone will accomplish the same, but it is more toxic and costs more. If the “smell” is dissolved in a coating of oil-based compounds on/in the metal, then oil based solvents like CLP won’t clean them off.
As far as lye goes, ANY soap will have lye added to the mixture when it was made, but if made properly, there should be no lye remaining. This is an acid-base reaction -- the fat is the acid (along with left over glycerin), and the lye is the base. If mixed in the proper quantities, all the lye should be neutralized. Dawn isn’t quite soap, but it’s based on sodium lauryl sulfate, which is in most ways similar. The idea here is to make it so that water can dissolve oil based compounds.
The drain cleaners DO contain lye – they work through a different mechanism. In this case, you would actually be MAKING something similar to soap out of the oily compounds on the guns and the lye in the Drano. This is why slightly alkali stuff is slippery – it turns the oils on your skin into a thin layer of soap. It is also how concentrated bases like drain cleaners can horribly injure you – they turn the layer of fat UNDER your skin into soap, and off comes the skin. Drano also contains significant amounts of plain old salt (it's a by-product of modern methods of manufacturing lye by running electricity through salt water) -- so make sure you rinse it all off with fresh water.
I'd at least take off the wood and look at the inside. Wood begins to char at about the same temperature that hardened steel begins to soften -- any sign of burning in there and I'd be very cautious. If the magazine follower is plastic (can't remember if they are or not on that gun), I'd examine that for any sign that melting happened. Weakened springs are another good thing to look for. If you see any sign that the gun was heated in a fire, you’ll want to very carefully consider whether it is safe to fire.
As far as smell, you might try sticking JUST the wood in the safe for a few days, and then just the gun with wood removed. That way, you can see which one is stinking up your safe. Then you’ll know what to focus your cleaning efforts on.
If it’s the metal, you might try removing anything oil based from the metal by washing all the metal parts in hot water with soap (Dawn works well too). If you live someplace that has soft (and thus slightly acidic) water, mixing some baking soda in with the wash water will help prevent flash rust. Dry right away, and get some oil back on the metal. Acetone will accomplish the same, but it is more toxic and costs more. If the “smell” is dissolved in a coating of oil-based compounds on/in the metal, then oil based solvents like CLP won’t clean them off.
As far as lye goes, ANY soap will have lye added to the mixture when it was made, but if made properly, there should be no lye remaining. This is an acid-base reaction -- the fat is the acid (along with left over glycerin), and the lye is the base. If mixed in the proper quantities, all the lye should be neutralized. Dawn isn’t quite soap, but it’s based on sodium lauryl sulfate, which is in most ways similar. The idea here is to make it so that water can dissolve oil based compounds.
The drain cleaners DO contain lye – they work through a different mechanism. In this case, you would actually be MAKING something similar to soap out of the oily compounds on the guns and the lye in the Drano. This is why slightly alkali stuff is slippery – it turns the oils on your skin into a thin layer of soap. It is also how concentrated bases like drain cleaners can horribly injure you – they turn the layer of fat UNDER your skin into soap, and off comes the skin. Drano also contains significant amounts of plain old salt (it's a by-product of modern methods of manufacturing lye by running electricity through salt water) -- so make sure you rinse it all off with fresh water.
rcmodel said:
This. Only don't just wash everything you can get to. Remove the stocks and submerge it if you can. The odor of smoke is oil soluble and is most likely in all the lubricant on the gun.
My experience with Febreze is that it is temporary. I once drove a work truck in which a previous employee had allowed a tomcat to ... relieve itself. I would soak the seat with Febreze every weekend but it would reek again by Wednesday.
ridgerunner1965
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- Dec 11, 2010
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if you take the stock off you could try putting it in a paper bag and covering it with a few lbs of coffee.leave it for a week or two and see what happens. we used to use coffee to absorb smells inside reefer trailers.
BADUNAME30
Member
The smell of smoke is pretty hard to eliminate. So is stink bug smell. Soap just doesn't wash it off your skin.
Soooo, with that in mind. Give this a try. ( this works instantly for stink bug stench)
Use hand sanitizer. Put some on your hands and quickly rub the wood down with your wet hands.
Soooo, with that in mind. Give this a try. ( this works instantly for stink bug stench)
Use hand sanitizer. Put some on your hands and quickly rub the wood down with your wet hands.
Good idea ridgerunner, if it doesn't fully work, worst case, when he closes his eyes, it'll smell like he's sittin next to a camp fire sippin coffee with his rifle on his lap.
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TheDaywalkersDad
Member
I had to check the OP's name to see if it's a friend of mine. Some one that I know bought an M74 a few weeks ago and was complaining that it stunk up his safe. I guess it's more common that I thought.
ApacheCoTodd
member
Simply put your options are:
Pull the smell out
Lock the smell in
Cover the smell up
Neutralize the smell
Pull it - I'd try cat litter in a closed container but not too long. Baking soda.
Lock it in - Spar varnish.
Cover it up - that's girly and probably involves scents equally objectionable.
Neutralize it - Febreeze, really! Vinegar and we've used this stiff too: http://www.scoe10x.com/scripts/VideoReviews.asp
Pull the smell out
Lock the smell in
Cover the smell up
Neutralize the smell
Pull it - I'd try cat litter in a closed container but not too long. Baking soda.
Lock it in - Spar varnish.
Cover it up - that's girly and probably involves scents equally objectionable.
Neutralize it - Febreeze, really! Vinegar and we've used this stiff too: http://www.scoe10x.com/scripts/VideoReviews.asp
ol' scratch
Member
My Dad has a Winchester Model 42 that went through a house fire. It has that burned campfire smell too. He has had it for almost 20 years and it still smells like that. I would be weary of shooting it until someone checks it out if I were you. That said, I don't really know what you can do to clean that smell out.
Poper
Member
I've used "What Odor" to remove odors of all kinds, including stale tobacco smoke. It doesn't leave any cover-up smell behind.
http://www.whatproducts.com/
Just a thought.
Poper
http://www.whatproducts.com/
Just a thought.
Poper
Averageman
Member
Take the wood off and strip it, take it all the way down to the bare wood.
Put the now stripped wood in a paper sack with a cheap pound of coffee, place the paper sack in a plastic bag and sit the whole mess inside yopur truck on the dash where the sun will hit it over the weekend.
End of smell.
Coffee will take the smell out of the wood and any oils will be aborabed by the papersack, plastic bag just keeps the whole thing "Brewing" if you will and keeps the oils off your dash.
The only downside is every time you drive your truck for a while you may have a strange Donut craving.
This will also give you time to go over all of your metal and clean it well and do a close check for anything that needs looked at, adjusted or replaced.
Put the now stripped wood in a paper sack with a cheap pound of coffee, place the paper sack in a plastic bag and sit the whole mess inside yopur truck on the dash where the sun will hit it over the weekend.
End of smell.
Coffee will take the smell out of the wood and any oils will be aborabed by the papersack, plastic bag just keeps the whole thing "Brewing" if you will and keeps the oils off your dash.
The only downside is every time you drive your truck for a while you may have a strange Donut craving.
This will also give you time to go over all of your metal and clean it well and do a close check for anything that needs looked at, adjusted or replaced.
One time I bought some Hogue monogrips (wood ones) used. When I opened the box, the absolute rank stink of cigarette smoke made me instantly nauseous. The grips were so stinky it was unbelievable. I tried Murphy's oil soap... nada. Tried wiping with alcohol...nothing. Mineral spirits... nothing.
I eventually had to wet-sand them down past the finish with mineral spirits and wet/dry sandpaper and completely refinish them. It was only by completely removing the top layer of wood and resealing them that I finally got that smell out of them. These were seriously bad.
I eventually had to wet-sand them down past the finish with mineral spirits and wet/dry sandpaper and completely refinish them. It was only by completely removing the top layer of wood and resealing them that I finally got that smell out of them. These were seriously bad.
OP
OP
beeenbag
Member
I didn't get to make it to the dollar store today, I'll have to get there tomorrow.
phonesysphonesys
Member
Clean it with Hoppes. Coat it real good. If that doen't get rid of it at least it will be a turn on for your wife (girl friend). Works for me.
Semper Fi
Semper Fi
Fishslayer
Member
I've actually heard of old milsurp rifles having a strong tobacco odor in the stocks. I imagine some of those old Mosins have sat in on a few all night wodka benders...
kBob
Member
About '68 I was playing with a Mosin M44 that was an early VN MAAP bring back. It smelled awful. I took it apart and out of the wood and it smelled worse. Like something dead. There were stains in the wood where something had seeped in between the handguards and fore stock.
The actual owner who had loaned me the gun for a class in exchange for "a good cleaning" laughed when I told him his rifle had gagged me.
Thus my first experience with Nhuc Mon.............
-kBob
The actual owner who had loaned me the gun for a class in exchange for "a good cleaning" laughed when I told him his rifle had gagged me.
Thus my first experience with Nhuc Mon.............
-kBob
crow killer
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- Feb 13, 2013
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Get a product called "Natures Miracle" from your pet store, it's a natural enzyme that will clean and neutralize nasty odors. I have used it on wood and it works great. Also works good on beagles after rolling in deer pooh.
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