How to get rid of Gun smell?

[TexasShooter59]

I can smell some metals too, but I've never really analyzed it!

Once upon a time, I had an FFL and sold Sig pistols. I don't know what they used for lube, but it would consistently set me off on a sneezing fit! I got pretty fast at verifying the serial numbers and getting the case closed back up! Then I would quickly walk away from it and wash my hands really good.

 

[Cee Zee]

would you want to get rid of the smell of a woman?

I don't know. It depends on the woman. Most of them no. Some of them have never discovered that stuff we call soap.

 

[TexasShooter59]

(This is certainly an entertaining thread!)

 

[Ex]

Only input I have....

 

[JohnKSa]

Not many guns are made of iron. They're made of steel, aluminum and plastic and some alloys but not since the days of the musket has there been actual iron guns.

All commercial firearms have at least some major component made of steel and the main ingredient of steel is iron. My guess is that someone who is sensitive to the smell of iron will also detect steel in exactly the same manner given that it is mostly iron.

 

[LiveLife]

I don't think OP specified "iron" but "gun smell" that was specific to Glock 19 that rubs off on hands

glock 19 ... I can smell the metal whenever I do something with it, and it even rubs off on my hands.

Can you better describe the smell?

One thing for sure is that when I pick up a cleaned or uncleaned gun out of my range bag (regardless all metal or polymer), I can definitely smell the gun powder residue which is very distinct to my nose. Smell the uncleaned barrel at the muzzle end and if the smell you are detecting is same, you are smelling the gun powder residue.

Maybe....I was imagining it on my hands and I was still smelling the gun?

The only thing I'm going to do now is clean the gun and lubricate it with Tri-Flow.

You can try using nitrile gloves to minimize transfer of solvents/oils to your hands/skin.

 

[old lady new shooter]

As I said before blood smells exactly like iron. I'm sure it's the iron in the blood that smells so much in fact. I have no proof of that but it smells so similar it has to be iron in the blood.

BTW I can certainly relate to certain smells being offensive. The stuff some people like will make me run outside and throw up. Strong perfume or aftershave is the worst. That's actually a common thing in people who have had chemotherapy (which I've had). They put signs up all around the treatment centers about no perfume allowed. It makes me puke if I get more than a slight whiff of it. If I take a full breath smelling it forget it. I'll be gagging for half an hour or more. I can't go a lot of places because of that. Heck people that use a lot of after shave, I can't even use their phone. It (the smell of the after shave) rubs off and sticks to the plastic like glue. I can't put a phone like that anywhere near my face.

I can see people being irritated by the smell of gun oil. It's a strong smell and it has heavy metals in it. Those metals are bad for humans. If you don't know that certain gun oils cause cancer you should. I've seen lots of threads on other boards about such things. It's no surprise that humans are geared to avoid those smells. They will hurt you. Heavy metals gave me the cancer I had.

"certain gun oils cause cancer "

Is it possible to use other ones? Is there a list of which is which?

 

[Cee Zee]

My guess is that someone who is sensitive to the smell of iron will also detect steel in exactly the same manner given that it is mostly iron.

Steel has some of the smell of iron but it smells different. Most likely it's the stuff they use to change iron to steel. They do smell different.

Is it possible to use other ones? Is there a list of which is which?

I'm no expert on the subject. I've just seen discussions of it. For example I've heard that Hoppes #9 used to contain benzene which is known to cause cancer but only in extended exposure situations. Just do a search on Google and you can find the same results I would find. Like I said. I'm not an expert.

 

[Lord Teapot]

i usually can only smell my guns for an extended period if they arent cleaned (powder smell), or if i dont wipe the excess oil off them after i clean them (oil smell). other than that i could have all of them sitting on the floor next to me and not smell anything i would not smell from a pile of clean metal, wood, and plastic.

 

[wojownik]

I don't have this aversion to metallic smells / tastes, but I know a few who do. Turned out to be a marker for another health condition for one fellow.

I do have a revulsion for some particular smells - for some reason my new favorite grease (Lucas Red n Tacky) unfortunately comes with an acrid smell that triggers the same reaction as things like cat urine. That family of aromas. At least the grease smell fades after a day or two (unlike cat pee, which stays forever, abominable creatures).

So, not that I was smelling me firearms before, but I'm certainly not now.

 

[TRX]

> Are you implying there are metal guns that smell good?

Mine do. I use a brand of sewing machine oil that smells good.

Some bore cleaners are outright rank, though.

 

[MartinS]

My AK outgasses the tired sweat of the proletariat and the hot breath of revolution, my Winchester the clean, crisp air of the high country, my Vaquero the tang of stark, naked fear before the draw, but my Daisy Red Ryder exudes sweet chocolate and the sharp bite of ice cold Coke.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Can't say that I smell my guns. If I did though, then I'd know what joy smelled like.

You sure it isn't the oil you're smelling?

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Interesting article about the "smell" of iron:

http://phys.org/news/2006-10-iron.html



Tinpig

Tinpig has it right. It is the smell of fatty peroxides in sweat and skin oil being reduced by contact with Iron or other metals (although iron has the strongest reaction). The compound is best known as Oct-1-en-3-one (CH2=CHC(=O)(CH2)4CH3) and human beings have a sense threshold for it that rivals lower animals. It not the smell of blood itself (trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal) that many predators are attracted to but the smell of "spilled blood" (blood on skin).

To me it is not unplesant (and is the smell of money). If it is unpleasant to the OP, I suggest he handle his guns (and tools, and coins, etc.) with gloves.

Mike

 

[ku4hx]

if that sewing machine oil is 3 in 1, don't use it on guns. It will dry out, build up and cause problems in tight crannies.

Given enough time, all oils will eventually "dry out" leaving some sort of residue. I began using 3 in 1 in 1959 and still do in some gun and hand loading applications. I've never seen it "gum" or "dry out" but I've also not seen every last application of it. I guess if you slather it on and let it accumulate dirt and powder residue over time you can develop problems, but I've never seen an instance of it proper amounts being a problem.

 

[ku4hx]

Tinpig has it right. It is the smell of fatty peroxides in sweat and skin oil being reduced by contact with Iron or other metals (although iron has the strongest reaction). The compound is best known as Oct-1-en-3-one (CH2=CHC(=O)(CH2)4CH3) and human beings have a sense threshold for it that rivals lower animals. It not the smell of blood itself (trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal) that many predators are attracted to but the smell of "spilled blood" (blood on skin).

To me it is not unplesant (and is the smell of money). If it i unpleasant to the OP, I suggest he handle his gung (and tools, and coins, etc.) with gloves.

Mike

Given that plain old iron is Fe, where's the Fe (iron) in CH2=CHC(=O)(CH2)4CH3? Are we tasting iron or the resultant of some chemical reaction?

 

[rcmodel]

The main problem I have seen with sewing machine oil over the years on guns is it is too thin to stay where you put it.

So it mostly runs out of the action and soaks into the stock wood while the gun is leaning muzzle up in storage.

Then again, I have repaired very old Singer sewing machines that had dried varnish where the sewing machine oil used to be.

rc

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I think the smell mostly associated with firearms that have actually been fired is burned gunpowder. Once they have been cleaned it is the odor of whatever was used to clean or protect them. I think the biggest problem today is one of oversensitivity.

As far as carcinogens, I believe that the state of California has made a list of almost every element known to exist and has deduced that someone has died of cancer who was exposed to that element. Fear is the greatest fear of all.

 

[Cee Zee]

Tinpig has it right. It is the smell of fatty peroxides in sweat and skin oil being reduced by contact with Iron or other metals

I read that article but I had a problem with it. I can smell blood that isn't on skin. Think about what dogs, bears and other animals with a great sense of smell can do. They smell the cells that fall off of something and are able to track it. And sharks can smell blood in the water a long way off. They can't be just smelling iron on flesh. I don't see it as being so outrageous that humans have some ability to do that. I know they are far from the same level as a shark or a dog or a bear but I know what I smell. I check my blood sugar twice a day. If I put the alcohol swab I clean the blood off with in a trash bag I can smell it later. I put it in a sealed bottle so that I won't smell it. And that's just one drop of blood. I can't smell it a long way off but if I put it in the trash by my chair I will smell it later. That scientist seemed to be convinced that no humans could ever smell blood and use it to track animals. I have heard lots of stories of people smelling blood to believe it is always a reaction with skin. I'd have to see the test done to be convinced. My only proof is my own nose but I know what I smell. And I'm not the only one. It runs in my family. I can also smell bears at a good distance. They have a strong smell a lot like how a cow smells. And speaking of cows I can smell the blood of a hamburger or steak too. And it doesn't have to get on my fingers to make me able to smell it.

It's just too big of a coincidence that blood smells like iron. There's lots of iron in blood unless we need some Geritol to get rid of "iron poor blood".

Let's put it this way. I can drive down a country road and smell something almost all the time. From "fertilizer" to stink weed to sour wood to honeysuckle to smoke or whatever there is always something to smell. My wife never smells any of it.

 

[YeagersClaw]

I read that article but I had a problem with it.

I also have a problem with it but not in the same way you do. Even if I am smelling the chemical reaction described, I still firmly believe that the metal is giving off a smell on its own.
Just like how one poster could taste the metal on his fork, or someone can smell car keys or pennies. Yet, I do think I was smelling the lipid peroxide described in the article on my hand and
that gave the impression the metal was rubbing off on my hand. I think the case has been solved in my book.

 

[Cee Zee]

I still firmly believe that the metal is giving off a smell on its own.

I said before I wasn't an expert because of that report. I still don't know why I smell what I do. I just know that keys smell different than an iron skillet and treated steel on firearms smells different from either. And I can smell blood without it touching skin. But I don't have the equipment, the training or the inkling to do the research. I just see problems with that report based on my own experience. But what do I know??? Don't answer that.

 

[LiveLife]

I read that article but I had a problem with it.

I also have a problem with it but not in the same way you do. Even if I am smelling the chemical reaction described, I still firmly believe that the metal is giving off a smell on its own.

Just like how one poster could taste the metal on his fork, or someone can smell car keys or pennies. Yet, I do think I was smelling the lipid peroxide described in the article on my hand and that gave the impression the metal was rubbing off on my hand. I think the case has been solved in my book.

Hmmmmm ... but you are shooting a Glock 19 which has polymer frame and coated slide/barrel which minimize your contact with metal.

Essentially, "metal giving off smell on its own" would be the four slide contact points on the frame, striker/release and barrel/slide contact points which should be lubed anyways to reduce metal to metal friction.

If you are not experiencing similar phenomena with other all metal pistols, particularly stainless steel pistols, I am more inclined to think you are smelling something volatile than "metal smell". As I posted already, I am thinking you may be smelling combination of gun powder residue, cleaning solvent, lubricating oil, etc.

Also, hemoglobin contains iron and tiny blood vessel rupture in the nose could release enough for you to "taste" iron/metal. Do you get frequent nose bleed or see blood/clot in your snot? Just another thought. Enough dryness of ambient air could aggravate this.

BTW, can you "taste" metal utensil in your mouth?

 

[Cee Zee]

Also, hemoglobin contains iron and tiny blood vessel rupture in the nose could release enough for you to "taste" iron/metal. Do you get frequent nose bleed or see blood/clot in your snot? Just another thought.

Just for the record I don't get any nose bleeding and I definitely smell blood outside of my nose. I don't exactly what it is that I smell but it has the same smell as iron ore. My house was built on property that was mined about 150 years ago for iron ore back when the southern Ohio area was a big source of iron. I have a lot of iron ore still on my property especially where they dug the 12 foot deep trenches up the hill side. I've seen plenty enough iron ore to know how iron smells before it has been touched by human hands. My lawnmower will sometimes catch a hunk of rock that has iron in it. I can smell the iron in it and it smells just like blood.

I can taste metal utensils in my mouth too but not all that much. Some metals are way worse than others with silver plated stuff being strong along with cheap plated stuff that is made of who knows what. It isn't very powerful and the smell and taste of food overpowers it but to just stick a fork in my mouth before I start to eat absolutely I will be able to taste it.

I think we've about covered this topic and it's connection to gun issues. More than likely the Glock has some oil on it that makes it smell which is why the smell gets on the OP's hands. That's enough for me in this thread.

 

[LiveLife]

I've seen plenty enough iron ore to know how iron smells before it has been touched by human hands. My lawnmower will sometimes catch a hunk of rock that has iron in it. I can smell the iron in it and it smells just like blood.

We actually smell by "odor particles" making contact with olfactory sensors inside our noses so we are essentially "tasting" what we smell.

I think we've about covered this topic and it's connection to gun issues. More than likely the Glock has some oil on it that makes it smell which is why the smell gets on the OP's hands.

+1. I think so.

I am more inclined to think you are smelling something volatile than "metal smell". As I posted already, I am thinking you may be smelling combination of gun powder residue, cleaning solvent, lubricating oil, etc.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Given that plain old iron is Fe, where's the Fe (iron) in CH2=CHC(=O)(CH2)4CH3? Are we tasting iron or the resultant of some chemical reaction?

There is no iron in the organic molecule, it is acting as a catalyst. Other things in the skin (acids and salt) are corroding the steel (or copper, etc.) by a tiny amount producing Fe+3 (the ionization state of iron in hemoglobin). It takes only a miniscule invisible amount since the human scent threshold is so low.

Mike