Collector knife received from smoker. Overreacting?

Sorry, never encountered this and I don't smoke. I just have nothing against those who do. Still, if such a thing does happen all that has to be done is to wipe it clean.

Can't help it...this just tickles me.

"My knife smells like a cigarette. What should I do?"​

Cmon.

All in fun, guys, all in fun.....
 
knarfeng said:
Tobacco smoke residue is soluble in alcohol. Cleaning the knife with rubbing alcohol should remove the odor and will not harm the knife. Problem solved.
Click to expand...
^--- This works wonders! :thumbup:

The oily "Tar" in cigarette smoke gets everywhere. I received a knife from a smoker and it was quite "fragrant". Luckily it was also a solid surface G10 handled knife so I wiped it down completely with a Clorox wipe and that got a lot of the yellow "tar" off it. Next I washed it thoroughly with dish soap, and dried it, then a final once over with alcohol and a q-tip in all the crannies. Took all the smell right off the knife. I oiled it and it's just fine now.

Now, if the knife had a porous handle, I would return it, unless you plan to clean it with alcohol and then use the ozone generator!
 
That's the way it goes when you choose to do business on the internet . The plus is we are able to purchase almost anything we want. And in some cases anything if you are willing to break the law. People are different from region to region . What is a big deal to some.. Not so much to others. Just the way things are these days. You look at the plus side you probably got a good deal. You just have to do a little cleaning to make it acceptable for you.
 
Another thing to consider: if your biggest gripe on an otherwise new knife is that it's a little stinky, I think you came out pretty OK. At least it's a correctable "defect", and not something that would classify it as damaged or used.
 
Just to clarify, the cleaning the knife is a non-issue as I'm sure that it can be wiped down easily. The bigger concern is the box, paperwork and packing material. I know, you wouldn't think that would be an issue right, but for a collector blade it really is. In any case, got some great ideas already. As I have a saltwater tank, I have some activated carbon I will try first. I also use an ozone generator in the water. I had no idea that it eliminated odors so I will give that a try as well. I'm tempted to try a light wiping of the outside of the box with something as you guys mentioned that it could be just a film of some sort. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.
 
Do you have any areas in your house or apartment were a lot of fresh air is circulation? I think putting the box and paperwork in such a location might help, but I'm only guessing. Cleaning the outside of the box with a little soapy water on a cloth might work, again I'm only guessing.

I think time will help.
 
johnstac said:
Just to clarify, the cleaning the knife is a non-issue as I'm sure that it can be wiped down easily. The bigger concern is the box, paperwork and packing material. I know, you wouldn't think that would be an issue right, but for a collector blade it really is. In any case, got some great ideas already. As I have a saltwater tank, I have some activated carbon I will try first. I also use an ozone generator in the water. I had no idea that it eliminated odors so I will give that a try as well. I'm tempted to try a light wiping of the outside of the box with something as you guys mentioned that it could be just a film of some sort. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

Maybe try one of those Clorox lemon - scented wipes on the box? They're made to be gentle on surfaces, and they aren't damp enough to soak the box. Probably wouldn't try it on the paperwork though, because I know some Spydercos come with printer paper. Otherwise, if it's just one of those lightly "laminated" warranty & product info guides, the wipes should be fine on that too.

I'm also pretty sure that they're alcohol-based, and as others have said that should kill the smell.
 
I would wash the knife with dish soap and water as stated above. If that doesn't remove the smell, then I'd try alcohol. As for papers and other documents, both baking soda and fresh coffee grounds are used rather often to remove tobacco smells from antique books (since everyone smoked back when most collectable books were new it's a common problem). I've used both and coffee works faster but then it smells like coffee. The smell fades over time. A common method is to put the coffee is a nylon stocking and put that in a ziploc bag with the papers for about a week. With baking soda you put it in a pie dish inside a sterilite box with the book. With a book you turn the pages; I imagine it's much easier with just knife documents.

Good luck!
 
Wash it with soap and water, spray it through with wd40 and wipe it off, then oil it. That's usually enough to at least make it smell like wd40 instead.
 
You're lucky you're not into guitar gear. I once bought a vintage amp that i wanted for awhile. Buyer wasn't a smoker, but gigged the amp a lot at bars and such. I took that amp apart and cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol, literally took days. The amp itself no longer smelled, but as soon as you plugged it in and it warmed up, it stank like a smokey bar.

I have no doubt you could remove the smell from a knife though.
 
Forgotten1 said:
You're lucky you're not into guitar gear. I once bought a vintage amp that i wanted for awhile. Buyer wasn't a smoker, but gigged the amp a lot at bars and such. I took that amp apart and cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol, literally took days. The amp itself no longer smelled, but as soon as you plugged it in and it warmed up, it stank like a smokey bar.

I have no doubt you could remove the smell from a knife though.
Click to expand...

thats like patina for an amp
 
You can use alcohol on the box if you wipe quickly and dont over saturate.
I've also used furniture polish spray to clean packaging on the finished side (the inside is way too porous, use the carbon).

I've cleaned vintag3 books and packaging when selling this way. Glass cleaner can work too.
 
johnstac said:
I purchased a C90GFPD Damascus Stretch on fleabay and it was described as new and in fact it looks beautiful. My problem is whoever previously owned the knife was a smoker and it reeks to high heaven. I paid just over $200 and I get that it's not a huge amount but this was actually the first knife I've ever bought that I didn't plan to carry.
Click to expand...

This is a paradox to be certain. The solution is simple, if you are unhappy, contact the seller and explain the issue and return the item. Pondering beyond that aspect really won't get you much for your effort., meaning there is no way to undo the smoke smell. That knife is still available for sale at retail stores so it is not quite the unicorn of value just yet.

johnstac said:
I also collect coins and when I occasionally receive a package from a smoker I almost always let them know. A loose coin exposed to smoke or any pollutant really, can have and adverse effect that isn't always evident immediately. Now I get that we are not talking about coins here but isn't it just common courtesy to not smoke around more expensive knives? I mean really, as soon as I opened the USPS box it just stunk. Even the inside of the Spyderco box including the documentation, the bag and the knife itself just stunk. What do you guys think? If I let it air out for awhile, will the smell go away over time?
Click to expand...

People do not take the hobby of buying knives as anally as say stamp collectors or coin collectors. People might consider that knife a grail and others couldn't care less really. The issue with knives though is that not every knife goes up in value over time. Some even subscribe to the idea that the more rare an item is, the less value is will hold over time. This is because the market for such a rarity is small, and finding the one person that will pay you what that item is worth is like finding a needle in a haystack, located somewhere in Nebraska. No way to know if the smell will go away or not over time.

johnstac said:
I'm just thinking that if I had to sell this knife to someone, I would feel compelled to let them know. It's obvious to any non-smoker and frankly, doesn't it make sense that if you are going to handle higher end knives, that you keep them in a smoke free area? If you think I'm just QQing then say so. I don't think I'm overreacting but that is why I want others opinions before I contact him.
Click to expand...

I understand the disappointment completely, as a former smoker myself the smell sucks. The take away is that what might be valuable to you, might not be to someone else, personal habits aside. If you were handling a very rare Bob Loveless or Randall Made Knife with very hard to find options made in a specific year it would be much more of a concern. Each person will obviously do what they want in their home be is smoking or otherwise and whether they have their knives next to their ashtrays is an individual thing. I never smoked inside my home, and I never smoked inside the homes of friends that were smokers either. It's a pretty nasty habit as it is, with a smell to match. Follow your gut. :)
 
If its true that alcohol removes the smell you may try denatured alcohol on the box/papers in small amounts. It evaporates so fast it shouldn't damage anything and hopefully removes the odor. I use it to clean CPUs before applying thermal paste... Good stuff.
 
The smell will fade over time on its own, but a good cleaning will speed the process. I smoked for 26 years, before switching to e-cigs about 4 years ago. I had a "smoking" room in the house that was an addition that had no ac and a large window I could open when I lit up. Kept the smoke out of the main house pretty darn well, but I'd also sit in there and smoke while sharpening, modding, etc., so most of my knives reeked of smoke. Nowadays I'm really sensitive to the smell of tobacco smoke, and I can tell you that those knives no longer smell like it. Clean it up well and give it some time. All will be well. :thumbup:

The worst thing is that now when I stand next to a smoker I realize that I smelled that way for so many years. Blech! :barf::D
 
I once let a very good friend use one of my revolvers during a range session. He offered to clean it for me and return it the next day. Both he and his wife were heavy smokers. When I got the gun back, the leather holster and rubber grips reeked of smoke. I did all the things that have been recommended. The smell on the steel gun faded with cleaning with Hoppes #9. The grips and holster still smell of it. I know he didn't realize how the items smelled. I quit smoking twenty five years ago but I remember the non-smokers complaints about the odor. I really thought they were making a big deal over nothing...I would give it a good cleaning and if that didn't work, I would let the seller know about it and see what their response is...As with many ex-smokers, I now find smoke very irritating and hate being around it.78
 
I've had one Sebenza from a smoker. I opened the box and left it in the garage for a week and it was fine.
I smoked for 30 yrs before I quit, so you KNOW I hate that smell now.
 
Wow there are a lot of former smokers here! I know it's off-topic, but any tips on quitting? I've been wanting to kick the habit for some time but I'm not sure how to go about it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top