Getting rid of that musty smell in a sheath..

[gk2410]

I just picked up a nice Loveless Stiffhorn from a Japanese purveyor. The sheath must have been stored in a damp environment because it has a strong musty smell. The leather looks good - just the smell. Anyhow have any suggestions on how to get rid of it??

 

[Jeff Clark]

You could try gassing the sheath. Most liquid chemicals you might try will add a residue, but a reactive gas will only leave remnants of oxidized mold. If you had access to an ozone machine that would be the least likely to leave you with undesired after-smells. You would just put the ozone machine and the sheath in a box or cupboard together. More drastic are things like bleach or ammonia (do not mix the two). You get a plastic container with a tight lid with room for the sheath. You put in a small cup with bleach in it being careful not to spill the cup into the plastic container. You set the sheath next to the cup of bleach and put on the tight lid. Leave it in a warm spot for a day or so. The chlorine gas from the bleach will kill and oxidize mildew. It may also lighten the sheath. If you do the same thing with ammonia it will destroy mildew spores.

You may want to leave the sheath out in the sun to get rid of remnants of bleach odor. You may also want to clean it with saddle soap and water. Be sure to kill all the mildew and spores before you do that.