Help remove fish smell and protect wood handles

[Winter Tyrant]

Hey guys,

I just received my new Gray wolf model#5 and its great. I have a couple questions regarding handle preservation. It came to me with wood handles and the "stain" it has on it stinks to high heaven of cleaned fresh caught fish. This may not be that bad if I was using this as a survival blade but I don't want to exactly cut into anything I'm going to eat with this as my hands reeked if the stuff while at the gym after multiple washings. What would you guys recommend using to remove and/or cover the smell up while still preserving the wood? I live in a high desert climate and the weather here will dry out anything and while great for rust its not the best for wood.

Thanks
Floyd

 

[richard j]

you might try putting some polyurethane on it or some food grade mineral oil and hope that will mask the smell. maybe contact the maker and see what they say about the smell. maybe they can tell you what to do.

 

[NightMare Silverado]

My dad got fish oil on his beard clippers once and nothing we did could mask the smell. I'd call the seller or maker.

 

[gooeytek]

try some enzyme-type cleaner like the ones available to clean and cover up pet stains. they're made to break down biological residue.

 

[parbajtor]

Vinegar is pretty good at removing fishy smells.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Lemon juice (used in restaurants, in 'finger bowls', to help with fishy fingers), might help. Vinegar also. They're both very acidic, so be sure to COMPLETELY clean it up afterwards, if the knife isn't stainless. Might also clean & scrub with baking soda after the vinegar/lemon juice treatment. The baking soda will help neutralize the acid, and also helps as a deodorizer, in itself. Rinse very, very thoroughly afterwards. Might need to repeat the process a couple or three times, if the smell persists.

Edited to add:
Make sure to oil or otherwise treat the handles, afterwards, to make sure they don't get too dry.