Removing ?ballistol? smell from sheath.

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I recently received a beautiful knife from one of our wonderful European makers, however for some reason it took a month and a half vacation on its way to see me! As the knife was shipped in sheath for that time, and who knows what happened to it, it has come out with a very bad stink, that I can only think is the Ballistol mixed with leather gone sour or something. When I first opened the package I could smell a nasty fishy smell from meters away. The maker offered to let me return it, but with over a month and a half in transit I'm a little wary of shipping it back, plus I really like the knife and want it!

The smell has focused on the leather/wood sheath. The knife itself has 52100/stabilized wood/brass handles, and seemed to walk smell off well with soap/vinegar/Japanese mint oil. For the sheath I've spritzed it with vinegar, let it set for a second or two then wiped off, a q-tip into the sheath to try to get any remaining grease out of the sheath, then given a few drops of the mint into the wooden portions, mint oil rubbed on the leather sparingly, and put into a plastic bag to try and fumigate.

Anybody else have such issues, and anybody have other solutions? I can't be sure it is a ballistol issue as I've never smelled it before, but it is definitely a sheath issue now, and I'm hoping it will rectify nicely.

Thanks all.

 

[uxo2]

let it air out.

I have never had issues with it.

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I'm going to have to air it outside then- just by itself fills the room with rotten fish smell!

 

[Twindog]

Can you try submerging it in baking soda?

 

[Jens Schuetz]

Yep just let it air out.
Received some leather stuff from overseas and the smell you encountered sounds familiar.
It will get less and less.

 

[Lee48]

If it's really Ballistol, the smell should dissipate fairly quickly in open air. If it's some type of chemical used in tanning the leather, it's anyone's guess how long it will take to dissipate.