White Smell

Chambers

Chambers

Joined
Jul 11, 2001
Messages
1,137
For those of you who remember this thread:

www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=246468&highlight=Piss

If that link works

I had a problem with a Newton knife smelling funny. I got lots of great potential explanations for the smell at the time that made sence.

Well time has passed and that knife still reeks. I learned to live with it but, well, I went and bought two more knives from that maker. Jesus they stink. Same smell. It's getting embarrasing. I show them to my friends and it's like: "awsome piece man, great knife, I like the way it....DUDE! WHAT REEKS?" and there I am going: "umm the knife?"

It's tragic really. So the question is can anyone think of something that generates "white smell" I figure we've got white noise so why not "white smell" I want suggestions for something to dip this critter in that won't kill my knife but will take the smell down a notch, hell maybe even a lemony fresh scent. I'm not about to sell these critters or tell the maker I'm not satisfied with my order, the knives are GREAT! 110% satisfied they just freakin smell funny. There has got to be something I can put on them. (ats-34/Micarta) that will kill or take down that smell. Ideas guys?

C
 
sorry the link wouldnt work! How about raising skunks that have not been descented.Then you wont even notice the odor from the knives. Just a thought, but have you tried setting them in the direct sunlight? this might (cook) the smell out if it is a petrochemical based problem.The sun has a bleaching action that might help in descenting them? It would take a lot of sun to cause a color shift in the handle material but it might not take too long to rid them of any strong odors:barf:
 
Why is it that you do not ask the maker? I'm sure there would be no insult...the link does not work, is the smell coming from the handle or the blade? Is it a plastic smell? Chemical smell? Rotten smell? Cat piss smell?

Depending on the smell and where it is here are a couple of ways to reduce them...

Get a cheap replacement carbon filter for a Reverse Osmosis drinking water system, cut the top off and bury the offending part of the knife in the carbon for a week or so. If you have a cat kitty litter (clean :) ) may work also, but not as well. Arm and Hammer baking soda is another medium for sucking up smells but it is alkaline so I'd check to see if it reacted with the knife first.

Another way would be to seal the smell in by coating the offending part with something like a few coats of Renisance(sp) wax, Varethane, etc. This of course will change the look of the knife as well.

Good luck!
 
Well I emailed the designer so I guess I'll just wait to see what I get from that end. I suppose I could email the maker. Will give that a shot. Sorry the link doesn't work do a search on...hmmmm the original thread was titled "what's that smell" so that or the words piss/pissy and the like ought to bring it up.
Will try the sun trick. I like that idea. keep em coming.

C
 
could always give it a soak in the sink with hot water and bleach... might have a slight effect on the micarta depending on how well it's sealed and rinsed after. Should kill anything making a smell, and bleach is a clean smell no-one seems to say anything about. I've done my spydie military(440V CE, 02 model) once in a bleach bath after using it to cut pork for dry ribs at work... 10min soak in a sink with about 2gal of h20 and about a cup of bleach. No problems at all, and later when I oiled it after my shift(5hrs after soak), the militec covered/cancelled the bleach smell... no rust or discolouration either.
 
If you can find an ozone machine it might work. Ozone is used to remove mildew and smoke smells. It is sort of like an oxygen bleach (ozone is O-three gas). I was in a local equipment rental store yesterday and they had small ozone machines for rent. Put your knife in a box with an ozone machine for a day or two and it will sort of burn off any surface smells.

If you just want to mask the smell you might try something manly like wood smoke.
 
Theres this NASTY product called Tetra gun oil and grease, works well on guns, but smells BAD. He may have lubed the pivot with it, and its a tough smell to get rid of, very insidious and it lingers and water wont get rid of it, however, i would think a thorough degreasing with gun scrubber around the pivot should do the trick. I dont think anything can survive gun scrubber, when i got some in my eye, i thought I wouldnt survive too. :)
 
yah, always something like brake cleaner to clear it out... not the easiest on your knife, but it'll work.
 
Having been a mechanic for 40 (geeze that long?) years. be very cautious using aerosol cleaners like brake cleaners; some can discolor or dissolve man made materials and leach the dyes from bone or stag, it can also change the physical properties of those same materials.If it is strong enough to remove the smell it might have some undesireable effects also.Try the most environmently friendly fixes 1st and progress up the aggressivness chart till its smell is acceptable :barf: dang Keith I read that links postings and now that song is running in my head too. MEK methyl ethyl ketone and MIBK methyl isobutyle ketone are both carcenogenic and can cause major health problems in short order without extremly efficient filtering gear on your mug It was used for degreasing in the AF in the 60s and 70s and I developed some significant ailments from using it on a daily basis as a jet engine bearing inspector.they had to do a complete ventilation rehab on the room to correct the vapor problems
 
Keith,

Thanks for putting the link up there, next teach me how to do it

Matt,

I think Laci would ban me from ever buying his knives again if I used the words Febreeze and "your knives" in the same sentence. Interesting idea though

Jeff,

Hmmmm, wood smoke. That's a cool idea

Bruz,

Kitty litter I got, so I might go about playing with that and the baking soda this weekend.

Thanks guys, great ideas all around. I'm still waiting to hear back from both Laci and Rob, with my luck they will both tell me to quit bitchin. :rolleyes:

If nothing else I still LOVE these knives I'm just not going to sleep with them like some of my other Szabos:D
 
In my one and only chemistry class, I learned that odors are acids. Acids are counteracted by alkalines. I think the baking soda would be the trick, maybe scrubbed in with a multi-purpose household degreaser.

Darrel
 
I'm a chemical engineer and I beleive your problem is volatile organic compounds (vocs) (organic chemicals) that have an odor. These compounds are emminating (IMO) from either a polymer (plastic) handle or some lubicant or chemical used on the metal. Washing might help. If the vocs are emminating from a lubricant then flushing them out with solvents or CPL would help. The trick with this is to avoid corrosion and relubricating. I'm no expert there.

If the vocs are emminating from a polymer handle material (I had a plastic toolbox that stunk baaaad) it could be the precursor chemicals used to make the polymer lingering in the pores of the finished plastic. In this case, an oxidizing agent might help, like bleach, ozone gas, sunlight as well as heat to drive the vocs out. An oxidizing agent like bleach (sodium hypochlorite), ozone, and sunlight (ultraviolet light) will break apart the molecules of the stinky compound. Bleach would be great but is corrosive. Ozone would be great 'cause as a gas it would penetrate the pores, and won't corrode since there's no water. Sunlight is good but won't penetrate the pores. I don't think carbon or baking soda will help. Neither of these will speed driving out the vocs, they just absob or react with the vocs once their already out. After, washing or flushing, leaving it out in the sun on a breezy day might be the best (combines heat, a purging airflow and uv over a long time period at no cost to you), or real ozone if you can get it.
 
Soak it in Ballistol, the funk from that stuff may cover up the original stench.
 
Sticky that has got to be one of the most disturbing avitars I've evern encountered.
 
You might try fumigating it with bleach vapor. Cover the blade and all metal parts with duct tape. Coat other metal surfaces with oil. Put the knife in a plastic container with a lid. Also put a small cup in the container. Pour a little bleach into the cup. Close the container. Let the bleach fumes work on the smell. The tape and oil should protect other parts of the knife from corrosion.

I have changed my mind about masking the smell with smoke. The smoke smell is acidic smelling and I don't think it is a good choice for covering your particular smell.
 
We have some misinformed amature chemists here. Odors are not all acids (and therefore contacting them with alkalines will not necessarily destroy them) http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/odors/chemorec_sh.html. Neither is smoke acidic. Smoke, which is made up of vapors and particulate, results in an alkaline (basic, the opposite of acidic) solution when contacted with water because of the oxides formed from burning things. I don't think vaporized bleach (sodium hypochlorite solution) would gain anything over washing it or soaking it directly in warm bleach solution. Again, I think your best bet is 1) to attempt to wash or flush out the odoriferous compound. Heat would aid this since it will volatilize more of the odoriferous junk. Hot water would be a safe start. Just dry after. Hot air could be good. Leaving it outside on a warm breezy day would provide a lot of warm free air. Solvents would work better if the odor was emminating from a non-water soluble compound such as an oil or grease which is very likely. 2) Oxidizers such as bleach and ozone can destroy some odoriferous compounds on contact so may help as well. Washing your knife in warm bleach solution may help, but you'd want to rinse it well and dry it to avoid corrosion. Let us know what you do and how it works.
 
hmmm looks like the 1st idea is looking better, well not raising skunks but letting old sol do the job,far less chance of dissolving, corroding your knives.And it is the easiest to do.Nothing ventured(or money spent) nothing lost unless they are stolen while getting a suntan. :barf: :barf: :barf:
 
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