removing smoke odor form older cameras?

[retro]

I found a nice Retina but it stinks!

I've tried citrus cleaners and mild rubbing alcohol but they haven't been much help.

Anyone have any tips for removing cigarette smoke odor from older cameras?

Thanks.

 

[feenej]

I don't know, but my best guess would be to re-cover it with a kit from cameraleather.com.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

That could be one way. Another one is leaving the camera in a porche or some other place where the exposure may reduce the smell.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I don't know, but my best guess would be to re-cover it with a kit from cameraleather.com.

Does that have the lovely 'Retina' ompressions on the leather? 'Cos I'd be hesitant otherwise.

How about a good beeswax-based leather balm? The one I use could probably overwhelm nicotine in the leather. On the body, a Q-tip with alc. abs. should remove all deposits so it's only the leather.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Tin]

Let me suggest an experimental way.

Place the camera in a tin can with a tight lid. Also place inside the can an opened box of fresh baking soda. Close the lid and set aside. Hopefully, the baking soda will absorb the odour, the same way that we would use baking soda in a fridge. Just make sure you do not get any baking soda spilled onto the camera. If this works at all, it likely will take a fair bit of time.

I'd try this first before using the other suggested treatments on the leather itself as there would be no direct contact between any chemicals and the leather.

Good luck and let us know if this works.

Tin

 

[oftheherd]

Do a search of the forums. I remember a thread from some time back that covered this same topic. I seem to remember there were some solutions that some people had actually used that worked. Believe it or not, I think one was a q-tip and a vinagar solution. I could be wrong, so do that search.

BTW, I would also have suggested baking soda, or a good leather cleaner. Even saddle soap might work, although I was surprised recently when a local cobbler said it would dry out leather. So perhaps if you used saddle soap, a restorative would then be in order.

I also have a good leather balm I bought years ago when I still had an enlarger. It has a strong odor, but a strong effect also. I often use it for cleaning and restoration. Mr. Hicks' solution might then be a good one also.

Good luck.

 

[capitalK]

I did one of these threads a while back too. The best solution someone gave was to wrap the item in newspapers for a few weeks, changing them about every week. Worked great, especially on the leather case.

 

[FallisPhoto]

I found a nice Retina but it stinks!

I've tried citrus cleaners and mild rubbing alcohol but they haven't been much help.

Anyone have any tips for removing cigarette smoke odor from older cameras?

Thanks.

What you are smelling is deposited tar. Even though it comes from cigarettes, and is "aromatic," it is still just tar. Well, department stores sell bug and tar remover in their automotive sections, and naptha (lighter fluid) is also a good solvent for tar. I'd try those. Thing is, if we are talking about real leather, and not leatherette, then the tar is inside the leather. You can't ever get all of that out, but you can seal it in there so you can't smell it. Leather sealer or maybe even shoe cream should do it.

Incidentally, you should never use alcohol on real leather. Many of the synthetic dyes they use to color leather are alcohol-soluable.

 

[Bill58]

Start smoking....... and you'll never smell it again. Seriously, the baking soda method will work.

 

[retro]

Thanks for the replies.

Actually, I've gotten rid of much of the smell with diluted vinegar applied with soft toothbrush and wiped with paper towels and repeating. It's much better now.

I will try the baking soda trick next.

 

[wintoid]

Do a search of the forums. I remember a thread from some time back that covered this same topic. I seem to remember there were some solutions that some people had actually used that worked. Believe it or not, I think one was a q-tip and a vinagar solution. I could be wrong, so do that search.

A loong time ago (several years) I posted a thread entitled something like "My Canonet smells". One of the respondents recommended rubbing the body down with baby wipes. As a dad with a small child, I had tons of baby wipes around, so it was a simple matter to rub the Canonet down, and sure enough the smell was virtually eliminated.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Even saddle soap might work, although I was surprised recently when a local cobbler said it would dry out leather. So perhaps if you used saddle soap, a restorative would then be in order.

If you use saddle soap, you should use mink oil afterward, or a wax based polish.

One thing you should never use on old leather is any leather cream conatining beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil, petroleum jelly or paraffin. Those will make it greasy and brittle. Instead of softening it, it makes old leather tend to come out stiff as a board. This is the best leather restorative I know of: http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17858 Restoration Leather Conditioner is what the British Museum uses for restoring the leather on old leather-bound books.

I've never tried it, mainly because I, quite frankly, don't believe it, but I'm told that there is also something for binding up cracks in the old-fashioned cellulose leatherets (provided they are very minor) called "Cellugel." Let's see if I can find that...

Yep: http://www.archivalsuppliers.com/prodinfo.asp?number=993-0116 Seems it also works on powdery leather.

update:

Oops! Turns out that powdered celllose is what is used for filling cracks. The stuff in the link is a penetrating consolidant. It is completely different and is used for restoring pliability to old dried out leather.

 

[Kent]

A loong time ago (several years) I posted a thread entitled something like "My Canonet smells". One of the respondents recommended rubbing the body down with baby wipes. As a dad with a small child, I had tons of baby wipes around, so it was a simple matter to rub the Canonet down, and sure enough the smell was virtually eliminated.

Hey, that's great! Since I also have tons of them 😉, I will try that on some of my old cams...

 

[Windscale]

Here is how I did it. And it is no joke. Put a coffee filter in a filter container (the kind for making coffee!), pour in some 4-5 spoonfuls of filter coffee powder. Put the whole setup on top of a coffee mug the same way one makes coffee. Pour in BOILING WATER as usual. Then after all the coffee has been drained into the mug, put your camera (with its back opened) into a big plastic bag and also put the coffee filter container (with the filter and the residue coffee powder) in it as well. Leave overnight and your camera will smell fresh (fresh means fresh, not smell of coffee) the next day. The same trick even works for a whole room after a night of smoking and drinking. One point to note, however, is that one must not use decaffeinated coffee. Blue mountain works fine for me. And, don't forget to drink your coffee.