Getting smoke smell out of leather?

M

Midgetje93

Joined
Jul 30, 2023
Messages
316
I just got a new (to me) KaBar 1189 lockback with original sheath. I’m not sure who had it before me or when it started getting Smokey. But it STANKS. Like when I got it. Even the knife smelled. So had to give it a good clean. But the leather sheath is by far the worst.

Right now I have it in a bag covered in baking soda. Trying that for the night. But curious if y’all had another idea?
 
The baking soda will probably do the trick. But if not I've used a 50/50 white vinegar and water mix to clean and removing smells from leather (go easy, as it can cause discoloration). Then after the vinegar do baking soda again.

After that I'd hit it with some kind of leather conditioner. Any should do, but some conditioners like Bickmore #4 for example, have a slight chemical/silicon smell that could help cover up any residual smells.

If all else fails just go steal some 15 year old's Axe body spray and soak that thing down 🤣
 
Corton93 said:
The baking soda will probably do the trick. But if not I've used a 50/50 white vinegar and water mix to clean and removing smells from leather (go easy, as it can cause discoloration). Then after the vinegar do baking soda again.

After that I'd hit it with some kind of leather conditioner. Any should do, but some conditioners like Bickmore #4 for example, have a slight chemical/silicon smell that could help cover up any residual smells.

If all else fails just go steal some 15 year old's Axe body spray and soak that thing down 🤣
Click to expand...
Oh I know to condition the leather. Always have conditioner and Mink Oil for my boots. Comes in handy being a knife guy too!

And I’d opt fabreeze fabric before Axe. Hell, I may rather the smoke than Axe lol
 
Leaving it in the sun for a while works, but it’ll darken the leather. I tried it a while back on a sheath that must’ve been owned by the Marlboro Man himself and it was the only thing that worked.
 
AntDog said:
Leaving it in the sun for a while works, but it’ll darken the leather. I tried it a while back on a sheath that must’ve been owned by the Marlboro Man himself and it was the only thing that worked.
Click to expand...
Being just north of Dallas, this is the time to do that lol
 
I’ve had good results from putting items in a paper bag filled with charcoal. You can put a barrier between the item and the charcoal if you want to keep the sheath clean. Or put the sheath in a paper bag itself and then put that bag in the bag of charcoal.
 
Dear god it’s a little better after a night buried in baking soda lol. Not much. Washed it with soap real well. Gonna leave it in the car today at work. In North Texas it should hopefully draw it out. We are set for 105°F today. So should be somewhere around 115° inside the car
 
JC972 said:
Did it work?
Click to expand...
No. Unfortunately nothing worked. I play guitar. And have come across my share of Smokey cases in my past. They smell like old bars.

This was completely different. Almost like it was in direct Line of smoke since it was new. (Older KaBar 1189 lock back Buck 110 design.) I’m guessing 70s-80s but KaBar makes it hard to date anything.

Couldn’t get the smell to fade at all. The. Realized the metal rivets were filthy and the leather around them was starting to dry rot. Put a liberal amount of conditioner on it trying to save it. But it wasn’t gonna happen. So instead of working that hard just for the sheath to fall a part. I just tossed it.

Luckily the knife was able to be saved. Actually in really nice condition.
agO0MLo.jpg
 
Midgetje93 said:
No. Unfortunately nothing worked. I play guitar. And have come across my share of Smokey cases in my past. They smell like old bars.

This was completely different. Almost like it was in direct Line of smoke since it was new. (Older KaBar 1189 lock back Buck 110 design.) I’m guessing 70s-80s but KaBar makes it hard to date anything.

Couldn’t get the smell to fade at all. The. Realized the metal rivets were filthy and the leather around them was starting to dry rot. Put a liberal amount of conditioner on it trying to save it. But it wasn’t gonna happen. So instead of working that hard just for the sheath to fall a part. I just tossed it.

Luckily the knife was able to be saved. Actually in really nice condition.
Click to expand...
That sucks man but glad the knife is in good shape
 
AntDog said:
If there’s a next time, just remember to put it in direct sunlight. Lay it out on your porch or something where it’s exposed.

Buck 110 sheath will probably fit that.
Click to expand...
I actually tried that too.

And I’m not overly worried about it. My EDC is a Buck 112. This was one to toss in my collection. I’m a big traditional lock back fan. Have several Bucks, a couple Case shark series. Needed a KaBar model. So the sheath restoration was just trying to maintain the original sheath. I’m not worried about carrying options.
 
Just sell it and don't buy stuff that "stanks" like that again because you'll never be happy with it and will always wish you'd never bought it. Just one of life's litte lessons......
 
I tell you what. There is smoke smell, and SMOKE SMELL.

There is a moldy rancid smoke smell, you will never get rid of.

Its the reason I stopped using cash for daily purchases. I got 2 dollar bills in change at a drive thru that were so bad, I almost had to sell my car.
 
drail said:
Just sell it and don't buy stuff that "stanks" like that again because you'll never be happy with it and will always wish you'd never bought it. Just one of life's litte lessons......
Click to expand...
It’s a eBay find. I had no idea. I don’t usually leave bad reviews. I’ll compliment great sales. But if it’s bad I usually just let it go. I had to say something on this one.
 
eveled said:
I tell you what. There is smoke smell, and SMOKE SMELL.

There is a moldy rancid smoke smell, you will never get rid of.
Click to expand...
Midgetje93 said:
It’s a eBay find. I had no idea. I don’t usually leave bad reviews. I’ll compliment great sales. But if it’s bad I usually just let it go. I had to say something on this one.
Click to expand...

I had to stop buying stuff from ebay for various reasons. One of those reasons was that every so often I'd get something that stank of patchouli oil. You know what smell is harder to get rid of than some musty or rotten moldy smell? Patchouli oil, that's what. The sh🤬 is impossible to get out. I hate it.

Funnily enough, I never got anything that smelled like cigarette smoke... not that I would mind if I did. But damn... that patchouli smell...

🤢🤮
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top