Fiziwater Posted April 30, 2015 Share #1 Posted April 30, 2015 I have a nice M1942 bayonet, dated 1942 with the brown grip. The problem is the blade literally smells like vomit. And strong. Would be very interested in any advice on de-putrifying this otherwise nice addition to my bayonet collection. In particular, how does one clean and remove the odor from the inside of the scabbard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted April 30, 2015 Share #2 Posted April 30, 2015 Hard to do as its the chemical in the old composition material of the scababrd breaking down.Many of the old canteens that were the plastic WW2 issue have the same problems. I think some used baking soda in the canteens to was them out but over time I think it will come back and the smell really doesnt leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WW2JAKE Posted April 30, 2015 Share #3 Posted April 30, 2015 Hard to do as its the chemical in the old composition material of the scababrd breaking down.Many of the old canteens that were the plastic WW2 issue have the same problems. I think some used baking soda in the canteens to was them out but over time I think it will come back and the smell really doesnt leave. ive put coffee grounds in canteens because i know it eliminates other smells. it took away the smell and so far hasnt come back... i dont know how itd work in this case though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiziwater Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted April 30, 2015 I've thought about putting a fresh light coat of oil on the blade, and keep it in the scabbard for a while, then clean the blade and repeat the oil process, a bunch of times, to see if that might "lift" some of the smell out of there, without introducing some kind of residue that other cleaning agents might leave. Maybe someone who'se experienced this might have a better idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted April 30, 2015 Share #5 Posted April 30, 2015 odd.. never heard of this?? I have a few bayonets/blades with fiber scabbards and none smell like vomit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted April 30, 2015 Share #6 Posted April 30, 2015 I've only heard of it with tool handles. Grandpa has a set of old nut drivers, and they got left out in the reason and sun ONE day and have smelled like puke ever since. He calls then the puke wrenches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted April 30, 2015 Share #7 Posted April 30, 2015 I would suggest looking at products used in Hospitals,as they must be used around patients,and usually do not contain any harmful additives. Here's a link to one I found: http://www.zorbx.com/newsite/people_odor_hospital.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SG_1st_Cav Posted April 30, 2015 Share #8 Posted April 30, 2015 Completely cover it in baking soda, and let it sit for at least a week. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccyooper Posted May 1, 2015 Share #9 Posted May 1, 2015 122b flash lights will smell like crap etc. other than also turning white in storage, from what I've read they changed the material because they smelled so bad. With a few other changes ( seals, etc) they went to the 122c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiziwater Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted May 3, 2015 Thanks for those ideas. Last night I noticed that the smell was much more pronounced on the blade then in the scabbard. I assumed that the scabbard is being affected by the blade, and is not of itself the source of the odor. I took the bayonet apart and washed the blade a couple of times with regular hand soap. That pretty much got rid of the smell. Then I lightly oiled all the parts and reassembled. That seems to have done the trick. I don't really want to introduce any chemicals into the scabbard but think that letting it sit in fresh air for a couple of weeks might allow the last of the pukey smell to evaporate. At that point I can put the blade back into the scabbard. It may be that certain types of oils turn rancid if left on too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted May 3, 2015 Share #11 Posted May 3, 2015 could very well be an oil that went rancid as you say. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WW2JAKE Posted May 3, 2015 Share #12 Posted May 3, 2015 found some bayonets yesterday that had that smell. it was definitely the scabbards with those ones though... found about 12 or so with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ashooter Posted May 3, 2015 Share #13 Posted May 3, 2015 Try cleaning the bayonet with Hoppes #9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiziwater Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share #14 Posted May 4, 2015 If the smell comes back to the bayonet blade I could try Hoppes. Not sure if that will damage the finish tho. Thinking about rinsing the inside of the scabbard with rubbing alcohol which, I'm assuming, will completely evaporate and not leave a residue. A note to ccyooper: I have one of each of the TL flashlights, and yes, the 122B plastic has that pukey odor. Note to ww2jake: if I rinse my scabbard with alcohol, I'll post the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mi Posted May 4, 2015 Share #15 Posted May 4, 2015 I've used pipe tobacco several times to remove the odor from antiques. Of course, it doesn't really remove the odor, just masks it with something more tolerable... Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted May 4, 2015 Share #16 Posted May 4, 2015 If the smell comes back to the bayonet blade I could try Hoppes. Not sure if that will damage the finish tho. Thinking about rinsing the inside of the scabbard with rubbing alcohol which, I'm assuming, will completely evaporate and not leave a residue. A note to ccyooper: I have one of each of the TL flashlights, and yes, the 122B plastic has that pukey odor. Note to ww2jake: if I rinse my scabbard with alcohol, I'll post the result. I wouldn't do this as alcohol can damage many plastics and perhaps these older fiberglass products. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiziwater Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share #17 Posted May 4, 2015 Thanks Jim. I won't do the alcohol treatment. Like Brobs pipe tobacco idea. My wife would rather smell that then that old smell some of my gear gives off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mi Posted May 4, 2015 Share #18 Posted May 4, 2015 I'd put the sheath in a ziplok bag with the pipe tobacco and let it sit in there for a couple of weeks. The tobacco won't hurt the sheath (or knife if you choose to put that in there too) but you could wrap them in a paper towel if you're concerned that the tobacco may stain the items. It's worked well for me on several items, including a leather sheath and an old wood ice box. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 12, 2015 Share #19 Posted May 12, 2015 Jim Not sure it will work on a scabbard but I have had some luck with items having a strong mildew smell.I will place the item in a plastic bag or larger trash bag with a scented dryer sheet.Cli se the bag and leave it for a couple weeks or longer.Worked really well on a old pith helmet I had purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOLO Posted May 14, 2015 Share #20 Posted May 14, 2015 soak in warm soapy water with lemon scented dishwashing soap and use a soft brush or sponge and clean it up, dry it with a clean cloth then wipe it down with a light coat of gun oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiziwater Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share #21 Posted August 16, 2015 I got the stink out (the puke smell), using Bounce dryer sheets. Folded one up narrow enough to push into the scabbard. Left it for a few weeks. Repeated that two more times with fresh dryer sheets. That did the trick. A word of caution though. If the top edge of the dryer sheet goes down into the throat, it may be problematic retrieving it. That happened, but I had a pair of small hemostats and was able to get a good grip and pull it out. The dryer sheets were a very effective and clean solution to the intense odor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddy.502 Posted August 16, 2015 Share #22 Posted August 16, 2015 I've experienced this with a German k98 bayonet, all I did was put some Thoth grease on it and try to ignore the smell, the grease partially masks the smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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