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Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 46
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 04, 2008 - 06:42 pm: | 
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Recently, on the big auction site, I bought a 4x5 monorail camera. The camera itself is in great shape, aside from some dust, which I cleaned up, but the case, which is felt-lined, has some really severe mold/mildew problems. Frankly, the thing reeks. I scrubbed it out with Resolve fabric cleaner, and the mold/mildew is no longer visible, but the thing can still stink up a whole room in seconds. How do you get rid of this? |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 264
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 04, 2008 - 07:14 pm: |
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Get yourself a spray bottle of fabric deodoriser from the laundry shelf in the local supermarket, and give the interior a few sprays. For really bad odours, ask your local undertaker/funeral home for a small amount of the product they use. These products work extremely well! |
Dgillette4
Tinkerer
Username: Dgillette4
Post Number: 155
Registered: 04-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 04, 2008 - 08:57 pm: |
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I did a job for a client who had a 8x10 view which had been near a fire nextdoor. The water damage was minimal but it smelled. I found some stuff in a bottle that said a drop would descent a skunk. It worked and all were happy, even the skunk ,got a thankyou note. It's been so long, but I think I got it at a Dammans hardware. Don |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 47
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 05:13 pm: |
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Glenn, are you talking about something like "Extra Strength Febreze?" |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 48
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 05:18 pm: |
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Well, someone on another forum suggested I use hydrogen peroxide first. So I did, and the inside of the case now has about half an inch of foam all over it. I guess that's working as far as KILLING any remaining mold and mildew goes. I'll try the fabric deodorizer once it has dried out. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 268
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 08, 2008 - 03:18 am: |
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Sorry for the delay in replying, missed the thread somehow. Yes the Extra Strength Frebreze or a similar product should work. I would be slightly wary of using hydrogen peroxide, I have seen instances of case interiors being damaged by its bleaching properties. Depends on the Vol strength one uses, but there are less damaging 'fungicides' available - if you need to 'kill off' some hidden 'nasty'. |
Shutterbug2
Tinkerer
Username: Shutterbug2
Post Number: 25
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 08, 2008 - 07:43 pm: |
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i wonder if you were to put it in closed container with moth balls for period of time if that would draw out mildew stinch. it would definitley saturate everything with odor of moth balls.James |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 49
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 09:32 am: |
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Well, I guess I got lucky, because the hydrogen peroxide and fabric deodorizer worked a charm. All the store had in the way of fabric deodorizer was something called Renuzit (Febreze was only available as an air freshener); it worked fine though. Someone on another forum suggested Lysol, but I believe that has its own odor, which is also at least somewhat questionable. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 269
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 11:19 am: |
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The point to remember when dealing with nasty/funny smells, is that reodorisers are only useful on smells that have a short 'life' or are 'weak'. Most of the unpleasant smells that we may find contaminating old equipment, tend to be 'strong' and can emanate from a long-lived source. In this instance just masking an odour - reodorising - will not give a lasting solution. You need a good, deodoriser to actually remove the smell. The better fabric deodorisers also contain products to removed the mold/bacteria, which are the source of many smells. |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 50
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2008 - 07:48 am: |
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Glenn,
Before using the deodorizer, I soaked the whole thing down with a full quart of hydrogen peroxide, full strength. I'm pretty sure that any LIVING mold or mildew is a thing of the past. This cut the smell, all by itself, by about 90%. The deodorizer I used got rid of most of the rest of it. I can still smell it, a little, but now I pretty much have to stick my head in the case to do so. I expect this is due to some very thoroughly dead mold still trapped in the fabric. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 270
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2008 - 02:13 pm: |
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Your peroxide 'bath' most likely got rid of the mold. The chemical is a good choice, if you can be sure it will not bleach out dyed fabrics.
As you can imagine; the interior construction of camera/equipment cases of the period we are interested in, offer plenty of hiding places for mold/bacteria - dead or alive. Hence the slight lingering smell.
I have a number of 'vintage/classic' equipment cases, that on acquisition needed to be made house friendly! Having successfully chemically treated these, I now routinely give the interiors a good airing on a nice sunny day. This because I do not use the equipment stored in the cases, on a regular enough basis to ensure the interiors are aired properly. |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 51
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 11:17 am: |
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Glenn,
the case in question was looking pretty bad and smelled worse. My statement that it would stink up a whole room in seconds was no exaggeration. This was my last hope before I started ripping the cloth out of it and shopping for new lining material. I got lucky in that the hydrogen peroxide didn't bleach the fabric, but the fact that I needed to do something pretty drastic, in very short order, become painfully obvious within seconds of opening the box it was shipped in. I was ready to try bleach or pretty much anything. |
Wsboyd
Tinkerer
Username: Wsboyd
Post Number: 62
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 12:27 pm: |
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A cheap way to get rid of mild lingering odours is to buy a few bars of original scent Irish Spring deodorant bath soap.
Cut all flaps off of both ends of the soap box. Put a rubber band lengthwise around the box to keep the bar from falling out. Place the modified box inside the offending item and/or next to it in a closed container. |
