Ohaus 10-10

[SixShooterBP]

Just picked up one and it stinks of cigarette smoke. What would be a good way to clean it?

[ghbucky]

I'd guess it is covered in nictotine.

I'd try wiping it down with window cleaner.

[jag2]

Hmm, smoking while loading gunpowder, what could go wrong? Was this from an estate sale? Anyway, I think I’d try Lysol spray, maybe some alcohol on a cotton pad.

[gwpercle]

Originally Posted by jag2

Hmm, smoking while loading gunpowder, what could go wrong? Was this from an estate sale? Anyway, I think I’d try Lysol spray, maybe some alcohol on a cotton pad.

This is the first time I have ever heard of a powder scale that smelled of cigarette smoke ... who smokes while measuring gun - powder .... I mean isn't that like Rule #3 in the Reloading Safety Rule book and might be Rule #1 in the Common Sense rule book !

Just goes to show ... when you think you've heard everything ... Whoop there you go ...you hear something new and dangerous .

I would wash everything gently in Dawn ... to get it clean , let dry and then treat with some Lysol deoderizing products . They have several ... maybe one that Neturalizes Odors .

This is a new one but if anyone knows a product that will leave the paint on the scale ...
Lets hear about it !
Gary

[SixShooterBP]

Yeah, it’s a first for me as well. Stinks so bad I don’t think I could even use it in its current state. Thanks for the suggestions.

[FrankenMauser]

Dish soap and warm water.
If that doesn't get it all, the ammonia content of regular Windex should help.

[tangolima]

It doesn't have to gun powder that the previous owner was weighing. Just air it out for a few days and you will get used to it.

-TL

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[stagpanther]

Kinda makes you wonder what they were weighing with it--powder and lit cigarettes not being an especially good combination.

[tangolima]

Fancy tobacco perhaps, or something along that line.

-TL

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[44 AMP]

Another possibility might be that no one smoked while weighing gunpowder, maybe the scale just sat on a shelf in a room where people smoked. Maybe it sat there for decades. "soaking up the atmosphere" so to speak.

Any of the common spray type surface cleaners should take care of the smell. Windex, Fantastik, 409, etc.

[SixShooterBP]

I was going to soak it in dishwashing soap (Dawn) but wonder if Windex would be better. I just don’t want to damage the finish or beam.

[Sarge]

Opticide is what you need.

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Scienti.../dp/B079X66JLR

[Marco Califo]

I would try 92% Isopropyl on cotton balls and Q-tips. That should dissolve the tar and you will see it coming off. Straight ammonia, or acetone are other strong solvents. If the surfaces are metal, those should not harm it. Start somewhere inconspicuous, like the bottom. Xylene is another stronger solvent, used to remove the tar sealant from Pull-down LC 7.62, is much less human lung/body friendly.
I walked into a barbershop once, and immediately back out, where the smell/stench/cloud indicated the barber(s) and customers all chain smoked. No one asked why I left. That may have been the only building/storefront without roaches and rats in that slice of Americana. A couple of years later the business was gone, and vacant.

[Marco Califo]

Delete

[SixShooterBP]

Thanks for the suggestions. Will give it a try. Yeah, can’t stand the smell. I have experienced it in motels with bed linen and refused to stay there. I’m thinking the scale must of sat in an area that someone smoked a lot.

[FrankenMauser]

Just has to be a long-term indoor smoker's house, not even a heavy smoke room.
I have been in many houses that were smoked in for 40, 50, 60 years, where the tar and other smoke products are still seeping through new paint and running down the walls - even inside closed spaces like linen closets.

[SixShooterBP]

Eww, that’s just nasty. Even the box it was shipped in reeked. Never came across anything like this before. And I have bought a lot of stuff over the years.

[armoredman]

Wild, never ran into that before, and I have a lot of secondhand reloading gear.

[Unclenick]

Well, you've got tars and other smoke deposits on the equipment. You may have to strip it down so you get all the nooks and crannies clean. I would start the cleanup with odorless mineral spirits. Take a tissue and wet it with the stuff and wipe it along the base to see if you can pick up discoloration from the tar being dissolved. If so, I would just disassemble and soak the whole thing in a bucket with the mineral spirits.

If that doesn't work, use a sticky substance remover. Goo Gone is a good choice, as it is just citrus oils, whereas Goof Off and some others are strong solvents that are likely to damage the paint and markings on the unit, whereas Goo Gone will not.

Both mineral spirits and Goo Gone are non-aqueous so they won't cause rust. Both dry up completely when you wait long enough. Once the scale is clean, though, you might want to take a Gun Wipe or other firearm preservative and put a thin coat on everything except the knife edge and its mating recesses. For them, just letting the solvent dry off is adequate.

[SixShooterBP]

Awesome, will try some Goo Gone. Thanks for the suggestion.


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[pete2]

Be careful, the little grains, tenth is just glued on, mine fell off with age. Clean air will eventually get rid of the smell.

[FITASC]

A little vinegar should work well as another option

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by pete2

Be careful, the little grains, tenth is just glued on, mine fell off with age. Clean air will eventually get rid of the smell.

I bought an used rcbs beam balance, and it has this problem. I had to make one with masking tape and did calibration myself.

Airing it out will probably suffice to rid the smell.

-TL

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[SixShooterBP]

Just an update. Soaked it in a bath of warm water and Dawn. The amount of brown sludge that came off was crazy. Rinsed and soaked it again. Rinsed and then soaked in white vinegar overnight. Looks and smells much better now. Heck, looks like new! Thanks again for the suggestions.

[olduser]

Post a picture so we can see the results. I for one like to see fine equipment.