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May 2, 2014, 04:53 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: February 28, 2011
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smoke contaminated guns
So a friend has some guns smoked in a house fire. No fire or water damage. Long guns and handguns.
Best method to clean and remove residue and odor? |
May 2, 2014, 10:24 AM | #2 |
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Join Date: September 28, 2008
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If the finishes aren't damaged, the metal parts shouldn't be too hard to clean.
Just about any of the mild solvents should do it. The porous parts, like wood and plastic might be harder, depending on how well they were sealed. Start those with good old soap and water. If that doesn't help, then maybe alcohol or mineral spirits. But, like always, test what ever you're going to use in a non-conspicuous place.
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May 2, 2014, 10:28 AM | #3 |
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Any gun cleaner should work on the metal, even plain gun oil. For wood, I would try mild soapy water first.
Jimro
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May 2, 2014, 10:41 AM | #4 |
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the odor
The worst thing is the structure fire odor. Getting that out of the wood may be tough.
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May 2, 2014, 10:54 AM | #5 |
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Join Date: February 28, 2011
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the odor
The worst thing is the structure fire odor. Getting that out of the wood may be tough.
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May 2, 2014, 11:04 AM | #6 |
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Unless you soak the wood in a nasty solvent long enough to leech all of the oils out of the stock (and then replace them later), it's just going to take time. ...lots of time.
And, sometimes, even time isn't enough. My grandmother bought a living room set at a "smoke damage sale" in 1976, after the furniture store had a fire in the warehouse. The smell was never too bad. But, even today - 38 years later - you get a nice whiff of electrical fire when you plop down on the couch. ....Or when you vacuum the carpet under where that couch has been sitting for the last 35 years.
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May 2, 2014, 12:46 PM | #7 |
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A good ozone generator is about the best to remove smoke odor !
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May 2, 2014, 12:58 PM | #8 |
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Join Date: May 12, 2011
Location: New Mexico
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Murphy's oil soap followed by a liberal dose of Ballistol is good for giving everything a proper cleaning. It gets the sulphur smell out of front stuffers pronto.
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May 2, 2014, 01:01 PM | #9 |
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Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
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My stocks, cleaned by friends soon after the fire, and being refinished as the gunsmith gets around to them, do not retain a smoky odor... that I can detect. But then I don't have a good nose, even for a human.
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