Any Way To Remove That Moldy Cheese Smell From Pens?

[eharriett]

The pen in my pocket every day for several months now has been this old Waterman Taperite which has got to be the most phenominal writing instrument I have ever used. I just love it death, and I was so proud to get it and restore it from a junk box a guy sold for almost nothing. It is a beautiful writer.

 

However, it has this moldy cheese smell to it I can't seem to get rid of. I tried polishing with carnuba wax, washing the pen (uninked, of course), and I just don't know what else to do. I've smelled that scent before, and it is from the deterioration of whatever is in the plastic from decades of poor upkeep. Now it is being much loved but every time I pull it out to write with it I get that bad cheese whiff and it is repulsive to me. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it would be appreciated!

[PaulS]

if the source of the smell is how you describe, then it's unlikely that you'll ever rid yourself, or the pen, of said pong. You might try Renassaince Wax - proprietary wax which provides a micro thin coating to the body of the pen, and not now recommended by pen polishers, as it's nigh on impossible to remove once applied, though it gives a shine to die for. It's earned a bad reputation, though I've used it a few times and my pens have yet to fall apart or appear the worse for wear, so not really sure what it is that the doom mongers are implying will happen to pens so treated.

 

There are people here who recommend coffee beans as a means of stupefying one smell with another - apparently you confine the pen to sealed unit filled with beans for a few days and hope time gives the desired result - either it does, or you walk around smelling like Costa Coffee for ever.

 

Of course you could buy another Taperite - swap nibs or whatever - then give the smelly pen away - the problem is not universal with this model it seems as I have same model and it smells quite neutral.

[Inksomnia]

I have used white vinegar to remove smells. I recently got a car, and it had bad smelling interior. I put open bowl with white vinegar there for 24h and smell was gone. Also cars owners manual had same bad smell as car had. I put owners manual in box with lid with small glass of white vinegar. Trick here is to have closed space and open container of white vinegar (wider the better). I prefer this, because white vinegar doesn't need to be touching the item. There may be slight smell of vinegar on item, but that is gone in minutes when vinegar is removed.

 

But this doesn't work with all smells. I have one vintage pen, that smells like old lady's parfume. And not even week in vinegar box could make smell go away. I suspect pen is just soaked in that parfum or something.

[torstar]

I gave up putting the pen real close to my nose and inhaling deeply, that helped.

[PaulS]

you might try developing a liking for Danish Blue or Gorgonzola.

[eharriett]

if the source of the smell is how you describe, then it's unlikely that you'll ever rid yourself, or the pen, of said pong. You might try Renassaince Wax - proprietary wax which provides a micro thin coating to the body of the pen, and not now recommended by pen polishers, as it's nigh on impossible to remove once applied, though it gives a shine to die for. It's earned a bad reputation, though I've used it a few times and my pens have yet to fall apart or appear the worse for wear, so not really sure what it is that the doom mongers are implying will happen to pens so treated.

 

There are people here who recommend coffee beans as a means of stupefying one smell with another - apparently you confine the pen to sealed unit filled with beans for a few days and hope time gives the desired result - either it does, or you walk around smelling like Costa Coffee for ever.

 

Of course you could buy another Taperite - swap nibs or whatever - then give the smelly pen away - the problem is not universal with this model it seems as I have same model and it smells quite neutral.

I'd never heard of renaissance wax before, but I just started reading up on it using the search in the forums. I will take a closer look at it. Thank you. The idea of adding a really nice shine that stays permanently on the pen holds a great deal of appeal to me.

 

I have used white vinegar to remove smells. I recently got a car, and it had bad smelling interior. I put open bowl with white vinegar there for 24h and smell was gone. Also cars owners manual had same bad smell as car had. I put owners manual in box with lid with small glass of white vinegar. Trick here is to have closed space and open container of white vinegar (wider the better). I prefer this, because white vinegar doesn't need to be touching the item. There may be slight smell of vinegar on item, but that is gone in minutes when vinegar is removed.

 

But this doesn't work with all smells. I have one vintage pen, that smells like old lady's parfume. And not even week in vinegar box could make smell go away. I suspect pen is just soaked in that parfum or something.

I've heard that before too. That's a good idea and I hadn't thought of it. Thanks, I'll see if it does anything.

[PaulS]

I think lily of the valley or violets are quite nice - certainly better than the smell of moldy cheese - perhaps I hang around old ladies too much:-)

[Freddy]

Re: Renaissance Wax.....I'm of the same opinion as David Nishimura......https://www.vintagepens.com/FAQrepair/polishing_pens.shtml

 

Same goes for Carnauba Wax.....

 

Changing nibs on Taperite with open nibs,,easy..hooded nibs not so easy....If you have what kind of knock out block did you use?

 

If the vinegar treatment didn't work....Think ...Percorino...Parmigiano Reggiano....

 

For a safe polish....consider the following...when needed I have been usin' for years.....Micro-Gloss Type 1 Cleaner and Polish....

http://micro-surface.com/index.php/products-by-type/micro-gloss/micro-gloss-liquid-abrasive-type-1-cleaner-polish.html

 

 

Fred

[PaulS]

I would agree both with David Nishimura and Freddy insofar as a product that seals the pen surface is perhaps questionable in the long term - some of mine were coated with R.W. year or two back and I don't yet notice any deterioration or change to the surface of the pen, and my choice of polishing method is now water based Micro-Gloss.

But in defence of my suggestion that the o.p. might try R.W., we were discussing a particular problem with odour emissions from the 'plastic', and since nothing ventured nothing gained, then it might be worthwhile to seal the surface with wax. Had the pen in question been valued at $1000 then the problem may well not have arisen anyway and we might not suggest wax, but with worse case scenario then a 'Taperite' can be replaced - but I doubt this will be necessary.

Edited December 15, 2018 by PaulS

[EdgarK]

I don't recommend to apply oil or wax.

 

Sometimes pens smell from the inside. To get that away you can fill up the barrel with activated coal for a few days, it should be much better than, but it may come back after some time.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Knoffel

[torstar]

you might try developing a liking for Danish Blue or Gorgonzola.

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Brianm_14]

This sounds like an organic decay smell in which rancid fatty acid smells, often associated with decay and putrefaction, have linked to the plastic due to some chemical similarities. People who dissect animals or cadavers, or perform autopsies, can find this odor clinging to their hands after work, even though they wear gloves and carefully scrub their hands. (Don't ask me how I know . . . . . . I just do!)

 

1. Try packing the smelly part in finely ground fresh coffee or fine ground fresh activated carbon (as used in aquarium care) for 7 - 10 days in a sealed container. Repeated if condition improved. Both these substances can adsorb odors. You can try packing in pure baking soda, too, or alternate between all three.

 

2. Spray with Fa'breze Odor remover. This has a patented, effective odor remover. It might work to keep the offending object in a seal jar with the liquid. I cannot say if the product is safe on your pen. You might contact the manufacturer.

 

3. Very dilute chlorine bleach in cool water. Chlorine is a powerful odor remover, but acts as an oxidizer. Might try on a very small portion of your pen. Usually quite effective on these "organic" smells. If soaking, use only a quarter teaspoon in a liter or more of cool water.

 

4. Quaternary ammonium sanitizers, such as in most forms of kitchen and bathroom cleaners (with all the Cs and subscripts in the active ingredient lists) are decent deodorizers. Use in very dilute forms, in cool water, and repeated soaking.

 

5. You can try rubbing the pen with fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, etc. and bagging them all together, to deodorize and odorize. Rub with fresh Lemon juice, followed by a sprinkling of salt crystals, rubbing gently until the salt dissolves -this removes pungent odors such as fish after cleaning fish. Give it a try?