Does celluloid absorb odors?

[Wolfdagon]

I recieved a razor from ebay with scales that I assume are celluloid. When I opened the papackage the stench of cigarette smoke about knocked me down. The razor box is permeated with the scent and will most likely go in the trash. However, the razor also smells. I have not tried cleaning it yet to see if that will remove the odor. But I was wondering if the scales could have absorbed the scent. If so, is there any way to get rid of it without changing the scales?

 

[romsitsa]

Hello, all plastics absorb smells. If a through washing won’t help, cover the scale in baking soda, leave it till it loses the smell. If this still doesn’t do the trick, leave the scales under the sun (not in direct sun) for a couple of hours/days.
Repeat till the smell dissapears or becomes acceptable.

Adam

 

[Wolfdagon]

Thanks for the info, romsitsa. I still haven't cleaned it yet. I wrapped it in an Odor Eater insole hoping that will neutralize the smell. This has worked to varying degrees for me in the past with porous objects, such as books or leather. This is the first time that I have recieved a non-porous object with such a strong scent.

I just checked it and the odor is greatly reduced, but still there. If it still smells after I clean it, I will try the baking soda.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

Does it smell of feet now???

 

[Wolfdagon]

No. But if it did, that would be an improvement.

 

[camoloc]

ozone generator wipes anything.........just cant have in the same room as People, Pets, or Plants.

I use an industrial sized one for hunting clothes.......but also good for stinky rooms, cars, basements, etc.

if it can wipe fox urine inside a bag in less than a half hour......it can wipe anything.

camo

 

[Wolfdagon]

Thanks for the tip. A quick Google search shows some pretty cheap options. What kind do you use?

 

[*stefan*]

I recieved a razor from ebay with scales that I assume are celluloid. When I opened the papackage the stench of cigarette smoke about knocked me down. The razor box is permeated with the scent and will most likely go in the trash. However, the razor also smells. I have not tried cleaning it yet to see if that will remove the odor. But I was wondering if the scales could have absorbed the scent. If so, is there any way to get rid of it without changing the scales?

Do you have a picture showing the scale?
Here is some information I found on another well known forum:


"Ebonite and vulcanite are basically the same thing - rubber hardened with sulphur. Bakelite is something else completely.

Vulcanite is often wrongly called gutta-percha. Gutta Percha is the sap of a tree, a form of natural latex that can be moulded and re-moulded, unlike ebonite/vulcanite which once moulded cannot be heated and remoulded. It was used as early as 1842 and was widespread by the 1850s, finding uses as wire insulation, walking sticks, furniture, firearm grips, golf-balls, etc. Unlike hardened rubber it does not become brittle.

Ebonite was the name Charles Goodyear gave hardened rubber - because it looked like ebony. It was used for instrument mouthpieces, pipes, bowling balls, fountain pens, etc. The sulphur hardens, or 'vulcanizes' it - hence its alternative name of vulcanite (which Goodyear did not like). It discolours over time, becoming yellowish, brown or greenish, and exudes a vapour like sulphur when rubbed. Light discolouration can be restored by using a mildy abrasive cleaner, some deeper discolourations respond well to hot water immersion. It was vulcanized to prevent it from remaining a thermoplastic (ie softening when heated, re-hardening upon cooling) - the process was discovered by Goodyear in 1839.

Bakelite was an early type of plastic, though not the earliest - it was developed in 1907 (some sources say 1909) by Belgian chemist Dr. Leo Baekland. It contained wood milled to a powder, phenol and formaldehyde - the first true synthetic plastic. It is easy to confuse catalin (no wood filler) with it, but catalin came later. Parkesine (1856, though some sources say 1862), xylonite (1869) and celluloid (1870) pre-dated bakelite and are regarded as the first thermoplastics, but unlike the bakelite the origin is a plant fibre - cellulose".

 

[Wolfdagon]

Here is a picture of the razor.

 

[*stefan*]

Don't think that is hardened rubber.

 

[ajduplessis]

I would worry more about pitting on the blade than smelly scales, at least for now...

 

[Wolfdagon]

The blade actually looks worse in the picture. The few spots that actually seem to be pitted are not close to the edge, so I think it will clean up pretty good. No big deal if I am wrong.