Cigarette smoke

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  • rob63

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    May 9, 2013
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    I recently bought an old rifle at an auction that simply reeks of cigarette smoke. I mean to the point that I can't shoulder it. The kicker is that it has really nice wood that I would really hate to refinish. Any ideas?
     

    ol' poke

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    Jan 14, 2010
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    Just clean it. I would bet if you remove the action, butt plate, and all attachments from the stock down to the bare wood, clean everything with <insert your favorite gun cleaner> and clean the stock with Murphy's, you'll be fine. Might have to replace "clean" with "scrub". Would Fabreze work?
     
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    Jul 29, 2016
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    Bloomington
    Cig smoke sticks around a long time... this may be an odd suggestion. If cleaning doesnt work id go to the mall and pick my favorite flavor of incent and stick the gun and the incense in a closet. Or shed outside or garage cabnet. Wherever you wont mind the smell. And smoke that gun out! Light like 10 incents. You have to fight the decades of smoke marination in one go. So make it hazy.

    Or you could just hit it with some febreeze wipes right before you shoot
     

    stymie12000

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    Jun 18, 2010
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    Bripple
    Take the stock off and find someone with an ozone generator. Most fire and flood restoration company's will have an ozone generator. That's what they use to remove the smoke smell after fire damage.
     

    Goodcat

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    Jan 13, 2009
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    Agreed to tar. Scrub scrub scrub. I smoked for 12 years. After quitting, I cannot believe how horrendous cigarette smoke lingers and stinks. Fresh smoke outside still smells nice to me, so I run!!!
     

    1775usmarine

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    Feb 15, 2013
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    Cig smoke sticks around a long time... this may be an odd suggestion. If cleaning doesnt work id go to the mall and pick my favorite flavor of incent and stick the gun and the incense in a closet. Or shed outside or garage cabnet. Wherever you wont mind the smell. And smoke that gun out! Light like 10 incents. You have to fight the decades of smoke marination in one go. So make it hazy.

    Or you could just hit it with some febreeze wipes right before you shoot

    My wife keeps her PX4 in her nightstand drawer with the incense she burns. Her gun now smells like incense and when fired you get the hint of incense in the air .
     

    M67

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    Jan 15, 2011
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    I've had good luck with soaking metal and wood with G96 and take 0000 steel wool to it lightly. Might take a couple times but it cleans it and tones down the smell if not removing it
     

    Nojoy621

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    Aug 10, 2016
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    Crown point
    1/2 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water in a spray bottle. Spray it down and wipe of the excess and let it dry. Do it a couple times if needed. You can also try rubbing down the wood with baking soda and let it sit for like 24hrs.

    These are two pretty common ways to get smoke smell out of wooden furniture, so I can imagine it would work for your purpose too.
     

    PaulF

    Shooter
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    Apr 4, 2009
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    Indianapolis
    There is an old housecleaner's trick to dealing with tobacco smoke residue, and as crazy as it sounds it works amazingly well.

    Windex. Windex strips that film right off. I have never used it on a gun, but it worked wonders on an old car I bought a few years ago.
     

    99zhuggerz99

    Marksman
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    Aug 25, 2008
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    McCordsville
    I agree with the ozone machine. We have used the one at work to clean a van with a cooler full of fish that spilled. We got to it 4 months after the spill. No more smell. Customer was happy.
     

    rob63

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    May 9, 2013
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    Thanks again for all of the comments. I used a couple of the more gentle cleaning ideas and that cut it down to a level that is tolerable. If I can find the ozone machine that might get rid of the remainder.
     

    dung

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    Feb 9, 2017
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    Charlestwon
    TSP knocked some nasty tobacco stains and smells off an old rental house wall. The walls bled brown juice the first 2 times I washed it. Followed up by wiping diluted odoban knocked the smell down the rest of the way. You can buy a gallon at the big box stores cheap. It is a concentrate and will last a long time.
     

    GREEN607

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    Apr 15, 2011
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    INDIANAPOLIS
    Long ago, I was told by a fellow collector (and since then read something similar on the net), that rubbing some lemon scented furniture polish on the stock (SPARINGLY).... and then laying it in a chest freezer, wrapped in dry paper towels for 10-12 hours, will eliminate 90% of the smoke smell. Never tried it personally, but you might research it on the cleaning forums and gun forums???

    I'm not a gun Dr. ..... but I play one online.
     

    Lanternman

    Plinker
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    Sep 5, 2017
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    East Central
    Bought a shotgun from an avid cigar smoker and had the same problem.

    I used WD-40 on all the metal. I was surprised at all the amber colored gunk that came off.

    Murphey's oil soap will work on the wood, but try to avoid getting the "water" on the unprotected wood.

    You can put the stock in a trash bag with several dryer sheets. It's surprising how much odor they will eliminate. It'll 'take a few days.

    I also used to use lemon oil on my muzzle loaders. I don't know if it removes the smell, but it will hide it.

    Just stay away from baking soda. I ruined a finish with that.
     
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