Sheilz

My sis surprised me with a centenary edition 221K which has the crinkle effect finish for my birthday - it has the blue badge. Evidently she purchased it from a lady in Canada and had it shipped to Scotland. This is a lovely gift. The machine had just been serviced and is in reasonable condition. Well I think it is, but not entirely sure since the stench from the case was just awful, stomach turning, so much so that I've not done anything other than give iT a cursory look over. For the past month I've had the machine it's its case in a plastic bag with open containers of ground coffee and baking soda to try reduce the pong. This has only been marginally successful so tonight I bit the bullet and took the case outside to scrub. I've stripped off the black vinyl and cardboard padding to uncover a lovely wooden case with dovetailed joints. I've scrubbed it with bleach to kill the pong. This is partially successful but won't be completed until I take off all the bits and pieces to get every last scrap of vinyl and cardboard off. I should have taken the locks etc off first before I started - wise after the event. I think I'm going to be left with a really sturdy box when I've finished cleaning it up. I'm not sure if I should try to complete the renovation by lining with felt before covering with sticky back vinyl or if I should paint the box to make it quite a unique item. I'm not really looking at re-sale value. I know personally I'd rather buy a machine with a fresh smart case than a foul smelling original tatty condition one. Anyway I think it was really sweet of my sis to buy me such a lovely gift. The machine and accessories are currently wrapped in a stout plastic bag with open bags of baking soda and ground coffee to absorb any lingering stink from the box. This is a good way to remove musty smells so I'm hoping to be able to look over it properly in a few weeks time. I honestly have never smelt such a dreadful pungent musty smell in my life.

Tartan

If it has a nice wood box (after taking it out of the bag) I would use the sander to take off any surface dirt and open up the wood so it could breathe. I would then pick a sunny spit to let it air out. If it finally smelled better, I might use a clear coat sealer on it.

Sheilz

That may be the best idea. I really had no idea that the case would have such a stout interior. I quite like the idea of painting/ clear coating it. One thing for sure I think this part of the project is going to take a while.

bkay

I have a Japanese machine that is really cute, but has a really musty odor. I've removed it from the case and am working on the case. I now have cat litter in it, which hasn't helped much. I just bought a bag of charcoal to try. "They" say that worst comes to worst, put it in the car with the windows rolled up. The heat is supposed to bake out the smell, apparently. I'm in Texas, so I'll have that option, in spades, in a few months.

What amazes me is that the machine stinks, too. It's metal, so you would think that it would not absorb odors.

bkay

WIChix

Happy Birthday, Sheilz!

sewbizgirl

Back in the days when those were made, they glued the paper onto the boxes with animal glue... made from rendering horse and cow hooves and proteins. After decades of sitting shut up, the boxes can smell REALLY BAD as those glues age. There's a name for the glue but I forget what it is.

I just put some OdorEaters charcoal shoe inserts in my box, and it cleared up the stink. I like your idea of stripping down the box completely, and refinishing it. You'll have a nice case that way. Would love to see it when you finish.

Wanabee Quiltin

I am a strong believer in using vinegar or what we Americans called 'charcoal briquettes ' which is what we use for BBQ. Always works for me.

Sheilz

I started off wiping it down with vinegar but it didn't work in this instance. I have two vintage Brentwoods which were left odour free after the vinegar and raw onion treatment but this one has been a tough cookie to crack. I've wiped over the machine with mild detergent then with some eucalyptus solution. There is still an odour hanging around it so I have a bag with ground coffee draped over the arm piece and another with baking soda draped over the belt area. It's currently perched on a indoor window ledge to get some fresh air circulating and I have a smelly little candle burning under the light area. I have a 222K also which is in beautiful condition so I brought it out for a wee airing too. It doesn't have any smell other than from the rubber mat it stands on. [ATTACH=CONFIG]569370[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]569371[/ATTACH]

Sheilz

Thank you. It wasn't as painful as I expected ������

minibarn

That must have been I awful smell. What do you think it was from? Time will help the smell go away too. I had a machine that smelled very strongly of cigarettes, even after cleaning but by the time I got rid of it 6 or so yrs later you would never have known it ever smelled. Sorry your gift has become a project but hopefully you will get to enjoy it soon enough.