Smoke smelling products

[rpierce000]

Sometimes when I get something from someone it is evident that they are a smoker. I am not, so the smell is a problem for me. As I am often buying to resell I need to find a way to get rid of the smell. Does anyone have one? Do other people have this problem?

[Hobby Dreamer]

Depending on the item, maybe rubbing alcohol?

 

Or. a Febreze Bounce sheet?

[keitaro]

I hate smoke smell too. Not sure what i would do but perhaps take the shell off and wipe down with baby wipes or a hand moistener towel.

 

This way you are not damagin it by letting it dry and using something soft but has a scent to clean off the smell.

 

Usually the smell will be on the shell mostly I would think and you could give the underneath a wipe down too.

[The_Ghan]

Bob,

 

I wouldn't use any of these: vinegar, vanilla, alcohol, cleaners like spray-n-wipe, or the like.  All are effective at removing odours, but they could also affect the quality of the rolling stock you are trying to sell.  Especially light coloured plastics, which are coated with a UV protector.  If that protective layer gets damaged the cars will begin to yellow, much the same way your old PC or printer did.  So, even leaving things in the sun is not a good idea.  Without the UV protector coating even fluorescent lighting will affect the cars.  I've seen a Tomix 300 series shinkansen on eBay recently and the diaphrams had yellowed quite badly on a couple of cars - because it was kept in a display case that didn't have UV coating on the glass.

 

People have even suggested an Ozone machine to me in the past, which are useful for removing odours from inside your car.  But researching the net taught me that even this can affect some plastics.

 

The only way I know is to use a magic eraser to remove surface "smoke" from the cars.  You can wash the plastic quickly in mild detergent and rinse thoroughly and dry immediately.  This will also remove any residue on the cars.  Remember to dismantle the cars and use the eraser or wash on the insides ... that smoke gets everywhere.  Even then, I'd be concerned about transfers, stickers, etc. if I'm washing.

 

Here's a link for info on UV affecting plastics (a little off-topic but important nonetheless): http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189

 

Also Bob, get someone in to apply UV coating to your display cases and shop windows.  Unfortunately, the biggest hobby shop in Sydney claims to have done this but, as an Architect, let me tell you a little secret: if you have a pair of polaroid sunglasses of similar camera filter and you look at UV protected glass while wearing them, you see a myriad of rainbows across the glass.  That's one of the little tests we use in the building industry.  Caring properly for your stock will keep your customers happy.

 

Good luck with removing the smoke smell.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[CaptOblivious]

I would even hesitate about using a Magic Eraser. I have some to clean my tracks, and I love them...but they are abrasive. That's how they work. It's a micro abrasive, very very fine, but an abrasive none the less. I would test it to make sure it doesn't leave scratches on the plastic or paint...which would in itself be bad, but if there is a UV coating on the plastic (If they have a UV coating, then why do they yellow?) it would be damaged as well...

 

just my thought. Sadly, I don't really have an answer for the OP's question :(

 

Bob,

 

I wouldn't use any of these: vinegar, vanilla, alcohol, cleaners like spray-n-wipe, or the like.  All are effective at removing odours, but they could also affect the quality of the rolling stock you are trying to sell.  Especially light coloured plastics, which are coated with a UV protector.  If that protective layer gets damaged the cars will begin to yellow, much the same way your old PC or printer did.  So, even leaving things in the sun is not a good idea.  Without the UV protector coating even fluorescent lighting will affect the cars.  I've seen a Tomix 300 series shinkansen on eBay recently and the diaphrams had yellowed quite badly on a couple of cars - because it was kept in a display case that didn't have UV coating on the glass.

 

People have even suggested an Ozone machine to me in the past, which are useful for removing odours from inside your car.  But researching the net taught me that even this can affect some plastics.

 

The only way I know is to use a magic eraser to remove surface "smoke" from the cars.  You can wash the plastic quickly in mild detergent and rinse thoroughly and dry immediately.  This will also remove any residue on the cars.  Remember to dismantle the cars and use the eraser or wash on the insides ... that smoke gets everywhere.  Even then, I'd be concerned about transfers, stickers, etc. if I'm washing.

 

Here's a link for info on UV affecting plastics (a little off-topic but important nonetheless): http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189

 

Also Bob, get someone in to apply UV coating to your display cases and shop windows.  Unfortunately, the biggest hobby shop in Sydney claims to have done this but, as an Architect, let me tell you a little secret: if you have a pair of polaroid sunglasses of similar camera filter and you look at UV protected glass while wearing them, you see a myriad of rainbows across the glass.  That's one of the little tests we use in the building industry.  Caring properly for your stock will keep your customers happy.

 

Good luck with removing the smoke smell.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[The_Ghan]

Cap'n

 

I think the Tomix 300 Shinkansen has UV protection on the car bodies but not the diaphrams.  It is only the diaphrams that go yellow.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

Ghan i suggested the baby wipes as they should be mild enoigh to do no damage to the paint and the uv coating.

 

I wouldnt have thought of the rubber due to the inside being hard to clean with rubber where a baby wipe will reach corners etc easier.

 

I guess its a matter of trial and hope you sell it before it yellows  

[clem24]

Depending on the item, maybe rubbing alcohol?

 

LOL.. Please don't use rubbing alcohol. It takes the paint right off a model. In fact, I was just doing a light cleaning and was not careful on my Kato 21000 Urban Liner, and took out one of the stripes. Huge lesson learned.

[jappomania]

Cap'n

 

I think the Tomix 300 Shinkansen has UV protection on the car bodies but not the diaphrams.  It is only the diaphrams that go yellow.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

 

Body and coupler/nose are molded with different plastic material. (verified in laboratory) nothing was anti UV painted/treated

BTW this problem affect all the old/new Tomix production, normally all the nose/coupler began dark yellow after long time sun/hot lamps exposition (zero, 100, 200, 300).

Kato have the similar problem on Zero/200 nose only

Sometime also the paint chemical components have problem (Kato orange TGV after long time display, half orange and half yellow/light orange and craking on blue/green windows stripe on Tomix Zero/200 first productions)

For cleaning I use only liquid soap for baby and ultrasoft toothbrush

 

ciao

Massimo

[RapitBunny]

Hi there!

 

I'm a knitter and I run into this problem with yarn sometimes.

 

No need to scrub or use chemicals - just get some charcoal filters and seal them up in a plastic ziplock bag/airtight container with the stinky items for a day or so.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Booda-Litter-Box-Charcoal-Filter/dp/B001EUJOTS/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1311792219&sr=1-1

[The_Ghan]

Body and coupler/nose are molded with different plastic material. (verified in laboratory) nothing was anti UV painted/treated ...

 

Hey Jappomania,

 

Cool!  How did you find that out?  Flick us a link so that I can have a look.  Knowing the different plastic types will help identify the best cleaning / maintenance methods.  Also, I was making an assumption that the car bodies are UV protected - its a fairly straight forward process that plastics factories offer these days, especially for furniture and the like.  As noted in my link, there are UV clear spray coatings that can be applied - before the yellowing starts.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[jappomania]

Body and coupler/nose are molded with different plastic material. (verified in laboratory) nothing was anti UV painted/treated ...

 

Hey Jappomania,

 

Cool!  How did you find that out?  Flick us a link so that I can have a look.  Knowing the different plastic types will help identify the best cleaning / maintenance methods.  Also, I was making an assumption that the car bodies are UV protected - its a fairly straight forward process that plastics factories offer these days, especially for furniture and the like.  As noted in my link, there are UV clear spray coatings that can be applied - before the yellowing starts.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

 

I verified this with my friend Roberto some years ago, when I received my first "junk" Shinkansen bought (like new) on Ebay

he's CTO of Claber (www.claber.it), he know very good plastic material and molding method :-) and obviously he have a chemical and mechanical laboratory for testing material and products.

Maybe nobody know it, but Italian North-East region (Veneto, Friuli) is the "House" of plastic molding and mold-project, in my previous job I worked with some little companies that project and mold plastic parts for Audi, Wolkswagen, Fiat, BMW, Porsche, Aprilia, Ducati (front and rear light, plastic panels, cockpit etc..)

UV resistance depend by the plastic type and by the add-on inside the formula (chemical add-on, color pigment)

and sometime is not possible (and not necessary) to obtain all the mechanical/chemical properties at the same time (elasticity/flexibility, UV resistance, hot/cold resistance etc.. , sorry I don't know translation for all the technical terms).

About train models, to clean it, the limit is not the plastic material but the painted parts, the better things is to use liquid soap, shampoo without aggressive/abrasive components (baby shampoo), all things that contain solvent maybe don't damage plastic but can remove paint and decals.

UV clear spray coatings can be the solution but until now I've not verified this with my trains :-)

 

ciao

Massimo

[The_Ghan]

Jappomania,

 

I was hoping for something more official that I can read on the testing done.

 

From memory, plastics often have a code on the inside to identify the type of plastic, such as PA, SMC, ABS, etc.  I'll have a look at a few of my models and investigate.  If those codes are there then testing is unnecessary.

 

To answer the OPs question: Bob, it looks like mild soap and water, mate!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

Rapit bunny idea could work too

[bill937ca]

Jappomania,

 

I was hoping for something more official that I can read on the testing done.

 

From memory, plastics often have a code on the inside to identify the type of plastic, such as PA, SMC, ABS, etc.  I'll have a look at a few of my models and investigate.  If those codes are there then testing is unnecessary.

 

The materials are noted on some of the HS web site in the individual listings.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10139838

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10134260

 

Generally its on the back of the packaging too.

[jappomania]

Jappomania,

 

I was hoping for something more official that I can read on the testing done.

 

From memory, plastics often have a code on the inside to identify the type of plastic, such as PA, SMC, ABS, etc.  I'll have a look at a few of my models and investigate.  If those codes are there then testing is unnecessary.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

 

Sorry Ghan, it's really hard, I can't be "so official like" you want because it's not so simple.

For example I can say you that the body and the coupling frame are both ABS but with different chemical composition.

the name remain ABS but the % of component change for many reason, if you need more dimensional stability after molding, different molding temperature, "sub-square" for of molding that don't permit to remove the object if there isn't a little bit elastic

(all these data are not declare from producer, unnecessary for end users)

The chemical reaction at solvent, warm, cold etc.. is the same, change only the time before damaging.

On Tomix old trains you can simply verify this because the car body become much hard after years (it crystalize and it's simple to be broken compared with a new one, you can see some minor scratches/break on surface), the coupler remain more elastic.

windows are in polycarbonate and boogies appear in nylon molded (much elastic, and visually appear like an oiled surface, sorry I asked to my friend only about the body and coupler)

 

Ciao

Massimo

 

p.s. the only thing I really hate is that Tomix don't sell spare parts for this defect! of course, I know is really hard to find spare for broken parts for all the japanese trains (Tomix or Kato, Microace simply doesn't exist) but this is a tipical factory defect and sincerly I'm not so quiet every time that I put on display my Tomix Sayonara set (Zero, 100 etc..)

[The_Ghan]

Replacement parts would be a good idea.

 

Also, a sticky on how to store and maintain our trains would be good too.  I was going to order a couple of custom-built displays to show off my trains at home and at work ... the idea is on hold as, it seems, the models are best kept in the dark ....  :confused4:

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

Replacement parts would be a good idea.

 

Also, a sticky on how to store and maintain our trains would be good too.  I was going to order a couple of custom-built displays to show off my trains at home and at work ... the idea is on hold as, it seems, the models are best kept in the dark ....  :confused4:

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

 

perhaps you can get a customer display case for your wifes handbags and shoes 

[The_Ghan]

Touche'