How to get smell off old woodworking tools???

[mc1984ss]

I just inherited a bunch of really cool old woodworking tools from my boss. The belonged to his grandpa that passed away at least 55 yrs ago. There are a lot of wooden handled hammers woodchisels, saws , planers and even a few hand crank drills. They have been in a wooden toolbox in his dad's basement for at least 40 yrs and to be honest they smell like they have been in a damp basement for at least 40 yrs. The only thing I can think of to help remedy this is to out them outside and hopefully they will "air out".

Any thoughts or suggestions???

 

[Kaizen]

a simple cleaning with something like simple green will probably solve it. Depending on their construction they might have mold/bacteria growing in hidden places so if that doesn't work might need to get disassembled and cleaned.

 

[dadsEH]

Spray and wipe off with rubbing alcohol. Follow up with a wipe down with household disi fectant wipes...ask the wife !
They will smell great.

 

[RKA]

That’s as close to preserved in a time capsule as you’ll find! Given some time to air out in a cool dry environment, I’m sure they will be fine. As you get time, strip them down, clean and oil them and I’m sure you’ll have them back in working order. We would love to see what you got!

 

[Jackfre]

Careful putting them outside to "air out". Direct hot sunshine after many years without it might crack handles. Slow and steady wins the race on drying the wood.

 

[Prospecter]

I have had good success with lemon oil on old mildewed furniture. Cleans off the mildew, eliminates the smell, and as long as the furniture is not going back in a basement, the mildew does not return.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant".

Tommy

 

[JRC3]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrobium-32-oz-Mold-Control-025326/100654126

Spray it on and wipe it off. Concrobrium is about as benign as water.

 

[Maui]

I picked up an old carpenters hard maple work bench top that had been sitting on the floor of a damp basement for decades. I suspect it dates to the late 1800s/early 1900s. The woman who had owned it apparently had a house full of cats. The entire house reeked of cat stink, and it was difficult to even breath in there. When I pulled it out it was literally covered with mold and mildew. Once I got it home I propped it up against a wall in a shaded area and mixed some dawn dishwashing liquid into a 5 gallon bucket. Using a dishwashing sponge with scotchbrite on one side I scrubbed every square inch of that bench top, both top and bottom. Then I rinsed it with the garden hose. And after wiping it dry I let it air out there for a week or so. It cleaned up beautifully. It’s in my basement now waiting for a new base to be constructed. And there is absolutely no smell.

 

[CJ7VFR]

a simple cleaning with something like simple green will probably solve it....

This is what the "Mold Remediation" people did to my fathers basement back in April when we were selling the house.

We had to hire a "professional" mold remediation company because the prospective buyers inspector found some mildew stains in a few spots in the basement. I used the company the buyers wanted to use on the advice of my lawyer. He said this way, if anything goes wrong, or they don't do a good job, it will be on the buyers to fix it.

Anyway, when the remediators got there I asked the company owner what they used to remediate the mold and mildew. She said they just use plain old Simple Green!

She said depending on the severity of the mold and mildew, they will either use it straight or mix it with different amounts of water.

When they were done cleaning I have to say that the mildew stains were all gone, and the basement smelled better than it had in probably 20 years.

Jim

 

[ClappedOutBport]

That’s as close to preserved in a time capsule as you’ll find! Given some time to air out in a cool dry environment, I’m sure they will be fine. As you get time, strip them down, clean and oil them and I’m sure you’ll have them back in working order. We would love to see what you got!

This. ^ Clean then, light sanding with high grit paper, scotchbrite, or steel wool, get out the boiled linseed oil and they'll smell great! (Assuming you love the smell of linseed oil like I do. )

 

[ford33]

All good suggestions. I would like to see what tools you inherited. Post a picture.

 

[mc1984ss]

Thanks for the help everyone! Here are a few pics for those that requested them. I'll have to post more later