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Cigarette smoke odor removal from classic leather Leitz 7x35b? (1 Viewer)

L

lcaldero

New member
United States
After a lot of angst about the decision, I purchased a pair of
”mint” Leitz 7x35b from eBay. They are gorgeous and give a lovely view - but they reek of cigarette smoke. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the smoke smell?
I bought them to use, not to collect, for birding and astronomy quick looks, especially planetary alignments, Pleiades, that sort of thing.

I love them but I can’t stand to touch them. I have tried airing them out, wrapping in paper for a few days, Armor All deodorizing wipes, wiping them with diluted apple cider vinegar, and leaving them in the sun briefly. The odor lessened but the Armor All wipes increased it. I live in Albuquerque New Mexico, about 5,000 feet, and the sun is crazy strong so haven‘t left them in the sun for very long.

I guess I will try baking soda, but the binos don’t have any caps so I need to be very careful.

Appreciate any advice.

Laura
IMG_0051.jpeg

IMG_0052.jpeg
 
NDhunter said:
Welcome to the forum, I know your pain, and I am hoping someone can help. I have found the smell
permeates the armor.
Click to expand...
That would mean the only remedy would be to replace the leatherette, but I suspect the rubber eyecups would also imbibe the nicotine smell.
 
lcaldero said:
After a lot of angst about the decision, I purchased a pair of
”mint” Leitz 7x35b from eBay. They are gorgeous and give a lovely view - but they reek of cigarette smoke. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the smoke smell?
I bought them to use, not to collect, for birding and astronomy quick looks, especially planetary alignments, Pleiades, that sort of thing.

I love them but I can’t stand to touch them. I have tried airing them out, wrapping in paper for a few days, Armor All deodorizing wipes, wiping them with diluted apple cider vinegar, and leaving them in the sun briefly. The odor lessened but the Armor All wipes increased it. I live in Albuquerque New Mexico, about 5,000 feet, and the sun is crazy strong so haven‘t left them in the sun for very long.

I guess I will try baking soda, but the binos don’t have any caps so I need to be very careful.

Appreciate any advice.

Laura
View attachment 1514802

View attachment 1514803
Click to expand...
Cloudy Nights has a thread called Binocular Deodorant (link below). Hope you can find something that works. BTW: Great looking pair of Leitz.

www.cloudynights.com

binocular deodorant? - Binoculars - Cloudy Nights

binocular deodorant? - posted in Binoculars: What liquid do you recommend to wipe rubber armor to get rid of smoke odor. (I think its smoke. Maybe its remnant mildew odor. If so, then what liquid for that?) The bino appears well-sealed and clean inside. I am guessing it just lived in a...
www.cloudynights.com www.cloudynights.com
 
Last edited:
Owlbarred said:
Cloudy Nights has a thread called Binocular Deodorant (link below). Hope you can find something that works. BTW: Great looking pair of Leitz.

www.cloudynights.com

binocular deodorant? - Binoculars - Cloudy Nights

binocular deodorant? - posted in Binoculars: What liquid do you recommend to wipe rubber armor to get rid of smoke odor. (I think its smoke. Maybe its remnant mildew odor. If so, then what liquid for that?) The bino appears well-sealed and clean inside. I am guessing it just lived in a...
www.cloudynights.com www.cloudynights.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link to Cloudynights, I had replied to that thread, brings back old memories...........
sorry, that one does not make the problem go away easily if ever.
Jerry
4th_point said:
Ozone generator might help, but I don't know if that would change the durability of the armor. People use ozone for used cars that have smoke odors. It definitely helps from my experience.
Click to expand...

I have used an ozone generator, it can be corrosive to metals, and may be useful on fabrics, carpet, etc.
It does not work miracles.
Jerry
 
All smells will eventually dissipate, cat odors and cigarette smoke included, so the goal is to accomplish it sooner rather than later and I’d be for leaving them in a well ventilated area for the time being.
Counterintuitively you may even want to try some more treatments with the armor all, as it appears that the odor getting stronger would indicate a quicker release from the binoculars themselves, and thereby shortening the time it would take for them to become odor free.
 
lcaldero said:
…I will try baking soda, but the binos don’t have any caps so I need to be very careful.
Click to expand...
An open box of baking soda in the fridge will eventually remove odors and to speed up the process you needn’t do more than to place them close to it, maybe in a closed space. I’d think that pouring all of the baking soda into a large platter and setting the binoculars onto anything to prevent contact, but very close, then cover the whole works to keep a closed atmosphere.

Beautiful set and the only other mint version I’ve seen other than my own, and you even got the matching case; great score and you’re going to love them once this issue goes away.
 
Congratulations with this great small binocular, i own one and I can’t say anything bad about this treasure.
This morning i took it with me for a long walk and it’s just a spectacular view with great ergonomics….well I’m in love with this one.

Don’t worry about the smell, it will disappear with time. I had the same -cigarette smell- with an old Trinovid BN, i have send it to Leica Portugal for service and new armor -also for the smell. But Leica doesn’t service this 7x35 anymore and to my knowledge the rubber eyecups are impossible to get. So treat her with care.

A picture of mine, almost mint specimen:
Show us your "vintage" and classic binos
 
Thotmosis said:
Congratulations with this great small binocular, i own one and I can’t say anything bad about this treasure.
This morning i took it with me for a long walk and it’s just a spectacular view with great ergonomics….well I’m in love with this one.

Don’t worry about the smell, it will disappear with time. I had the same -cigarette smell- with an old Trinovid BN, i have send it to Leica Portugal for service and new armor -also for the smell. But Leica doesn’t service this 7x35 anymore and to my knowledge the rubber eyecups are impossible to get. So treat her with care.

A picture of mine, almost mint specimen:
Show us your "vintage" and classic binos
Click to expand...
The rubber eyecups are available from Leica. I purchased a set a few years ago.
Jerry
 
The rubber eyecups for the Leitz models are no longer available from Leica. I purchased two sets years ago when they were available, however when I inquired again later on they stated that the eyecups are no longer available.
 
lcaldero said:
After a lot of angst about the decision, I purchased a pair of
”mint” Leitz 7x35b from eBay. They are gorgeous and give a lovely view - but they reek of cigarette smoke. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the smoke smell?
I bought them to use, not to collect, for birding and astronomy quick looks, especially planetary alignments, Pleiades, that sort of thing.

I love them but I can’t stand to touch them. I have tried airing them out, wrapping in paper for a few days, Armor All deodorizing wipes, wiping them with diluted apple cider vinegar, and leaving them in the sun briefly. The odor lessened but the Armor All wipes increased it. I live in Albuquerque New Mexico, about 5,000 feet, and the sun is crazy strong so haven‘t left them in the sun for very long.

I guess I will try baking soda, but the binos don’t have any caps so I need to be very careful.

Appreciate any advice.

Laura
View attachment 1514802

View attachment 1514803
Click to expand...
Had a very similar situation with an old 8x30 Zeiss Jenoptem. Tried everything suggested here, didnt help. Seen my wife spraying the area rug with fabreez , and gave it a try. What I did was to apply the spray to a fiber cloth and gently rub the leatherette. I let it stand a bit then used distilled water to wipe it down, then repeated a few times after confirming it didn’t damage anything. I also put them in front of a window air conditioner between each application for a few hours. it worked perfectly.
 
My Fotons 5x25 and 10x40 smelt terribly 23 years ago when new.

I may also have a 7x35 but don't know where it is.

They still smell so badly I rarely use them.

Perhaps in 200 years the smell will not be noticed.

However, a Chinese camera case about 30 years ago was even worse.
That went straight in the bin.

Regards,
B.
 
I used my citrus-based kitchen cleaner to wipe them down, then several sessions sitting out in the sun and wind. A few hours each session, or more. That did the trick. Why the fear of leaving them in the sun? If you were out birding all day wouldn't they get the same exposure. The worst thing I could imagine happening is the rubber eyecups getting bleached a little or something.
 
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