What is the best method of cleaning up the interior of an old oak and leather case?
Vacuum! Maybe upholstery cleaner?
Better start with the not so good news, if the case lining is wool Baize wool is notorious for absorbing stains that will not come out. That said there are some simple methods of cleaning to improve the look of the internal case lining.
Initial warning dont use water based products because if the case is a vintage one the internal lining will be stuck on with animal based glue usually 'Pearl' type, also wool based cloth is notorious for shrinking if it gets wet.
For an initial all over clean I brush Bicarbonate of Soda into the Baize surface using a tooth brush, dont be mean use a goodly amount. Leave case closed for three days then using a Vacuum cleaner remove the powder.
Another product is the shake and Vacuum carpet cleaning product that also works well BUT!!! it leaves the case smelling like a lady of horizontal entertainments boudoir for months and months.
For dark type oil staining Bread saturated with a solvent (my go to first is cellulose thinners) placed in contact with the stain, as the solvent evaporates it draws the oil and dirt out of the cloth into the bread. With care the bread can be folded over the case partitions, also saturated rag application of Cellulose thinners works well for a quick all over clean. Dry cleaning fluids used on a saturated cloth can be used though I do recommend using outdoors only, I only know one brand name 'Perclone' though there are others, these types of solvents are extremely difficult to purchase here due to the glue sniffing craze, though things may be different on your side of the pond.
Now, THAT is a lot of useful information!
SRH
"Leaves the case smelling like a lady of horizontal entertainments bedchamber"--Two ??'s pop up, old chap: (1) How would a gentleman know that odor, or is it odour in "Limeyspeak?
(2)- Are there any other "positions" employed other than that? For example, as Camelot and King Artie's Court once ruled in your fair isles- the couplet follows on this line-- "In days of old (olde) when Knights were bold, and ladies not so particular, they'd line them up against the wall, and bang'em perpendicular!"
Cheers- and words of wisdom, if I may along this most "saucy" topic-- "Once a King, always a King, but once a Knight- is usually enough." RWTF
Palunc,
I have used something similar to damascus. An over the counter upholstery/ furniture product that goes on moist, stays on the surface, for a day or or multi applications, dries, and vacuums off. worked well on old baize w/ out damaging fabrics, which was well worn. it was available last i checked on amazon. i purchased mine at a furniture upholstery shop who used it to clean...
small smudges can be removed with tape, gently pressed and lifted off quickly, if baize is in fairly good condition.
how do we reproduce that old case aroma, a mixture of rangooon oil, old youngs 303, , and ?
good luck.
Well here is me thinking that I am communicating with gentlemen of the world? I may have to re think that! All I can say is that for my first quarter century on this planet was born and brought up
at the time in one of England's busiest west facing sea ports namely Liverpool and yes I do have a Liverpool Accent still. A city looked over by two large birds that sit on the Liver Buildings, one to keep an eye on who is coming to the city and the other to see if the pubs are open. Now living my formative years less than a mile away from the docks in an area that you could purchase literally any item or service lets say my education in life was not left at all wanting. Members of my pier group earned a living where they could girls one way boys growing up with only one thought in their heads 'if it isn't nailed down it is mine. Just for completeness Liverpool has the oldest Chinese settlement in Europe so lets say the smell of Opium burning is not unknown to me though it gives you a dam bad headache. Places of horizontal entertainment lets just say there was one on the corner of the street where I lived.
I will quickly pass over the rest of the fun times to when I was earning a living starting in the electrical trade. And of course things changed with the times including houses of horizontal entertainment, they now went as far as electrical door entry and the all seeing entrance door cameras fitted hard working Electricians like my self. So you how did I know what a lady of horizontal entertainment boudoir smells like well you did have to place the door unlock push switch and monitor in a convenient place in the room. And as for the smell at the time mostly Lavender and yes I did chat to the ladies and it went as far as a cup of Opium of the masses, Tea with them, and how many call bells and monitors did I fit far to many to remember. Just to get things in perspective I have worked in Abattoirs, Car plants, and every thing in between them.
Ernie.
"Pier" groups for port cities like Liverpool. ey wot?? Home of the Beetles- the "Fab Four" at least until Johnnie Boy Lennon "took one for the team" in the infamous Dakota Hotel area- a while back. Now Paulie McCartney is a "Sir"--
Shifting over to Downton Grabby-- a "Peer" is usually found listed in Burkes's register-- House of Lords, etc.-- tad bit of different distinction. My only visits to any houses of "Lavender" scent occured during my service in the USMC-- TDY at Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico-- trips to San Juan and the infamous Red Light sectors- yessir, they had red carpeting, a piano player in the parlor playing some great Scott Joplin Ragtime stuff- long time ago now--
Does recall to mind a joke- Northwoods lumber camp has a raffle- top prize being a week-end in Regina, all expense paid visit to the top "Sporting House" of that queenly city in Canada-- Big Swede wins the prize, when he drags himself back to camp late Sunday evening- his pals ask him- "Hey, Swede, so how was it?" "Ya, sure, OK there" replies the winner- But the damn piano was way outta tune, Ya?"" RWTF
Fox any chance of a translation!
Regina, SK is on the prairie. I know nothing of 'sporting houses' there, but there sure as heck are no forests for lumberjacks to frequent...Geo
I know that, George- thought about having "Da Swede" from Brainard, MN-- but that would have been too easy. There is a hidden meaning in my selection of Regina as the local of this North Woods based story- see if you can spot it, if you like a challenge-- Foxy..
Too obscure for me Fox.
Best...Geo
If you can find it, try Goddards Dry Clean for oil and other stains/spots. While in college, long ago, I worked in a high-end men's clothing store and the tailors used Goddards to get out stains on wool suits. Spray Goddards on the spot and let it dry to white powder, then brush lightly and vacuum off. Was hard to find last time I bought it and may be unavailable because it actually works. Pretty sure it contains carbon tetrachloride.
O! NO!!! Carbon Tetrachloride now that will really upset the I want to live for ever Brigade. It belongs with the other Demonised items like Mercury, Lead, Alcohol, Nicotine. and not forgetting those hallucinogenic substances I remember fondly from my youth. Sometimes I do feel sorry for the folks coming along after my visit to this Blue Planit is over, there will be no fun in living for them!!
I suspect a product called Carbona will work similar to Goddard's. and it is easy to find.
I just checked and it appears the old Carbona oil stain remover may not be available - all their stain removers now seem to be prewash. I suspect the old product was discontinued because of the ingredients.
Blue Planit?? I realise you Limey Lads have some different spellings for words in the King's English- but surely you mean planet, not planit, righto?? Foxy
Well fox you are not wrong my word processor decided to use ‘Planit’ a website I was viewing moments before my reply, also it does insist on taking the letter ‘U’ out of Colour and Aluminium so I will have some stern words with it. As for your use of the word Limey to describe folks living in the British Isles, and I can see that impish gleam in tour eye from here. I would reconsider its use because we are mot like you Yanks (a term I will apologise for now) three quarters of the people living here come from different countries Scotland, Ireland , Wales the folks who live there are not English and the word ‘Limey’ refers to an Englishman and not people of those countries that are part of the British Isles. Now I do suggest you give your word ‘Limey’ a try on an Irish gentleman enjoying himself on St Patricks day after he has passed a number of pints of the “Black Stuff” down his neck I would take an odds on bet that you would be in line for a windfall from the toothfairy. As for myself I am also not English, Liverpool should have given you a clue, since the days of the potato famine Liverpool is as always been known as the unofficial capital of Ireland, so I am sure it has dawned on your good self now that I am of Irish decent so as a Liverpudlian you san call me a Scouser but not ‘Limey’. Now as for your faux pas using ‘the Kings English’ we don’t have a King at the moment he slipped of his mortal coil in February 1952 Kung George VI though it may have escaped your notice that we have had a Queen since then ‘Elizabeth R’ and the English spoken today is the Queens English. Just one more little piece of information before I call an end to this, the English language is not a fixed language like many others it absorbs words from many countries of the world so it is always expanding and changing in consequence many English words we use today King George VI would not have understood a large number of them, so in consequence the English spoken is always referred to as the living Monarchs English.
Fox we are not all perfect including your good self so that apt Brit saying "Let sleeping dogs lie" is worth keeping to occasionally.
A bit of trivia here in regards to Liverpool. The final lowering & Surrender of the Confederate Flag took place Nov 6, 1865, when Captain James I Waddell sailed the CSS Shenandoah into the Liverpool harbor & surrendered to English Authorities.
The Shenandoah had incidentally been built & fitted out in England.
Could I just ad one more piece of Liverpool Trivia? The ship "Alabama" was built in Liverpool By Laird's, it was used in your civil falling out with each other.
Also as I recall I believe Liverpool is where Peter Tate began making clothing. He is credited with making some of the Finest Uniforms ever worn by a Confederate Soldier. These were actually purchased by the state of Alabama & not the confederacy itself.
I used a cheap foaming cleaner from Dollar General on a Browning case and had good results. Spray it on, brush it in. vacume the dry foam out.
bill
Good thread on case cleaning, and worldly education.
I have a leather covered case and the inside green felt is not at all stained. YET it smells HORRIBLY MUSTY. I've tried baking soda, spread over it, left a couple days, and vaccuumed out. No change. I've sprayed lysol into it, no change.
Any ideas?
I have had suggested to me that fabric softener sheets that you put into a clothes dryer will absorb unwanted odors. I would also think that storing the case in a dry area with the lid open would eventually help dissipate the odor.
Daryl is on the right track with that, as sunshine over time will only result in fading the wool baize. Though fabric softener sheets would likely do it, I prefer keeping a small ventilated, plastic 35 mm film canister containing a few mothballs in each of my gun boxes, as it eliminates any concern over the moths that can eat away your fabric pretty quickly. I don't find the odor objectionable, and at any rate it beats the smell of mold, IMO.
I've been able to find them here in several box stores listed as 'Enoz Old Fashion moth balls'. They contain 99.95% naphthalene as the active ingredient, and should add that they are not sold in the state of California. Just two or three balls in a film container will last for several years in one's gun case before needing replenishment. Best odor/insect protection I can think of.......
Rob
Cheep Vodka with a good number of lemon or Bergamot essential oil drops added. Well soak a cloth and wipe all internal Baize. Using Vodka is the only way I know to obtain Alcohol that has not been treated with something that makes it taste or smell, the Alcohol does encourage any bacteria to die. As to worldly education and stirring up memories of ill spent youth a few drops of CHANNEL 5 may be, in my case any Helena Rubinstein concoction. Though the Alcohol on its own usually works well though may need a couple of treatments to remove unwanted smells.