# How to remove 'old' smell from a Hasselblad Waistlevel Viewfinder



## dimshade (Nov 10, 2012)

Hi,

I just recently purchased an old style waist level for Hasselblad 500 series.  It's in really good shape except for the smell.  It's not the usual leather mildew smell but still smells old and maybe musty.  I can't really describe it but it almost smells like incense.  The problem is I think it's giving me allergies whenever I have to go very close to it to use the magnifier.  Does anyone know a good way to get rid of the smell?  I think a good wash of some sort will work but don't want to subject the paint or the leatherette to the liquids.  I've ruined the inner black paint of cameras before with alcohol.  Any ideas? Thanks!


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## unpopular (Nov 10, 2012)

Try taking a couple large coffee filters, filling them each with baking soda and tie with string or a rubber band and placing it in a container with holes as a safety precaution. Remove the accessories from the camera and place into a sealed plastic bag with the baking soda. Carefully store the camera for a month. Commercial products also exist.

Cedar chips may also help.

You could also try cleaning the exterior using lysol. Spray some lysol onto a rag, first test the finish in an inconspicuous place, let the product evaporate completely and proceed the same way over the exterior. My bet is that it's in the leather finish. An enzyme-based product may also work, like Nature's Miracle.


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## dimshade (Nov 10, 2012)

Wow, a whole month, huh.  I'll give that a try.  I also have a dog so there's plenty of nature's miracle.  Do you think any of those products can be used to wipe the inside black paint or should I just leave alone?  Thanks for the help.


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## unpopular (Nov 10, 2012)

No. Leave the inside alone. I doubt very much there is any smells trapped in there, anyway, if that were the case it'd be all inside every part of teh camera as well. Try superficially wiping it with enzymes or chemicals, if that doesn't help use baking soda, just be sure not to get any baking soda inside the camera body.


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## KmH (Nov 10, 2012)

When truck drivers encounter an objectionably smelly enclosed trailer, they use coffee grounds straight out of the can sprinkled on the trailer floor to absorb the odor while the doors are closed. 
An hour later they sweep out the coffee grounds. The trailer then has somewhat of a coffee smell to it, but.......


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## compur (Nov 10, 2012)

Replace the baking soda with a hand full of dry coffee grounds and it should only take a week or less.


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## panblue (Nov 10, 2012)

KmH said:


> When truck drivers encounter an objectionably smelly enclosed trailer, they use coffee grounds straight out of the can sprinkled on the trailer floor to absorb the odor while the doors are closed.
> An hour later they sweep out the coffee grounds. The trailer then has somewhat of a coffee smell to it, but.......



That's a good one


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## dimshade (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Next time I find a coffee smelling camera, I'll know what happened.


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## turbocharger (Dec 17, 2012)

Try alcohol to kill whatever that is hiding in it and if the smell remains use "smell be gone".

I tried using baking soda to remove moldy smell but it did not work. Though i have to say that i only left it for about 3-4 days but then again, if in that time it did not work, i  wonder about its efficacy. In any event, even if it remove smell, the source that caused it remains - which is yucky. 

So I would buy a bottle of isopropyl alcohol from the pharmacy and just soak/wet the whole view finder. It is safe on the metal and paint but I would remove the magnifier and clean that separately so that the plastic does not soak in it. I do not know if the leatherette and glue will be happy soaking in it for long but a short generous wipe using a soft clothe soaked in alcohol seems to be ok. (test at your own risk) It does not need to soak for long as alcohol kill on contact. 

Wipe or air dry. It should kill all the rubbish hiding in there and the smell. Sometimes though killing it does not remove the smell especially if the smell is already in the organic material such as cotton or leather etc. I will use "Smell be gone". It comes in a bottle spray. I tried it on many things and i was surprised that it actually worked. (again test to make sure that it does not damage your stuff).  After using that and letting it dry, i will wash it again so that my skin will not be contacting the dried chemical. And i have found that to be effective.

cheers


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## djacobox372 (Dec 17, 2012)

The smell u describe sound like cigarette smoke.  Clean it as well as u can and then let time do its thing.  I've purchased a number of "Smokey" cameras and after a couple years the smell is hardly noticeable.


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