Tae Report post Posted January 25, 2008 hello, i'm not sure which forum is appropriate for this but here goes. because i do leathercraft, my friend thought it would be cool to bring back a leather good from his trip to west africa (dogon country in mali). it is a thin leather bag without any seams (i can locate where the belly button, legs, etc., used to be). it looks like they gutted out a goat or something and made it a bag. i can post a pic if anyone would like. the problem is that it smells. bad. i asked around and someone suggested that it is because it is probably tanned using urine. now it started to make sense. i was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of the smell. should i just air it out? should i put it in front of the fireplace or heater for a long time? should i treat it with some chemical? i don't know how to deal with this since i only carve into veg tanned hides. any ideas would be great. tae Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCOUTER Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Tae, The best way to get rid of the urine smell is to rub poop on it. If that don't work try this http://www.nextag.com/Chenille-Kraft-Wood-...645/prices-html Good Luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy Cornelius Report post Posted January 25, 2008 I presume the smell of poo is more desirable than the pee? My suggestion would be to wash the bag real good, scrub in a solution of mild soap, air dry, oil with a good leather oil (neatsfoot) then apply Lexol leather conditioner and maybe spill some colone of your choise. Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevenSiegel Report post Posted January 25, 2008 hello,i'm not sure which forum is appropriate for this but here goes. because i do leathercraft, my friend thought it would be cool to bring back a leather good from his trip to west africa (dogon country in mali). it is a thin leather bag without any seams (i can locate where the belly button, legs, etc., used to be). it looks like they gutted out a goat or something and made it a bag. i can post a pic if anyone would like. the problem is that it smells. bad. i asked around and someone suggested that it is because it is probably tanned using urine. now it started to make sense. i was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of the smell. should i just air it out? should i put it in front of the fireplace or heater for a long time? should i treat it with some chemical? i don't know how to deal with this since i only carve into veg tanned hides. any ideas would be great. tae Hi, Would you mind posting a couple of pics? Thanks, Steven Siegel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hidemechanic Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Pics might help ,just to get a better idea of how far their 'tanningprocess went, I'll pass on the scratch-n-sniff. I don't think you are going to get rid of the smell anytime soon. If it is really strong that you don't want to use it, your best bet may be to coat it in spar varnish and stand it in a corner as you new African art piece. For something like that I don't know why they didn't brain instead of urine. Good luck, GH Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolvenstien Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Pix would be nice..... You are going to get alot of advice here, and you will probably only be able to try one.... maybe two... My advice is to put it in a freezer for a week or two. Put in a plastic bag, and put it in the freezer. Smells are supposed to come from bacteria and bacteria is not supposed to be friendly with cold.... The same advice is used for smelly shoes... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bcurrier Report post Posted January 25, 2008 The freezer idea is creative, but probably won't work. Most bacteria can survive extreme cold (WAY colder than a freezer) for extended periods, centuries even. At the other end (heat), the exercise would depend on the type of bacteria and the method used. Heating to pasteurization temps (about 160F) and holding for awhile might do, but some bacteria and bacterial spores aren't even killed by boiling. No matter what, it will STILL probably smell. My guess is that if you clean and condition it as a previous poster suggested, you'll have done about the best you can. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hilly Report post Posted January 25, 2008 If all else fails, try and find someone with an ozone generator. Your best bet might be a used car sales facility. Ask them if they have one, and if they intend to use it soon. If they say yes, ask if you can put that bag in the vehicle with the generator. Ozone removes all traces of organic smells. It will take out the heaviest smoke, or the nastiest B.O. in the world, and leave the vehicle smelling like fresh air. I'm not trying to be funny here, but... I drive a harvester for a large canning company during summer, and belive me, there are some NASTY smells in those cabs! One guy that drove was so fat that he couldn't "take care" of himself and didn't make and effort to practice proper hygiene. Can you say v-o-m-i-t? After a few days with the ozone generator in the cab (during the winter) ALL the smell was gone, and myself and others were able to enter the cab. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlcoveShop Report post Posted January 26, 2008 If all else fails, try and find someone with an ozone generator. Your best bet might be a used car sales facility. Ask them if they have one, and if they intend to use it soon. If they say yes, ask if you can put that bag in the vehicle with the generator. Ozone removes all traces of organic smells. It will take out the heaviest smoke, or the nastiest B.O. in the world, and leave the vehicle smelling like fresh air. I'm not trying to be funny here, but... I drive a harvester for a large canning company during summer, and belive me, there are some NASTY smells in those cabs! One guy that drove was so fat that he couldn't "take care" of himself and didn't make and effort to practice proper hygiene. Can you say v-o-m-i-t? After a few days with the ozone generator in the cab (during the winter) ALL the smell was gone, and myself and others were able to enter the cab. Try Febreeze - Saved more than one smelly hide. No charge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tae Report post Posted January 26, 2008 here are some photos i took of the bag. the straps they put on it is not very functional... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warren Report post Posted January 26, 2008 Interesting concept. I would not have thought of skinning an animal that way, much less tanning it and turning it into a bag. As for the odor, a solution of baking soda and water to form a paste should work. Dry baking soda in a plastic bag would help also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hidemechanic Report post Posted January 26, 2008 It's actually a common way of skinning smaller hides. I'll try not to be too graphic, but you hang them upside down, slice the inside of the leg from one side to the other after cutting around the hock area, then start skinning with the opening you just made. Goes from the hind end of the animal to the head end. It comes off inside out but that's where you start salting it to dry. You end up with a tube shaped hide. GH Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WaG35 Report post Posted January 26, 2008 Tae,The best way to get rid of the urine smell is to rub poop on it. If that don't work try this http://www.nextag.com/Chenille-Kraft-Wood-...645/prices-html Good Luck! That is funny Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted January 27, 2008 If all else fails and the bag still smells, you can try to find a product called "OdorNix". The manufacturer (when I knew him) was in Madison, Alabama. Odornix is an enzymatic odor eliminator. One of my regular customers in the WallyWorld garden center showed up one day with her ever present yellow lab who'd just been sprayed by a skunk. It took two bottles- one for dog, one for car- but it completely killed the skunk spray. Good stuff, and it will even pull VOC smells from clothing. Infact, here's the first hit that I got on Google: http://www.denniscastro.tv/websites/odornix/maincatalog.html It specifies Urine as an eliminatable smell. Hope all goes well. P.S. I'm in no way affiliated w/ the Odornix products or company, and will not profit from posting the link. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
