I have an old pine blanket chest that my grandfather recently gave me (he got it from his mother). Unfortunately it had moth balls in it for many many years and the inside stinks. I’ve tried airing it out, but everytime I close it up, the next day it smells just as strong.
I was thinking of sealing up the inside with shelac to cut out the odor. But I am concerned about sealing just one side of the boards that cup with seasonal moisture changes. The outside doesn’t have any finish on it.
Any suggestions?
Angus
Replies
How long have you tried airing it out? Putting it in a sunny window (I realize that you don't have that much in the way of sun on PEI) for month or two should get rid of the last traces. The warmer, the better; wrapping the outside of the chest with an electric blanket would help.
-Steve
I was putting it out side on sunny warm days, through the summer, probably 10-12 days in total. Not too excited about leaving it open in the house due to the smell.
A
I wonder if it's impregnated with the odor of the old-style naphthalene moth "crystals" rather than the modern paradichlorobenzene ones? It's conceivable that those bind more tightly with the wood, although I don't really know one way or another.
Well, shellac should work in any case, and I would apply it to the outside as well as the inside. If you apply a reasonable layer (say, three coats of 2-lb shellac), you can lightly sand the outside afterwards with 320-grit to cut the gloss and make it continue to look unfinished (sort of).
-Steve
It's desirable to finish both sides to balance moisture movement, but this "rule" is violated many times. I'd say it depends on how the chest is constructed. If it is dovetailed or box jointed together I wouldn't worry about not finishing the outside. But if it is less sturdy--nailed or screwed, with perhaps a rabbet or a corner block inside at the corners then I'd want to minimize stresses by coating both sides as the other Steve recommends.
The box is nailed together. 3 Square nails on each corner, each side is a single 24" wide board.
The box has been around a long time, so I was hoping to not change the external appearance too much. Maybe I'll just leave it open for a while longer off in the guest bedroom to air some more.
Angus
I would be leery of trying to seal mothball odor into the wood.
The stuff will sublimate into the air given enough time and warm temperatures will speed the process. Is the box too large to put into your oven at 120 deg? Perhaps next to your furnace?
Here is a link to solutions posted on "Wise Geek". http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-get-rid-of-the-smell-of-moth-balls.htm
You might speed the process by wetting the wood with organic solvents to dissolve it; see solubility info below:
Naphthalene is a white, volatile aromatic hydrocarbon with characteristic odor; insoluble in water, somewhat soluble in methanol/ethanol, soluble in organic solvents and very soluble in ether, chloroform, or carbon disulfide.
(source: http://chemicalland21.com/petrochemical/NAPHTHALENE.htm)
Good luck,
Seal it with shellac and enjoy it. Please don't put wood in an oven even if you can.Gretchen
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