Thread: Strang smell from the spacing wedge on my boker.

Im sanding down the scale wedge on my 1924-1936 boker because the blade catches in it (might be a rescale or something)

It smells like rosemarry, or pine pitch!

its just a white peice of plastic, any idea what material this is made out of?

I know Bakelite and Celluloid release a smell when rubbed/heated. That would be my first guess.

The pine pitch made me think of bakelite

Most people describe the smells as

Celluloid = Camphor
Bakeiite = Burned wire smell


But smells are rather subjective at best

Originally Posted by gssixgun

But smells are rather subjective at best

Yes! It helps to be sure it is not your upper lip!

Dear "Olfactory in Oregon",

Stop shaving your butt and the smell should dissipate in 3 to 4 days.

Aunty Jimbo.

I agree with Glen, the smell is highly subjective and that most people agree that the smell given off by celluloid is a camphor or 'medicinal' smell, whilst bakelite smells like burnt wire insulation, and in some cases has a distinctly 'fishy' note to it.

Hardened rubber, which is often mistaken for bakelite primarily because it is hard and not at all rubbery has a car tyre or sulphur smell.

In the late 1800s / early 1900s a lot of research was invested in producing a great multitude of synthetic compounds. For instance, Edison recording labs were turning out all sorts of synthetics, some of which contained lamp black and pitch pine. We tend to think of lps as being made of hard, brittle vinyl, but in the early days the synthetics were soft and took up to year to mature and harden - some even softened again during summer: playing them then wrecked them.

So pitch tar was an additive, but in all probability the spacer was some form of celluloid with camphor added as a stabiliser and plasticiser. Harder materials like bakelite would have been too brittle, IMO.

Regards,
Neil

Well, Thank You, Mr. Miller! I just KNEW that you would clear that up!

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Dear "Olfactory in Oregon",

Stop shaving your butt and the smell should dissipate in 3 to 4 days.

Aunty Jimbo.

I'm glad I'd already finished my coffee when I read this. As it stands all I did was manage to blow most of the burning tobacco from my pipe bowl all over some scales I was poking through on my workbench.