Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Estate Question for Hunters (Not a Legal Question)

My great uncle is in his dire straits. His nephew (my father, his attorney) will be dealing with the estate. No legal issues. The house and everything in it are going to my dad and his estate is going to Ducks Unlimited. We're all hoping he pulls through but it doesn't look good and the quality of life form here on out will be downhill no matter what.

Here's where I'm seeking some advice for my dad about the contents of the house. Bear with me, I don't have a full accounting of everything or pictures at this time. But it's time to start preparing for this. We're 500 miles from the house and its contents so I won't be able to get more details until at least this weekend.

With both these inquiries bear in mind Tommy is of the generation that smoked cigarettes indoors with the windows shut. Everything is covered in cigarette residue and smells like smoke.

THE GUNS: Tommy has God knows how many guns. I know he's got a Purdy and a Parker shotgun. He's got a few customs. Some run of the mill stuff. And a closet full that I have not seen yet. Some of the guns can be wiped down and sold as is. Some, like the Purdy in particular, probably need to be completely pulled apart for a cleaning to attain full value. Anyone have a general recommendation for smoked up guns ranging from $300 to tens of thousands of dollars? No, I'm not keeping all the guns. Some, though.

THE HEADS: Tommy went to Botswana at the end of the 60's after he gout out of Vietnam. Month long safari. He's got maybe a dozen heads of various animals. Again, all covered in cigarette residue. I don't know, in a general sense, if it is worth getting these mounts cleaned up in order to be sold or what (again, in a very general sense without more details right now) they're worth all cigg'd up. There's a zebra skin and a brown bear rug, too (which is missing its claws since my dad's poodle chewed them off decades ago).

Just wondering if anyone has any general advice, lacking further details at this time. Thanks.

I'll try to help - my taxidermist used acetone ( I believe ) to clean the smoke residue off my mounted game heads after my house fire. Worked well.

If it was not acetone, a ( good ) taxidermist should be able to help or recommend a process to clean the smoke and smell off of them.

Wish you, your Dad, and Tommy well.

Used car dealers have these o-zone machines that they run inside a smoked up car and it neutralizes the smell. One could put a few of these machines in the house and probably de-smell it of cig smoke.

We're talking 40 years of 2+ packs a day. I spent three hours cleaning off the 378Wby MkV he gave me. The amount of residue is a big part of the issue. The smoke residue is on everything.

Smoke smell will probably be in the wood on the guns, if you clean them up good and put them in a closed room with a commercial Ozone Generator it should finish up the job for you.

TSP w/ the "P" (Phosphate) in it will do a good job of removing smoke from non porous surfaces as well.

Get cat to spray them. You won't notice the smoke after that...........


Good luck

My mom has a cat named... wait for it... Stormy. I call it the porn star cat. I hate cats indoors.

Smoke smell is in everything, friend.

It's been mentioned but those ozone machines are great. Talk to a company that does smoke & water damage work for the insurance folks. My dad used to do smoke & water damage estimating for a Servicemaster franchise and they had some guys who were great at smoke damage jobs. A small fire at one end of a house could have the entire interior coated with smoke residue and the whole place reeking of smoke. They used to clean the entire interior, run the ozone machines and work some other magic and get the whole place looking & smelling great again. Although I never heard about those guys doing smoke damage restoration on guns.

Have you considered taking up smoking and shooting the chit out of the guns?

Yes. Especially the mint, unfired Colt SAA Abercrombie and Fitch limited edition. They didn't make many of those. There isn't even a turn line.

I would give Doug Turnbull a call and ask for advice on the firearms. He is a great guy and one willing to help.

Fugg it

Just send that Colt to me -

I'm a non-smoker, but I'll learn to tolerate the smell !

You’ll have to see how much the heads are worth. They are hard to sell in good shape. May not be worth the effort to clean them.

Unless a trophy mount is in the record book or very unique they have minimal value. You might consider donating to a Safari Club International chapter. Many have displays that are used for wildlife education & allow the blind to feel fur, antlers, tusks, etc.

Love it

I’m real sorry for your problem.



😀

Doing more than wiping the guns down with something like CLP will only waste your time and hurt their value.

You can put one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Airthereal-C...s&keywords=ozone+generator&psc=1

In a room with the heads for a few cycles and get rid of the smoke smell, but they are generally not worth much to anyone except the person who shot them.

Jerry

I think you are worrying about a problem you don’t have. A lot guns made in 1970 thru 1990 were exposed to smoking. Smoking residue will not penetrate sealed wood or steel. Cloth furniture is a problem.
Ran into the same problem when my FIL passed away. Smoked in his house for years. Painted walls & had carpet cleaned. Central a/c ducts were not a problem. Sprayed Febreeze in house and it pretty well took care of the smell. Hasbeen