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Contributing Member
What exactly is that smell?
Got your attention I see.
What is it about military stuff that simply stinks? It seems to be unique to military stuff also. With canvas, it's that slightly off mold smell and with metal it's.......well.....hard to describe but you recognize it immediately even after not smelling it for years, decades even and it doesn't come off your hands. I'm speculating either the paint or lubricants even though the item I was messing with was dry as a bone. I've washed my hands three times now and can still smell it after only messing with a training mine for about 20 minutes.
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Thank You to Aragorn243 For This Useful Post:
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07-12-2020 09:38 AM
# ADS
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Moderator
(M1 Garand/M14/M1A Rifles)
A lot of it is mold and corrosion or oxidation. You get the same oxidation smell on your fingers when you play old guitar strings.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Advisory Panel
The canvas has a waterproofing/mold resistant treatment that will impart itself to anything in contact...
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Legacy Member
bad smell
yep, kind of like the smell you get when you open an old ammo can.... 
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Advisory Panel
In memoirs you will sometimes see references to certain nationalities having certain odours, just as you will to their bones being slightly different shades. Much remarked on in WWI for example
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
Edward Bernays, 1928
Much changes, much remains the same. 
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Contributing Member
Well, this just turned macabre.
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Thank You to Aragorn243 For This Useful Post:
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Advisory Panel
War is macabre, on the good days.
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
Edward Bernays, 1928
Much changes, much remains the same.
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Thank You to Surpmil For This Useful Post:
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Legacy Member
I quite like "the smell" of military kit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "closet military equipment sniffer", I just don't find "the smell" too objectionable but then again I haven't got a very strong sense of smell.
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The Following 2 Members Say Thank You to Flying10uk For This Useful Post:
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Moderator
(M1 Garand/M14/M1A Rifles)
I grew up around milsurp "stuff," so I love it too. I also love the smell of military kites - aircraft. I spent several years in and out of them and know that particular scent. And for that matter, I grew up in my late father's laboratory, which was entered through a heavy machine shop. These days son works around extremely large-scale military machine shops. I visited his workplace a while back and discovered that the smell of a machine shop is a very comforting thing to me.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Legacy Member
"I love the smell of militaria in the morning ..."
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PM
