Smelly Parts?

Hi, I wonder if anyone else has had a problem with smelly parts? My vitamin kit from ThingFarm just arrived and all the parts have that greasy "garage"-y smell. Is it safe to clean off whatever is causing that smell, or is it required for lubrication or something? Also, if I were to clean it off, how would I go about it? My wife has a pretty sensitive nose and she really dislikes smelly having smelly things in the house, which is where my printer will be. Obviously, I will need a way to mitigate the molten plastic smell as well, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I would appreciate any advice anyone could give on the matter, thanks

Regarding molten plastic smell: print with PLA. It has very little odor, and what odor there is is quite inoffensive. Many people say it smells like toffee or fairy floss.

Your "smelly parts" are like that due to the oil that is coating the plain steel portions of your kit. You could easily wash it all off, but you would run the risk of rust. (I'd love to supply galvanized parts all around, but they command a premium over plain finish steel.)

For the sake of your wife, there are two options I can think of that you may wish to consider to totally eliminate the smell. The first is having all the parts galvanized, chromed, or treated with black oxide. That will remove all traces of the oil, and provide a coating that will prevent rust. Look up "metal finishing" to see who might do this in your area. The other option, which would be more of a do-it-yourself option, would be to assemble your frame, wash it thoroughly, and then paint it. The limitation to this would be the smooth rod would not be able to be painted, as that would interfere with the smooth running of your axes (as in plural of "axis", not "wood chopping implement") - the rods would need to stay plain finish, and oiled lightly.

As for plastic smell, where will your Prusa be located? If it's near an outside wall, you might consider simply installing a bathroom fan or range hood near/over it, and keeping the room ventilated that way. Alternatively, if exhausting the room isn't an option, any air filter that uses an activated charcoal filter should take any odours out of the air. You could even build an enclosure around your Prusa with two openings, an inlet being fed by a small fan, and an outlet with a charcoal filter on it. That might also cut down on any noise as well.

Most metal parts end up covered in a carbon-based lubricant (eg: oil of some description). Lithium and Silicon based lubricants may not stink as much, will protect the metal from rust, and are also plastic compatible (check with each lubricant, as the additives themselves may be damaging to plastic).

Thanks for the great advice, I'll see if I can find some non-stinky lubricant. If I can't find any, I guess I'll paint it.

smelly parts lol

Some good news on the smelly part front, I've secured a source for smooth rod and threaded rod that is zinc plated and galvanized (respectively), which means they are unlubricated, and thereby won't have any "old oil" smell to them.

Now, that won't help with the fasteners and bearings, most of which come with a light coating of oil (especially the plain steel ones), but going by surface area alone having lube-free rods will make the most difference.

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Andrew Netherton
Thingfarm North America
[thingfarm.org]

To follow up here, the smelly parts haven't been a big problem, since you can't smell them unless you get up real close. That's great to hear about the galvanized steel though, that's definitely a great solution.

I have been hired to wax all the blackened steel in a hotel because of "the smell". Is the smell you spoke of like "poop"? Excuse that, but I'm wondering if what i am smelling when is actually the steel or something else!!??? HELP! Did anything help?

Speaking as the one who has handled these parts with bare hands on numerous occasions, I can say that the smell is certainly NOT anything close to fecal in its quality. unicoder's description of a "garage-y", greasy smell is quite accurate. I've also heard it described as an "industrial" smell. It isn't pungent or offensive (except to the OP's wife). I think the hotel needs an industrial plumber.

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Andrew Netherton
Thingfarm North America
[thingfarm.org]

Heavy cutting oil usually contains sulfer/sulfites which gives the distinctive machine shop smell.

Soaking the parts in acetone will likely remove the smell, and you may re-coat in a clear sewing machine oil which has no distinct odor, or live with the ensuing rust.