sniffing Hoppe's #9

[lead chucker]

I don't know what it is but when cleaning my guns with Hoppe's #9 I always have to sniff the bottle I love the way that smells. Any one else do this. I'm not huffin the stuff but like the way it smells.

[beex215]

alox smells good.

[geargnasher]

I sniffed Hoppe's once, but I didn't inhale.

Ger

[lead chucker]

That's what I told my recruiter in high school before I joined the Air Force.

[edler7]

I don't sniff the bottle, but I do take and extra minute to enjoy the aroma...it reminds me of fall evenings cleaning shotguns with my dad in the basement after a day's hunting.

I have a small bottle of the original formula that must be at least 40 years old. There is maybe a teaspoon of liquid left in it. It is for aromatherapy only.

[geargnasher]

Gotta love the smell of benzene in the morning!

Gear

[Inkman]

The wonderful aroma of 45/45/10 in the garage with a few thousand boolits drying.





Seriously.





:)

Al

[lead chucker]

My dad always used hopps it was a real common aroma in the reloading room. Brings back memories. My wife just bought me some for an anniversary present, i must have done something right.

[olafhardt]

Think of it as Chanel no. nine.

[quack1]

Three gun related smells bring back a lot of pleasant memories. Hoppe's #9, a fired paper shotgun shell and Herters "London Oil Finish". Still keep a bottle of Hoppes around (although there are better solvents available), load a few paper shotgun shells to hunt with each year and still have a little bit of the London oil finish in a bottle that has to be at least 40 or 50 years old. It's still semi- liquid, so I shake it up a little and take a sniff now and then. I have no idea what makes the Herters finish smell so good. It has a sweet, pleasant aroma, nothing like any other kind of finish I have ever used.

[rhbrink]

Besides Hoppe's, that stuff brings back a lot of memories. I'm very fond of Ballistol myself.

[Bret4207]

They say it's banana oil in the Hoppes. Maybe, but I love it.

[41 mag fan]

I use it in my Glade plug ins in the shop :bigsmyl2:

[Shooter6br]

Make it a mans cologne. I will wear it.And for a sporty cologne GI bore cleaner vintage Ww II

[milprileb]

Love the smell for old memories but since I got married, now 41 yrs of it, I have noted the
wife hates the smell.

Thus, a patch wetted with Hoppes hung by clothes pin aloft will keep wife away from my reloading area and give me hours of privacy to reload. I think one bottle will keep her away for many years of reloading.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

love that smell

[1Shirt]

If if is banana oil, am told that in aerosol form banana oil is a narcotic (can't vouch for the validity however). Do like the smell of #9 however!
1Shirt!

[longbow]

Yeah, Channel #9, I like it! I wish the wife would wear it instead of perfume. I do love the smell of Hoppe's #9.

[curator]

Do you know they make an air-freshener for your car that smells like Hoppe's #9? I tried for years to get my daughter to dab some behind each ear before going out. 'Figured she'd attract the right kind of man. Unfortunately she didn't listen and ended up marrying a folk-singer musician.

[Grandpas50AE]

I have tried several gun cleaning solvents, and though there are some that are better as solvents, none have that wonderful smell of Hoppe's #9. If they would jsut make it in stick form like Old Spice, I would change deodorant brands to Hoppe's real quick.

[ElDorado]

I like it, too. Probably because of the pleasant memories associated with it.

Another one I like is linseed oil.

[1bluehorse]

I sniffed Hoppe's once, but I didn't inhale.

Ger

LMAO....now that is funny, but all the replys are good...everyone's pretty sharp witted today for sure..and I wholeheartedly agree...............EXCEPT......alox , IT STINKS..

[pistolman44]

My wife goes crackers when I open a bottle of Hoppe's. I tell her it's no worse when she gives herself a home perm. That perm solution smells like rotten eggs. It must not bother her more than she lets on, I have been using it for over 30 years and I'm still living with her. LOL.

[TommyT]

It's my favorite aroma-therapy. I'm also fortunate to have a girlfriend that loves the smell of it too.

[Shiloh]

Knew a watch maker who used it. Used it on corroded watch backs and to get under rust.
His shop had the subtle aroma of Hoppe's and freshly cleaned watches and clocks.

Added a nice ambiance with all the cool cleaning machines, staking tools, miniature lathes, ect.
I love the smell of Hoppes. Kind of a nostalgic aroma of a different era. Sort of like an old time hardware
store with cutting oil smell and wood floors

Shiloh

[LUCKYDAWG13]

hey a new sent for YANKEE CANDLE SHOOTERS BLOSSOMS

[Katya Mullethov]

If if is banana oil, am told that in aerosol form banana oil is a narcotic (can't vouch for the validity however). Do like the smell of #9 however!
1Shirt!

You're thinking of Bananadine , the Berkley Barb prank that never died .

[leadhead]

The smell of Ballistol is enough to gag a maggot.
If I get a whiff of it, it makes me want to puke.
Denny

[Gtek]

Confirmed, aroma therapy. Back in the late sixties and early seventies when I was a kid, my father every two months or so would load me up and off we went. We had about ten descent shops in the county and two Army/Navy stores. We would spend most the day hitting all from one end to the other. I can still smell the MRT from the canvas bins, the dusty boxes of used cop leather, the smell of a whole wall of new firearms. I believe many of us know of this sensation / feeling. The days I spent shooting and hunting with dad were always finished with #9, " your not eating or getting cleaned up until that weapon is clean"- yes sir- over, and closing with present arms and inspection. The candle idea is a great one, Holy Black, Rimfire, #9,WWll corrosive bore cleaner as a
gag gift. Thanks for the memory ride. Gtek

[just.don]

Shortly after our wedding, my wife thought it was an aphrodisiac!

[rond]

I have one of those air fresheners in the jeep, doesn't last long, have to add a couple of drops every week.

[UtopiaTexasG19]

"Sniffing Hoppe's #9"

No wonder you guys are always smiling! :)

[EMC45]

I like the way Kroil smells better. Also how it cleans better.

[Bigslug]

Make it a mans cologne. I will wear it.And for a sporty cologne GI bore cleaner vintage Ww II

Yup! It smells like victory. Wimmin are drawn to the smell of victory!:mrgreen:

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Oh YES, Hoppies #9 YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I also remember the smell of the fired paper shotshell loads from when I was a kid, back in the late 40s early 50s.

My cork gun fired another load, so always needed to pick up dad's fired hulls! :):)

Funny that cork gun seemed so big back then, but in an old photograph in which my father and some friends are standing around a 40s model car with deer on the fenders and on the ground, I'm also standing by my dad and that cork gun looks some small now.

Must be some trick of photography!

Funny I also don't recall a lot of sucess with that cork gun, but then what could I expect from a single shot.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[gray wolf]

I can remember as a kid --I guess I was 8 or nine--
that's over 60 years ago. My brother and I used Hoppies #9 to clean our B B guns.
For some reason even back then we liked the smell.
I can remember we took Cotton balls and wet them with it and placed a few around
in our bedroom.
There are many new gun cleaners on the market now but I still purchase Hoppies.
It's like it would be wrong not to have a couple of bottles of it, and sides it still does a good job.
In some small way I guess it brings me back to a simpler time when I was a kid.
I Liked those day's as a young in growing up. Life was simple then, now days it seems to get away from me sometimes.
OH well good old Hoppies #9--I guess that's what we were talkin bout EH....

[sig2009]

I prefer the aroma of EEzox!

[2Tite]

Sad thing is that unless we save some of the old stuff our kids and grandkids will never know what the old stuff smelled like. The new Hoppe's just isn't the same ....close but no cigar. I think I have a quart of the old stuff still. I think I'll save it for the grandsons and only use it when they're around. Good thread and a reminder of the good times.................

[Recluse]

Definitely memories of happy times in my younger days. Dad would spread his newspapers out on the kitchen table and we'd go to cleaning up the .22s--an old Sears .22LR made, I think, by Stevens (?). And then there was the Ruger Single-Six, and then finally, the Ruger Blackhawk.

Hoppes #9, the smell of 22LR ammo lighting off. . . just something very right, very pure, very wholesome about it. Brings back incredibly powerful, vivid memories and erases the years in a flash.

Likewise, G96 takes me instantly back to the USMS days as I kept several cans in the office and was forever cleaning the guns--and my old wooden desk--with it.

:coffee:

[Gelandangan]

Love Potion No. 9 ..
The only one of my set of gun oils and cleaning solution that SWMBO do not object to the smell.

[Ickisrulz]

Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/Hoppes-H9AF-Air-Freshener-Pack/dp/B007ED76P8

[LUBEDUDE]

Don't waste your money on those Hoppes air freshners. The one I bought lasted One day, maybe two!

The spilt bottle in the gun cleaning bag I carry in my truck lasts much, much, much longer.

[Bret4207]

Someone mentioned shops smelling on Hoppes, etc. I'll add to that the great smell of a cabinet shop I used to work in- turpentine, fresh cut pine, the old wood filler I think they called "whiting" and a faint smell of that old style brown paper the glass came in. And then there's the great smell of a good leather shop or a real bakery or real blacksmiths shop or fresh turned dirt in spring plowing.

Smell is a trigger for memories.

[41 mag fan]

Someone mentioned shops smelling on Hoppes, etc. I'll add to that the great smell of a cabinet shop I used to work in- turpentine, fresh cut pine, the old wood filler I think they called "whiting" and a faint smell of that old style brown paper the glass came in. And then there's the great smell of a good leather shop or a real bakery or real blacksmiths shop or fresh turned dirt in spring plowing.

Smell is a trigger for memories.


My wifes got plenty of memorioes of certain smells........she blames me for them...I always am the victim. [smilie=1:

[contender1]

Many years ago,,, not long after Miss Penny & got together,, I was in my "gun room" cleaning guns. (This was long before she became a full blown gun girl too.) She came in,, commented; "What's that smell?"
Feeling like I was gonna have an Uh-Oh moment, I showed her the bottle of Hoppes #9. (An old bottle.) SHe said she really liked the smell & I should clean my guns in the living room.
Fast forward to now.
WE yes,, I said WE,,, clean our guns in the living room, and SHE will clean ALL of them if I do the disassembly. She loves the #9. ( I knew I had a winner that day,, oh so long ago!)

[45-70marlin]

I have used #9 for all my 42 years shooting. I love the smell and great memories, like a polished blue, walnut stock rifle or shotgun. Also the paper shotgun shell, linseed oil and a shot of scotch at the end of a good day.:2 drunk buddies:

[Cap'n Morgan]

The smell of Ballistol is enough to gag a maggot.
If I get a whiff of it, it makes me want to puke.
Denny

Ballistol is very popular here in Europe. I always hated the stench of it! Also, it will gum-up an action over time to the point where the gun will sometimes fail to work properly. My dad told me to use acid-free sewing machine oil instead - and to use it sparingly. Great advice.

As for "sniffing memories" Like quack1 says; paper shotgun shells! Closing my eyes and sniffing an old freshly fired Eley Grand Prix will still take me back in time for a few moments. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it could take you all the way, like in Ray Bradbury's "A Scent of Sarsaparilla":

http://elearning.zaou.ac.zm:8060/Fiction-Biographies/Bradbury,%20Ray/Bradbury,%20Ray%20-%20A%20Scent%20of%20Sarsaparilla.txt

[Elkins45]

My new bottle of Hoppes smells just a bit different than the stuff I remember as a kid. I think the EPA or somebody must have made them take something out.

It still smells pretty good though. I mostly use Shooter's Choice these days but I can't recommend it for the aroma.

[Hardcast416taylor]

An old trick that my brother did in his general store back where he had the gun racks was to have an old T shirt with Hoppes soaked into in in a Mason jar near the guns. He always wiped the guns down with another shirt rag that had 3-in-1 oil. The combination of those 2 smells would often lead to a sale.Robert

[latesvak]

oh man . i cant say i sniff the bottle but i do take my time cleaning the guns. and as a side not the wife thinks it makes the house smell better.



latesvak

[colt 357]

when my wife comes out wearing a black nitie and hoppes #9. HECK I gotta go.

[Hickory]

I've been readin' this post for a while and have come to the conclusion that Hoppes #9 will soon become a controlled substance, or at the very least, you'll have to have a note from your grandpa and two uncles to buy it.:violin:
You guys have got it bad, almost like glue sniffers.:veryconfu




:bigsmyl2:

[WILCO]

Going to grab my bottle and sniff it now...........











Yeah, that's a great scent for sure! :)

[Eutectic]

Gotta love the smell of benzene in the morning!

Gear

Sadly Gear, the benzene (Nitro Benzene) was removed from Hoppe's #9 probably 15 or 20 years ago. I'll admit benzene has a nice sweet smell too.... But if you have smelled this sweet benzene smell you are half dead already according to modern standards! It takes several parts per million to smell the odor.

Actually what everyone likes the smell of in Hoppe's #9 is amyl acetate. It is referred to as 'banana oil' at times.


Elkins45 on page 3....

"My new bottle of Hoppes smells just a bit different than the stuff I remember as a kid. I think the EPA or somebody must have made them take something out."

Elkins45 is correct.... The older stuff years back with Nitro Benzene still in the recipe did in fact clean much better!

Eutectic

[Hardcast416taylor]

Eutectic is right about the formula being changed about that many years back. I was made aware of the formula change by a dealer friend that said I`d better stock up if I wanted the old formulation. My brother and I bought 4 gallons of it in the old steel drums and 10 (1) quart glass bottles of it. There was a rush going on at the supplier my dealer friend ordered thru of other people buying up the old formula. Today I am down to a little over 1 gal., now in gal. glass jugs, and 4 of the quart bottles. This supply will last me out as I`m shooting less than I used to. My brother found out that Hoppes will find a way thru the welded seam on the steel gal. cans, which is why we transferred all the Hoppes to brown glass containers.Robert

[Freischütz]

Has anyone made Hoppes Nr 9 using the formula in Hatcher's Notebook? If so, how did it work in comparison with the current production?

[bobthenailer]

Personaly I cant stand the smell of HOPPIES #9 only bought 1 bottle 45 years ago

[mustanggt]

I love the smell for all the memories you guys stated. As far as the EPA goes I think that if it has to do with anything traditional or have to do with our history the government will surely ban it. I'm not being paranoid either. That's just the way they work now.

[MBTcustom]

I love the smell too. Very unique and certainly full of memories.

[Hang Fire]

Hoppe's #9 passes the smell test.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

YEP!!!!!!!!!, but the "EPA" doesn't! Pass the smell test that is.

Must be the lingering smell that rubbed off from the obummer!

CDOC

[.22-10-45]

Hello, good posts! While it's true the new Hoppe's doesn't have the same smell..Bruno Shooters Supply was re-introducing the N.B. back into regular Hoppe's..bought a few quarts..don't know if they still are doing this? Years ago, I was at work..it was opening day of squirrel season..another fellow hunter was also lamenting the fact that if we were kids again..we sure would be out in the squirrel woods instead of working! I went over to my toolbox, & brought out small bottle of original Hoppe's..we both had a snif for "old times sake"...Next best thing for being there!

[MasS&W]

If you walk into a bar after a long cleaning session, people know what's up from the smell alone. "Doin a bit of shooting there kid?" Its a form of non verbal communication.