I don't mind the smell, actually I kinda like it. My better half, however, cannot stand it and stays away from the basement for the rest of the day and I get an earful when she complains about that "chemical stink". Just yesterday I cut and drilled 8 of the Penmakers blanks and the basement still was full of the scent in the morning, but tonight it is all gone.
Another tip, let the pens lay out in the open air for a day or two to "gas-out" completely. The following happened to me not too long ago. I had turned a pen for a customer and as always for custom orders, I put them immediately after I am done in one of the clear plastic tubes and put the caps on. Some three weeks later, when the customer finally picks up the pen, she took it out of the tubes and it smelled as when it was turned first. Being encapsulated in the tube kept the smell "fresh" - she, too, was complaining, but I convinced her that the smell will be gone within a few hours, and if not, I would take the pen back - she never called back, so I guess the smell was finally gone when she made it home.
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Well, not totally, DI makes me gag a bit.
