Vinegary smell from old plastic? Look out you have a problem.
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2018
- Hi Guys here we go again! I’ve just gone to my tool chest to find a nut runner and I can see and smell the results of another old plastic handled tool wrecking the rest of the tools. The problem is that some old plastics can decompose and as they breakdown and produce acetic acid, it smells like vinegar. The fumes from the decomposition have a devastating effect on other tools and as you can see in the video it’s wrecked the painted surface of my tool chest. This is a huge problem for conservators in museums but for the average home owner it can cause irreparable damage to your treasured possessions. The vinegary smelling fumes eat into steel and if it’s buy your old mechanical cameras, clocks, watches or weapons etc it will really mess them about. When the fumes a trapped in an enclosed space, like my tool chest, the fumes eat into everything, it’s even affected the draw runners on that side of the draw! As far as I know there is no known cure or prevention that will stop the degradation, you simply have to get rid of the offending plastic. Go through your old possessions now and see if you can sniff out the problem, you can also tell it’s there if the plastic feels damp. It can be a problem with old toys that you think are nicely wrapped up for safety. Thanks for watching. Kind regards . . . Andy
Vinegar smell from plastic, old tools, corrosion, wet plastic, vinegary smell, - Наука та технологія
I grew up in Birmingham, in the industrial midlands of England and I can remember ‘Smog’ with its acrid smell and its blinding thickness. People used to burn all of their rubbish on open fires in the house. Last thing at night folk would build a coal fire up with what was called ‘slake’ that’s all of the fine coal dust from the bottom of the coal heap and then cover it with potato peelings to stop it from flaring up and burning away, in the morning my old man would poke it about and it would burst into flames and get the fire started quickly. Man when you get a whole city doing daft things like this it creates an evil environment. I can remember walking to school and the cars, busses and lorries would be going at walking pace with someone walking at the side of the vehicle guiding them as the fog and smoke mixed together to make smog that was so dense you could only see a few feet in front of you. The Government introduced the Clean Air Act to reduce dark smoke from chimneys. Looking back its ridicules how stupid folks were. Talk about rough justice, on one really bad day my dad walked into a lamp post and broke his nose, he couldn’t see where he was going, like I say it was bad! Give me the sea air any day. Funny how your comment sparked that memory, I suppose we’re screwing things up in our own stupid way these days. All the very best to you. . . Andy It sounds great. I've lived by the sea for
about 12 years now and I love it. I was borne
Well, if it weren't all a disposable world nowadays it looks as if a quality tool maker would consider going back to hickory handles.
Yep, it's not all progress is it?
Good to see you again Andy. I had that same corrosion in a metal tool box but didn't know it was the plastic handles on the screwdrivers I bought about 40 years ago that did it. I'm a bit disappointed because I bought the screwdriver set at Nutts Corner outdoor market and it cost me 99p for the set of 15! When I showed my Father the great deal I got and said "They were only 99p for 15 screwdrivers!" he replied "Well, you wouldn't have got good ones for less". LOL
I don't think that it's just budget value tools that suffer from discomposure. I think my nut runner was a Stanly product.
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea I hope not Stanley. I've had some Stanley tools in my box that are more than 40 years old. They seem good for now.
Great tip - thank you!
Thanks for the warning Andy!
put them in hot water with baking soda and dish sope than oil the metal when done to prevent rust
I've never heard of that before, I can't imagine that it would be a long term cure but I might try it out on the defective handle and leave it bagged up for a while to see what happens.
baking soda helps neutralize acid and the dish soap washes it I do about 20 minutes after a rinse and dry a shot of oil on the metal to help stop the rust
I thought I had spilled vinegar in my tool chest ! Glad I found this video. So far it’s just the smell, no damage yet . But I will chuck all the plastic containers
Thanks Andy for the tool tip. Best regards
it's worth taking a sniff around as all of the tools on that tray have the effect of 'acid air' on them!
One place I worked had a small nut-runner that did the same; it was known as the 'arse-crack spanner'. It spread rot everywhere, like a ripe banana in a fruit-bowl. It was only kept, because it was a thin-wall socket that would fit into counter-bored holes.
The plastic handle is leaching and off gassing one of its performance additives; _Possibly a nasty endocrine system disrupter._
Wonder if those are foreign made or domestic made in the UK Andy. The older video you show the plastic sweating.
Is this a common issue with “acetate” used in screwdriver handles and such? What is the state of the handle once this begins? Does it become sticky or does it crumble?
I remember you talking about this about 5 years or so ago. I think I might have commented back then that a lot of my dad's old tools ended up like this. Seems as though the newer plastic doesn't do this..... Of maybe there have not been enough years for it to happen yet. It seems as though the old Excelite brand tools were really bad at this happening. Most of my Dad's old screw drivers are no good now. I really haven't used those tools for many years anyhow. They were just kept around for sentimental reasons.
Ok on the sentiment but if you have any old tools left watch out as the fumes alone will wreck any exposed steel, even the draw runners by the old nut runner have been effected by the fumes.
I didn't know about this. I've seen rubber decomposing to a sticky goo. It happened to binoculars I gave to my mother as a gift, and then to the dock charger of a Samsung handcam I have. I heard about the rubber ring of some Canon lenses having this problem too. Well, at least your tool lasted 40 years.
Ho man rubber can go really horrible, it can go sticky lick free flowing chewing gum and stick to your fingers. I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned it. I've had rubber cloves glue themselves together. I once saw blue/green liquid running down the wall from a light switch in a house. The cable had degraded and the acid was reacting with the copper wire, it was like some horror movie effect.
Break the acetal off the shaft, then get a wooden file handle the same size and use that instead. Oil the wood and it will last practically forever.
I 've already cut the handle off, I should have slip the spastic and saved the tange of the shaft but I was so irritated I just wanted to junk the offending item.
Glad to see you making a few videos again. Any plans for an antenna farm? I hope you and Sophie are doing well.
Hi Rick thanks for the kind words. Well the ham radio has been on the back burner, we've been busy designing a new house. We haven't used an architect just a structural engineer and a guy to present my AutoCAD drawings to Building Control in a fashion that they like. It's been a lot of fun but hugely time consuming. Hopefully we've got it right, we're building to Revision 3 of plan 18. All the very best to you and yours. . . 73's Andy
seen it too
I guess if you live long enough you get to see most things, this is the second time I've had it.
My toolbox did the same thing.
I must have had that nut runner for over thirty years and for some reason it's just started to decompose. It's funny to be sentimental about old tools but boy that runner hasn't half done some work in the past. It's a 2BA (that's British Association) and was one of the most popular sizes In a lot of lectical work that I used to do. I've cut the handle off and thrown it away and kept the socket end. All the best . . . Andy