Sweating Plastic

[VicParticipant @vic]

From experience the ectoplasm leaking out of your screwdriver may make the others go rusty so best disposed of or placed on its own somewhere.

[SpurryParticipant @spurry]

Thanks for the advice Vic. I did not really believe my eyes when I first saw this happening, and just thought my tools were upset at being removed from a warm workshop, to a cold one.

You are correct about the 'substance' attacking other drivers..it already has. The light blue plastic handle of one in the right hand corner was dissolved by this stuff. I just wish I understood the reason…

Pete

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I'v got a screwdriver with a softish rubber like handle, after being in contact with oil, and soluble cutting cutting oil, the handle has become sticky, leaving black on my hands after using it. Still got dads line's mans pliers with the black celluloid insulation. They were part of the tool kit he took with him when he was posted to the UK as a RNZAF Radar mechanic during the war.

Ian S C

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Is there a vinegar smell? Hard screwdriver handles (particularly the amber translucent ones) are typically made from cellulose acetate and sweat acetic acid as they decompose. I read an article on doll collectors who have problems with this "plastic cancer" too, as the acetic acid speeds up the decomposition of adjacent dolls, and I imaging the same will happen with screwdrivers. As far as I know there is no treatment, although isolation and ventilation can reduce its spread.

The soft screwdriver handle could be PVC which can be attacked by oils and solvents or may just leach out plasticiser of its own accord, as I suspect is happening with the TV. Washing doesn't get rid of it and solvents just make it worse. Between plastic degradation, LCD breakdown and electrolytic capacitors popping, future collectors may find late 20th/early 21st century consumer products increasingly rare.

Brian

[SpurryParticipant @spurry]

Brian

The acidy smell I described earlier could be construed as vinegar I guess. Well that's a first for me, having to dispose of perfectly good screwdrivers because they are decomposing. My wife may like them to open her paint tins.

Pete

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

In centuries to come, a good portion of the twentieth, and at least some of the twenty first century will be missing a lot of things that in previous centuries were made of wood and metal, and have survived.

Ian S C

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

It's not a new thing

Museums have been reporting problems with bakelite and other plastic collections for a while

And since we're a bunch of old fossils in here there's going to be some shared experiences

Edited By Ady1 on 13/09/2016 10:37:53

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Spurry Could you not make new handles ( Wood or aluminium ) instead of throwing them away ?

Roy

[Geoff GParticipant @geoffg]

This same phenomenon cost me a set of decent Marples wood chisels. Purchased in the early sixties they were fine for twenty odd years, then I noticed an oily feel to the red and yellow, two tone handles. This became more and more pronounced, with the "oil" soaking into the wooden rack. As the leakage continued, the handles became smaller and smaller until the tool were no longer useable; not a great loss, as by then the blades had been sharpened down to short stubs. Since then, I have lost a couple of screw drivers in the same way and, only last week, found and old and abused "dig it, poke it and prise it" screwdriver at the bottom of a drawer, laying in a pool of its own 'body fluids'.

I have just assumed that the plastic material has a limited life and remains stable for a while, before starting to decompose. My response: shrug, fit wooden handles or replace the tool.

[GeorgineerParticipant @georgineer]

Just read the Grauniad article in Ady1's link, which tells us that “Plastic itself is a material that is very rigid. The plasticides are put in there to allow it to be foldable and malleable.”

No wonder that plastic dolls are dying if they have been treated with plasticides!

George

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Just another example of Sod's Law in action.

Plastic bags that you want to decompose instead last 500 years and end up polluting the sea on a grand scale. Valuable tools, works of art or anything else worth keeping all start to degrade as soon as you've paid for them.

Not everything is intended to last. I'm not looking too good myself…

Dave

[SpurryParticipant @spurry]

Posted by roy entwistle on 13/09/2016 10:33:14:

Spurry Could you not make new handles ( Wood or aluminium ) instead of throwing them away ?

Roy

Roy

I'm sure I would get more bonus points if I gave my wife her very own screwdrivers to open her paint tins. It would also save her trying to use my proper screwdrivers for the same job.

Of course I will have to buy some nice new ones…

Pete

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 13/09/2016 12:51:43:

Just another example of Sod's Law in action.

Plastic bags that you want to decompose instead last 500 years and end up polluting the sea on a grand scale. Valuable tools, works of art or anything else worth keeping all start to degrade as soon as you've paid for them.

Not everything is intended to last. I'm not looking too good myself…

Dave

Don't store papers in biodegradable plastic bags. i did once and found a pile of paper surrounded by plastic confetti.

N.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

I had the problem of plasticiser migration when I stored some rubbers (for erasing) in a box with other drawing kit. The other plastic bits were softened or dissolved wherever there was contact.

It seems likely that this is a problem with many older plastic parts. The makers have had difficulty in testing them for 30 years before putting them on the market. I can't think why …

Cheers, Tim

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

In my work shop I have a couple of corrugated fibre glass panels in the roof, under these there is supposed to be clear plastic vapour barrier, that comes down like snow flakes.

Ian S C

[Nathan SharpeParticipant @nathansharpe19746]

Well I finally got round to contacting Tesco who , as expected , were more interested in proof of purchase than anything else . When I mentioned that I was worried that the "leachate" could be toxic/carcinogenic they started to listen. Their "service engineers" answer was that it was the fire retardant in the plastic casing sweating out and that I should just wipe it off and forget it . I have told them to escalate the incident to an "over 12 months assessment" and to get me the safety data on the "fire retardant" . I'm not going to let it drop and will go via Trading Standards if required to find out what is going on . No hard plastic should degrade to this extent in 5 years in a domestic situation. Nathan.

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Geoff G on 13/09/2016 11:00:41:

This same phenomenon cost me a set of decent Marples wood chisels. Purchased in the early sixties they were fine for twenty odd years, then I noticed an oily feel to the red and yellow, two tone handles. This became more and more pronounced, with the "oil" soaking into the wooden rack. As the leakage continued, the handles became smaller and smaller until the tool were no longer useable; not a great loss, as by then the blades had been sharpened down to short stubs.

I had some yellow handled Marples chisels that were sold as warrantied for life. I split the handle on one & it was changed without quibble. Why not send them back & complain about the handles. You might get a new set for free

[Author]

Posts