Anyone else have white mildew on their Craftsman screwdrivers?

[JLawrence08648]

I have a mixture of brands of screwdrivers, all in an open toolbox in my attached unheated garage. Only 2 of my Craftsman and 1 Fuller collect a white mildew though they are next to other screwdrivers. I wash them off, scrub them, hand wire brush them, wash them again, spray diluted bleach on them, let then dry, and the mildew comes back.

Anyone have this problem?

 

[gfh77665]

Its not mildew. Its the polycarbonate handle undergoing some surface degradation.

 

[kschachn]

The handles are made from cellulose acetate butyrate, not polycarbonate. The white residue is a decomposition product and you can probably smell the stench of butyric acid.

 

[Linctex]

I have some black handled Snap-On screwdrivers that did the same thing - - - - Snap-On would NOT warranty them!

They lost my business forever.

 

[Danno]

Try some WD40 on the handles, just wipe them dry.

 

[bcossa2001]

Originally Posted by kschachn
The handles are made from cellulose acetate butyrate, not polycarbonate. The white residue is a decomposition product and you can probably smell the stench of butyric acid.

Yes and yes. No luck cleaning or removing the odor.

 

[4WD]

I have seen a mild case of that before - but nothing like those pictures.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by kschachn
The handles are made from cellulose acetate butyrate, not polycarbonate. The white residue is a decomposition product and you can probably smell the stench of butyric acid.
Yes indeed! Not even my oldest (February, 1972?) and most rarely used ones look as white as those shown in this thread, though. How long will it take them to decompose into uselessness?

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by kschachn
The handles are made from cellulose acetate butyrate, not polycarbonate..


Polycarbonates are used in screwdriver handles, due to their electrical insulator properties.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by gfh77665
Originally Posted by kschachn
The handles are made from cellulose acetate butyrate, not polycarbonate.
Polycarbonates are used in screwdriver handles, due to their electrical insulator properties.

The handles shown in the picture and under discussion here are not polycarbonate, they are CAB. That's classic decomposition for this polymer.

 

[dwcopple]

I have a few I got from Grandpa in my drawer. They stink to high heaven. Gross. I might have to smash the handles off and weld on some T-bars on them.

 

[kschachn]

Yes that's butyric acid, found naturally in rancid butter. It's a useful precursor in organic synthesis, the bottles we had were labeled "STENCH" by the manufacturer

 

[JLawrence08648]

Would a coat of polyurethane varnish or shellac work?

 

[spasm3]

What would happen if you heated the handles a bit with a torch?

 

[1978elcamino]

put a wire wheel on your bench grinder and wire wheel them clean. Dip in oil, wipe clean, problem solved. That should hold up for a year or two.

 

[4WD]

Rubbing compound if harsh … cleaner wax for milder cases

 

[brages]

Originally Posted by kschachn
Yes that's butyric acid, found naturally in rancid butter. It's a useful precursor in organic synthesis, the bottles we had were labeled "STENCH" by the manufacturer


Butyric acid is supposed to be responsible for the sour bite in Hershey's chocolate.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by brages
Butyric acid is supposed to be responsible for the sour bite in Hershey's chocolate.

Quite possible. At a place where I used to work one of the PhD chemists did some moonlighting for a flavors & fragrances place in Milwaukee. He explained that very often some of the most vile and rank smelling substances are often used in flavors and perfumes but in extremely tiny concentrations.