On 11/18/2010 1:15 PM, Tony Miklos wrote:
On 11/18/2010 8:21 AM, Smitty Two wrote:
Had occasion recently to move a bunch of stuff in order to replace a
clothes dryer. One thing that got moved was an old oak desk, with an
assortment of hand tools in one of the drawers. I discovered that the
tool drawer is quite malodorous.

I've run into this before. Years ago I worked at a shop where one drawer
of a rollaway tool cabinet smelled exactly like vomit. And, a few years
ago I bought a set of nut drivers in a plastic case (bought new) that
smelled awful. I aired them outside for weeks to no avail and finally
threw the plastic case away, which got rid of most of the smell but I
found that even the plastic handles still stink.

In that last instance of course, I identified the source of the smell,
but in those other two I did not. Anyone else have stinky tools?
Diagnosis? Remedy?

In 1979 at my job they gave me a set of "Xcelite" brand nut drivers.
Thirty one years later they still smell. It's the type of plastic they
use, I've seen (smelled) other things over the years with the same
smell. Sort of a chocolate/vomit smell.

Cellulose acetate is most likely the offending plastic and smell could
be from its breakdown.

http://web.me.com/trashpatch/Blog/Bl..._Tunne l.html


Never seen it myself from old tools.