Cleaning Stinky Screw Drivers with Baking Soda

[Grimpala]

Saw something the other day that got me to thinking.... We all know the smell of the off gassing Craftsman(et. al.) screw drivers. The smell is from an acid breaking down/being released(from what I understand).

Has anyone used a baking soda/water mixture to clean their screw drivers? From what YouTube has shown me, it works, but I'm curious on how long it works for.

Thinking I might try this and let my driver drawer air out for a while.

 

[RTM]

It may remove the white scuzzy film, but I think the smell may return soon. I dip mine in clear shellac, really helps with the smell.

 

[rust in the eye]

Opening drawer that smells like vomit was too much for me. With the exception of a couple of pocket screwdrivers I've culled all my acetate handled tools because of how they stink.
After trying various cleaning methods, mild to agressive, nothing worked for me, Even after spraying some with clear paint the smell remained, albeit somewhat diminished. The decision was made to sell what I could and gave/threw away the rest.
Baking soda? Can't hurt to try. For sure no smell on YouTube.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I came across a set yesterday that almost made me puke. An old "International Forge" set and the yellow-handled spinner is stinky, but still crystal clear. (The VACO nutdriver handles didn't cloud up either... not like the Oxwall spinner that turned white!)
Wish I had caught it earlier because it's started corroding the plating on the extension in the set.
I isolated it in a separate zip-lock for now.

On the Vaco and Craftsman nutdrivers (both of which were really stinky), I WAXED the handles with Meguiars Cleaner Wax.
Not sure if it somewhat abated the smell, or if my nose was just getting used to the smell, but it seemed to help somewhat.
Also made the handles look like new.
I tried it on another tool where the yellow handle had turned white, like that old Oxwall. It cleaned it up, but the white fuzzy stuff started coming back a week or so later.

I haven't tried "coating".
Clear Krylon maybe? Anybody tried that?
Or just a generic clear acrylic aerosol?

 

[bigredcornhead]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

 

[Steve_P]

Years ago, I bought a new set of PB Swiss drivers that immediately smelled like puke; I sent them back and bought Wiha- no smell. You can get excellent quality Wiha drivers for ~$7 each in a set; there's no way I'd try to deal with nasty smelling old screwdrivers.

 

[redwrench60]

Just give up. Either learn to live with the stank, or throw them away and buy new ones. Clean em all you want, the smell will just return. I’m sorry, but Craftsman screwdrivers **** anyway. I can bend one picking my nose.

 

[Grimpala]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

Yes

Just give up. Either learn to live with the stank, or throw them away and buy new ones. Clean em all you want, the smell will just return. I’m sorry, but Craftsman screwdrivers **** anyway. I can bend one picking my nose.

Hmmm...I've had mine 25+ years and haven't bent one that I didn't mean to bend, then again, I don't pick my nose with them.

 

[MoonRise]

Since the smell is from the actual plastic material (cellulose acetate butyrate) of the handle, no amount of cleaning will really matter to get rid of the smell.

Air them out and/or don't store them in 'closed' spaces so that the smell can dissipate and be less noticeable.

Or learn to live with the smell or get rid of and replace the stinky handle olfactory offenders.

Why Hard Plastic Screwdriver Handles Smell Like Vomit

Ah (or eww), the breakdown of acetate screwdriver handles.

toolguyd.com

 

[four.cycle]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

if you have an affinity for handles that stink, be sure to check my ebay listings!

if it stinks, it's goin' on the block.

 

[Pexto]

It may remove the white scuzzy film, but I think the smell may return soon. I dip mine in clear shellac, really helps with the smell.

I haven't tried it on screwdrivers, but this seems like a great idea. Shellac is an excellent odor barrier - I've used it to prime used furniture that smelled badly of cigarettes and it works really well in that application.

 

[dnschmidt]

If they were P. B. Swiss I'd try to seal them with automotive clearcoat. Craftsman, into the landfill they go. I've got so many friends that have destroyed Honda carburetors using Craftsman Phillips screwdrivers it's just sad. I sold (or gave some of them) some TOPTUL JIS compatible screwdrivers and they thank me every time I visit them. TOPTUL'S ratchets sort of **** (they buy them from William Tool) but their screwdrivers are exceptional. With Wera, Wiha, P. B. Swiss and Vessel (to me the best of the bunch) available why waste time on inferior tools? You're buying a $6 screwdriver, not a $3000 Sawstop.

 

[redwrench60]

Yes

Hmmm...I've had mine 25+ years and haven't bent one that I didn't mean to bend, then again, I don't pick my nose with them.

Well…since I had it up to my nose sniffing it, I figured…hey, while it’s up there …..

 

[isb cornbinder]

Saw something the other day that got me to thinking.... We all know the smell of the off gassing Craftsman(et. al.) screw drivers. The smell is from an acid breaking down/being released(from what I understand).

Has anyone used a baking soda/water mixture to clean their screw drivers? From what YouTube has shown me, it works, but I'm curious on how long it works for.

Thinking I might try this and let my driver drawer air out for a while.

These plastics emit butyric acid as the acetate handles slowly degrade. I have a very few of these screwdrivers from Craftsman. I gave them a good wash in hot water and Simple Green. This lasted only a few days. My Dad preferred Craftsman screwdrivers. Dad must have had a hundred of them. I gave them all but 4 to a Habitat Store.

 

[fourjeepin]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

Me too! First thing I do when I grab one of these is take a big whiff.

 

[ohhimark]

Had a bunch that turned cloudy/gross looking but didn't smell. They had sentimental value so were worth it to me to "fix" them. Cleaned them with lemon oil and put clear poly on the handles. Still fine almost a year later. Got a NOS crescent/xcelite driver that smelled bad, it stays in a tool belt and no longer smells.

 

[rust in the eye]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

Most definately. Maybe you are reminiscing about holding some drunk college girl's hair out of the toilet while she pukes

 

[theoldwizard1]

Mysteriously all my stinky screwdriver got "damaged" years ago and Sears replaced them !

 

[Jeff]

Soak them in acetone overnight.

 

[rust in the eye]

Soak them in acetone overnight.

and you'll have a pile of goo by morning.

 

[Jeff]

and you'll have a pile of goo by morning.

but no more smell

 

[MoonRise]

Soak them in acetone overnight.

and you'll have a pile of goo by morning.

but no more smell

Also no more screwdriver, just the steel shank of the screwdriver.

 

[imagineer]

Maybe the screw driver drawers in my tool chest are well vented, but I've not noticed any foul odor from there.
That said, I am both praying for, and terrified by the idea of having enough spare time to focus on hand tool maintenance.

 

[four.cycle]

I have this vision in my head of a big burly guy (think Binford Tool man) appearing on camera asking the audience "Do your screwdrivers stink? Help is available... "

 

[bonneyman]

I've used Ballistol and water with pretty good success. Ballistol is a special oil used to clean gun barrels of acidic primer residue. It is itself slightly alkaline, so it neutralizes acidic residue thus preventing those chemicals from corroding the metal of the barrel. Being an oil helps displace water, so, it also imparts protective qualities to the treated surface.
After treatment I find that the vomit smell stays away from the drivers for over a month.

Ballistol: World’s Most Versatile Multi-Purpose Oil and Gun CLP

Ballistol is the fountain of youth for your guns, wood, metal, plastic and smooth leather. Nothing cleans, lubricates, protects and preserves like Ballistol. Skin-safe and environmentally friendly. Shop now.

ballistol.com

 

[bwringer]

...On the Vaco and Craftsman nutdrivers (both of which were really stinky), I WAXED the handles with Meguiars Cleaner Wax....

Wouldn't wax on a screwdriver handle kinda, uh, you know, interfere with a very important basic function of a screwdriver?

 

[WWheeler]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

Is it weird I've never noticed the smell?

I've had drawers full of Craftsman screwdrivers and nut drivers for well over 3 decades and never have I even noticed a smell. I don't go putting my nose to them, but whatever everyone likes to complain about them I've never noticed once. I like them. I have several other complete sets of screwdrivers from Williams and Bahco and Wiha but the Craftsmans are still pretty much my go-tos, if mostly just because I'm much more comfortable abusing them when I need to. I like how they feel in my hand also. I get a much better grip on them than I do the Wiha or Williams.

 

[i7083]

So THAT'S what's causing the stink in that drawer! I learn something new every day around here.

 

[four.cycle]

Wouldn't wax on a screwdriver handle kinda, uh, you know, interfere with a very important basic function of a screwdriver?

I didn't do it to hide the smell. I did it so they'd look better for the photographs for ebay. The wax kind of hides all the tiny little scratches on the plastic handles - makes 'em look like new. I wasn't concerned about "function".
I thought it kind of "sealed in" the smell a bit. Maybe I had just become accustomed to it and stopped noticing it.
Finally got rid of the Vacos. Craftsman set it still here but it's in double zip-locks so it's not stinking up the place.

 

[NHtoolguy]

is it weird i like the smell!!!

Oddly, I like the smell too.