USA made screwdriver stank

[mrjaw14]

I've been putting together a small truck toolkit and trying to use US made tools as much as possible, but trying to do it on the cheap since it's a truck kit. Found some US made husky screwdrivers at home depot and thought they'd be perfect. Didn't even think about the acetate handles. I have a knock-off yorktown tool roll and dedicated a pouch to screwdrivers. I noticed my truck smelling funny one day. I live in Tennessee where it's hot and humid. heat + humidity + being closed in a bag = stank! only took about a month to develop. lol, that's a bummer. Bag is airing out and will be ok, but now I have to do something else about screwdrivers. Thinking about a set of Tekton hard handles. Anyone have a suggestion on something that doesn't cost a lot (remember truck kit), is decent, and now very importantly won't stink to high heaven!

 

[Jtels85]

I have a set of Craftsman USA acetate handle screwdrivers that I recently opened from the original packaging… WF made with a “Y” date code which I believe was 2009. Upon opening the package, the smell was so overwhelming I had to put them outside to air out for awhile. Needless to say, that didn’t help. They’re in my “travel” tool box and I’ll just deal with the smell. There’s worse things I smelled…

 

[ike]

i have all of my old craftsman screwdrivers in a plastic tub with a lid on it. it's my overflow tools storage tub. i hate having to open it up. the smell is enough to gag a maggot. also, i recommend a picquic screwdriver. i keep a super 8 and a teeny turner in my vehicle.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I must be in the minority but to me that smell smells good lol. Smells better than something like gear oil or something which I smell on a daily basis. The Tekton set is nice I like that there handles are close to the Snap-on hard handles which I really like. And I’ve had good luck with Tekton. My local mom and pops hardware has some old Channellock USA screwdrivers that have hard handles that seem nice but not sure if they would have the same issue or not.

 

[RAS61]

Pratt & Reed, the ones with rubber handles are a favorite of mine. Used to be made in the USA, don't know now. But my recommendation for a truck kit is a multi screwdriver, like an 11 in 1, covers the bases for Philips, straight, nut driver in one tool that will fit in the glove box. Several USA manufacturers too, Klein, Milwaukee, etc

 

[JeepYJ]

Tekton or Williams.

 

[CS454]

Butyric Acid, same source as vomit's odor.

Mimic the recommendation on Tekton or Williams sets.

 

[honcho]

As for a truck kit, I carry 6 n 1 and a bit handle with an assortment of bits in my vehicle bag. I have found that once in a great while, a regular shaft screwdriver, particularly a flat blade to use as a pry bar would be really nice to have. Of course, that's not using a tool as intended but when necessity calls........

As for the stank, I have some ancient acetate handles that are holding up fine and others that start getting the stench and milky looking crust. Very frustrating.

 

[Half-fast eddie]

Butyric Acid, same source as vomit's odor.

Wow, learned something today. Once in a while i will open my tool drawer and smell that. Inalways thought moisture had gotten in somehow and gone rancid.

 

[metaldad]

clean your acetate handles with mineral spirits.
then spray with urethane.
i like gloss.
ends the stank, and, they look better

 

[Bubba Fett]

Butyric Acid, same source as vomit's odor.

Mimic the recommendation on Tekton or Williams sets.

Yep. WF used Cellulose Acetate Butyrate a.k.a. CAB handles. Supposedly it's more durable than regular acetate, though I imagine there are numerous formulas, which would be why some brands develop the stink and some don't. Often the old/really bad ones would decay and develop a white powdery coating.

A while back I bought a set of Husky NOS WF screwdrivers, that have a smell, but it's not quite the vomit smell I've encountered with older Craftsman drivers. I think they added a vanilla scent to them. I also have some Pratt-Read Craftsman drivers that I bought in the mid noughties that also have the smell, but it's not as strong.

Another brand known for stink is Xcelite. I had a set of small screw/nut drivers that smelled horrible. They would stink up a room. I used to sneak them into the Maintenance technicians' tool boxes as a prank. It was so bad it would make your nose burn.

 

[woody 73]

Funny story and I have posted it before on the GJ; i love the smell of those plastic handles not sure why others hate that smell ?
Here is the kicker, at small garage sale last week I bought a 1/2 mother of all monster power drills (the kind that break your arm), and the previous owner had built a box for it. The smell of mold was so bad it was killing me and I had to burn that box in a camp fire pit.

 

[Chrome Vanadium Cody]

I cleaned and then plasti-dipped the handles on a bunch of those cellulose acetate butyrate screwdrivers and that has kept the smell away. it was a mix of craftsman/xcelite/vaco. it's been three months and the smell hasn't returned

 

[Lesserstore]

My personal preference to stop the stink is shellac. I've tried clear coat, but that didn't work for me. The only thing that I have that still stinks after putting shellac on it is an old Fuller, but at least now you have to fairly close to it to smell it.

 

[seber]

I do the same as Metaldad but I use acetone for cleaning before the clear spray. Any clear spray that is handy will do. Some of mine have held up for many years that way.

 

[mrjaw14]

what kind of clear spray works best? Is it just clear Polyurethane spray usually used for wood finishing? I'm intrigued by trying to seal the stink in and being able to keep them in the cab of the truck without making it smell like yack

 

[seber]

Any clear spray that will not rub off easily. I've used poly, alkyd and laquer with good results.

 

[FMB4]

Back in the mid '80s I had a roll-around top chest drawer full of mostly Craftsman drivers that always smelled a bit. Well, the service station that I worked at then had a regular gal customer who sold perfume on the side. One day she, unbeknownst to me, sprinkled some type of perfume into my S driver drawer (she was a really nice gal who was 'just kidding around'). The thing was that the perfume very slightly melted a few of my CM driver handles. The lead mech and I shook our heads because little, if anything, effected CM driver handles, yet this perfume did. And to think that this stuff was meant to be applied to women's skin.

 

[Mallen]

Butyric Acid, same source as vomit's odor.

Mimic the recommendation on Tekton or Williams sets.

So THATS what that smell was. We had a couple of roll around tool boxes where I used to work and they had this gawd awful smell. I never knew what it was but now that you mention butyric acid, I realize that's what I was. We had a a few drawers in each packed full of Xcelite clear handle screw drivers in them. That must have been it. I knew it was familiar, I used to work with butyric acid in a lab.

Just to ruin people's favorite snack, it's found in cheese, and is a small but rancidly important constituent of cheese flavoring used in Cheesit snack crackers and similar products.

 

[handmadeMI]

I

Funny story and I have posted it before on the GJ; i love the smell of those plastic handles not sure why others hate that smell ?
Here is the kicker, at small garage sale last week I bought a 1/2 mother of all monster power drills (the kind that break your arm), and the previous owner had built a box for it. The smell of mold was so bad it was killing me and I had to burn that box in a camp fire pit.

Read my signature line good buddy, im glad there is another guy out there who likes the smell of old screwdriver handles. From the time I was a kid playing with my dads craftsman screwdrivers I always took a good whiff of the handle when taking it off the rack. I still do.

 

[joel63]

I never cared for the smell that never went away, so they went away.

 

[Ton ton]

I don't mind the smell of Western Forge screwdrivers but they are not my favorite in the first place.

 

[CoogarXR]

The nice thing, it's not exponential. The smell of one screwdriver is the same as the smell of hundreds of them. So, you might as well have hundreds of them, lol.

 

[VH5150]

clean your acetate handles with mineral spirits.
then spray with urethane.
i like gloss.
ends the stank, and, they look better

Thanks for that tip. I'll try it out on some Xcellite drivers of mine.

 

[qqzj]

I got some NOS Western Forge screwdrivers etc. Initially, I don't know why there is such a bad smell in my garage. This thread reminds me to check out and they really stink! I just put them into a tool case. All the problems solved!

 

[RTM]

Next time you open that tool case, you will want to barf.

 

[Sgtboz]

I must be in the minority but to me that smell smells good lol. Smells better than something like gear oil or something which I smell on a daily basis. The Tekton set is nice I like that there handles are close to the Snap-on hard handles which I really like. And I’ve had good luck with Tekton. My local mom and pops hardware has some old Channellock USA screwdrivers that have hard handles that seem nice but not sure if they would have the same issue or not.

I love the smell of CM tool handles, but only the flat blade screwdrivers seem to have that strong odor. Strangest topic I ever commented on lol.

 

[colintrax]

Not US made but European is close enough?
Felo wood handle. Reasonable price, can take an absolute beating, and they look good.

 

[mrjaw14]

I cleaned the screwdrivers with mineral spirits, and then gave them all two coats of spray poly. I let them air dry for two weeks in my garage. Seemed to only smell the poly so I put them back in the truck. Got them out just the other day to check and they seem to stink again. Not sure why the poly failed?

 

[Grokew]

I've been putting together a small truck toolkit and trying to use US made tools as much as possible, but trying to do it on the cheap since it's a truck kit. Found some US made husky screwdrivers at home depot and thought they'd be perfect. Didn't even think about the acetate handles. I have a knock-off yorktown tool roll and dedicated a pouch to screwdrivers. I noticed my truck smelling funny one day. I live in Tennessee where it's hot and humid. heat + humidity + being closed in a bag = stank! only took about a month to develop. lol, that's a bummer. Bag is airing out and will be ok, but now I have to do something else about screwdrivers. Thinking about a set of Tekton hard handles. Anyone have a suggestion on something that doesn't cost a lot (remember truck kit), is decent, and now very importantly won't stink to high heaven!

I live in a high humidity environment. I just put some caphor squares on my tool drawers.

I'm thinking about putting some vanilla beans or a sponge soaked in vanillin, just to imitate the pbswiss smell .

Reading somewhere I found that cleaning the handles with alcohol helps prevent the development of the vomit smell.

 

[Ton ton]

Maybe you guys need to ventilate your shop better. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mallen]

Maybe you guys need to ventilate your shop better. Just my 2 cents.

It builds up in the drawers. I guess you could mount an exhaust fan to the back of the cabinet.

 

[nadogail]

So they smell a bit; so do I on a hot day.

 

[Mallen]

So they smell a bit; so do I on a hot day.

The drawers in the tool cabinet where I used to work were horrible. I always assumed it was some sort of lubricant or something on one of the pieces of equipment. But when I read this thread I realized it was all those screwdrivers. When you have half the drawers of a tool chest stuffed full of those kind of drivers, it's really bad. If we use your comparison, the smell of a few screwdrivers is equivalent to you after a hot day. The tool cabinet was just a bit more intense. Like the smell of a homeless drunk who sleeps in a puddle of his own urine and vomit every night.

 

[CoogarXR]

Oh, c'mon. It's not that bad. Think of it like a free covid test. Wanna come sniff my drawers and see if your nose still works?

 

[dnschmidt]

I must be in the minority but to me that smell smells good lol. Smells better than something like gear oil or something which I smell on a daily basis. The Tekton set is nice I like that there handles are close to the Snap-on hard handles which I really like. And I’ve had good luck with Tekton. My local mom and pops hardware has some old Channellock USA screwdrivers that have hard handles that seem nice but not sure if they would have the same issue or not.

Did you put together model airplanes when you were younger? Now, I'm not calling you a glue sniffer but one never knows and I just had to ask.

 

[msharley]

Did you put together model airplanes when you were younger? Now, I'm not calling you a glue sniffer but one never knows and I just had to ask.

Doping the wings!

Oh boy!!

 

[Vwpower]

Haha. When I seen this thread I thought for sure “stank” was a typo.

 

[Mallen]

Oh, c'mon. It's not that bad. Think of it like a free covid test. Wanna come sniff my drawers and see if your nose still works?

If it's all the same to you, I'll pass on sniffing your drawers...

 

[Ton ton]

I keep my cheap screwdrivers jammed in a 2X4 block out in the open where the screwdrivers are exposed to fresh air. This way I don't have to worry about the stink.