Vinegary smell from old plastic? Look out you have a problem.

Hi Guys here we go again! I’ve just gone to my tool chest to find a nut runner and I can see and smell the results of another old plastic handled tool wrecking the rest of the tools. The problem is that some old plastics can decompose and as they breakdown and produce acetic acid, it smells like vinegar. The fumes from the decomposition have a devastating effect on other tools and as you can see in the video it’s wrecked the painted surface of my tool chest. This is a huge problem for conservators in museums but for the average home owner it can cause irreparable damage to your treasured possessions. The vinegary smelling fumes eat into steel and if it’s buy your old mechanical cameras, clocks, watches or weapons etc it will really mess them about. When the fumes a trapped in an enclosed space, like my tool chest, the fumes eat into everything, it’s even affected the draw runners on that side of the draw! As far as I know there is no known cure or prevention that will stop the degradation, you simply have to get rid of the offending plastic. Go through your old possessions now and see if you can sniff out the problem, you can also tell it’s there if the plastic feels damp. It can be a problem with old toys that you think are nicely wrapped up for safety. Thanks for watching. Kind regards . . . Andy
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