Foul smelling old hand tools

[Bucky Trucks]

Hi everybody, this is my first post. I have recently inherited about 200 tools (screwdrivers, chisels and other items with wood or plastic handles) and they have a very nasty odor to them, to the point that I won't put them in my tool boxes for fear that the smell will permeate my tools. Is is an old musty/stinky smell and is very strong and since the tools came from different locations but do have the same odor I thought that it might be more common than I think and that someone might have some experience with this issue. Any idea how to get rid of that odor? Maybe soak them in something or has anyone dealt with this issue already? I would really appreciate any help with this.

Thanks,
Bucky

 

[Jesse Cloud]

[welcome] Bucky!
That smell is probably oil gone rancid.  Clean up the tools, remove any rust, etc. lightly sand the wooden parts and wipe on a coat of shellac.  Let it dry (30 minutes or so depending on humidity, temp, etc) and apply another coat.  Repeat if needed.  Shellac is very good at sealing in odors.  Shouldn't need shellac on the plastic parts.

 

[mouppe]

I know EXACTLY what smell you are referring to. I was given an old set of chainsaw files and they stunk. Not quite bad enough to gag on, but pretty close. They had a layer of something on them- maybe grease or oil as the previous poster wrote. I cleaned them, wrapped them in tissue paper and stuck them in the back of a drawer. They stunk the whole drawer out within minutes.

But, after a couple of months, I dared to unwrap them and the smell had gone. Now I use them all the time. I would try a simple cleaning before resorting to shellac. They will probably be as good as new and the smell will go before long.

Welcome to FOGland.

 

[Alan m]

i would say scrub them with thiners and soapy water to remove as much oils and dirt from them. then wrap them up in something disposable (like toilet roll or kitchen roll) and put in a box for a week some where where you wont smell them. afer the week repeat with new wraping .

edit , P.S  welcome to the fog

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Send them to Brice!  He loves smelly hand tools.  [tongue]