Mysterious case of rusting screwdrivers

[Gragson]

Do you just dip them in or do you have to let them soak , for a while?

Do you need proper acetone or is wife's, nail Polish remover from tesco, good enough? Never used acetone before.

Acetone dissolves some plastics, I know , I'm not sure if it would stabilise the type of plastic finish on your handles, could give it a go I suppose..
Nail varnish remover is acetone

 

[dave h 2]

Wash your mouth out! View attachment 503421

This is beginning to sound a bit the like the dead parrot sketch.
No, they are not sleeping, they are dead and rotting like all that 1990's soft touch plastic surfaces in cars and cameras saucepan handles and all.
The only one you will save is the wood handled cabinet screwdriver.

This thread has made me check mine, sure enough the green and clear one that I have has attacked two spanners .
So it's in the bin.

 

[Ross365]

I tend to regard acetone as a dissolver of plastic and very much doubt that is part of a solution to the problem here. I've never previously seen such serious corrosion on steel arising from "plastic going bad". You do see a lot of old soft plastic, especially on Japanese electronic equipment, made 20-30 years ago going soft and damaging copper tracks on circuit boards, but I find it hard to believe that old plastic is the cause of this damage.

 

[Screwdriver]

Do you just dip them in or do you have to let them soak , for a while?

Do you need proper acetone or is wife's, nail Polish remover from tesco, good enough? Never used acetone before.

Dip them for a few seconds then remove and hang to dry.

Ideally get some acetone, it's handy for all sorts of things and cheap enough off eBay for a 5l bottle.

Nail polish remover could be acetone and it might have acetone in it but more recently there can be acetone free versions and/or cocktails of ethyl acetate, MEK, perfumes, colourants, you name it. You're more likely to find real lamb in a kebab than acetone in nail polish....

 

[500e]

I have also had this and I have some old screwdrivers where the handle is decomposing

The few SO black handled drivers I had did that at same time the handles felt tacky no where near as bad though
No acid about either

 

[dobbslc]

You're more likely to find real lamb in a kebab than acetone in nail polish.

WHAT? don't belittle the national dish of the pizzhead