Don't put certain tool handles in with artifacts...acetic acid and
butyric acid EATS!
I found this interesting wondering why some tool
handles smelled odd. -
Ed Sharpe archivist for
SMECC
"Tool handles made of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate. A
thermoplastic, it
offers excellent UV and solvent resistance that
cellulose acetate doesn't
offer. And it feels in the hand like a
natural substance, something that is
almost intangible, like a tool
that is made by craftsmen, a characteristic
that a polyethylene or
polypropylene handle does not have. CAB also offers no
splinters like
the older wood handles. It also can be very clear. And when
that
plastic begins to degrade, it releases free acetic acid and butyric
acid."
Read much much more
here->
http://dwarmstr.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-toolboxes-and-tool-handles-stink.ht
ml