Xcelite Drivers - Yes, the smelly ones!

[goodfellow]

The noxious PS-120 nut driver set and a fairly rare (in automotive circles) Bristol spline driver set. Both sets were my dad's and were used on HAM radio and power supply equipment. I stuck the Bristol set in the shed by mistake because I thought that it too was going to get noxious. After several years the driver doesn't gas off at all.









The SP-120 on the other hand is totally gross -- just opening up the case is overwhelming. To alleviate the problem for a while I douse the drivers with WD40 and that will keep them smelling right for a few months. This set is most likely a late 50's or very early 60's vintage -- It was in my dad's electronics box ever since I can remember. Even as a small boy I remember being grossed out by that distinctive smell. 







Doused with liberal amounts of WD40 and the smell is gone for a few months.



I will keep this set in the shed though -- it IS that noxious.  beerdude

[AbiggerGarage]

One of two reasons why I bought the Craftsman nut drivers, the other being metric was available.
Also a reason I don't like the Kennedy tool chest combo's.  As a kid I didn't know it was the tool, I thought dad's combo, made his screwdrivers smell like puke.  They looked like Proto, but were Xcelite.

[skfarmer]

always wanted a set of them.

[Uncle Buck]

Somewhere along the way I acquired the set with the yellow handle and drivers and a partial set of the others,  but never used any of them so far. That said I am still glad to have them.

[goodfellow]

I keep them for sentimental reasons. I bought Craftsman and MAC many years ago because I just can't take the smell. It doesn't bother others as much as me, but when I get a whiff of those drivers after opening the box, I literally get a gag reflex. It affects some people very drastically.

[Hickory n Steel]

I've wanted a set of thes torque amplifier nut drivers and a set of the screwdrivers for a long time, because I had a very bottom of the barrel knockoff set that my dad gave me as a kid.
You may have seen them before, they came in a red plastic box that looked like a barn.
Anyways I like the idea and wanted a set of quality,  but I just can't gamble on the Puky Xcelite and Vaco acetate handles.

I'd actually want to use them.
I think they're still available today but no longer American made and I'm not buying Chinese imports.

[Uncle Buck]

I keep them for sentimental reasons. I bought Craftsman and MAC many years ago because I just can't take the smell. It doesn't bother others as much as me, but when I get a whiff of those drivers after opening the box, I literally get a gag reflex. It affects some people very drastically.

I don't know if it would work,  but I would be tempted to clean the handles up, then wipe down with a pre cleaner, (like when painting a car) then rattle can spray them with gloss clear to see what would happen.

[Uncle Buck]

Somewhat related to this subject, I bought 5 Spin Tite wood handle drivers from the Restore yesterday for $1.25. Don't need em, but who could pass? That day I do you know I am just done!

[bmwrd0]

I hear you, Uncle Buck. I just can't stop looking for old tools, and bringing them home.

Anyway, I found these a few years ago

Don't really use them, don't really need them, but I love looking at them if nothing else.

[Uncle Buck]

I hear you, Uncle Buck. I just can't stop looking for old tools, and bringing them home.

Anyway, I found these a few years ago

Don't really use them, don't really need them, but I love looking at them if nothing else.

Ironic, I seriously considered buying just the rack, but with worse graphics on ebay about a month ago but ended up passing on it. Had I found the set you showed it would be mine for sure!

[Muddy]

What are the ages ont heses sets? I remember older (probably 80s?) craftsman screwdrivers having the smell. But GF and BMW's sets look much older

[goodfellow]

Mine are from the late 50's and early 60's, while BMW's set looks much older -- post war era most likely. Metric wasn't a big deal in automotive circles back then, but in electronics, optics, and avionics it was already a standard. Quality high end commercial and consumer equipment from Europe dominated much of the industry, and the repair side of the business needed metric tools way before the standard ever hit the automotive world in the US.

Xcelite was a major supplier to commercial repair facilities, and they specialized in supporting fasteners used in those industries.

[bmwrd0]

I think mine are from right at the end of the war or just after.

Oh, and no smell at all.

[wilbilt]

I am pretty sure my dad had that same set with the large extra handle back in the 1970s. I never really noticed any smell.

People complain about smelly screwdrivers etc., but it has never bothered me.

However, when laundry detergents were mostly powder, I couldn't even go down that aisle at the store without my eyes swelling shut and my throat closing up. Tide was the worst. I am having flashbacks right now as I type this. 

[goodfellow]

I am pretty sure my dad had that same set with the large extra handle back in the 1970s. I never really noticed any smell.

People complain about smelly screwdrivers etc., but it has never bothered me.

However, when laundry detergents were mostly powder, I couldn't even go down that aisle at the store without my eyes swelling shut and my throat closing up. Tide was the worst. I am having flashbacks right now as I type this. 

The smell didn't bother my father either. He had these drivers on his workbench for years and was OK with it. When I got near them tough, all I could think was that somebody had tossed their cookies near my dad's bench. I literally had a gag reflex the first time he opened that plastic case in my presence.

I still have these things sitting in an enclosed container in my shop.