Stanley 4 Plastic Knobs, What's this liquid and why?

I have asked part of this question before, (but in a different fashion about shrinking plastic knobs).

My Stanley 4 front black plastic knob is oozing a liquid.

What is this liquid?
Is it hazardous?
Why is this occurring?

Plane is Australian made from the early 70s.
Stored in my old wooden "plane cupboard"

The ooze is about the consistency of Aquadhere, wipes off, cleans with meths.
The ooze stains paper card (and fingers), and black material seems to separate out from the mother liquid.

regards to all mike

Attached Images

Stanley 4 plastic knob degradation P1090843.jpg (106.9 KB, 70 views)

Are you the original owner? If not someone may have put oil or wd40 onto the screw to loosen it at some point and it's disolved a bit of the plastic on the way out.

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I would say what you have there is a weeping plane. It's likely that disciples of the holy hand planes will be very interested in that fluid and you should be able to sell it for quite a sum. If you anoint yourself with it before a planing session it should bring favour with the Great Hand Plane God.
Personally I think it might just be light machine oil that been used on it at some stage. Unless of course you've wiped it dry and it has reappeared.
Cheers
Michael

Our neighbour gave me her late husbands handyman 41/2 with black plastic handles. The body is covered in thick sticky stuff that could conceivable have seeped out of the tote and knob. The tote itself doesn't fit the body and is warped it's as if the handles have shrunk.

Does the black plastic these things are made of spontaneously decompose?

I've got an old RB10 that's showing no signs of decomposing and I'd assume it's the same plastic.

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Old plastic can do some weird things and it's difficult to pin-point the cause. Apart from oil etc, fumes from other plastics might be the initial cause. We've had knife handles shrink and all we can think of is the plastic tray they were in.
If you talk to anyone who collects old dolls mention hard plastic disease to them and see them cringe.
There are two options at least open to you. The first is to replace it with wooden knob and tote.
The second is to go along with Mic-d and set up your shed as a place of pilgrimage.
Cheers,
JIm

I had a Snap-On screwdriver did the same thing, it oozed liquid and stained everything within reach. Eventually the handle broke as it was brittle. One day I'll find a rep and see if they will replace it.

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I had a pair of good quality steel toecapped shoes, that after a few years of hiding in a cupboard by themselves, had soles that went from a hard rubber to something like chewing gum consistency, including the ability to stick to things and leave huge black marks on the carpet.

Plastic degradation is a recognised problem with curators of museum collections - Suvey of Plastics in Historical Collections

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Well!

All that is interesting.

I am the second owner, since 1978ca.
No WD40 inter alia has been used on the screw.
This is the third time I have cleaned the ooze off.
The rear handle is a replacement; the original shrank and contorted.

I will get a reliable old wooden front handle.

I just thought some old broken down industrial chemist reading this forum might just have a scientific or chemical name for the ooze, and a process name for the degradation.

(I did get one theory on another post that it is the result of a poor original mix of the plastic components, or a poor original process of the plastic manufacture - but it would be nice to have the specifics).

thanks, mike, an old broken down radio engineer

My father was a CPO stoker (ERA) in the Royal Navy in WWII and went on to work in manufacturing especially bakelite and other plastics in the 50's

He was very concientious and accurate and would not use inferior materials or shortcuts

He would look at a moulding and simply nod or say "that won't last" - he seemed to be able to tell by the surface appearance and the feel of the piece of plastic

None of myriad of aunties and cousins would buy a new iron without my dad looking at it and giving the nod of approval

I've got Turner planes with plastic handles and they feel ok in the hand but plastic handled Stanleys of the same era just feel as if you are holding something slightly slimy or slick

My 2c worth

Neil

Neil

I had the same problem with a Stanley 5 that belonged to a late mate.

It sat in a cupboard for 15 or so years after he passed away and during that time no one touched or used it.

I discovered the plastic tote was distorted and inside it there was a black sticky substance. The outside surfaces of the tote were smooth and not sticky. It look as though the plastic had started to break down on the inside (melt from heat in the garage in summer, break down due to time???).

I have fully restored the plane and made a rosewood tote and knob for it. It now has a "second Stanley blade order" blade in it and is a joy to use.

Therapy

Morning all,

We built our house in Karratha WA in 1978 and a few years later this green liquid started to seep from the power points. It stopped after a time, my sparkie mate said it was fairly common and something to do with the composition of the plastic sheathing of the wires.
I don't remember if it was a health risk, I hope not, touch wood....... gotta go.......... someone at the door.

Geoff.

On a more serious note than holy hand planes... Given the volume of liquid present and that you had to clear it several times, I'll go out on a limb and suggest it is the plasticiser (probably pthalate) they used diffusing out. Unlikley to be the polymer decomposing or that quantity of unreacted monomers. It's all academic though, all of that stuff can be nasty. Try not to get it on your hands and if you do, wash up only with soap and water, never a solvent or a cleaner containing a solvent that might carry it across the skin eg especially acetone.

Cheers
Michael

I'm with mic-d. Either a plasticiser such as DOP or possibly some kind of process oil, monomer etc due to oxidising or something else cracking the bonds in the polymer. Unfortunatley a lot of the ingredients used in those days are nasty, many carcinogenic too. Find someone with a small lathe and turn up a new handle, or replace it with a door nob !
Youngish scientist here, but mainly a rubber man.

I have recently had the same problem, No 4 stored for a while and when I went to use it could not understand why the screws for the handle and knob appeared to be too long. Then noticed the plastic is warped. There is a tarry acrid black goo under the handles. This could be wiped off with difficulty. I thought the japanning may have been affected by WD 40 under the handle but the coating on the plane is reasonably preserved. The suggestion of a plasticiser seem reasonable. Time to make some new wooden handles.
Does anyone have a source of plane screws? I wondered about getting some dies from the US, has anyone tried making their own?