Smelly stencils? Check this out! (Do not read while eating)

Years ago, one could find, and likely purchased at least one
particular brand of stencil by the name of Timely or Flowchart
symbols by Timesaver. These plastic green stencils featured
various shapes such as oval, square, circles, etc. Great for
crafts, engineering, etc.

To abbreviate, I keep all of my stencils in one box. Recently
I opened the box to the smell of vomit or, to be honest, animal
feces. As the lid was shut and the box in my own clothing closet,
it was highly unlikely there was either of the two offensive items
in my stencils.

The stencils in question were about two dozen of the same green
plastic. I cleaned them with dish soap. Still smelled something horrid.
Used Clorox Clean Up. Still the smell. So I called the company;
Timely, and sure enough, was told the following.

The thermoplastic used in these stencils contains Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB).
Many other items are manufactured with this chemical such as tool handles,
panels for illuminated signs, steering wheels, goggles, bathroom
fittings, decorative trim for cars and consumer durables, drawing
stencils, pens, pneumatic system traps, blister packaging, and
laminating with aluminium foil.

A polite way to describe the disadvantages of using such plastic?
"Attacked or swollen by many solvents including chlorinated and aromatic
hydrocarbons, alcohols and ketones. " In other words, they smell absolutely horrid
when stored in a closed location, even a desk drawer.

So if any of you have smelly stencils, or the stencils I mentioned, you would
be well advised to take them out of storage and put them where they can
get air flow, or you will find yourself sickened and possibly tossing out many
expensive stencils.

And for those who always like to know more, this is a very interesting
website featuring this particular molecule of the day:

http://www.moleculeoftheday.com/2006/07/18/amyl-butyratepentyl-butyrate-from-vomit-to-juicy-fruit/

Oh rats! I clicked on your link because the molecule of the day was something I would have been interested in and there's no molecule of the day! I feel so deprived.

Hmm, that's odd, the link did not show right.
I'm running out the door, but will return later to fix it.

:-)

Me too Equil! Plus, I've got the dreaded green stencils in my book bag, going to go check smell right now.....

The stinky stencils in particular are from days gone by. If you purchased them
recently, they are likely not the same plastic, but if you have had them for
a number of years, better give 'em a whoof.

:-)

Well, mine don't smell bad so that's a relief. However, I have no idea where they came from or how old they are. they say Template Designs on them, no date I can find. These particular ones are circles, with an allowance for pencil width.

http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/

Looks like you'd better catch this one while ya can. :)

Sarah

thanks sarah - love that hypoallergenic cat!

The Devil's Flavour Wheel was fun. Interesting what he wrote about compostable plastics. What fun!

oh yeah, I kept a copy of the Devil's Flavor Wheel! It'll come in handy when planning dinner. Mwhahahaha!

Hmmmm. I once bought a pair of flip-flops that had the smell you describe. I eventually threw them away. Then the garbage can smelled like them!

Flip flops that smelled like THAT> ewww yuck!

PGZ5- ummm, I'll bring a dish to pass on your behalf at the next RU! No sense taking any unnecessary risks!

That solves one mystery, though. You mentioned steering wheels and other car parts. There's an urban legend about a car that smells foul and nothing can get rid of the odor. The myth is that someone or something died in the car before it was put up for sale, and the scent of putrifaction permeated everything in the car.

Well, now we know. Someone call up Jamie and Adam! We've busted this myth!

lol... I love those guys! Glad to see I'm not the only one :)

Sarah

Tools can also smell bad. I have a lead shot filled hammer that smells like vomit and I've have some plastic covered tools that have an unpleasant odor. The hammer stays on a shelf as putting it in a tool box means you get a real stench when you open the box. I've noticed some of the Chinese tools over at the Harbor Freight have the puke smell too so they must have copied the smell. I think it's the flex agent used in the rubber that smells.

OMGosh! I am always complaining to my DH about the horrible smell that comes from his tool box! One time he even cleaned all his tools just because I complained about the stench......smells like dog poo. I will have to tell him about this.