…because your screwdriver handles are breaking down. Most screwdriver handles are made of cellulose acetate. As this material ages, it breaks down and smells like vomit. It also develops a milky-colored haze that you can wipe away with your finger. Don’t bother though

, it’ll just come back. Eventually, it cracks like safety glass.

Here’s a bunch of plastic handle screwdrivers that are lucky and aging well. All of them are pre 1980 and some are from the 40’s. Clockwise from top right…

1. Vaco.

2. Herbrand .

3. Truth Tool Company.

4. Bridgeport Hardware.

5. Upson Bros Inc.

6. 7. Herbrand.

8. Sears Craftsman.

9. Excelite,

10. S-K Tools.

11. 12.  Sears Craftsman

Below are some things that people use to open paint cans , scrape, pry and chisel. They’re called screwdrivers. Of all the types of vintage used tools one can acquire, screwdrivers are the most difficult to find in respectable condition.

The top specimen is my favorite. It’s 18 inches long and was made a long time ago , somewhere in Illinois by Damascus Steel Products Corp. The base of the shank just forward of the handle is square. That’s a big help when turning rusted and frozen screws, because you can lock your crescent wrench on it and turn it for extra torque.

At some point in the screwdriver’s life, mice decided the handle was ‘good eatin’ and proceeded to chew it up at the butt. That coupled with lots of use as a chisel made for some heavy splintering and chips. I sanded it smooth and spliced in some strips of hardwood to replace lost material (lower right image).

The second screwdriver from the top has a much comfier handle. On the flat of the blade is an unusual stamp (lower left image).

Several years ago I was talking with someone about my series of tool drawings. They looked at a drawing of a micrometer or a wrench and said   ” You should draw woodworking tools. They have more character.” This person was older than I was so out of respect I just smiled and nodded.

Anyway when talking about ratchets its not fair to show only one basic design. Yesterday I should have shown a ’round head’ ratchet too. In the upper left part of the pic below there are 2 separate shots of what is called the drive plug assembly. The dark grey thing in the middle is called the pawl. It has teeth cut into either side and when the lever on top is turned the pawl pivots

, teeth on one side engage teeth on the inside of the ratchet body (upper right of pic) and teeth on the other side disengage.

This particular ratchet was made by Duro Metal Products Corp of Chicago and was sold by the once great Western Auto Stores.  I don’t remember any around here but I guess they were like Sears.