Recommend plastic handled chisel.

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Reading about it the other day. The handles are Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, which gives off that smell as it degrades.
Thanks.

Now I need to decide if that bit of scientific knowledge makes me feel any better about it.

Ditto if I ever learn (or CBA to find out) why some soft grippy kitchen knife handles have gone sticky...
 
Good buy, £15 for three chisels. It is sold now.

I recall paying over £3 per chisel, Stanley blue handles, in late seventies.
I paid £25 for a set of four Marples Shaterproof in 1984. Good tools were expensive back then and took a good while to build up your toolkit.
 
Well, no, not top-end, I grant you, but they weren't cheap. They are several years old, but the handles should not have gone the way they have.

What you see in the photos is not deposits from a mucky hand - it's being exuded by the handles. 2nd one shows where I wiped a bit away

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Have had similar happen to soft grippy handles on umbrellas and a hair dryer. Basically the material deteriorates over time, but I guess that time is longer than the vast majority of the members of the throwaway society keep things.
 
I paid £25 for a set of four Marples Shaterproof in 1984. Good tools were expensive back then and took a good while to build up your toolkit.
As I recall, back in the seventies, tools tended to be good quality and expensive or the cheap ones just did not do the job. You could not get reasonably priced tools which were “good enough”. I recall buying petrol (cannot remember when) and on the counter were some Chinese made pliers, 99p and they looked ok, parallel on the end so I bought them and they were good, used and abused them and they did not break. They were the first decent item I bought which was made in China. Lost them a few years ago otherwise I would still be using them.
 
My Marples splitproof go back to the 80's but I must confess I have never chopped a mortice with them.
I'll raise you to 1959.
Split Proof handles are in the 1959 Marples Catalogue, both Bevel and Firmer types. At 10/9, or in new money 56p!

Bod
 
I'll raise you to 1959.
Split Proof handles are in the 1959 Marples Catalogue, both Bevel and Firmer types. At 10/9, or in new money 56p!

Bod
The yellow and red handled ones?
There was a big stigma about plastic handled chisels amongst the older guys when I was buying those. My favourites were the polished black handled Stanleys, great looking chisels!
 
Well, no, not top-end, I grant you, but they weren't cheap. They are several years old, but the handles should not have gone the way they have.

What you see in the photos is not deposits from a mucky hand - it's being exuded by the handles. 2nd one shows where I wiped a bit away

View attachment 138281
View attachment 138282


Have had similar happen to soft grippy handles on umbrellas and a hair dryer. Basically the material deteriorates over time, but I guess that time is longer than the vast majority of the members of the throwaway society keep things.
Ideal for replacement wooden handles??
 
Thanks everyone might keep an eye out for some old firmers as they seem to be less in demand than BE chisels. Then get a correct size mortice chisel as I need it for larger jobs when I have a few mortices to do.
 
I'll raise you to 1959.
Split Proof handles are in the 1959 Marples Catalogue, both Bevel and Firmer types. At 10/9, or in new money 56p!

Bod
My father bought a set of six rhubarb 'n' custards in 1968 (I was twelve). He "employed" me to make a box for them then gave me the set in the box for Xmas.
 
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