rea1eye wrote:So what was the original material made of?
Nothing could have been done to prevent it? eg. applying something like mineral oil
Bob
The original handle was celluloid. Once celluloid starts to breakdown, a process known as off-gassing, there is nothing anyone can do to stop the process.
See his pics of the liners where Glenn has the handles removed.
This is caused by the release of sulfuric acid and nitric acid vapors. There is nothing that can be done to stop the process. It is an inherent danger of such an unstable compound. It does appear in general that darker colors seem to be a bit more stable than lighter colors. I have read a lot on the topic and one explanation is that it is caused by impurities in some of the ingredients.
Celluloid is even more unstable in the manufacturing process, it is highly flammable, explosively so. It was so flammable that many companies like Camillus Cutlery had celluloid made in a separate building with the roof on hinges in case it exploded. The hinges allowed the blast to go upward instead of horizontal, thus minimizing the damage to other buildings.
There is nothing close to celluloid in versatility and range of colors and patterns. The closest substitute is some of the newer acrylics.
