Corrosion pains

[John Foust]

At 12:42 PM 4/4/2005, vrs wrote:
>> I have been seeing the same thing with my C= GPIB cables (as well as
>> certain tool handles from the same era).  AFAIK, it's inevitable with
>> that sort of plastic.
>
>My RK05F has a white powdery junk all over the inside, and all the plastic
>bits have hardened (some have shattered).  Is this the same problem?  I
>figured something had caused all the plasticizer to boil out or something.

Could be.  I thought it was either a mold from old finger-residue
or the plastic decaying.  Any experts on plastic decay out there?
Is it an out-gassing of plasticizer or infiltration of ozone, or both?

- John