How Do You Clean A Sticky Rubber Keyboard?

Problems with decomposing/sticky safe on Canon gear

Nov 7, 2017

Recently I realised that I take some older lenses and bodies that show signs of decomposing rubber. I take 2 bodies and two lenses that take gooey condom. The bodies' mode dials are very soft and sticky. The lenses show the same signs on the focus ring. The plastic is so glutinous that it sticks to your fingers and leaves blackness marks. I am referring to a Canon 1D , a 10D, a 24mm-85mm, and a 50mm one.four lens, all of them over ten years former. These items have hardly been used though, they have not been exposed to common salt water, not exposed to heat and not exposed to humidty. Equally I take kept these items for sentimental reasons, I didn't keep them in my dry out cabinet, but kept them on a dedicated shelf in a room with low humidity. The rubber has never been treated with chemicals, or soap, simply cleaned with a damp material. I tried to do my google inquiry, but couldn't find definitive answers, other than that prophylactic volition decompose over fourth dimension, and that sweaty hands might be a contributing factor. There is all sorts of info on what you could or should practice, only cypher that helps to prevent this from happening. I consider contacting Catechism to detect out what can exist done. All my other gear is kept in a dry out cabinet, hoping this would help. I don't desire to confront a state of affairs, where all my items volition eventually decompose, making expensive lenses unusable, knowing there is nothing I tin can do. I have a lot of vintage lenses, and none of these evidence whatever signs, and I am quite surprised that my Canon gear is showing these signs.

Take you experienced similar decomposing, viscid or gooey rubber elements on your gear? I really call back it is the actual rubber used. I have bought some headphones 6 months ago. The headphones have touch pads to both sides and the safe on the side that is used more ofttimes is gooey already. I might exist wrong though.

I want to make sure, I can employ my gear for years to come up. Is in that location any rubber recondition material you can safely recommend? How practice you clean your gear to prevent this? I would really like to hear your thoughts, your advice and your experiences.

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DKCJB • Regular Member • Posts: 280

Re: Bug with decomposing/pasty safety on Canon gear

I had an A2 and a 1N become like that. Subsequently researching here, I wiped them off with alcohol pads and that dried off the stickiness. I don't know if that was a long term solution as I sold the items off shortly thereafter.

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millan • Forum Member • Posts: 98

Re: Problems with decomposing/sticky safety on Catechism gear

I have the like problem with the Sekonic L-358 lite meter soft pouch. The pouch seams became gooey too. I've contacted the manufacturer, merely have no response.

BlueRay2 • Forum Pro • Posts: xiii,149

Re: Problems with decomposing/sticky rubber on Canon gear

i notice that a serious business organisation on my catechism lenses! i take two zeiss lenses that are built like piece of rock solid. on the other mitt, my 40D photographic camera has turned whitish, like if some kind of white powder was rubbed on it, it looks terrible! problem is, no one knows what to do when this decomposition happens, at that place is no source to become to and go the right answer and remedy the result. i am sure a large silent owners of gear that are in the aforementioned situation, just as confused and frustrated every bit you and i. hope some i finds an answer real before long. practiced luck.

ffabrici • Senior Member • Posts: 1,273

Re: Issues with decomposing/sticky safe on Canon gear

In reply to BlueRay2 • Nov x, 2017

Silicone spray applied with a microfiber cloth volition set up your problem.

Andy M • Regular Fellow member • Posts: 443

Re: Problems with decomposing/sticky condom on Canon gear

I had an old Catechism EOS100 movie camera exercise that.

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Oil or solvent based beauty products...

...that may exist the cause. If it's affecting your headphones and things you handle.

Is it possible y'all utilize hair wax, hand moisturiser or suntan balm, most contain oils or solvents that react with safe. Fifty-fifty after washing your hands residues transfer, become pressed in and build up.

In one case it starts condign sticky, the reaction is well under way, maybe you could scrape off a meridian layer just I think it's already too late. Condom does naturally oxidise too.

I think that white stuff is something else, ground in skin, table salt and general crud that comes off with a pec pad and warm h2o. At that place was some other recent thread on hither near it.

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Re: Oil or solvent based beauty products...

I have two Sigma camera lenses that has the aforementioned issue of stickie prophylactic surfaces.

Has anyone found a solution. The last mail was in 2017.

All my cameras are kept in a cupboard in our house with air conditioning set at a constant 73 deg F.

I had a similar issue on the grip of a golf putter. I tried washing the grip, scrapping the grip.

Zero worked. I do not want to accept such drastic activity with my lenses.

I replaced the grip with a new one.

Lisa Horton • Contributing Member • Posts: 655

Re: Issues with decomposing/glutinous condom on Canon gear

In reply to BlueRay2 • May 13, 2019

1Dx4me wrote:

my 40D camera has turned whitish, similar if some kind of white powder was rubbed on information technology, it looks terrible!

My agreement is that the white st uff is plasticizers that have leached out of the material. I've had this on a couple of Catechism lenses and on a Gitzo tripod. I havn't tried alcohol, although that makes sense. I did utilise a very small amount of unscented hand lotion, worked information technology into the material and and then wiped information technology very thoroughly with a coarse nap microfiber material. The rubber parts seemed pretty new-ish afterwards that.

I treated the tripod about ten years ago, the white stuff has not returned still.

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BlueRay2 • Forum Pro • Posts: 13,149

Re: Bug with decomposing/sticky rubber on Canon gear

Lisa Horton wrote:

1Dx4me wrote:

my 40D photographic camera has turned whitish, like if some kind of white powder was rubbed on it, information technology looks terrible!

My understanding is that the white st uff is plasticizers that take leached out of the cloth. I've had this on a couple of Canon lenses and on a Gitzo tripod. I havn't tried alcohol, although that makes sense. I did use a very small amount of unscented hand lotion, worked it into the material and then wiped information technology very thoroughly with a fibroid nap microfiber material. The safe parts seemed pretty new-ish after that.

I treated the tripod about x years ago, the white stuff has not returned nevertheless.

thank you for the tip, Lisa, i think i'll try that!

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Re: Problems with decomposing/mucilaginous rubber on Canon gear

Any pale rest on lens rubber I've had has always come off rubbing with alcohol solution and cotton wool, though information technology tends to go out the prophylactic slightly shiny afterward.

I read some people call back information technology's the mineral oil softener in the plastic leaching out, some recall it is reacting with peel minerals in sweat.

Somebody else has recommended some prophylactic "nourisher" for car parts on it?

In my experience the whitening of rubber is unlike from the stickiness trouble. I really hope manufacturers use different materials nowadays.

Re: Issues with decomposing/viscous rubber on Catechism gear

threw the lens wrote:

Any pale residue on lens safety I've had has e'er come off rubbing with booze solution and cotton fiber wool, though it tends to leave the rubber slightly shiny later.

I read some people think it'south the mineral oil softener in the plastic leaching out, some recollect it is reacting with skin minerals in sweat.

That might explicate the viscous prophylactic on my Microsoft cordless mouse, or my Canon 8x30 IS binoculars, but I have too had this on the bottom of an electronic device that doesn't get touched very much at all, so it may only be time or some chemical in the air that does it in some cases.

The white pulverization event I've seen, merely I do non care about that; only the sticky rubber upshot is a problem to me.

BlueRay2 • Forum Pro • Posts: 13,149

Re: Bug with decomposing/sticky rubber on Catechism gear

Lisa Horton wrote:

1Dx4me wrote:

my 40D camera has turned whitish, similar if some kind of white pulverization was rubbed on information technology, information technology looks terrible!

My agreement is that the white st uff is plasticizers that have leached out of the material. I've had this on a couple of Canon lenses and on a Gitzo tripod. I havn't tried alcohol, although that makes sense. I did employ a very small amount of unscented hand lotion, worked it into the material and so wiped it very thoroughly with a coarse nap microfiber cloth. The prophylactic parts seemed pretty new-ish later that.

I treated the tripod virtually ten years ago, the white stuff has not returned nevertheless.

i just remembered something else: i purchased my 5D 2years prior to my 40D and my 5D trunk is just fine, however, i had taken my 40D overseas for 5yrs where i was working at the time. where i was working was ane of the most dusty and harsh environment you can detect! i remember i had dropped my 40D camera on the grit piles and other rough weather condition! i was using my camera quite a lot since i was experiencing strange stuff all around me, all day so i think my hands sweat and dusty condition over 5 years took its price on my camera torso. and then, i am hoping your recommendation will do the job! thanks again.

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if everything seems under command, yous're not going fast enough! "Mario Andretti"

Marco Nero • Veteran Member • Posts: seven,389

Condom: Dry Rot, White Bloom (causes + furnishings)....

David H65 wrote:

I accept two Sigma camera lenses that has the same event of stickie rubber surfaces.

Has anyone found a solution. The concluding post was in 2017.

All my cameras are kept in a cupboard in our house with air conditioning set at a abiding 73 deg F.

I had a like issue on the grip of a golf putter. I tried washing the grip, scrapping the grip.

Nix worked. I practice not desire to take such drastic action with my lenses.

I replaced the grip with a new 1.

Glutinous safe can exist caused by several factors. Allow me merely share a few things that might help others figure out what is happening.
.
Bloom (white 'powder' on rubber)
On my own new Canon Mk III Extenders which are less than 2 years former and have been stored in dry sealed containers with no humidity, the inner prophylactic rims of the forward facing elements turned WHITE. This came away with the slightest contact with a soft cleaning cloth. The white is called "Bloom" and Bloom occurs when extremely high quality rubber is used. It'due south not mold. It'southward a component called a "stabilizer" that is deliberately engineered into the rubber to foreclose Dry Rot. And Dry Rot is ordinarily triggered by UV Light and tends to make rubber brittle. Seeing Bloom on your rubber is non a business concern equally it volition come away with gentle rubbing. Cleaning it off doesn't defrade the effects of the protection and it may return when the objects are stored over again. Seeing information technology rise to the surface is evidence that the compound is doing what information technology is supposed to do.
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Be wary of Solvents and Sunscreen
Tacky rubber surfaces are a very different thing. They can be caused by UV light breaking down the rubber and causing it to degrade. Either it will go sticky or it will become breakable. Sunscreen contains components that can degrade safety and plastics and even insect repellent tin do the same and may even turn rubber white from the chemical reaction (this is non Bloom). Be VERY wary of using sunscreen because if it ends up on your lens information technology can very often etch the vapor-deposited coatings from the lens elements. Use a UV filter if you demand to work with sunscreen. Sunscreen is abrasive because it contains titanium oxide particles which cut away the coatings on the lenses and it too contains a penetrative oil that can get below the layers on the glass and help elevator them. Using alcohol volition remove the outer layer that has started to become unstable but it's very likely the stickiness will later return. Talcum poweder has sometimes been recommended only that but acts like blistering powder on pudding. Eventually the wet will seep through then you'll have talc in the mucilaginous textile. Rubbing with alcohol should be washed carefully to avoid getting information technology into the seals of the lens. And you lot will become quite a bit of residue on the rubbing cloth that you use... information technology volition probably get black as y'all rub away the sticky surface but it ought to work for the curt term.
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Another crusade of tacky rubber is solvents. There are chemicals in perfumes and oils that can penetrate rubber and cause information technology to get tacky. Equally rubber (and this includes latex) gets older it becomes sticky as the condom degrades. I remember that one way to resolve this might be to gently wipe the viscid areas with pure booze. seventy% booze volition also work. Some accept said that WD-xl volition work too only you MUST exist very cautious with such things because WD-40 contains penetrative oils that volition observe their manner into the lens though any cracks.
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Dry Rot
Dry out rot is an expression used for all different materials but when used in reference to rubber it's not about real, actual Rot but but the safe becoming breakable. it has nothing to do with mucus. On the other mitt, Dry Rot in Timber is usually fungus related. Ultraviolet radiation, Temperature Fluctuation and Oxidization are all causes of Dry out Rot in Rubber. Information technology occurs when time allows the stabilizing compounds in the rubber to ascent to the surface. Time itself is an influencing gene. These causes then allows the rubber's molecular concatenation to break down equally time progresses, causing it to become breakable. The breakdown allegedly begins to occur the moment the rubber is first molded into shape at the manufacturing found. Sunlight is probably the biggest crusade of Dry Rot in rubber although most glass window panes actually block almost of the UV calorie-free (which is why y'all can't get much of a tan sitting in forepart of your window in the middle of winter).
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Camera Gear safe products
Refined rubber sap is latex. When rubber is cured for use in camera gear, it is heated with sulfur in a procedure called Vulcanization. This causes the polymer bondage in the latex to link together in a network. This results in a product that can be flexed and even stretched but it is no longer sticky. When the environment causes condom to become unstable, it will either dry out out and crack (Dry Rot) or it volition begin to revert back to its original state (Sticky!). The mesh of polymer particles starts to snap and the rubber reverts back to smaller bondage... which is why the rubber starts to get sticky as it returns to its latex origins.
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2 Solutions: Supplant Affected Part or Replace Production
The bad news hither is that once rubber starts to destabilize, it will either become breakable (dry rot) or viscid (molecular dehesion). There's no way to reverse the process and using alcohol is more than or less a temporary solution to the problem. It may work for long periods of time in some instances although you should bank check the rubber nether magnification to ensure information technology's not splitting or crumbling anywhere at the same time. I'm agape that merely the manufacturer can replace the rubber. If they cannot or it's as well old or expensive to replace, the only solution is to dispose of the lens and buy a different one.
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It's actually quite lamentable to deal with these things... because y'all can take good intendance of your products and nevertheless have this happen. And adding dry-satchels to dehydrate a container with your lens in it may stave off dreaded lens mold but it may contribute to dehydration and deposition of the condom itself.

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Regards,
Marco Nero.

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... your knowledge is admirable, thank you for sharing it hither.

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BlueRay2 • Forum Pro • Posts: 13,149

Re: Rubber: Dry out Rot, White Flower (causes + effects)....

you have elucidated this consequence quite comprehensively with some good tips! i retrieve i'll start cleaning my 40D with a clammy cloth and then motility on using some of the tips noted in the above posts in this thread, give thanks you for the info., Macro Nero!

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if everything seems under control, you're not going fast plenty! "Mario Andretti"

Lisa Horton • Contributing Member • Posts: 655

Re: Issues with decomposing/viscous prophylactic on Catechism gear

two

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Re: Problems with decomposing/sticky rubber on Catechism gear

So I picked up my Catechism 60mm Macro Lens after many months and I felt stickiness on the transmission focus ring and at first thought that I must have spilt something on information technology the terminal time! So I began to wipe it downwardly with a wet wipe thinking information technology would articulate the stickiness .. well, I was in for a rude shock when I had black track marks all over my fingers and the stickiness only got worse and I wished I hadn't done it in the offset place! Wow, my camera was stored well in a camera bag and never even went outdoors .. so this kind of decomposition is something I take not seen before. Then I googled and here I am .. like someone suggested, I was seriously considering getting an anti-skid tape to stick on top of the rubber ring but I call up that might not have looked all that flash with questionable results as to whether it would reall stick in the long run and what about that ugly join when y'all wrap it effectually. By the way trying to get a replacement rubber ring for this camera is about to impossible as it is nowhere to be found on the cyberspace. Then hither goes the solution I came up with:

I completely masked the lens except the rubber band with masking tape .. only the ring was visible. I so cleaned the band lightly with a fabric just to get off any obvious dust $.25 stuck on it. Non all will come off anyways. Then I sprayed 2 coats of Acrylic Height Coat - Clear Colour with some gloss. I had a can of this lying effectually from a car repair job. You can easily become this stuff from your local hardware store .. just the smallest can volition do. I gave almost 15 mins betwixt the two coats. When it was dry it was touch dry without any stickiness and looked good too. I am thinking this volition final for a while .., if you lot employ the focal ring a lot I suppose at some afterwards stage it may start to feel pasty again .., not sure merely for now it seems to have stock-still the sticky problem!

neilt3 • Senior Member • Posts: 2,367

Re: Problems with decomposing/sticky rubber on Catechism gear

Cleaning it off with a bit of IPA ( isopropyl alcohol ) would have solved the problem permanently .

Spraying something on elevation of the decomposing rubber won't finish it decomposing further , just makes it harder to clean off at a afterward date .

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