VERY successful removal of stickiness on some newer SLR bodies

David Lyga · Sep 11, 2018

Perhaps many of you already know, but the BEST way to remove that damn stickiness on some newer SLR bodies, usually the AF type, is Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. I have tried lighter fluid and it does not work as well as simple rubbing alcohol.

Impregnate a clean, soft tissue with the alcohol and start gently rubbing. The tissue will become filthy, proof that it is working. Be patient, change tissue areas and keep at it. Eventually, there will be no more filth on the tissue, proof that the job is nearing completion. I did this with a NIkon N50 and it worked perfectly. (don't know what brings about this stickiness in the first place, but I have experienced it on many of the hard plastic bodies, even some of the Yashica leather ones as well.)

This problem need not plague us any longer: patience and time (five minutes!) are all that is needed. Heed. - David Lyga

Eric Rose · Sep 11, 2018

Thanks David. I have a couple of Nikon N90's that could use this treatment.

Chan Tran · Sep 11, 2018

I did the same on a Nikon D70s but after the treatment it's so smooth and doesn't have the same feel like when it was new.

David Lyga · Sep 11, 2018

That 'strange' smoothness is the smoothness that was manifest when it was brand new, Chan Tran. - David Lyga

AgX · Sep 11, 2018

In the past I tried several solvents and Propanol was one of them, but did not find a remedy. These cameras are just doomed.
I can put them on a shelf without further touching and hope they stay as good as possible for some time, or try to take off that compound completely and maybe substitute by something else.

Theo Sulphate · Sep 11, 2018

My Maxxum 7 is becoming sticky, so I'll try this method - thank you. Any particular type of tissue? Kimwipes?

David Lyga · Sep 11, 2018

No, Isopropyl should be all that you need. Be prepared for the tissue (Kleenex or bathroom tissue is fine, or even a paper towel) to get filthy. THAT is your guarantee that all is well and will be even better until no more filth appears on the clean tissue. Make certain to keep using a clean portion of the tissue. Patience will pay out here. And AGX, I hope that Germany sells bathroom tissue!!! - David Lyga

M Carter · Sep 12, 2018

I did that on my N90s, but I removed the back door, laid paper towels soaked in iso on it, and wrapped it in plastic wrap, let it sit, repeat a few times. I let the chemical do most of the work - it did still take some scrubbing.

E. von Hoegh · Sep 12, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
My Maxxum 7 is becoming sticky, so I'll try this method - thank you. Any particular type of tissue? Kimwipes?

Flamethrower.
Unfortunately any "fix" is temporary - my first cellphone was covered with a similar compound; it's all turned to goo. I was offered a rubberised Nikon sonething-or-other, when I tried to put it down, it was stuck to my hand.
The leather on my '36 Contax, '46 Rollei; bellows on the '51 Deardorff and '59 Linhoff are just fine

Ko.Fe. · Sep 12, 2018

If it is five minutes fix which will lasts for five months, I'm OK with it to be temporary.

tokam · Sep 13, 2018

I have two Minolta Dynax 7's that are similarly afflicted. I have removed the sticky rubber right back to the bare moulding on one of the camera backs.

Can't remember which solvent I used - isopropyl alcohol or lighter fluid, (naptha). I used an old soft T-shirt and had to change the cloth patch frequently as it discoloured with the dissolved coating from the camera. Had to be careful around the LCD screen and buttons on the camera back.

This is a permanent fix as all that is left is the bare camera door as it was moulded before being spray? coated with the rubber compound.

I'll get around to cleaning up the second Dynax 7 one of these days. In the meantime I am enjoying a Minolta 807si and a swag of Canon FD bodies. (If anything I find that the Dynax 7 body without a grip is a bit small for my hands. Also have to use the expensive CR123 batteries. My 807si has a grip and I use AA's).

BMbikerider · Sep 13, 2018

I will go along with the Isopropanol remedy. I bought a Nikon F100 for not a lot of money (about half price of a one without a sticky back) and the stickiness was removed almost immediately with isopropanol wiped over using paper from a kitchen roll. Two years later it is still like new. I also tried it on an F80 which was worse and this took a bit more work but eventually that succeeded as well. Go for it, a simple remedy for an annoying problem.

P.S. Isopropanol works very well as a lens cleaner too. I make my own with 10% isopropanol, diluted with 90% distilled water plus a couple of drops of Kodak wetting agent. I fill this into a 50cc pump action atomiser bottle and this will last for years.

sabredog · Sep 13, 2018

Any photos before and after to show the outcomes? I have had mixed success and would love to see other peoples results with this method.

AgX · Sep 13, 2018

tokam said:
I have two Minolta Dynax 7's that are similarly afflicted. I have removed the sticky rubber right back to the bare moulding on one of the camera backs.

Some cameras have a rubber-like coating sprayed on. Some cameras from the same period though have complete rubber-like parts attached to body. These parts not only develop a smeary surface but also develop cracks.

David Lyga · Sep 13, 2018

[QUOTE="BMbikerider, post: 2113917, member: 58881"

P.S. Isopropanol works very well as a lens cleaner too. I make my own with 10% isopropanol, diluted with 90% distilled water plus a couple of drops of Kodak wetting agent. I fill this into a 50cc pump action atomiser bottle and this will last for years.[/QUOTE]

Caution: the problem with using Isopropyl for lens cleaning is that is does not remove static, thus dust will still cling. This is more apparent when you clean inner elements, then put the lens back together, and, viewing though the whole lens with a light on the other end, you see much dust. Better to use a very dilute solution of water and a drop of dish liquid, enough to cause slight, very slight bubble, but not enough to leave a film after wiped with a soft, clean tissue. - David Lyga

David Lyga · Sep 13, 2018

No photos but the result is a very smooth (without 'tooth') surface that, finally, you do not mind rubbing against you or your clothing. It works, I promise, it works. Just be generous with both the alcohol and the tissues. When the filth finally stops, it will be almost done. - David Lyga

JPD · Sep 13, 2018

David Lyga said:
(don't know what brings about this stickiness in the first place, but I have experienced it on many of the hard plastic bodies, even some of the Yashica leather ones as well.)

Leaking plasticisers. The plastic will become brittle with time and maybe shrink and disintegrate. The Yashica covering is probably a plastic leatherette.

tokam · Sep 14, 2018

sabredog said:
Any photos before and after to show the outcomes? I have had mixed success and would love to see other peoples results with this method.

Hi Sabredog, here are a few

David Lyga · Sep 14, 2018

In payment for this vital information, I demand that everyone send me his camera. - David Lyga

Theo Sulphate · Sep 14, 2018

David Lyga said:
In payment for this vital information, I demand that everyone send me his camera. - David Lyga

The Ferrari F355 is notorious for having a console that becomes sticky after a while; perhaps your solution (heh) will work in that situation as well and you can obtain a few cars as payment.

Kino · Sep 14, 2018

For the extremely sticky Sigma 400mm lens Ronwhit sent me as a restoration project, I tried your method of Isopropyl alcohol and paper towels, but it was very slow and would have taken forever to clean this lens, so I went straight to acetone.

Of course, the underlying body of the lens is METAL, so I wouldn't try this on a plastic body of a slr/dslr, but if you have a lens like the Sigma that is terminally sticky, this works a treat.

I still had to rub firmly and change cloth areas often. The gooey rubber that comes off is evil and will stain everything it touches, so wear gloves.

It is weird how the paint on the lens can survive but the black, rubbery goo comes off as long as you gently wipe over the painted numbers, allowing it to dry between swipes and don't linger or rub hard. It does degrade the numbering somewhat, but the lens would have be unusable anyway, so it's worth the trade-off.

I was fully prepared to re-paint or put new transfer numbers back on the lens, but I might not have to now.

Now I can pick the lens up and not have black goo transfer to my hands; it was literally melting into my skin from body heat contact.

Next, disassemble the beast; 7 elements down lies a fungus farm of amazing proportions...

David Lyga · Sep 15, 2018

Kino said:
For the extremely sticky Sigma 400mm lens Ronwhit sent me as a restoration project, I tried your method of Isopropyl alcohol and paper towels, but it was very slow and would have taken forever to clean this lens, so I went straight to acetone.

.

Acetone is very dangerous with plastic and can permanently mar it. Be careful. - David Lyga

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 15, 2018

Canon's EOS 1 and later EOS 1N thoroughbreds were once derided for a stickiness that was prominent on the palm-door fascia but nowhere else, leading to all manner of conspiracy theorists having their day. My own EOS 1N has this, and it is not and never has been a problem. Creative types took to this "disturbing problem" with acetone, with the predictable outcome that the treatment destroyed the entire surface, necessitating costly replacement of the palm door. Others still used Shellite, hydrogen peroxide, super glue, shoe polish and even a Dremel tool to abrade the surface. IDIOTS! The stickiness was there to enhance one-handed freestyle gripping of the camera with the attached palm-strap -- a set-up I adopted many, many years ago and which is unbeatable in its efficiency. As irritating as it was, and seeing the need to appease the sweating pundits, the EOS 1V mothership was devoid of this feature, and the EOS cameras and their mentally traumatised owners lived happily ever after.

Kino · Sep 15, 2018

"Of course, the underlying body of the lens is METAL, so I wouldn't try this on a plastic body of a slr/dslr...,"

LOL. Just goes to show you; you underline and bold a disclaimer about acetone and plastic, but it does no good.

AgX · Sep 16, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
Others still used Shellite, hydrogen peroxide, super glue, shoe polish and even a Dremel tool to abrade the surface. IDIOTS! The stickiness was there to enhance one-handed freestyle gripping of the camera with the attached palm-strap -- a set-up I adopted many, many years ago and which is unbeatable in its efficiency. As irritating as it was, and seeing the need to appease the sweating pundits, the EOS 1V mothership was devoid of this feature, and the EOS cameras and their mentally traumatised owners lived happily ever after.

There is a difference between a rubber-feel and stickiness.
So far I have not come across any item be it a camera or another consumer good that was sticky from the very beginning.

VERY successful removal of stickiness on some newer SLR bodies

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