Soft Feel Finish on Radio

This topic has 29 replies, 20 voices, and was last updated 6 November 2019 at 17:10 by RMA.

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1 April 2019 at 12:58 #403076
RMA
Participant
@rma
I'm sure I'm not the only one to have this problem. I have a small Blue Tooth Speaker/Radio which has a rubberised soft feel to the case. It's a couple of year's old and now the surface has become tacky and very unpleasant. I've just taken my binoculars out of the case and I notice the same thing has happened to them!

Has anyone on here encountered the same problem, and have you found a way of removing the tackiness? I did try detergent on the radio to no effect.

Thanks
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1 April 2019 at 12:58 #26527
RMA
Participant
@rma
1 April 2019 at 14:07 #403082
Jeff Dayman
Participant
@jeffdayman43397
Could be the result of de-polymerised soft touch paint. This stuff is/was used on hard plastics to give a nice tactile effect but the chemistry goes off after some time on some parts if it was not mixed exactly right to begin with. Not much to be done with it except scrape it all off, but this will ruin the finish.

Some years ago there was an "overcoat" product offered to supposedly re-catalyse the soft touch resin but this stuff didn't apply well an also trapped any dust or dirt already on the surfaces.
1 April 2019 at 14:30 #403086
Bill Davies 2
Participant
@billdavies2
I have it on a number of items. I bought several pairs of Lidl's Bresser binoculars several years ago, they are all tacky. A dirt cheap mains drill (from B&Q? a decade ago??), the body is hard plastic but other bits are artificial rubber (including the strain relief grommet) and all went tacky. They are now falling apart. Poor materials, or the future green world where everything is biodegradable.

I can remove most of the stickiness on the binoculars using washing up liquid, but not all. They are stored in their original boxes, perhaps this is bad? But the stickiness returns. I have assumed it was the plasticisers leaking out, and presumably the next stage is the plastic falling apart, just like the power drill.

I have also tried dusting with talc, but it doesn't look good, plus it is not a permanent cure.
1 April 2019 at 14:52 #403091
John 77
Participant
@john77
I have had the same problems on different items and have found that white spirit or Isopropyl alcohol removes it after a lot of rubbing with a cloth.
1 April 2019 at 15:13 #403093
Rik Shaw
Participant
@rikshaw
I used to own an early digital SLR camera and the rubber hand grip became sticky. I tried all sorts without success until finally the problem went away. (Thank you Ebay)

Rik
1 April 2019 at 16:16 #403099
Grindstone Cowboy
Participant
@grindstonecowboy
A careful dusting with talcum powder usually helps, at least for a while. Looks pretty awful, though.
1 April 2019 at 16:47 #403102
Frances IoM
Participant
@francesiom58905
the tuning knobs on my Smart car radios (prob 2000 vintage) went completely tacky a few years ago – managed to find a replacement set for one + just replaced the other radio as too unpleasant to use whilst driving as the tacky residue stuck to fingers.
1 April 2019 at 16:52 #403103
Philip Rowe
Participant
@philiprowe13116
I've had all manner of items where this has happened, the latest being the remote for the Sky box, in this case after about 2 weeks of stickiness the rubber has now started to disintegrate. Fortunately I'm not too worried as I've decided to ditch Sky after their latest price rise and switch to Freesat. I too have tried all manner of potions and powders, some work for a short time but I haven't found anything permanent, its just another one of the modern world's annoying tricks sent go upset old folks like me.

Phil
1 April 2019 at 17:33 #403108
RMA
Participant
@rma
Seems it's a common problem then, but so far I've only had the two products fail. Since posting I've done a little research on the web and there doesn't seem to be a conclusive answer, but the Isopropyl alcohol seems the best method although apparently time consuming. Immersion in this fluid for a while and then scrubbing with a stiff brush will remove the 'crud' and get back to base. Difficult to do with the radio though.

Can this fluid be bought over the counter, or have the EU stopped us doing that as well? I remember when I was about 14 or 15 going into the chemists and asking for a bottle of Ether. I was asked what it was for and when I said I make my own Diesel fuel for my model aircraft, they just handed it over….how times change!

I guess putting this material on products ensures a limited life, I will however try and avoid buying anything else that's covered in the stuff. My binoculars weren't particularly cheap either!

Thanks for all the suggestions.
1 April 2019 at 18:00 #403117
Jon Lawes
Participant
@jonlawes51698
The disabled hand controls in my car did this when parked up for a while. I went to use it again and the rubber hand grip for the throttle/brake had turned to blu-tac.
1 April 2019 at 18:03 #403118
pgk pgk
Participant
@pgkpgk17461
Ebay seems to be the place to buy chemicals these days and somehow the sellers get away with posting noxious stuff with limited packaging (at least the few I've bought). Acetone, isopropyl alochol both available.. and I just looked and ether sold too ..

pgk
1 April 2019 at 18:07 #403120
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by John 77 on 01/04/2019 14:52:18:

I have had the same problems on different items and have found that white spirit or Isopropyl alcohol removes it after a lot of rubbing with a cloth.

Ditto.

Isopropyl alcohol is readily available. I currently am using a spray bottle of 'whiteboard cleaner' which I use of loads of different things.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 01/04/2019 18:09:28
2 April 2019 at 09:37 #403195
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
Last year the grips on the handle bars of my bike went into melt down, what a sticky mess that was. No Chinese bike that one, a Marin, made in USA.

Ian S C
2 April 2019 at 10:47 #403210
Hopper
Participant
@hopper
I'd be very surprised if most of Marin's components were not made in China. Like Harley Davidson's today. And BMW's. And just about everything else.

The old quality fade strikes again. Component manufacturers and contractors reduce the amount of costly stabiliser put in rubber products so they last a few years and then start reverting back to the sticky liquid stuff drained out of a tree that the rubber is made from, or back to the sticky synthetic substitute used.
2 April 2019 at 16:22 #403245
Nick Hulme
Participant
@nickhulme30114
Acetone cleans it off quite quickly although might affect the base material – always do your test patch!
3 April 2019 at 10:58 #403319
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
Twenty five years ago we bought a couple of dozen wheels ex Willys Jeep, govt surplus, and the tires had gone the other way, they were as hard as iron, mostly cut off with the angle grinder, they had been stored outside for a good many years, but the wheels cleaned up like new. I was at the time helping to restore/rebuild Jeeps.

Ian S C
3 April 2019 at 11:26 #403322
Martin W
Participant
@martinw
Isopropyl Alcohol can be bought from CPC (Farnell) in either 400ml aerosols or 1lt cans. I always have some around for general cleaning as it leaves a smear free finish and does not attack most plastics though it will affect some paints. It's also good for removing emulsion paint after it has dried, as is methylated spirits, which it useful for cleaning those bits you didn't really mean to paint.

MartinW
5 April 2019 at 21:10 #403805
Jon
Participant
@jon
Posted by RMA on 01/04/2019 17:33:20: Can this fluid be bought over the counter,

Very very limited i only know of one place in England that sells soft touch paint. Theres a min order of 2 ltrs (2 cans) and hardner about £130.

Wont find it on ebay either unless in USA and no one will export, come to think of it neither did the shops or producers there.

Acetone wouldnt fetch this stuff off plastics and woods but could on aluminium anodised wash it off with running water with aid of your nail.
6 April 2019 at 13:50 #403895
SteveW
Participant
@stevew54046
Wine bottle stopper changed to a thick black gloop in our cutlery drawer. With some elbow grease it did all come off with methanol. Will now have to finish the bottle…
6 April 2019 at 17:53 #403911
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Jon on 05/04/2019 21:10:23:

Posted by RMA on 01/04/2019 17:33:20: Can this fluid be bought over the counter,

Very very limited i only know of one place in England that sells soft touch paint. Theres a min order of 2 ltrs (2 cans) and hardner about £130.

Wont find it on ebay either unless in USA and no one will export, come to think of it neither did the shops or producers there.

Acetone wouldnt fetch this stuff off plastics and woods but could on aluminium anodised wash it off with running water with aid of your nail.

Or you could invest £7.99 in a can of rubberised spray paint from Halfords?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&productId=764729&categoryId=165495&langId=-1

Neil
6 April 2019 at 17:54 #403912
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
There's also Plasti-dip spray which is more of a coating than a paint.
6 April 2019 at 18:05 #403913
Fowlers Fury
Participant
@fowlersfury
Another version of Neil's suggestion above…….
I have a target spotting 'scope and the rubber covering went tacky after a few months. I painted over the offending rubber with Al Frauds black tyre paint and it provided an instant cure. Maybe easier to control the application over small areas with a brush than Neil's spray paint?
6 April 2019 at 18:07 #403915
RMA
Participant
@rma
No, I don't want to paint them, I just want to remove this sticky mess. If I can do that successfully I'll live with it, but in future I'll try and avoid anything coated this way. Unfortunately it seems whatever the price of the item, this coating will fail at some point.
6 April 2019 at 18:15 #403918
RMA
Participant
@rma
OK, maybe an overcoat might help. The binoculars that are affected have been kept in the case in this country, and the radio is out in Spain and does get hot at times. Initially I thought heat and sun was the problem, but the bins are kept at UK temp and out of the sun. Interestingly my bins in Spain are not affected at all! Where can you buy this paint, I might give it a go. Did you clean off first or just paint over?
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