4 ms·
Rubber doesn't age well. I guess that we've all had some kind of gear that still works fine, but the rubber coating is all tacky and nasty, and leaves smears o
by ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
Rubber doesn't age well.
I guess that we've all had some kind of gear that still works fine, but the rubber coating is all tacky and nasty, and leaves smears on your hand.
I had to toss out a bunch of really good mice because of that.
- loloquwowndueo 2y agoYou can use isopropyl alcohol to remove the sticky nasty rubber and at least make the thing usable again.
- ChrisMarshallNY 2y agoTried that. Didn't work for me. Still sticky and messy, with the added benefit of adding schmutz from the cloth I used.
- snowwrestler 2y agoIt takes a lot of alcohol. I learned to soak a paper towel and rub it on the sticky stuff with almost no pressure. If it sticks, there is not enough alcohol. And change the paper towel frequently. It works by dissolving the sticky stuff, not mechanically wiping it off. So the paper towel picks up the dissolved crud after only a few wipes, then switch to a clean one. I’ve cleaned cameras, mice, umbrella handles, and the back of a Samsung tablet this way.
- MaKey 2y agoNext time give lighter fluid a try, that should work better.
- MaKey 2y agoTry lighter fluid, that should work better.
- arrowleaf 2y agoLighter fluid can make plastics brittle. Odorless mineral spirits, shop towels, and gloves would be my next step.
- alyandon 2y agoI had some success in soaking gooey rubber parts in a vinegar and water bath overnight. It seemed to cause the gooey stuff to slough off enough that I was able to removed by scrubbing lightly with a dish rag.
- stronglikedan 2y agonail polish remover works
- stronglikedan 2y agoalcohol doesn't work, but acetone does
- Marsymars 2y ago> Rubber doesn't age well. This morning I replaced the rubber grip on my manual coffer grinder. By my math I'd ground about 40 kg of coffee by hand over 4 years, and the grip had gotten to the point where it just spun around the body of the grinder unless held very tightly. I assume I could extend the lifespan by wearing gloves when I grind coffee to keep my hand oils off the rubber, but the replacement was only $5.
- bloomingeek 2y agoIn some cases, plastic doesn't either. It will "dry" out and either crack or begin to flake off. I've had plastic gasoline containers where the plastic rings that you tighten down to prevent leakage, simply crack down the sides when trying to unscrew them to get to the fuel, especially in winter time. This is not to say all plastic is this way, some plastics that are more flexible, like on the gas containers themselves, can last for years. But the cap rings are made of hard plastic.
- MBCook 2y agoYep. Vintage Macs suffer from the plastic cases getting brittle and snapping when bent. The problem is on many models they were meant to bend some to release a clip, for example to open the top of a case. Or they just can’t hold the stress they were supposed to, like the display hinge attachment points on many classic Mac laptops.
- bschwindHN 2y agoYup - my Nexus 5 is all sticky and nasty because they made the back out of rubber. What are steering wheels made of? That material seems to last longer, and they exist in much harsher conditions.
- Peanuts99 2y agoLighter fluid will easily remove the soft touch coating and you can reapply it again if you wish. Steering wheels are mostly leather.
- gardaani 2y agoThat's why I've decided that my next mouse won't have any rubber in it, but it's difficult to find a good mouse without rubber. I'm still looking for one. Generally, I try to avoid buying anything with rubber. It is usually the first part that goes bad. Either it gets sticky and starts melting or it gets hard and dry and breaks up. Also, I avoid using rubber bands. They usually end up damaging objects they hold together. Here's a good page about conservation of rubbers and plastics for those who like to preserve their vintage stuff for a long time. https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/care-rubber-plastic.html https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/con...
- Night_Thastus 2y agoIf you have don't care about the price, there's always FinalMouse. Their mice are carbon fiber, with PTFE feet. I forget if the wheel has any, I'd have to check once I'm home.
- n_plus_1_acc 2y agoRemindy me of my Wii remotes with their gross rubber sleeves. I really need to clean them.
- kragen 2y agoSome rubber ages very well indeed. Some doesn't. "Rubber" means lots of different plastics, some of which are very stable and some of which are very unstable. Some are natural; others are synthetic. All they have in common is that they are soft and very elastic—if even that, since sometimes ebonite is called a rubber as well, comprised as it is in large part of natural latex rubber. Silicone rubbers in particular are extremely stable.
- loco5niner 2y agoI've 'fixed' a number of items like that with isopropyl alcohol. Googling brought me that solution, and although it discolors, it's functional. You have to use a lot though.
- stronglikedan 2y agoIgnore all the comments telling you to use alcohol to clean this. It doesn't work, but acetone does.