Rubber outer coating of Flir E4 / Fluke 62 Max that goes tacky, how to restore? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mcinque
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 10, 2018, 09:40:08 pm
content: I have a Flir E4 and a Fluke 62 Max that have a rubberized outer coating that has somehow become very lightly tacky.They have always been well treated and have not been in the sun or exposed to chemicals. I noticed this also in other rubberized or siliconed products, like the iPhone headphones cable.Is there a way to prevent it or to restore the surface? Or any product that can be used or applied?Many thanks in advance for your advices!

author: DerekG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2018, 09:56:43 pm
content: Quote from: mcinque on July 10, 2018, 09:40:08 pmYes, I've had this too. I identified the two causes in my case:1/ Pool Chlorine stored in its original container that was not nearly as well sealed as first believed;2/ The vapour given off by the glue used in packing tape.One of the products affected in my case was a cordless handset & base station.I tried to "clean" off the tackiness without much success. I eventually rubbed in a silicon product that is designed for waterproofing hiking boots / rain coats etc. This removed about 90% of the "tackiness".I hope this helps.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 01:43:54 am
content: Use IPA or Methylated spirits and a rag and rub it off, it removes the 'felt'/tacky plastic and leaves a smooth shiny plastic surface.I'm pretty sure it's a breakdown of the plasticizer in the velvet feel coating - many of my 'gadgets' use this finish and they all invariably turn tacky after a umber of years.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 02:28:24 am
content: Wipe off anything that wants to come off, don't use a solvent more aggressive than iso-propanol. Then dress with good old fashioned talcum power and wipe off excess. Unscented powder naturally unless you want your tools to smell like a tart's knicker draw, 'simple' is a common brand.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 02:43:32 am
content: In my experience IPA never helped with this problem if not to say it made things worse.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 03:48:52 am
content: I have had good luck cleaning the gummy rubberized coating using Simple Green (a limonene based cleaner) and hot water with a nylon brush. This removes the coating, it doesn't "restore" it. You could use a spray rubberized coating, many are available in auto stores.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 04:56:19 am
content: Quote from: Bud on July 11, 2018, 02:43:32 amI've had similar experiences - but that comes from trying to "fix" the problem. It has never worked for me.You have to go past that and just remove the offending coating completely.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 05:08:32 am
content: I found alcohol to help with it (Ethanol or isopopyl).If its just a rubber feeling "soft touch" paint coating and its degraded enough to be really sticky then alcohol can sometimes remove it completely and leave the original plastic under it. This means it will no longer have the nice grippy feel, but it also won't develop the problem again.Its sometimes chemicals that cause this while other times its just a crappy coating or a bad batch of it that will become sticky even if you just simply leave it in a box for 10 years. Its hard to list out all the chemicals that do this but i think some lubrication oils and WD40 can cause this too.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 07:04:18 am
content: I used turpentine to rub off the sticky layer, as I remembered when using IPA, once the sticky layer is gone, some hard plastic underneath it will develop a layer permanent white marking caused by the IPA.

author: IanMacdonald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 08:04:34 am
content: Just be aware that IPA can cause rubber to swell. The effect can take days or weeks to show up. Unlikely to matter too much on a meter case, but in the days of tape mechanisms it was quite common to find that a pinch roller that had been cleaned with IPA at some time in the past was shaped like a barrel. Methylated spirit (denatured alcohol) is OK in this respect.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2018, 08:28:45 am
content: I had the same problem with my i1 Display Pro monitor calibrator. Whatever it outgassed coated the plastic packaging inside the box too so it looks foggy now.A bit of iso-alcohole and elbow grease took the coating off and with it any stickyness.

author: mcinque
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 14, 2018, 10:01:10 am
content: Many thanks for your replies. I've read that IPA can make things worse and some of you confirms that, so I'd like to avoid it.As far I understand this is a common issue and does not have a unique, definitive solution.I only wonder chemically why this happens and why manufacturers does not avoid using that coating, expecially on expensive devices.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2018, 11:11:55 am
content: It's hard to know what happens to the coating after years in various storage conditions and exposure to the many different otherwise harmless chemicals that might come in contact with it.But these coatings make products look and feel like the case is some higher quality material. It makes it nice to the touch and can hide some of the plastic molding imperfections. So there is a lot of good reasons for them to use it, but some coatings hold up way better than others.

author: Eka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2018, 12:23:39 am
content: Dawn dish soap is what I've used on wires, and a set of binoculars. Note, i used q-tips to just clean the affected surfaces of the binoculars, and not the unaffected parts.