How I removed the sticky surface from my camera

<p>Just wanted to share a bit of information. I bought a mint Elan IIe on eBay that had a sticky grip. I tried wiping it down with drug store alcohol that's 70% alcohol. That didn't work. I then soaked a rag with hand sanitizer and scrubbed the grip until it was nice and shiny. After soaking and re-soaking and scrubbing and scrubbing the sticky surface went away and now I have a nice shiny grip that is no longer sticky. It's worth the effort if your camera acquires the sticky grip or sticky surfaces. It took less than 20 minutes to get a nice grip surface.</p>

<p>Baby wipes are also amazingly effective :-)</p>

<p>Good to know!</p>

<p>Mineral spirits will attack adhesive, swelling it up to a gel that can be rolled away. It won't attack polymers, such as (I'm <em>pretty</em> certain) the rubber formulation used in the grip. Don't let it seep into cracks and crevices, though, as it can attack adhesive elsewhere (same with any other solvent).</p>

<p>Black spray paint works too.</p>

<p>I've found the oil in orange peel effective on some adhesives or gummy residue.</p>

<p>You could try WD40, test with a little bit on a Q-Tip first. <br>

JD</p>

<p>The Sticky Grip sounds like a feature to keep the camera from slipping out of your hand. I can imagine the advertisement now, "It works so good we placed a Canon 5D Mark III on the hood of this race car and at 80 mph it did not fall off the hood...Get sticky grip, it works on all cameras."</p>

<p>Goo Gone or Goof Off</p>

<p>The 10S, EOS 5 (A2E/A2), Elan and Elan II all had molded plastic grips coated with a rubber-like clear coat. After a few years of use, it turns to goo. I recall cleaning it off my A2 and Elan with lighter fluid. Also works well for cleaning similar goo off the shutter (from melted shutter bumper). Since the A2 grip is removable, I reapplied clear coat to the grip without fear of overspray entering the camera.</p>

<p>I tried the Alcohol and orange peels. No effect on mine. Then I started to think... That result is never quite good. In this case it was, I used hand lotion, simple lubrication. It did't fix the problem, but it helped out considerably. Before that I used PAM Olive oil spray, butter, and WD-40. Maybe all of them combined was the fix, but I let that hand lotion sit on the rubber for 12 -14 hrs and it seems to have worked the best. I'm still sticky, but so much better than before.</p>

Removing That Annoying camera Sticky Stuff!

 

Believe it or not!

 

I have several Nikon and Canon camera's that are made of mostly Plastic for the bodies, and after several years

of use they all have built up a sticky substance on that part of their bodies that have a layer of rubber on their grips that

is very annoying.

 

I started a search of the net, joined several Forums to searched for the best way to remove that tacky gummy

substance from all my cameras. some people say to use gum out, goof off, rubbing alchol and any combination of those

substances, some even said they resorted to stripping off the rubber!,I

 

won't do that because it can't be replaced, Nothing else worked to remove it, only to spread it around and make it

worse.

 

I found Goo Gone to be the best thing to soften it up, but when wiping it off it just smears and it looks worse

than when I started. However, I learned by trial and error that it takes ELBOW GREASE, several small sections of

scuffing pads and Goo Gone will take it right off,

 

I had to repeat the procedure only once and my cameras all look like new and feel great in my hands again. I only

needed to spritz the affected area and let sit for a few minutes then start scrubbing lightly on the first application, wipe

away and repeat with a little more pressure.

 

It worked like a charm, I then wiped those areas with a silicone spray and then wiped it away. My cameras all look

like the day they were bought, try it, you'll like it! BTW, (DO NOT use a Brillow pad or any kind of wire pad like my

neighbor did, he really screwed up his first camera badly, it looks terrible!).

 

This worked well for me and I hope it works for you too, BUT don't blam me for anything you do that does damage

to your camera.

Thank you, thank you, Mark Stephan! I took your advice and used hand sanitizer on a microfiber towel and LOTS of elbow grease, and my Nikon D70S is now a joy to hold in my hands again. It took me about 2 hours to get all the sticky parts cleared, being careful with it, especially near the buttons and dials. Even the focusing ring on the Nikon lens was sticky, really difficult to use. But your technique worked well on all parts. My camera looks brand new now, and best of all, NOT sticky! Very grateful to you for posting your tip. Edited February 17, 2018 by galechicago

I have a related problem.

I tipped some coke over my 70D once. Coke must have gotten under the live-view button because now its unbelievably sticky. When not used for some time it's almost stuck. Any ideas?