Cleaning oxidized rubber

[wabmester]

My wife just pulled a 5-year-old seldom-used camcorder out of the bag, and the rubber grip stuff that coats it has oxidized and is now sticky.

What's the best way to clean this? Alcohol didn't seem to do the trick.

 

[UncleHoney]

When you find out, let me know. My Sony camcorder has done the same thing. I think it might be urethane rubber causing the problem, not sure.

UH

 

[wabmester]

A little googling suggests Xylene might do the trick, but I was hoping something around the house might work.

 

[Gumby]

As a wild guess -- Armorall?

 

[UncleHoney]

Got any carburator cleaner? That's got xylene in it.

Looks lile deteriorating rubber and foam is a big problem with lots of stuff from my web searches.

I had the rubber bumper on a door stop melt and drip on the floor a few years back, good thing it was on hardwood and not the carpeting.

 

[UncleHoney]

A little googling suggests Xylene might do the trick, but I was hoping something around the house might work.

I just tried two different things. Carburator cleaner with Xylene takes the sticky off in seconds. Another product I used is called Spray Nine and it works after a little rubbing with a paper towel.

Looks like the xylene is the answer.

UH

 

[wabmester]

Cool. I'll do some shopping tomorrow and try some out.

 

[UncleHoney]

Thanks for the tip about Xylene. I've been puzzling over what to do about mine for several weeks.

UH

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yeah, sure...it was the camcorder handle... (the regiment voted to vulcanize!)

But seriously folks...

Whatever you clean it with is irrelevant...the rubber will start disintegrating within a year or so.