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Rubber whitening - Can it be cleaned?

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Matt Cham

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When the rubber part of the camera grip and lens grip
turns whitish with age, can it be cleaned or reverted
back to its original black color?

What does Canon use?
They sell old refurbs that look brand new, so they
must have a cleaning solution of some sort.

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Matt Cham
http://www.pbase.com/mattcham/
 
I've used lots of elbow grease, the whitening is usually a extremely thin layer and a good cleaning will rub off the whitened layer. Its not easy, but can be done. I've most often seen it on older Minolta cameras, they seem to have a coating that does this.
 
Agree, it usually can be wiped off.. I actually thought it was salt from sweaty hands over time, in which case it would make sense to ongoing make a wipe of the camera with slightly damp cloth. Anyone try Armor-all?
Scales USA said:
I've used lots of elbow grease, the whitening is usually a extremely
thin layer and a good cleaning will rub off the whitened layer. Its
not easy, but can be done. I've most often seen it on older Minolta
cameras, they seem to have a coating that does this.
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Click to expand...
--
'Everything in photography boils down to what's sharp and what's fuzzy.'
-Gaylord Herron
 
Matt Cham said:
When the rubber part of the camera grip and lens grip
turns whitish with age, can it be cleaned or reverted
back to its original black color?

What does Canon use?
They sell old refurbs that look brand new, so they
must have a cleaning solution of some sort.
Click to expand...
I clean both camera and lens rubber parts with a toothbrush moistened with a little water and detergent solution. Don't let it get too wet, so you can readily control where the sudsy solution goes. I use small circular motions, dab the solution off with a terry cloth and let it air dry.

This removes all sorts of residue, and also does a nice job of removing skin chaff that builds up on lens zoom rings, etc.
 
Armor All works fine. I've used it very sparingly and it restores the black color to the rubber. Make sure to apply it to the cloth and not to spray it on the rubber.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'm wondering about long term
effects of detergents on the rubber. Will detergent
wick away the natural oils in the rubber and make it
brittle and crumble over time? I think alcohol for example
has this effect on rubber.

Is there a chemical solution that is specifically designed
to clean rubber?

Armor-All makes a solution designed specifically
to clean and blacken car tires right?

--



Matt Cham
http://www.pbase.com/mattcham/
 
I just use a toothbrush that I pass through a running tap and then use that circular rubbing method. Keep rinsing the toothbrush with water and keep scrubbing. I've clean all of my three old 1Ds bodies and multiple 1Dmkii bodies and they work like a charm! I'm assuming that white residue dissolves in water and a brush helps it do so faster.

I sometimes put a leather conditioner on the rubber after if its a bit too dull... seems to work fine for me.
 
Matt Cham said:
Armor-All makes a solution designed specifically
to clean and blacken car tires right?
Click to expand...
The dashboard Armor All is what came to mind reading this thread, if you want to make it like-new.

--
...Bob, NYC

'Well, sometimes the magic works. Sometimes, it doesn't.' - Little Big Man

Galleries: http://www.bobtullis.com
 
Armor All leaves a slick and slimy residue which attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. Try the Griots and you will love it. Good on tires as well and blocks UV light damage so I use it on my RV tires as well. Great stuff. Once I discovered it I threw away my Armor All.

For what it's worth.
--
Photography at the speed of sound.

 
Will anyone admit that they kinda like the worn used look of the grip when it turns blue after years of reliable service?

Just me? OK...
 
Agred, I don't make any of my gear look nicer. I'll clean any parts that affects performance but everything else adds character. Obviously, I do not plan on selling any of my gear.

--

Praying for Pro level 8mp FF and 10mp 1.6X Canon. Delusion that Canon and Oly will make a 200-400 f4:)
 
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