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Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

Started Sep 12, 2019 | Questions
attilab Forum Member • Posts: 71
Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

I have my old - like new Canon EOS Elan 7 film camera sitting in a glass box since the digital started  conquering the world.

Taking it out from time to time, still the shutter sounds sharp, I have nice memories with that film camera, the time may come back hoping so to use it again.

I would like to refurbish that rubber grip over this winter, it looks like I will have plenty of time (living in Canada :)).

Anybody have a good advise for material or source, can you help me out with links or tips. Thanks.

 attilab's gear list:attilab's gear list
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Samsung Galaxy S9+
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ProfHankD
ProfHankD Veteran Member • Posts: 9,146
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

attilab wrote:

I have my old - like new Canon EOS Elan 7 film camera sitting in a glass box since the digital started conquering the world.

Taking it out from time to time, still the shutter sounds sharp, I have nice memories with that film camera, the time may come back hoping so to use it again.

I would like to refurbish that rubber grip over this winter, it looks like I will have plenty of time (living in Canada :)).

Anybody have a good advise for material or source, can you help me out with links or tips. Thanks.

Don't know that camera, but the Minolta Maxxum 7000 grip commonly gets white crud on it, so here's a discussion about fixing that . Basically, the answer seems to be products marketed for maintaining leather/vinyl parts in cars.

 ProfHankD's gear list:ProfHankD's gear list
Canon PowerShot SX530 Olympus TG-860 Sony a7R II Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Sony a6500 +32 more
OP attilab Forum Member • Posts: 71
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

ProfHankD wrote:

attilab wrote:

I have my old - like new Canon EOS Elan 7 film camera sitting in a glass box since the digital started conquering the world.

Taking it out from time to time, still the shutter sounds sharp, I have nice memories with that film camera, the time may come back hoping so to use it again.

I would like to refurbish that rubber grip over this winter, it looks like I will have plenty of time (living in Canada :)).

Anybody have a good advise for material or source, can you help me out with links or tips. Thanks.

Don't know that camera, but the Minolta Maxxum 7000 grip commonly gets white crud on it, so here's a discussion about fixing that . Basically, the answer seems to be products marketed for maintaining leather/vinyl parts in cars.

No collor change only the thin rubber layer (that is probably glued to the camera body) sticks at a touch. Once I wanted to clean wash with mild detergent (just a small corner to start with) and noticed the texture started rubbing off (not pealing off but disappearing). I would call this phenomena a rubber layer is disintegrating.

If I could find that thin film layer rubber material somewhere (or silicon or whatever only to be a black) I would just rub off the existing from the plastic and re-apply a new material. I know a fashion designer store selling thin leather test strips but assume that thickness would be to thick to nicely fill all the corners.

 attilab's gear list:attilab's gear list
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Samsung Galaxy S9+
ProfHankD
ProfHankD Veteran Member • Posts: 9,146
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

attilab wrote:

ProfHankD wrote:

attilab wrote:

I have my old - like new Canon EOS Elan 7 film camera sitting in a glass box since the digital started conquering the world.

Taking it out from time to time, still the shutter sounds sharp, I have nice memories with that film camera, the time may come back hoping so to use it again.

I would like to refurbish that rubber grip over this winter, it looks like I will have plenty of time (living in Canada :)).

Anybody have a good advise for material or source, can you help me out with links or tips. Thanks.

Don't know that camera, but the Minolta Maxxum 7000 grip commonly gets white crud on it, so here's a discussion about fixing that . Basically, the answer seems to be products marketed for maintaining leather/vinyl parts in cars.

No collor change only the thin rubber layer (that is probably glued to the camera body) sticks at a touch. Once I wanted to clean wash with mild detergent (just a small corner to start with) and noticed the texture started rubbing off (not pealing off but disappearing). I would call this phenomena a rubber layer is disintegrating.

If I could find that thin film layer rubber material somewhere (or silicon or whatever only to be a black) I would just rub off the existing from the plastic and re-apply a new material. I know a fashion designer store selling thin leather test strips but assume that thickness would be to thick to nicely fill all the corners.

I thought you meant an actual attached piece of rubber, but what you're describing sounds more like a rubberized paint (and they often degrade into a sticky mess after some time). There are many such coatings available, including Plasti-Dip and Flex Seal sprays. These coating can be textured by pressing them against an appropriately non-stick textured material. However, this can be very messy unless you carefully mask areas, and it's definitely better to spray parts disassembled.... Another alternative would be replacing it with "leather repair tape" or som other faux leather self-adhesive material, but that will look funny on corners.

In sum, you can buy an Elan 7 in good condition for about $50 -- that might be the smarter path if the rubber coating condition really bothers you. 

 ProfHankD's gear list:ProfHankD's gear list
Canon PowerShot SX530 Olympus TG-860 Sony a7R II Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Sony a6500 +32 more
OP attilab Forum Member • Posts: 71
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

ProfHankD wrote:

attilab wrote:

ProfHankD wrote:

attilab wrote:

I have my old - like new Canon EOS Elan 7 film camera sitting in a glass box since the digital started conquering the world.

Taking it out from time to time, still the shutter sounds sharp, I have nice memories with that film camera, the time may come back hoping so to use it again.

I would like to refurbish that rubber grip over this winter, it looks like I will have plenty of time (living in Canada :)).

Anybody have a good advise for material or source, can you help me out with links or tips. Thanks.

Don't know that camera, but the Minolta Maxxum 7000 grip commonly gets white crud on it, so here's a discussion about fixing that . Basically, the answer seems to be products marketed for maintaining leather/vinyl parts in cars.

No collor change only the thin rubber layer (that is probably glued to the camera body) sticks at a touch. Once I wanted to clean wash with mild detergent (just a small corner to start with) and noticed the texture started rubbing off (not pealing off but disappearing). I would call this phenomena a rubber layer is disintegrating.

If I could find that thin film layer rubber material somewhere (or silicon or whatever only to be a black) I would just rub off the existing from the plastic and re-apply a new material. I know a fashion designer store selling thin leather test strips but assume that thickness would be to thick to nicely fill all the corners.

I thought you meant an actual attached piece of rubber, but what you're describing sounds more like a rubberized paint (and they often degrade into a sticky mess after some time). There are many such coatings available, including Plasti-Dip and Flex Seal sprays. These coating can be textured by pressing them against an appropriately non-stick textured material. However, this can be very messy unless you carefully mask areas, and it's definitely better to spray parts disassembled.... Another alternative would be replacing it with "leather repair tape" or som other faux leather self-adhesive material, but that will look funny on corners.

In sum, you can buy an Elan 7 in good condition for about $50 -- that might be the smarter path if the rubber coating condition really bothers you.

That must be it....a closer look again makes me think that they molded the parts  separate for a handling area and they spray paint it with a A+B compound, with in mind if the B compound evaporates the final look is like some good looking texture. This my theory I have seen in machine building/painting technology only those paints are more thick several layer protection as well.

 attilab's gear list:attilab's gear list
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Samsung Galaxy S9+
mike piehl New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

The Minolta Maxxum 7's sticky back seems to have gotten sticky on some cameras, not all since I have two.

Elsewhere there is advice to use Isopropyl  Alcohol or Talcum Powder to cure the stick.  Another idea that seems to be floating around is to put selbstklembendeplastikfolie (plastic adhesive film) over the stickyness.  That of course works, but I haven't tried it so I don't know how well.

What I do know is that "Fast Cure Seam Sealant" by Gear Aid from REI painted on with a medium artists brush works.  It could be liquid latex, I don't know.  But after one coat no more stickyness.  I plan to add an additional coat for good measure.  Is it waterproof?  It's for tents, don't you think?  How does it look?  Not perfect, but good enough for me, really not bad.

msowsun
msowsun Contributing Member • Posts: 740
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating
1

I had the same "sticky grip" problem with my EOS A2. I just used 91% isopropyl alcohol and kept rubbing and cleaning until it was all gone. The grip looks kind of shiny now, and it only feels slightly less grippy. It really doesn't feel much different than my EOS 5 and EOS 7NE, where the grip still has the original "Rubberized" surface.

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Canon PowerShot S110 Canon EOS D30 Canon EOS 5D Mark III Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Canon EOS 80D +27 more
uniball Veteran Member • Posts: 3,075
Re: Handgrip rubber sticky I guess starting disintegrating

For a simpler approach, you might try brushing on some isopropyl alcohol liquid electronics cleaner and see what happens. My German cars (BMW, Porsche) interior rubber gets sticky to the point of losing the shape of the part. The alcohol firms up the rubber and gets rid of the sticky.

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