How to clean up old plastic?

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Taipan
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How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Taipan »

I have my Dads old binoculars I bought him many many years ago. The casings have done that sweating gluey stuff thst this type of material does. Anyone know what to cleaner it off with and how to prevent it coming back?
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by David »

Meths and a cloth....but you won't stop it coming back.
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Taipan »

Istr being told once it starts it spread’s constantly!
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Cousin Jack »

I tried, and succeeded short term. A week or so later it was tacky again, a month after that it was full blown gunge.
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Skub »

Same happened to the grips on an old pair of mine. I was able to take the grips off,I'm not sure if that would work for you.
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Count Steer »

I've got a couple of radios like it. Getting sticky and being in bedrooms don't go together well (well, not as far as radios go :lol: ). It's the solvents/plasticisers that give them the tactile feel leaching out. Nothing you can do really. I even tried a last resort of dusting them with talc. It didn't look great but they stopped being sticky for a while!
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Horse »

Count Steer wrote: Sun Jul 23, 2023 1:12 pm It's the solvents/plasticisers that give them the tactile feel leaching out.
I have a moulded Craghoppers belt that went sticky. With use, it stopped. But ... the flexible latch mechanism also stopped working at the same. Luckily, I adjusted my waist measurement so that the trews fitted better :) (albeit one size down)
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Taipan »

We’ll this was the attempt with the wife’s face wipes and finished of with chemical guys tire gel! :)

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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Cousin Jack »

Just hope it lasts. I have some doubt, although I have never tried that combination.
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by Screwdriver »

Dust the sticky parts with talcum powder. I had to do this with my Kindle. Sweaty hands cause the plastic to degrade, there's no coming back from it but talcum makes it bearable and should last weeks.
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Re: How to clean up old plastic?

Post by ZRX61 »

Happened to a GoPro I had, binned it.