The body of the camera is getting sticky

Following the advices here, I rubbed my old F80 and D70 bodies with pure Isopropyl alcohol (99.8%) and a lint free cloth, and both recovered the original grip and look. It's a job that one has to do with plenty of time and detail to get a perfect finish, but it's worth the effort. I have a AF-S DX 18-70mm zoom that needs the same treatment on the focus grip. Just be careful to do it in a well vented room (Isopropyl alcohol is harmful if breathed). Thanks a lot for your help!

I have a Nikon D70s with a very sticky body. I rubbed 91% Isopropyl Alcohol on the entire body about 6 times which finally eliminated the stickiness but it dulled the finish. I then used several ArmorAll clean wipes to coat the finish and restore the sheen. I may have to do it every few years but it's well worth the effort.

Same problem with D70. The secret with the isopropyl is a gentle wipe. Don't try to rub it dry as I did the first time. Allow each cleaning session to become well and truly dry so that the 'plastic/rubber' becomes firm again. As with Ken above, patience is required . 4 or 5 'sessions' and it's fine now.

Martin G

Alcohol just makes it stickier and then the black comes off on your hands...any other suggestions?

Microfiber cloth + >60% ethyl alcohol (hi octane hand sanitizer works)+ elbow grease = success

Coat it over with a thin film of lacquer or transparent nail polish. It will stabilize the rubber.

Rubber will deteriorate in time - and the later Nikon models are notorious for this.

Reading all these posts today, and owning a sticky F70, here is my advice:

STEP 1

>90% alcohol will remove the sticky rubber - if rubbed away with a lint-free cloth. Do this for a thin layer once a day and let the alcohol evaporate before repeating. If after 5 goes at this it is still sticky, then move to step 2 below:

STEP 2

Nikon F70s had only a thin rubber layer on top of a polycarbonate camera body. If the rubber has deteriorated to full thickness then it will come off the plastic as a sticky, tarry mess. that will never improve however many layers you polish away. The only solution then is to either

[1] rub talcum powder into it to reduce the stickiness as a temporary fix - but it always returns worse than before with a black “porridge” on your fingers!

[2] carry on a rub it all off (with ear buds, tooth brushes etc to get the remaining rubber off around buttons etc, This leaves a shiny plastic camera that is slippy to the hands. Consider adding a strip of tape, or leather or rubber to the hand grip area to restore finger friction and prevent drops.

Best of luck to you all - PaulC

You can also get replacement grips and body covering on Ebay.

You may have experienced Plastic, that has become Sticky?

Some time ago, there was an article suggesting that you could use Acetone?

But was not sure of its use, on all Plastic types, then came across This Article:-

https://heartworkorg.com/2017/01/08/stic...

and it Does work; Found that you need to rub a Slurry Mix over the surface, then lightly

wipe off, with a wet, (Soft, 3M type) Pan Scourer.

I then wiped the surface with some Washing Up Liquid, wiped with a Damp cloth, then Dried.

I have both a Nikon N80 and D80. The N80 body is sticky like all the notes I’ve been reading. I used some baby powder which stopped the stickiness but it does look very presentable. Obviously the N80 isn’t worth much anyway so I’m not losing any sleep over this odd development. The D80 body doesn’t have a problem - so far.

Hi its a problem often with modern cameras. What always works for me is : soft cloth and dab all over…dont rub, you may want to do it twice .. with Isocol, its a rubbing alcohol antiseptic available from the chemist.

Allow this to set dry a few hours of the next day. Then use a liquid car wax to seal it. and there you go better than new .. Make sure the liquid wax is NOT one that dries white,…….. that is a big nuisance.

In France we have alcool ménager (household alcohol) that is used as a general purpose cleaner/degreaser.

Worked perfectly on the rubber parts of an old Microsoft webcam. Just wiped it with a few drops on a paper kitchen towel. The stickiness was only superficial and there was hard rubber underneath. My guess is that any alcohol would do - gin, vodka, anything you have to hand.

I am pretty sure that you can use a cotton swab, if the sticky dust is not removed with a brush and of course if you need to clean hard-to-reach spots, a rubber bulb is pretty effective.

The body of the camera is getting sticky site

All this "solutions" are not for any camera bodies. My Minolta Cannon and more, have this problem, but nothing can be done, the rubber layer of it has oxidized. And it is impossible to clean this or remove the layer. Just designers did not take in account these consequences of having the camera for 40 years.

This works. How do I fix sticky rubber coatings on electronic devices? - Remote Control - iFixit

The part that is sticky is the soft rubber coating over the plastic.. There is hard plastic underneath and when the sticky part is removed you will have a hard plastic that last for a long time as is if you do not use harsh chemicals. Nikon N80 and D70 have cleaned up well and are still fine after 10 years.

For those who clean their Nikon cameras, The D70 can look shiny if all the rubber is removed. Grip side has more decay and now is down to the base plastic.

The left side has less decay and some rubber material remains

Both sides are now not sticky. The grip is still OK to use but you may want a strap There is no removable rubber cover to replace, once decayed it will rub off.