Humdity causes rubber to melt?

[Rainman]

Soft rubber like the face of the cordless phone or the grip of camera becomes sticky, as if it melting gradually....

 

Just want to know if anyone experienced this at home?

 

 

 

 

[Altivo]

yup... high temp + humidity will cause the rubber to degrade with time.

 

i googled and you can try this http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/things/stuf...ce-from-rubber/ but it's only an interim measure.

 

Some websites suggest you rub baby powder to the rubber to absorb the moisture... similar to us using powder to remove the oil when we clean our rifles in NS. But bear in mind your phone will not look nice cos of the white patches

[Guest EverestLeasing]

I did not use powder to clean my rifle in NS.

 

Your methods are novel!

 

[Karebu]

you touched oil-based stuff before you touched the camera. hence it's dissolving and melting.

 

sometimes some plants secrete such compounds too so wash your hands properly and don't cross contaminate.

[Altivo]

I did not use powder to clean my rifle in NS.

 

Your methods are novel!

 

used the SAF powder to remove oil... not clean the rifle lah... hahahaha

 

i had a bunch of crazy instructors who demanded that our rifles must be bone-dry. So we used SAF powder to soak up all the oil before wiping them away..... super good and the rifle smells very nice! Got a talcum smell instead of the oily smell

[ElDiablo]

used the SAF powder to remove oil... not clean the rifle lah... hahahaha

 

i had a bunch of crazy instructors who demanded that our rifles must be bone-dry. So we used SAF powder to soak up all the oil before wiping them away..... super good and the rifle smells very nice! Got a talcum smell instead of the oily smell

 

I'm gonna try in reservist on the GPMG!

[Happily1986]

Actual reason is due to presence of non polar solvents. Most rubber based compounds are coated with a powdery substance to delay the onset of degradation during the manufacturing process.

 

This process in irreversible and inevitable. Try washing your rubber band and leave it in a dark cool place. It will still degrade.

 

For rubber based compounds that are in frequent contact with your hands etc, it is best to wipe the rubber compounds with damp cloth to remove natural oils that are occur naturally on your skin. These oils can cause degradation. I believe that these oils are the ones that cause your telephone coil to degrade.

[Porkerlover]

Yeah it happens when there's humidity...happens to anything actually...

 

[Altivo]

I'm gonna try in reservist on the GPMG!

 

yes... try it... the powder after soaking the oil will become lumpy... just remove it and your rifle will feel very smooooooth to the touch. Plus it smells nice too.

[Rainman]

What I did was extreme, I remove the faceplate and sand it off, til the thin layer of rubber was gone....

 

I seldom use the housephone, unlikely it's due prolong contact of facial oil leh.....

 

Other electronics so far so good, no obvious rust or oxidation to metal as well.