I have a MIDI controller keyboard that I have cleaned in the past with disinfectant alcohol wipes, which I know is a bad idea because it degrades the rubber over time.
Well, the rubber on the pitch bend and modulation wheels has indeed degraded, and the surfaces texture is awful, uneven and sticky now. My fault… I know.
So does anyone know of any way to fix, or even improve, this kind of nasty rubber surface degradation once it occurs? Sanding? Applying oils? Is there any way I can even slightly restore these controls back to their original soft-touch rubbery glory?
It may not be you.
There’s some polymer substance that was used to create “rubberized” coatings on a lot of consumer electronics some years back that degrades to a sticky mess over time on its own. I had a Grundig G6 shortwave radio that did it badly, as well as some other devices.
I don’t believe that you can “undegrade” it, but if it’s the same stuff, you can manage to remove it, just leave unrubberized plastic.
I used isopropyl alcohol and a lot of elbow grease, which eventually works.
This blog mentions it:
https://swling.com/blog/2021/01/getting-the-grundig-g6-out-of-a-sticky-situation/
They recommend “Purple Power”.
These guys have some recommendations of their own:
https://www.ifixit.com/News/93833/ask-ifixit-how-do-i-fix-sticky-plastics
On a somewhat related note, simple green is the ducks nuts.
That shit is so cheap too, I keep that thang on me.
Simple Green, Folex, and Dawn Power Wash (mix at home to save cash) are my go-to items