I've got a number of EOS bodies, the 2 oldest, a 1995 A2 and a 1994 Elan have grip surfaces that have turned into sticky goo. It appears the coating Canon used has broken down due to age and/or chemical reactions with my sweaty mits. Obviously, solvents are a bad idea as these are plastic fantasic cameras. Any ideas on cleaning this stuff off? Thanks.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), April 18, 2001

Answers

Could this be the effect of insect repellent on your camera?

There was a warning on the EOS Mailing List about this.

Cheers

-- Julian Loke (jul.loke@home.com), April 18, 2001.

I have never used insect repellent, so its my sweaty mits.

-- Puppy Face (doggiefae@aol.com), April 18, 2001.

Well, I thought I'd get plenty of suggestions, but maybe this is a rare problem due to my unique body chemistry and shooting style (I shoot on tropical beaches a lot).

I tested rubbing alcohol (99% works best) on a small area and it worked, albeit with a lot of elbow grease and a cotton rag. It took me about an hour to clean both grips. They're about 90% sticky goo free. The "raw" black plastic is not as pretty as the satin finish but it's much nicer to handle.

My EOS1N & EOS3 are goo free so Canon must have busted out the good stuff for them.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), April 21, 2001.

After every extensive shoot, I wipe down my cameras (EOS 1V and 1N), lens barrels, etc. with isopropyl alcohol, as this is a good way to prevent the build-up of skin oils, etc. My hands (and feet) tend to sweat excessively, and this rather common condition is known as "hyperhidrosis"; it tends to run in families, and afflicted individuals tend to also be of a more nervous or anxious personality type. [Concert musicians (especially those who play fretted or stringed instruments) so afflicted have been known to undergo an invasive surgical procedure known as a "sympathectomy", in which the surgeon cuts or ablates only the so-called "sympathetic" nerves innervating the hands, in an effort to knock-out only their *hand* perspiration]. Those most severely afflicted with hyperhidrosis are often easily recognized by their shirt garment being frequently quite soaked at the under-arms, as well as a hand-shake that often feels warm and clammy. Medication treatment for severe hyperhidrosis is somewhat limited, but "beta-blockers" such as Inderal may be helpful in many cases.

For us *photographers* with varying degrees of hyperhidrosis, less invasive but often helpful measures do exist. But, we should try to restrict ourselves to those measures which are least likely to cause contamination of film, cameras, glass, etc., such as talc or other powders. "Safer" measures would include such things as more frequent hand-washing; keeping a number of foil-packaged, moist "towelettes" (or similar products) in one's vehicle or camera bag; periodically cleaning one's hands with a bit of astringent such as isopropyl alcohol or witch hazel; wearing athletic sweat cuffs on one's wrists, or carrying a clean rag, to dry one's hands as needed; blowing on one's hands, or waving them in the air, to help dry them.

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), April 21, 2001.

Error: I wrote: "...But, we should try to restrict ourselves to those measures which are least likely to cause contamination of film, cameras, glass, etc., such as talc or other powders..." It should read: "...we should try to avoid those measures which are MORE LIKELY to cause contamination...such as talc or other powders." Sorry for the error! (If only this forum had an editing function!).

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), April 21, 2001.

I'm not sure if this is the same problem you have but the hand grip on my A2e began to turn into a white flaky mess, much like some of the bad paint jobs on cars in the late 1980's. I used a combination of Alcohol, Energine cleaning fluid, fine 0000 steel wool, and I also use a buffing disk on a Dremmel tool. Finally I got it all off...but it wasn't sticky...just dray flakes. Do NOT use acetone or anything with acetone in it...it will literally melt the plastic. The "sticky goo" you described is a mystery to me, unless the overcoating is beginning to come off and you need to get down to the base plastic.

-- Todd Frederick (fredrick@hotcity.com), April 21, 2001.

Funny, but I've had a similar problem with contact surfaces on my guitars as well. I wash my hands before I play, but I still kill my strings after a couple of days of playing. French polish and lacquer finishes tend to melt away after a few years. I have a lacquer finished guitar, a 1965 Jose Ramirez, with a bald neck and lower bout (bass side). However, my plastic finished instruments show absolutely no damage after many years. I now wipe my guitars down with micro fiber cloth everyday. I guess I should do the same for my cameras. I suspect that Canon's satin grip finishes on the A2 and Elan are lacquer rather than polyurethane type finishes. By the way, I did have flaking finish on my A2 grip. That was a couple of years before it turned to sticky goo.

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-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), April 22, 2001.