Camera covering starting to have a "white" look to it and how to clean: I have a 14 year old Pentax K110D and the leather (rubber?) covering on the grip is starting to have a white...

stage36

I have a 14 year old Pentax K110D and the leather (rubber?) covering on the grip is starting to have a white coloring to it. Did a lot of research on how to get rid of it and tried this: Used a little Windex and scrubbed thoroughly with a stiff toothbrush. It worked perfectly and the grip looks a brand new solid black.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

stage36 wrote:

I have a 14 year old Pentax K110D and the leather (rubber?) covering on the grip is starting to have a white coloring to it. Did a lot of research on how to get rid of it and tried this: Used a little Windex and scrubbed thoroughly with a stiff toothbrush. It worked perfectly and the grip looks a brand new solid black.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Thanks for the tip.

will

CO

I have an old Minolta Maxxum 7000i that has the same issue. I wonder if it's actually the rubber breaking down. Windex might be temporarily cleaning it but it might get the discoloration again.

I know that foam will break down over time. We have measuring instruments at work that have foam in the cases to protect the instruments. Some of these instruments are decades old. The foam inside those cases has turned to powder. I wonder if a similar chemical breakdown is occurring with the rubber grip.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

CO wrote:

I have an old Minolta Maxxum 7000i that has the sa... (show quote)

Last time I looked at my 7000 Minolta it looked horrible....I think the rubber is actually disintigrating. Top window is just starting blacking out in a corner, and leaky batteries caused some issues a few years back. Loved it in film times, but it's just a mess now - lol. On the flip side, my old Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 (Odd long model name) still looks and works like it did way back when...some age better than others!

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

One of my very old camera leather-like cases has gotten soiled in ways similar to what has been described in other replies. I assumed mine was mold that developed from stuff off my hands.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

John_F wrote:

One of my very old camera leather-like cases has gotten soiled in ways similar to what has been described in other replies. I assumed mine was mold that developed from stuff off my hands.

I saw the same thing on my old film cameras. Leather cases white and cracking. Kept the cameras, threw away the infected cases.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

CO wrote:

I have an old Minolta Maxxum 7000i that has the sa... (show quote)

Ask the question here to identify a coating or other treatment you can use after cleaning to inhibit further discoloration.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Would armorol spray help

stage36

Some have suggested using that but others say it makes the grip too slippery.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

What I deduce from the foregoing comments are that some describe mildew (leather), some describe plasticizer coming out of the covering and some describe rubber degradation due to oxidation of the rubber polymers. Treat mildew with a fungicide. Treat plasticizer with a mild organic solvent (goo off or lighter fluid) carefully applied and rubber degradation with mild solvent, but it will return over time if left out in open air. Rubber bands, which turn brittle over time at ambient exposure is just the polymer breaking down due to to a lack of antioxident.

Abo

stage36 wrote:

I have a 14 year old Pentax K110D and the leather (rubber?) covering on the grip is starting to have a white coloring to it. Did a lot of research on how to get rid of it and tried this: Used a little Windex and scrubbed thoroughly with a stiff toothbrush. It worked perfectly and the grip looks a brand new solid black.

Good one! I have a Fujifilm "bridge" camera of about the same vintage
with the same symptom on the nice big rubber/nitrile/butyl? focusing grip.

Funny thing though, it appeared only after I gave it a spray
and buff up with Mr Sheen... I thought it was just wax embedded
in the knurling that my cloth failed to buff out.

CO

aellman wrote:

Ask the question here to identify a coating or other treatment you can use after cleaning to inhibit further discoloration.

People here have good suggestions.