Phil327 Loc: South Florida

I recently acquired a Nikon N90s camera. The back ( MF-25 ) was very sticky as was most of the camera. The camera works fine and I decided to see if I could restore the finish on it.
Materials used - alcohol- above 90%, paper towels, ArmorAll, automotive car wax, micro fiber cloth.

It is fairly simple process. Use the alcohol to remove the sticky coating on the back, lots of rubbing and changing the paper towel often. Then clean the rest of the camera with alcohol to remove the migrated coating from the rest of the camera.

Once that is done, I sprayed some ArmorAll on a paper towel and wiped down the entire camera. Remove any residue with a clean cloth.

Now the camera is nice and clean and no longer sticky.

The final step I used is to put a coat of automotive wax on the camera. Apply the wax, let it sit for a few minutes, then polish the camera with a clean cloth.

Some cautions:
don't get and cleaners on any lens, it you have one attached. With any liquid, spray on a cloth or paper towel,
DO NOT SPRAY DIRECTLY ON THE CAMERA.

The N90s had some printed information on the back. This was removed as part of the cleaning process. I have attached some images showing what they looked like. I have no way of restoring this information, They are white and even if my printer actually printed white, I would have no way of getting that back on the camera.

This whole process took less that an hour and I now have a like new camera.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I had an old pair of binoculars that got sticky.
The alcohol did well. Lots of work though.

BebuLamar

The damn material they use nowaday gets sticky. I don't think you ever run into a Nikon F, F2 or F3 that has the sticky problem.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

You know what else turns into a sticky mess? The foam inserts in some Halliburton-like camera cases - just depends on who made the foam.

Phil327 Loc: South Florida

You brought up a bad memory - Some of the foam used in the past breaks down and just crumbles.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Worse, the black anti-static foam often used to hold semiconductors becomes caustic when it breaks down, actually eating the pins off of devices stored for long periods of time. After seeing that, I no longer use those foam inserts that you can cut to fit your cameras/lenses. Probably a different foam, but I’ve seen that type brak down and crumble as well. Even the foam in my ski boots and apres ski boots has crumbled into pieces. Foam, at the least the types I’ve encountered,does not seem to be a robust material over long periods.

Phil327 Loc: South Florida

A lot of camera bags use 'closed cell foam' I have not seen this type break down. I bought a sheet of this ( 1/4 inch thick ) to use in a project. I have the left over here in Florida and it seems like new, even after 10 years .

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Understood - I assumed that there were some that lasted longer than others. My Bell Star helmet foam lasted about 20 years, but it ultimately disintegrated as well.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Or squishes and gets sticky when squished.
I threw one bag out because of that.

tcthome Loc: NJ

So what do you use now in place of the foam? I have been thinking of getting a pelican type case with the foam in it for some lens & accessory storage.

iamimdoc

You can get clear labels/sheets to print on

*Maybe* that would allow you to replace the labeling that was removed. It’s longevity would be suspect if touched or rubbed when used most likely.

Phil327 Loc: South Florida

I have used 'water transfer sheets' in the past. They only work if there is no white in the image. Most inkjet printers do not have white as they use the white paper and do not print in those areas. The images on the back of the camera are stamped on.

ELNikkor

That sticky problem happens most in hot, humid, sticky climates, such as, well, South Florida, for instance.

alexol

Be very, very careful with the products used.

Some of those already mentioned contain silicon, which 'creeps' and which - as far as I understand - in general should never be used on electronics (or possibly anything else!).

I can think of few things worse than Armorall (sp?) to clean a camera! And automotive wax? Really?

If you are going to use alcohol, use 100%, the purest stuff you can get. The non-alcohol content is water, and we know exactly how good that is for electronics...

For example, 90% alcohol means 10% water.

Phil327 Loc: South Florida

' I can think of few things worse than Armorall (sp?) to clean a camera! And automotive wax? Really? '

The ArmorAll seems to restore the plastic and the automotive wax protects the finish. I could have just stopped after the cleaning with alcohol. I should point out - the camera is no longer used and is basically a shelf camera. One of the cameras had a back that most of the coating had worn off, leaving a rough finish and some scratches. Some wet/or dry sandpaper starting a 600 and ending at 3000. then some white rubbing compound on a buffing machine, The end result is a really nice back ( this is the plain back )