topic Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

diannekoz — Thu, 12 May 2022 21:28:21 GMT

I have a digital Rebel. The grips on either side of the main body have gotten very sticky and a black almost tar like substance comes off on my hands when I hold it. I cannot find a way to replace it. Any suggestions on how to coat or cover it so it doesn’t come off on my hands, clothes, etc? Anyone else have this problem? Thanks!

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Waddizzle — Thu, 12 May 2022 22:06:34 GMT

Which camera model do you have? In my experience, the outside surfaces of the cameras are fairly durable under average usage conditions.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

diannekoz — Thu, 12 May 2022 22:15:04 GMT

I have the 300 Digital. There is a large grip on the right and a smaller grip on the left. The black substance comes off on my hands and is really hard to get off. It’s also very sticky. I’m afraid I’ll get it on the lenses or dials.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Tronhard — Fri, 13 May 2022 00:26:33 GMT

I have had that phenomenon occur to me with a camera and some tools. Basically it is a kind of degeneration of the plastic. To clean it up, this is what worked for me: get Isopropyl alcohol (not methylated spirits, or anything else that will leave a reside) and, applying the alcohol to a rag (not directly onto the camera) apply some serious elbow grease and it should removed the degraded layer. You will have to be patient and persistent.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

FloridaDrafter — Fri, 13 May 2022 00:48:17 GMT

I've had the same experience as Trevor, but with just an old camera. I was able to gently clean it off with 70% isopropyl alcohol. However, once rubber has started to degrade, you really can't stop it, so this is just a temporary solution. Your camera is very old, so it's no surprise that the grips are degrading, whether naturally or maybe something it's been exposed to. I read an article that explained that products like sunscreen, insect repellent, or even some perfumes, can cause rubber to degrade. Mine was never exposed to these products, but it was very old.

Newton

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

diannekoz — Fri, 13 May 2022 12:58:04 GMT

Thanks! I will definitely try that. Where would I find the Isopropyl alcohol? Someplace like Home Depot?

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

diannekoz — Fri, 13 May 2022 13:04:27 GMT

I have had many cameras much older than this, including a Canon SLR, and have never had a problem, This is from about 2005 and is always in a camera bag when not in use, which is why it is strange. I will try the Isopropyl alcohol and hope for the best. Thanks!

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

refpikh — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:52:17 GMT

I have the same problem. It seems like those rubber grips should be replaceable.

But it is admittedly an old camera that I haven't used for years. I am trying to refurbish it to see if I can get my grandkids into photography.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Tronhard — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:51:41 GMT

You can get it at a hardware store, or a drug store. It's useful stuff to have around in general for all sorts of cleaning jobs that might involve petroleum-bases materials, residue after removing labels etc.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Tronhard — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:53:08 GMT

As I suggested, get Isopropyl alcohol and apply some to a rag (not directly) and rub the offending layer off. I works if you give it enough elbow grease.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

BurnUnit — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 16:15:54 GMT

Some cameras and other similar hand-held gear may have thicker rubber molded grips attached with glue or double sided adhesive tape. If they just come loose from the body they can usually be easily reattached with new double sided adhesive tape, after cleaning the old adhesive off with isopropyl alcohol as described above. For many cameras you might be able to buy new grips online if it's still a fairly new and popular camera model. If the rubber grips have degraded and gotten sticky they're really not worth trying to salvage.

Some other (older) cameras and such gear may have a thin rubber-like coating applied over a plastic molded panel or housing. This is the material that more commonly degrades with age and leaves sticky goop on your fingers. Then it's best to try to completely remove this thin coating. A clean rag with isopropyl alcohol and a dose of patience should do the job. The item can usually be put back into use as is with just the cleaned plastic panel(s).

But sometimes the camera can feel slippery in your hands using just the freshly cleaned plastic panels as grips. This happened with my old digital Rebel a few years ago. The cure for me was a trip to a local big-box hardware store. Find the bath supplies aisle and look for some non-slip strips for tub and shower floors. They are rough textured on one side and self-adhesive on the other. They're flexible, easily cut to length and shape and stick well to the smooth, slippery plastic grips on you camera.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

normadel — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:05:55 GMT

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl. Your drugstore probably has 70% and 90%. Get the 90.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

diannekoz — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 16:51:36 GMT

The rubber strips sound like a great solution. I will definitely try them. The alcohol seemed to make it worse and just got the cloth gummy, too. Thanks for the help! I really love the camera and lenses since I can’t find anyone around that prints from film anymore. 😥

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

BurnUnit — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 22:54:03 GMT

It will feel sticky like that until you get all that rubber coating off. Pour a bit of alcohol in a small cup and reseal the bottle to prevent accidental spills. Get some Q-tips or similar cotton swabs and a supply of paper towels. Dip up some alcohol on a folded paper towel and place it on the rubber grip. Don't flood the area so much that it could run into the camera body.

Give it a few seconds to work and start rubbing the gooey coating off a bit at a time. Keep turning or replace the paper towel as it gets gunked up. Dunk a Q-tip in alcohol to clean around the edges of the plastic grips.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Tronhard — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 23:08:49 GMT

It will feel gummy until you compete the process, but it works - definitely, but it requires some endurance. The gummy cloth is the cost of moving the gummy surface off the camera - which is the actual idea.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

jrhoffman75 — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 01:06:49 GMT

Sometimes it just type of material used on a particular model. Canon had a similar problem with I believe it was the Rebel T4i.

If this is something you want for your grandchildren as a long term hobby you might want to check with Keh camera. They have Digital Rebel XT, which I think is one or two generations newer than yours for less than $50 rated excellent condition. They do have a Digital Rebel for sale; it is noted as surface sticky.

Re: Grips on either side of Rebel digital body gotten sticky

Chrish0001 — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 18:36:54 GMT

Thanks Trevor.

I had the same issue and took your advice. The black substance is now gone and the surface is black shiny plastic. No stickiness!

Chris.