How to Remove Mode Selector Switch from EOS D60? It Turned Sticky!

[tegrady]

Hi, I have an old Canon EOS D60 dslr. The mode selector switch has become extremely sticky and leaves a black mark on your fingers when you use it.  I need to remove it so that I can clean off the residue that's all over it.

How do I remove the mode selector switch? I'm guessing that I can just pop it off, but I don't want to break it.

Thanks.

[ebiggs1]

Leave it together and try denatured alcohol.  Taking anything apart when you don't know how especially cameras is a bad idea.

[tegrady]

The problem with that is the mode selector switch has a lot of nooks and crannies that probably need to be scrubbed fairly hard to remove the residue.  I doubt I will be able to do that with the mode selector still attached to the camera. Also, I would be worried about the alcohol seeping into the camera body.

[Waddizzle]

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@tegrady wrote:

The problem with that is the mode selector switch has a lot of nooks and crannies that probably need to be scrubbed fairly hard to remove the residue.  I doubt I will be able to do that with the mode selector still attached to the camera. Also, I would be worried about the alcohol seeping into the camera body.

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The best course of action is to get your camera professionally cleaned.  Finding someone who still services your camera, D60 or 60D, is another problem altogether.

I am not going to advise cleaning with alcohol, although alcohol is very good solvent.  If I were to try that, I would remove the battery and memory card, and clean the camera [turned] upside down.  Some tripods can hold a camera upside down.  Apply alcohol to a microfiber lens cloth, and try to wipe as best I could.  

Toss the lens cloth in the trash when you are done.  Lens cloths are expensive, so a lens tissue may work just as well.  Allow the camera to dry for at least an hour when you are done.  Alcohol evaporates fairly quickly, but it may leave residue behind, and you may need to repeat the process a few times.  Good luck.

[wq9nsc]

A lot of textured/"grippy" coatings used in recent years decompose into a sticky tacky mess.  I have dealt with this issue on the cases and controls of a number of electronic products and it is extremely annoying.  If it is due to this common coating issue then cleaning with alcohol will temporarily stop the problem but it will return in a few months.

One manufacturer came up with a recommended cleaner that does seem to permanently stop the issue without creating damage to the finish or removing labels.  The link is below but if the link violates forum guidelines and is removed then google Eton Purple Power.  Eton is the manufacturer of a number of shortwave radios that have this problem with their case and controls and Purple Power is the cleaner that appears to address the issue.  I cleaned a troublesome Eton E1 XM radio I own and it has been fine now for a couple of years:  https://swling.com/blog/tag/how-to-clean-sticky-radios/

As others noted you don't want to spray anything on your camera or clean it in the upright position where cleaner can get inside the camera.  Even if the cleaner itself is electronics safe the contaminants it carries away with it will likely cause the mode switch to become compromised.  As advised above keep the camera inverted until it is completely dry and apply the cleaner with a micro-fiber cloth or similar.  I am not familiar with the exact build of the D60 but for added safety put an absorbent paper towel around the mode switch/camera body interface to ensure that nothing splashes or wicks into the body.

If the mode switch is made of a plastic or other composite material it could well have weakened with age and may also have become securely stuck to the control shaft.  So even if it is designed to pop off, it may stick securely enough to damage the knob or worse the switch so I would not advise trying to remove it.  Any portion likely to contact your fingers can be cleaned with the knob still mounted.

Rodger