My IS binoculars have been getting worse and worse for years until this year they finally melted down till they felt like a melted blob of tar. Totally unusable. They even deposited goopy rubber onto my fingers.
I tried some of the on-line suggestions - which only made them worse - but I was determined to bring them back because they still worked so well.
It occurred to me that lacquer (the kind intended to finish wood and metals) has a reputation for being able to coat and dry over any previous finish, so as a desperate last measure, I decided to try using this to coat them. I simply covered the eyepieces with a couple of medicine bottle caps, cut a little piece of masking tape to cover the power button, removed the strap, and stood them on a small board. objective lenses down. I sprayed them with lacquer from a spray can (Minwax brand works well and sprays nicely). The lacquer dries quickly - in about 30 minutes if you don't spray too thickly. I gave them four coats and let them dry overnight.
The results are spectacular. The stickyness is completely gone and they feel and work great. Of course they look a bit different - somewhat shinier (i used semi-gloss) and lumpy where the worst of the goopyness was - but frankly, I like the look - the well-worn feeling of old friends (after all, I have had them for over ten years!) and not having them look spiffy-new probably makes them less likely to be pinched. They still work as well as the day I got them.
I think that this is a permanent fix, but if they ever get sticky again, I will simply coat them once more. After all, it only took about ten minutes (except for the drying times).
