Black plastic goo question.

[Retrorockit]

I have a couple devices with the same disgusting problem.
A Heier 10" TV, and a Bitfenix Outlaw PC case.
The black plastic is oozing oil and the surface feels like tar and comes off on your hands when you touch it. Is there any solution for this?

[stj]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

you mean it had a thin rubber coating that is breaking down?
oils can cause that - i'v seen it on everything from powertools to a thinkpad!!
all you can do is rub the crap off the plastic with a cloth and some IPA

[Retrorockit]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

Not a thin rubber coating. It just seems that some of the plastic they use can't stand the Florida climate. It's not the hard shiny plastic, It's the flat tone finish stuff.No oils or anything. The PC case is basically NOS. Just disolving in storage. The TV is just for hurricanes, but it didn't survive running off of a car battery. Even in air cinditioning I take them out to use them and they're worthless.

[stj]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

plasticiser can do that, but it shouldnt be in the air - it's toxic!

[momaka]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

Can we get a picture of said devices.

I too have only seen electronics with rubberized coating "leak" / smudge like this.

Most plastics start to melt only past around 120C (250F). So I don't think Florida heat alone can do this.

[Heihachi_73]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

The matt plastic with the rubbery/velvet feel always does that over time. Back when my Hisense TV was still working last year I had to remove all of that gunk from the remote. Under all that gunk was plain old shiny ABS plastic.

[Retrorockit]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

I found a steering wheel restoration technique I might try for this. Make a foamy pot of dish washing liquid solution, and use just the foam itself. I'll have to go dig this system out of storage to try it.

[lti]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

The matt plastic with the rubbery/velvet feel always does that over time. Back when my Hisense TV was still working last year I had to remove all of that gunk from the remote. Under all that gunk was plain old shiny ABS plastic.

It seems like that stuff lasts longer if it is regularly handled. If I leave something with that kind of soft grip sitting for a few months, it will turn to slime and start to run. I've seen it on TV remotes, mouse scroll wheels, and pencils.

[Retrorockit]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

My steering wheel restoration trick didn't work. BUT
The gooey finish is called Soft Touch, and it can be cleaned up, or removed completely with a spray bottle of 70% Isopropyl alcohol. I gave it a slow wipe with an old sock wetted with alcohol and it removed the goo, and all the cat hair stuck in it, and left a fresh satin finish. To remove it all a microfiber cloth, and some elbow grease should do it. But it saved an old Bitfenix Outlaw case that lets me run an ATX in a BTX workspace. This should work on any sticky power tools also. That's where I came across this method.

[Agent24]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

I've seen a few devices where rubberised or rubber parts turned to gloop but many more where they didn't, including things that are decades old. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it.

In my opinion it's down to low quality mixtures or incorrectly mixed/processed material.

[Retrorockit]

Re: Black plastic goo question.

The 2nd post here gave me the right answer. I just didn't know what IPA stood for. There seems to be a "Soft Touch" finish that's applied to some devices that does this. It has better grip than hard plastic. But why a computer case would need that IDK. Without that it doesn't happen. But I've seen high end tools (Snap On screwdrivers) that the plastic part dissolved just sitting in a drawer. So sometimes the chemistry just goes a little wrong.