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Philacamera
Tinkerer
Username: Philacamera
Post Number: 4
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 04:29 am: | 
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I just bought an Olympus OM-PC which seems to be in great shape except that the rubber grips are badly chalked/faded, though they do not look to be otherwise decomposed. It seems very much like the soft rubber grips one finds on more modern zoom lenses. Any thoughts on restoring flexible rubber to it's original black appearance?
I know there are some automotive products out there that claim to blacken old tires, but wanted to see if there was any other way.... |
Tom_cheshire
Tinkerer
Username: Tom_cheshire
Post Number: 273
Registered: 04-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 06:11 am: |
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Happens to Minolta Maxxums all the time. Simple fix is to "wash" it with a bit of soap and water to remove all the "hand dirt" that may be on it and, then, grease it. Any sort of oily stuff will re-blacken the rubber. Then wipe off the excess and it is fine. |
David_ritchie
Tinkerer
Username: David_ritchie
Post Number: 48
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 09:16 am: |
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This sounds like the "bloom" that I have seen on my Minoltas. Sometimes this bloom is caused by the curing system used in the rubber or by wax used as a processing aid in processing the rubber or maybe a little of both. This is most commonly seen on EPDM type of rubber parts.I have used lighter fluid to remove it, but expect it to come back in a few months or years. |
Philacamera
Tinkerer
Username: Philacamera
Post Number: 5
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 - 10:57 pm: |
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Thanks for the great tip. I tried it out, and it worked beautifully! |
