Corn starch! That seems even more crazy than moisturiser!!! I will give it a go on the next device that needs it, thank you for the tip 😃

@@HandheldComputingit simply provides a light coating, so the stickyness disappears for a while. It will come back as soon as the corn starch rubs off. You may also try with baby oil, which is the foundation ingredient of most of the moisturisers on the market (petrolatum).

So not a long term fix then

@@HandheldComputing not in my experience. Essentially it's a very fine powder that sticks to the sticky rubber and kind of makes it smooth like a peach. But it doesn't last forever. Baking soda would act in a similar way, in case you want to give the concept a try without buying corn starch flour you may not then have a use for.

good to know, perhaps in combination with moisturiser this would be a good solution though@@bufordmaddogtannen

Baby powder is what divers use on drysuit seals which are made of latex which is the same thing. The appearance of the coating on my thinkpad is so much better following the moisturiser though, even small scratches have disappeared

I did assume that we were just masking the problem with moisturiser/corn starch/WD40 etc It comes up as "hot tub" protector - I see it adds UV protection, something a lot of plastics would benefit from! Seems like a good idea 😀

I still think it weird that moisturiser would work and from the comments above it seems corn starch also works! Crazy! Yep HPCfactor rules!

@@HandheldComputing I'm "HPC:Fan" on there, I'm glad to see you nerding out over all sorts of old handhelds. I too, am a major handheld nerd :)

Thats what I was thinking, I use a PDA anyway and the smartphone is a constant attention hog, it will be weird just using a feature phone again but I am looking forward to giving it a go 😃

That's the issue, lots of solvents will work but I don't want to damage the device!

@@HandheldComputingIPA should work without damaging the plastic. It can leave it looking a little odd though which I was able to solve on my Microsoft mouse with just some light wax (think Pledge).

Nice, the pledge should protect the surface too@@chaos.corner

Life without google maps could be tough! I didn't know there was a version for Palm OS5, I have the CE version which seems to work well enough. I'm looking forward to trying life without a smart phone just a lot less distractions 😊

@@HandheldComputing I had TomTom for Palm. I think I threw it away in the end though I kept the TX.

I have street planner (the pre-curser to TomTom) but its a bit out of date! @@chaos.corner

@@HandheldComputing Yes. Before online map updates. What fun.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊

I suspect it would as that also contains moisturising agents and is designed to sink into the leather - So conversely maybe moisturiser would be a good leather restorer

Glad you enjoyed it, you mean you used had gel on a CD? Does that work?

@@HandheldComputing not gel, but the cream for hands the one of the brand hinds that is pink. It worked better than toothpaste

A lot of the 2FA is still done by text so can be done on a dumb phone, but you are right I'm going to struggle with some types of authentication eg "agree in the app" It'll be interesting to see what can and cannot be done!

Amazing! Thank you

I'm looking forward to ditching my smart phone, plenty of PDAs in my collection to use along side it for everyday organisational tasks. Good idea, I could do a video on how I actually use palmtops in my normal life. I regularly use the Jornada 728, M50, and Psion II for different things plus others depending what I'm doing/reviewing

I also saw about the magic eraser but having tried it I was worried it was stripping too much of the coating and leaving me in a no-mans land with half off slightly tacky coating, but sometimes its just what ever works!!!

Well the rubber will break down whatever you do s I suspect that in another decade you will still need to remove the coating. You can of course put a new rubber coating on, if that's what you want....

Glad you liked the video

Leather restoration products would probably also work. You can buy leather conditioner that is IIRC more chemically stable than skincare moisturizer tends to be. You would want something unpigmented, though, so that it doesn’t rub off pigment on everything. Brands of leather conditioner I’ve used (pigmented, with shoes) are Meltonian and Tarrago, but they’re available unpigmented, too.

I have a vintage Gucci bag where the original leather lining was disintegrating very similarly to a synthetic rubber, which seems to be a common problem with vintage bags. I ultimately just had the lining replaced at Gucci, but I probably could have tried leather conditioner first.

My understanding of moisturisers (and i'm not a chemist) is that they penetrate the skin because the prime molecule can change between hydrophilic and oleophilic to allow it to penetrate the different layers of the skin. This would defiantly work for leather but I'm still at a loss as to why it works for rubber. A wood oil would be interesting to try as those are also trying to keep the moisture in, I would just worry that most oils erode rubber.

Oh no, stolen! That's awful I love the sienna I did most of my OPL programming script on mine while on holiday in Scotland. Battery life if crazy, did over a month with a lot of use on a single pair or AAA NiMHs!!!

It is crazy that companies still do this, I think the way you vulcanise the rubber might be why that isn't used, car tyres do last almost forever! I don't know why but the sanitizer works better than rubbing alcohol or isopropanol 😉

Silicon? As a spray? Does it sink into the rubber or just create a protective top coat? I am intrigued 🧐

@@HandheldComputing Specifically i used some 0-ring silicone lube. Its just a squeeze bottle from amazon. I apply it by putting it on a rag or paper towel and rub it into the rubber. I then go back over with a draw cloth to get the excess off. Ive used this method on my Dell PDA's, ibook Clamshells (which made them nice and clear again and still look good), and my digimon D3 digivice which has a rubber section. All look great. I did use it on my Atari portfolio and it helped a little with the tacky feeling but i made the mistake of using IPA first so it kinda melted the coating before i tried silicone.

If its gone tacky then you're too late. The oils have started to separate and it has perished. I presume they mean silicone (not silicon) which is a synthetic rubber compatible lubricant. Once its covered in that the separation nearly stops. This is why people keep mentioning "adult" things because how they are stored and which oils they are mixed with matters a lot. Rubbers have a smell which is caused by volatiles jumping off the surface and as they leave it breaks down eventually it runs out. There are ways to chemically change the rubberised surface - products like Vivishine has a bizarre reaction to rubber, a few drops in water attaches to rubberised surfaces and you just dab it with a towel and it keeps that surface, items that would normally perish like latex which is unvulcanised last for 20+ years when they would normally break down after 5 years. I would suggest looking at rubber dressings, there are things like Aerospace 303 and even tyre-trim - but if it has started to break down you probably have no choice but remove it, if it begins to peel its probably a one-way street.

I do as well I leave it on for days and it even restores some really tacky coating.

You could also try unpigmented leather conditioner, like Meltonian or Tarrago, since they’re actually intended for the leather equivalent of these rubberized finishes.

Yeah the corn starch has been mentioned a lot - hence pinned to top - let me know how it goes!

I imagine that could work as again its got moisturises in it and is designed to penetrate into the leather

Grey and smooth is defiantly better than black and sticky!!!

The 360 has the white backlight? Its on my list to try and get hold of 😀 The coating on my velo is fine but I suspect that is because it was only used for a shot time and then stored in the dark...

I assume it dissolves in more aggressive chemical solvents like acetone.

Its true the S5 doesn't tend to go sticky like a lot of the coatings do, and yes the cloth got very sticky as did my hands 😂🤣

Probably but then that might affect other plastics and isn't so good on skin

​@@elsiehuppI'm a chemist, but I ain't no expert on polyurethane and the compounds in which it decomposes. However, *NEVER EVER* use acetone or products marked "sticker remover" on plastics: it's very aggressive and dissolves the plastic! Sticker remover is developed to dissolve the vinyl of stickers, not per se to dissolve the glue. So were stuck with: IPA (iso-propyl alcohol) spiritus (pure alcohol (methanol) w/ blue dye so addicts won't drink it) terpentine (white spirit) wasbenzine (dunno what it's called in English) soapy water ammonia Especially the lukewarm mild soapy water solution is very, very underestimated. You won't believe how many compounds dissolve in it: hydrophilic (water loving) as well as hydrophobic (water hating) compounds. And we chemists divide all compounds in the world in 2 categories: water-loving and ... you guessed it.

​@@HandheldComputingI'm a (physical) chemist (so a noob on organic chemistry unfortunately). I wouldn't worry too much about acetone on the skin if I were you. Chemists get acetone on their skin daily (tho they won't admit to it because we're supposed to wear gloves all day which we don't). We have to clean glass instruments etc. with lots of it. We use liters of acetone per day in the lab. It dissolves the (protective) oils in your skin. So if you accidentally "dip" your hand in acetone it'll leave a red irritated spot on your hand the next day (believe me: I know!). Acetone is not poisonous, but absolutely _eveything_ dissolves in it and poisonous stuff that we use in the lab will penetrate the skin if it's dissolved in the acetone. That's the real danger of acetone.

You are right, no matter what you do it will eventually turn into a sticky mess! I'm glad I removed it on the Sienna and Phenom

Yes, they are different alcohols, I didn't find much residue from the sanitiser but good thinking, I will give meths a try next time and see if that's better - it doesn't smell as good as hand sanitizer though 😉

It could be both. Rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl) is used as hand sanitizer very often.

@@HandheldComputing I used meths and paper towels on the centre dashboard section of my 2005 Renault Scenic, which was a horrible sticky mess with dog hair embedded in it, that left gooey black marks all over my hands every time I started the car. It took a couple of hours, but now it looks like brand new.

@@Zeem4it's hard getting off your hands after, I'm definitely using gloves next time 🤣

If you do the moisturiser or corn starch etc it will get rid of the tackiness and make it useable again but eventually it will break down 😒

i think it would look better without, the handle has grio through a nice "pleather" overlay@@HandheldComputing

Restoration is at best only going to buy time before you remove it anyway I guess, glad I removed it from my Sienna and Phenom

Oh no! bet you want rid of that!

@@HandheldComputing It stays so so probably since it mostly isn't touched by people. There is a chance it is automotive grade ( wide temp range )

Yeah it might last a bit better/longer but they always break down eventually@@bobroberts2371

someone else suggested using paper towels for the same effect, let me know how it goes 😃😃

@HandheldComputing The paper towels are way more porous than plastic. I don't think that would help. If anything, the towels will draw the alcohol away from the computer surface. Either way, I'll post my results when I get around to it.

My thought too, although I think it should work@@jamesnoland7821

Its a nice phone the 3360, I bet you get amazing battery life!!! There are defiantly going to be compromises going back to a feature phone but I think it will be an interesting challenge and hopefully an equally interesting vlog! Glad you liked the video, I need a new battery for my Revo, great little device though!

@@HandheldComputingI do! It doesn't seem to drain either when it's off. When I popped out earlier I realised that I wasn't sure what the flat number was that I was going to, so reinstalled WhatsApp to check... In my pre-Android days I would've written it down and most likely in my 5mx in Contacts. It never crossed my mind today! I think I've underestimated how reliant I've become on 'why prepare when I can check anytime I like?'

Acetone will destor this coating and in some cases even plastic underneath. I learned it the hard way. This coating is definitely not rubber, it's called soft touch, and is a some sort of paint (i can't remember the exact word, something like pvc or polyester). So most of paint solvents will remove it REALY easy and perfect. But some of them can damage plastic underneath so it will become grayish

Those are not great chemicals for skin contact.

@@dosgos Once dry, there's no problem. At least acetone is nail varnish remover, used on skin. But not sure for brake fluid :)

@@crapasanya Too bad, it works great for hard rubber. Thanks for the information.

I would not use brake fluid on it, I think it would damage the plastics, acetone might as well!

I was screaming BULL.... too. There are loads of idiots who still think that crap is a good idea. For something you'll throw away in a few months, maybe, but it's on things you'll use for decades.

I haven't come across anything with it on personally but its clear from the comments that it is indeed still in use on quite a lot of products! I do wish it wasn't! Windex? That's a new one to me, thanks for the suggestion!

Yes, it turns out that it is still in use!!!!

@@HandheldComputing My 15yo blakc Ooma Telo is a black sticky ball. The brand new white that replaced it a month ago... also covered with the shit. Nice to see they've learned nothing in 15 years. I have iPhone cases with it - it's really anti-slip now! I have too many battery boosters coated with it. Most _reputable_ laptops don't use it anymore, but cheap ones love the stuff.

@@HandheldComputing To be honest, I don't know if Windex (or generic glass cleaner) is the best option for removing it, it just seems to work decently well for me. It's not like it's a quick one-step process though. I spray the pieces, scrub with a toothbrush, rinse them off, see that there's still some residue, spray it some more, scrub more, rinse it off, find a little more residue, etc. If there's something more effective at taking this stuff off, Id love to know about it. What really surprises me is that sometimes, items will have writing on them, but it doesn't come off. For example, the card reader had the different slots all labeled. I assumed that the print would come off with the coating, but it didn't.

Feliz em ajudar

Now there's a tip! That sounds like a lot less work!

So they painted the plastic AND then added the silly coating! that's madness!

Genius! Get a nice glossy finish instantly!

I was concerned that acetone would damage the plastics sounds like it could be a good option, thank you for the suggestion 😃

You are the second person to mention this, I will have to give it a go!

That makes sense, I had assumed it was just the bonds breaking with UV exposure - they are a terrible when they break down, wish manufacturers wouldn't use them!

@@HandheldComputing I have a Harbor Freight biscuit joiner tool I need to remove the TPU from. It's not been exposed to any sunlight nor temperature extremes. But just sitting in a closet for a while, the soft touch overmolded TPU has broken down and become gooey. Using skin moisturizer could only be a short term band-aid. On the 2004-1009 Toyota Prius the hatch release button has a soft cover made of some type of black plastic. Over time, many of the covers turn to goo and it's a real chore to remove the latch button, clean the goo off, and replace the cover. The culprit most suspected of causing the cover to break down is hand moisturizer or other skin care products.

I did look at the option of replacing it, but honestly that is a lit of work and I find the plastics look good once the coating is gone

BTW. Isopropanl itself makes rubber coating even more sticky

14:00 I have used credit card, scrathed rubber once it got soft ^^

That's what I found, it would remove it but it was like it was melting rather than the hand sanitizer which seemed to dissolve it more and leave less residue

I thought about using a plastic scraper/credit card I just didn't want to risk scratching the plastic but I guess if you are careful it would be fine and speed up the process a lot!

A dash is in direct sunlight for a large part of its life, I can't believe someone thought a rubber coating was a good idea!!!

@@HandheldComputing It was mainly on the lower side of the dashboard that faces the driver and passenger, but still I imagine it must’ve received quite a bit of sunlight… as if the fact it had turned into literal tar didn’t make it obvious enough lol

I bet that took some cleaning off too!@@sralismazgalis

@@HandheldComputing I had to spend around 4-5 hours total and got my leg burnt (it was summer) but it turned out worth it in the end I reckon

@@sralismazgalisWhat car do you own?

Nice! Yeah since COVID hand gel is everywhere! Yes I can deactivate the notifications but its still a distraction, always wanting to check it. That and the endless scrolling...... which I struggle to resist 😒

I did not know that, I thought they had stopped using it years ago!

I guess the olive oil will work just like the moisturiser and then the silicon oil will give it a nice sheen - will give this a go

Thank you for the warning, you do have to be careful with solvents and resistive screens

Someone on Hackaday made a Psion S7/Raspberry Pi Frankenstein. Planet Computers Gemini, Cosmo and Astro Slide and GPD's Mini series are the closest you'll get today. Planet Computers hired Martin Riddiford to design and those devices unironically also use the S5's keyboard, albeit modified because modern customers found the action mushy. Eventually Martin managed to make it backlit, too!

I think the Astro slide is probably the closest thing to a modern Psion 5 or maybe the Pinephone. Part of the issue is our expectations with portable devices are now so high! Back in the late 90's sending email over a mobile connection was like living in the future!!!

@@HandheldComputing I backed the Astro Slide. Still waiting for them to deliver if they ever will and even then, it still has loads of issues. It would be nice to see a major manufacturer make one.

@@HandheldComputing To add to that, I guess we don't see devices like this anymore because 99% of demand is covered by mobile phones and a further 0.5% is covered by adding a folding Bluetooth keyboard so it's just not worth it for major manufacturers unlike years ago when you could only get "smart" functionality in a pocket computer.

@@oliverpolden Ak, I'd heard about that. 🥴

Its no where near as common as it was but it is a pain when it starts breaking down. I didn't know the PS4 controllers were like that, maybe its a way to build in obsolescence.....

ha ha, yes it would be easier if they didn't exist in the 1st place! My go-to is strip the coating unless its in very good condition

I hadn't heard of this - a quick google suggests it would be a perfect replacement once the original rubber is removed, or would you just spray it on top?

@@HandheldComputing if its easy to remove remove it, you get a better result. But sometimes its hard to remove it. Because of from of the object for exaple my car had a soft touch window button very easy to remove with solvents. But i had a video camera the shape of the camera didnt allow me to remove it to many nuck and cranys so i sprayt on top of it greetings switzlerland

Excellent tip, thank you for that! Greetings from England 😀

😂🤣😂 I'm not sure it's quite as bad as lead in petrol but I see where you are going with this!

Rubber coatings were such a thing in the late 80's through 90's - I'm glad its had its day thought! No worries on the live stream, I intend to keep them short anyway 15-20mins max, no one wants to watch me blabbering about my week for an hour 🤣😂

@@HandheldComputing…”I’m glad it has had its day”… yeah, but sadly still a ‘thing’ in the tool scene. They proudly call it ‘overmolding’.

Overmolding, what an interesting term! @@ernestgalvan9037

A win win situation 😉

It sure is! The hand gel does work though in hindsight I would suggest wearing gloves as it was hard to get the rubber off my hands!

There are a few different options for replacing the coting including a number of spray on products - If it was to be a museum piece this might be worthwhile but I am wanting to use them so for the moment at least removal is a good option if the coating has gone to goo

Nice! I guess if its not too tacky it will just peel away

🤣 Maybe it will!

Also, whenever I see it on something new, I won't buy it unless it's absolutely essential.

That is a good description, I agree its OK when its new and gives a tactile surface but the way it breaks down is just soooooo bad! I stripped the Sienna with alcohol wipes, worked well but I have found the handgel and a cloth better

Yeah, this basically destroys the coating. Looks ok initially. Oils destroy rubber. Try folding a bit of orange peel near a balloon, it pops immediately because the oil breaks the chains straight away in the rubber. Its a cool experiment!

I never even thought of WD40, come to think my drill handle has gone a little tacky I will give that a go tomorrow - also love the small of WD40

Oooh Orange oil will melt a balloon? Thats cool

​@HandheldComputing Yes, the orange oil is a hydrocarbon and rubber is soluble in compatible hydrocarbons. The reaction is almost instant. But hydrocarbons will always break down rubber. So puttinh hand creme on a rubber coating is bad because it usually contains lanolin and may contain paraffin which is used to prevent moisture loss. Now the coating used is a synthetic rubberised polymer but I have no idea how that will reach differently to latex, but it certainly seems to perish in a similar manner. I believe the Germans had to make synthetic rubber during the war because they couldn't get natural latex but I also think the synthetic version was inferior in many ways.

Having stripped the Psion Sienna I think this is often the best way, as I say no manufacturers rubber coat laptops these days! Sometimes the rubber feet break down as well but they are easier to replace thankfully.

@@HandheldComputing yeah. My thinkpad had on the frame around the keyboard some kind of metalized primer or something so it went from black to silver when the coating was removed but this was damaged from the exposed melted areas and also looked very bad. But as I went all in I removed everything and then I foiled the screen and keyboard frame with a nice black marble stone laminate to get it back to an even better look that original. Those who seen that special work said that was a very fancy computer you have there. And I say I foiled it they be like, Bruh.. that looks good lol. Much better than stock in every way.

Make sure that water is nice and hot it'll bring those circuit boards up lovely 😉

As always its the UV that makes it all break down, its amazing some of these coatings have lasted as well as they have!

I agree, completely unnecessary and not functional

Ha ha yes I think obsolesce spray is an appropriate!

A number of people have mentioned that its still being used for mice, game controllers etc which seems a bit crazy to me when we know how bad they are!

@@HandheldComputing I think my Logitech F710 game controller, a device I really love, has it, at least it has rubberised hand grips, here's hoping they won't decompose. For some unexplainable reason my BopIt XT game has rubberised coatings on all its controls, and they're all getting sticky. Since they're coloured and two of them have printing on them, I'm not sure how they'll scrub up should I try to clean them. Oh how I hate that stuff.

If you clean it you will lose all the markings. I would try the moisturiser and if that doesn't work try talcum powder or corn starch, just be aware those two will cause some discolouration @@Lachlant1984

@@HandheldComputing I see, thanks for the tips.

So it seems, I guess it's a cheap way to make your plastics look better - not good though!

Going to give this a go on my drill handle as the rubber has melted on that and WD40 will make it smell extra manly 😉

I'm with you, I think that will be the goto option form now on!

@@HandheldComputing Yeah. It's fine if it is just starting to go, but so many things I've found in boxes I forgot about just need to be disassembled and properly cleaned. I just wish there was a spray that could reapply the coating instead. that way there is a way to strip the old and apply a new. maybe even with colors.

Thank you for your comment 😊

A very pragmatic approach, excellent!

It worked a treat on my old Logitech LX710 keyboard from 2006 that I'm still using. The entire keyboard surround got tacky, started rubbing off here and there. Isopropyl alcohol was the only solvent that I already had, so I just tried it with pleasing results. The oil in our skin and the frequency with which we might wipe our mouth while eating and typing all leads to a break down of starchy/rubbery coatings. Salt and Vinegar flavoured crisps are great also for dissolving the coating off the areas you touch. My USB power bank had the starchy finish to it, I picked it up finger and thumb only, there is a thumb sized shiny spot now on one side....only a few seconds of contact! ..stripped!