When plastic/rubber gets 'sticky' - restoring it...?

[AJMD429]

.
I've had a couple rifle buttpads, a couple handheld radios, and other odds-and-ends made of plastic (hard in the radios, soft in the buttpads) get VERY sticky during storage, evidently due to some plasticizer migration or interaction with WD-40 in the air of a gun safe, or just evil demons of some sort.

I've been reading on using:

- 'just soap and water'
- vinegar
- rubbing alcohol
- acetone
- baking soda
- petroleum jelly
- baby powder

and this vague instruction...

- "Using the appropriate solvent, sandpaper, or a heat gun and following manufacturer directions"...

As I tell patients with complicated issues like "I'm tired and I can't lose weight", the fact that there are dozens of 'answers' out there means that there is NOT one answer that consistently works well, or everyone would simply use that, and there wouldn't be the other eleven. So I'm suspicious that such may be the case with 'removing sticky residue from aging plastics'...

Any folks here find a real solution...?

[LeverGunner]

I think that the only real solution is to replace the rubber.

Liquid silicone is supposed to condition rubber and keep it from breaking down, but I don't know how it does for rubber that's already began breaking down.

[GunnyMack]

Ozone is the culprit. I made the mistake of getting one of the ozone generating air purifiers and noticed lots of rubber stuff including the elastic in my underwear started breaking down.

As for a cure Doc I'd tried talcum long before acetone.

I had a Sorbathane recoil pad that just about melted from the ozone.

[spurgon]

Hi
I had a Limbsaver on a rifle that was stored for years outside of a safe. When I picked it up to clean the rifle, the recoil pad had "melted" and stuck to the floor. I researched it and found that their explaination was the the formula that was used to manufacture it was flawed. It had since been charmed.

[Ysabel Kid]

I have had this happen with even "good stuff" made in the USA (I think we all expect it with Chinese-made "stuff").

Drives me crazy when it happens to optics.

Acetone does work. Apply a little, and rub hard. Repeat until the tacky-sticky feeling is gone. It will take off markings though.

[Old No7]

I've had good results using Armor-All to protect and preserve those plastic/rubber parts and I really think it helps prolong their use.

...and noticed lots of rubber stuff including the elastic in my underwear started breaking down...

Whoa, TMI! TMI... Are you sure it wasn't the fartzone?!?!?!

Old No7

[Malamute]

I've had good results using Armor-All to protect and preserve those plastic/rubber parts and I really think it helps prolong their use.

Old No7

^^^ Beat me to it. Armor All helps reduce the grippy/sticky feeling some pachmayr grips have and that I dont like. It also seems to help with the skunky rubber smell they have at times.

Many found out it was a bad idea to use it on motorcycle seats, makes them slick.

[GunnyMack]

I've had good results using Armor-All to protect and preserve those plastic/rubber parts and I really think it helps prolong their use.

...and noticed lots of rubber stuff including the elastic in my underwear started breaking down...

Whoa, TMI! TMI... Are you sure it wasn't the fartzone?!?!?!

Old No7

I'm positive it was top end not bottom end failures!