Spotting scope skin is tacky

[Remington243]

The skin on my spotting scope has become tacky. I have tried different cleaners but nothing helps.
Anyone know how to cure this problem ?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

On my lucky craft fishing baits that have that coating dawn and hot water fixes the tackiness

 

[Remington243]

I have tried dish soap. Didn't work. So your saying Dawn is different ?

 

[JackT]

I had same issue because of the heat in my garage. Tried soap, and then tried alcohol with no luck. Picked up a can of WD 40 and with a lot of rubbing got the sticky stuff off. Texas heat in garage/attic will take its toll.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I have tried dish soap. Didn't work. So your saying Dawn is different ?

No but thats what i used cause thats what i had. Sorry i couldnt help more

 

[T-shooter]

A coating of Armorall like you use on a car.

 

[Falfan2017]

Mine did that too. Ended up wrapping the whole thing in tape.

 

[powderbrake]

I had the exact same thing happen to my Kowa 82mm spotting scope. I called Kowa, and they offered to strip and repaint it, BUT it had to be sent back to japan. I didn't want to give up the scope for a few months, so I removed all the paint.
I used an X-Acto knife to scrape off the paint, followed by some solvents to get the little spots which I missed, and some inside corners. The Kowa spotting scope body is made of some sort of plastic, probably carbon reinforced polycarbonate. Now my scope is black, the natural color of the plastic. ( I did not repaint it)

 

[hunter243sgk]

If you don’t care about the finish or paint I would use Acetone. I use it all of the time to clean up stuff. But do becareful what you use it on as it will eat some gaskets up and strip the finish off most things!!

 

[Mikey_P]

Have the same problem with my Celestron Regal spotting scope. I wipe down the rubberized portion of the scope with Gibbs Lube (a very lightweight lubricant). After buffing that off, I sprinkle on a coating of fine talc powder (Gold Bond medicated, in this case) and then wipe that off. Leaves the surface tack-free, at least for a few months.

Unfortunately, the only permanent solution appears to be to completely strip off the coating, as some other posters have already done.

Mike

 

[JRS]

ZEP citrus degreaser/cleaner.

 

[M-61]

A product called "303" for vinyl is the best I have found for preventing this. Works well on dash boards and seems to stop 'outgassing'.

 

[Cryhavoc]

This isn't a cure or prevention to any existing tacky coating, but my rubber coated range finder became all tacky too after sitting unused in the safe for a few years...I tried everything from naptha to WD-40...as a last ditch effort, and I know this seems harsh, but I tried lacquer thinner on a small test spot and surprisingly it removed the tacky coating so I carefully used it on the rest of the unit without any subsequent damage to any markings or the original finish underneath the coating.....just a FYI.....

 

[JaoeyP]

Maybe try rubbing alcohol if you have any.

 

[OmegaRed]

Goo gone.

 

[Remington243]

I tried Goo Gone, didn't work. Rubbing Alc, nope, Carnuba wax, hehehe, nope. Soap and water. I have and email into NcStar , see what they say.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Link]

One of my Tasco scopes came like that.

Don

 

[knewt]

this worked for me on an Acuter scope. I’m not sure what the coating it removed was supposed to do but it was bloody irritating. I think the UV rays did something to it. If you try this obviously keep it off the optics.
You don’t need much but it does need a bit of a rub.

 

[JMayo]

May not have anything to do with it but fyi on dipped oil based finishes.

Bug spray, deet, will ruin oil based finishes. If you had it on your hands then handled it that will cause the break down. Once it's bubbled it's a done deal.

 

[PracticalTactical]

I've had that happen on a variety of products. I think its just the result of cheap rubber that breaks down easily over too short a time frame. Probably some eco friendly formulation.

I cleaned mine with acetone as I felt the need to eat off some of the surface film and get down to fresh meat. Seemed to help.