"Soft touch" coating

Archie
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Joined: 31 Jan 2019 15:27

"Soft touch" coating

Post by Archie » 23 Oct 2019 21:01

Popular technology for human interface devices. While new, it's very pleasant to touch - but on old (and especially, on heavily used) devices, it becomes quite nasty thing. Deteriorated and partially worn coating feels sticky and attracts dirt, so the device looks ugly. Cleaning is nearly impossible, as it bounds to the plastic really well.

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There's no chemical way to get rid of it, as the material is more resistant to the solvents than underlying plastic. The only method is a mechanical removal. To do that, complete disassembling is needed:

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Below is brief description of my method:

1. Begin with total dismantling of the device: the goal is, to separate coated parts of case from any other parts.

2. Put coated parts into hot water with dish washing detergent, and leave it for a while, adding hot water periodically.

3. Using coarse wisp, brush and washcloth, rub the surfaces until all the coating is removed. This is very time-consuming process, so patience is required.

4. Rinse the parts in water, wipe and let them dry. After that, the plastic looks really bad: to give it better look, polishing is needed.

5. Using car headlight polishing paste and chamois towels, polish outer surfaces until scratches go away.

6. Wash the parts once again, then apply silicone oil to the surfaces, and wipe everything with paper towels.

Here is how old Logitech Optical TrackMan Cordless T-RB22 looked before:

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And after described procedure:

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Restored glossy surface differs from the original design, but at least is not disgusting to put your hand onto.