what is the name of that cheap plastic which slowly degrades and turns into sludge?

[shortylickens]

I only ask because a while back I purchased a knife with that soft plastic/hard rubber on the handle. Just recently I pulled it out and noticed it was gummy and practically melting.
I've also had third party Playstation controllers made of the same material. They too turned to goop after a few years.

 

[YuliApp]

or BMW interrior / buttons and such

 

[TheELF]

It's not any specific type of plastic, rather it's the plastic softener/plasticizer that melts over time.
For the makers often the feel of the plastic when new is more important then how long it will last.

 

[YuliApp]

yea my mouse from Microsoft melted in like 6 months. wtf

 

[mindless1]

TPE, thermoplastic elastomers. There are some different formulations, with the softer types tending to break down more. In some cases like buttons/keypads, they may be silicone rubber.

You can usually clean the goop off the surface with abrasion and strong, hot, detergent solution, but it is still breaking down, and if there are key markings (alphanumeric) printed on the surface, those may abrade away so sometimes less cleaning is better than trying to get a like new, clean surface.

Fortunately the TPE is usually an overmolding rather than structural member of the device so once you clean it, the device is still usable.

Just wait until society decides that everything plastic or rubber has to rapidly break down to be good for the environment, or that it is cellulose based instead towards same end. I don't mean to start an environmental argument as there are both sides to that, waste in mining/manufacturing and cost to build new, versus repair old in what is already a disposable product oriented society. It's just unfortunate for those of us who don't want to keep replacing products just to get the same job done rather than replacement being a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[shortylickens]

TPE, thermoplastic elastomers. There are some different formulations, with the softer types tending to break down more. In some cases like buttons/keypads, they may be silicone rubber.

You can usually clean the goop off the surface with abrasion and strong, hot, detergent solution, but it is still breaking down.

Fortunately the TPE is usually an overmolding rather than structural member of the device so once you clean it, the device is still usable.

Just wait until society decides that everything plastic or rubber has to rapidly break down to be good for the environment, or that it is cellulose based instead towards same end. I don't mean to start an environmental argument as there are both sides to that, waste in mining/manufacturing and cost to build new, versus repair old in what is already a disposable product oriented society. It's just unfortunate for those of us who don't want to keep replacing products just to get the same job done rather than replacement being a worthwhile upgrade.

They already make shopping bags out of biodegradable plastic, but it will be amusing when everything goes in that direction.

 

[mindless1]

Shopping bags... now so thin, clerks want to double bag so everything doesn't fall out the bottom. This is at convenience stores or even grocery during this covid era, because stores don't want me bringing my own cloth bags.

 

[BoomerD]

Chinesium.

 

[YuliApp]

i think it would be way better if we made plastic which is indestructible but learned how to recycle it properly, for example build roads and infrastructure out of it.
And definitely forbid this kind of nonsense like bananas or melons packed in plastic.
In germany you can even buy peeled orange wrapped in plastic. this kind of crap should be forbidden or at least prohibitely expensive.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I had a new in box car buffer that I got for Christmas years ago. I just never used it...but kept it. I finally had a project where I wanted to put a sanding pad on it to remove paint. I pulled it out of the box and it was a sticky, goopy, gray mess. My fingers were coated in that stuff just by touching it. I used alcohol to clean my hands and then threw it away.

I have a cheap Saitek joystick that suffered a similar fate from 15 years ago....I got it out of storage back in the Summer and cleaned it thoroughly with 90% alcohol. Most of the goop came off and it had good plastic underneath. It wasn't colored like the gray plastic was, so it cleaned up easier and wasn't as nasty.

I'm all about metal, leather, and wood. Plastic sucks.

 

[YuliApp]

This microsoft mouse is wrapped in Chinesium. I was so sad because the first days it felt like most amazing thing in the world.
In about a month it started to be sticky (and i do not have sweaty palms).

can't imagine how this went through any kind of QC. Has quite good reviews on amazon too. No idea how. Probably same as me, rated first week after purchase and then never bothered.

When the Chinesium is gone (cleaned with petrol), then it has some sharp edges sadly so the mouse is complete loss.