eyepiece rubber giving off black smudges

[Spanik]

I have a problem with the rubber around the eyepiece. It gives a lot of black smudges on the inside of the bag and after a day I look like I have been in a barfight.

Anybody an idea about a way to treat this?

 

[Steve Bellayr]

How old is the rubber eyepiece? Is it degenerating and it is time for a new one?

 

[nikon_sam]

Most likely it's shot...I could be wrong but if it's rubbing off it's deteriorating...maybe try rubbing alcohol to see if that dries it out...does it feel real spongie, oily and a bit sticky...??? Not sure there's much you can do when it gets like this...

 

[clayne]

Was it ever exposed to notable heat or high temperature? Solvents? Sounds like petroleum leaching out of the eyepiece (if it's synthetic rubber). I'd chuck it and get a new one, unfortunately.

 

[greyelm]

+1 on replacing the eyepiece. Avoid suntan lotion as this could affect the rubber.

 

[Spanik]

It isn't sticky and I have no idea how old it is. It came with the Mamiya when I bought it second-hand 3 years ago. It's a FK402 with serial CQ1295, so I guess it's from 1995.

No idea if I could get a replacement.

Avoid suntan lotion as this could affect the rubber.

Suntan lotion? In Belgium? LOL

 

[greyelm]

Suntan lotion? In Belgium? LOL

In the UK it helps the rain run off

 

[Sparrow]

In the UK it helps the rain run off

yep, it's now the wettest drought since the 1980's ...

... I belive natural rubber in the old days was a compound of latex and sulphur in a process called vulcanisation, over time the sulphur will be lost as a gas and the rubber will start to "rot" and go sticky or brittle ... iirc sunlight will speed up the process but I don't think there is any way to re-cure the stuff once it's gone off

 

[Jack Conrad]

I suggest covering it with something.
Perhaps you could cut a piece of closed cell foam off a foamie sheet
from a craft or fabric store. Elmers Tacky Glue is miraculous stuff.