Repairing Melted Rubber...?

[loyukfai]

My mouse's rubber on the sides seems to have melted, and leaves residual whenever something comes close. Tried cleaning it but just made the problem worse.

Any idea...?

[killer]

What a mess! My first idea is chuck it in the bin. The second idea is to ask the supplier to replace it, bacause if it's only been used indoors then it was not fit for purpose. However, if you sat outside in the hot sunshine then back to idea number one.

[loyukfai]

Thanks.

It's few years old, I will try to find the invoice and see.

FYI, IIRC, I've never left it under the sun directly, for a prolonged period. But morning sun through the window, yes.

Any other ideas...? : )

Edit: Found the invoice, the 3-yr warranty just expired few months ago...

[A31]

just throw it away and get a new one. These things are not very expensive.

[loyukfai]

But it's still perfectly usable besides that, I would prefer salvaging it somehow instead of getting a new one, even if a new one is within my financial ability.

Cheers.

[craigmontHunter]

My solution would be to put duck tape/electrical tape over the melted bit and continue using it - it could just be the oils in your hand have melted the rubber (I have seen it on a few bike handgrips), or it could be a chemical (cleaning supply, bugspray, varnish...) - I doubt that there is anything you could do to stop/reverse the melting - covering it is probably your only option. If you want to get really fancy, get some glue that dries clear (or in a colour of your choosing) and coat the side with it - it should provide a solid, melt-free coating.

[killer]

@loyukfai: Your location shows as Hong Kong where, if I am correct, electronic supplies are as cheap as chips. Just buy a new one and forget patching things up.

[poshgeordie]

if I am correct, electronic supplies are as cheap as chips. Just buy a new one and forget patching things up.

Which is why our landfills are full of perfectly good stuff which is either out of date or has minor cosmetic damage, and are polluting the earth with their nasty chemicals.....

Please think of the planet before doing that.

Try seeing if Clingfilm will stick to it. You might need some adhesive to keep it in place.

[Troels]

craigmontHunter is right. Some rubber breaks down and changes color if exposed to sweat, maybe because the vulcanization process has gone wrong. If the rubber part smelled like a new carpet or those very cheap black rubber mats when it was new, i'd definitely throw it away at once and kindly let the manufacturer know of the issue. It's because the rubber is produced by people that don't have a clue on what they are doing. If you keep using it, an allergic reaction might happen sooner or later. Not as bad as the person who bought some bad flip-flops for a song in Walmart, though: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/b ... -flops.htm

I actually still have a Logitech Mouseman Optical (the first Logitech optical mouse) and the blue rubber of the side has yellowed considerably and keeps "sweating".

[loyukfai]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try applying some glue to the affected part first.

Actually I went to the store and found 2 possible options, one is gel-type and the other one is liquid-type. Thinking of the gel-type because the liquid-type would be difficult to apply to such a surface(?).

Cheers.

[loyukfai]

Finished applying some gel-type glue. Let's see if it can hold up after some weeks.

Tools used: Q-tip, rubbing alcohol, gel-type glue, masking tapes, a computer case backplate, fine-grained sandpaper.



Cheers.

[Harryc]

I totally understand how you can become attached to a mouse enough to want to fix it at all costs. I have a Logitech MX518 that I have rebuilt twice, in fact I just bought a new set of skates for it . Good luck with the repair.

[loyukfai]

If you don't hear from me again on this, it probably means the fix is for good.

Below is a photo of the dried glue, with the imperfection exaggerated due to flash (it looks black unless you shine a light on it). I have used sandpaper to grind it a little bit, but overall it's still rough, which is okay because it probably enhances the grip a little bit.

It's not pretty, but does the job.

I would like to say thanks to you guys again, you not only saved this little gadget, saved me some money, but also, albeit slightly, contributed in saving the earth in that one less garbage is made.

Cheers.

[A31]

pleased you mended it!