"Tactical" Finish Gone Bad

[wolverine]

I bought a new Weihrauch HW 100 BP-K about 5 years ago. After being in a gun case for the last 2 years, taking it out I've found the black tactical finish to be sticky. Wiping it down with a cloth only made the lint stick to it.  In a small spot I tried dish soap, alcohol, mineral spirits, and goo gone. Nothing removed the stickiness. I'm thinking the only solution is to sand it down and repaint it.


Anyone else had to deal with this?

[Wbldon]

Had this happen on a rifle scope.  After doing some searching I found that certain gun chemicals cause the finish to soften and once this happens it will not harden back up.  On the scope it was like a rubberized coating and when you rubbed it with a cloth, just like your experience, lint got stuck to it.  I found the best thing to do was wiping it down with Acetone.  I saturated a rag so the finish remained wet when wiped.  It eventuallly all wiped off and acetone left a good clean finish to apply paint.  I found trying to sand it just left me with very little finish coming off and loaded up sandpaper...

Word of caution: Acetone is VERY flammable.  DO not use it around flames or sparks, in a Very well ventelated area (preferably outdoors).  Make sure to safely dispose of any rags the acetone was used with.  Finally acetone will eat up rubber parts such as rubber orings and gaskets, plastic stocks & parts & will damage wood stock finishs so use accordingly.

Hope this helps...
Wbldon (aka: don)

[Duckfish]

I was advised to never store a gun in a case.  Gun cases are for transportation, not storage. 
Maybe has to do with foam lining off gassing?

[tennx]

Ive bought cheap power tools with that coating….I just wrap the grip in duck tape..lol…good luck

[AKM]

I was advised to never store a gun in a case.  Gun cases are for transportation, not storage. 
Maybe has to do with foam lining off gassing?

Yep. Also after two years in a case check the bore for light rust.

[Wbldon]

actually the rifle the scope was on was never stored in a gun case BUT it was in my rather small gun safe for a couple of years when the scooe finish went soft.

don

[airgunaut]

I was advised to never store a gun in a case.  Gun cases are for transportation, not storage. 
Maybe has to do with foam lining off gassing?

Hmmm. Maybe that explains why the valve body in my 880 was corroded. I used to store it in the factory cardboard box and all was good when I replaced o-rings after 11 months. Then I installed a scope on it, which made it too big to fit that so I got a big carry bag. The bag (draws a vacuum...censored word!) and I began using it just for storing the gun. Not fully zipped, but still...The gun started leaking again, much worse, after only 6 months. I had to buy, basically, the innards to fix the problem.

I'm removing the gun NOW! Useless bag. I fixed the gun a week ago. Hope that storing it for one week in that awful bag didn't already kick off corrosion.

Let's see, what to use the bag for from now on? Tubes of rolled maps?

[wchilton]

To me this sounds like an exposure to some kind of plasticizer.  Some types of plastic are vulnerable to attack by plasticizers in other plastic materials.  Old, hard plastic tackle boxes were notoriously incompatible with plasticizer in soft plastic baits (worms).  I'd suspect something like this is going on.  Is it the stock itself or a coating you applied to the stock that became sticky?  Could be a reaction to a polymer stock, an oil you used, or something else in the storage environment.

[avator]

Not for nothing but I've stored guns in bags and cases for years and never had this problem... I know I'm not that lucky.

[wolverine]

To me this sounds like an exposure to some kind of plasticizer.  Some types of plastic are vulnerable to attack by plasticizers in other plastic materials.  Old, hard plastic tackle boxes were notoriously incompatible with plasticizer in soft plastic baits (worms).  I'd suspect something like this is going on.  Is it the stock itself or a coating you applied to the stock that became sticky?  Could be a reaction to a polymer stock, an oil you used, or something else in the storage environment.

The stock is wood with a factory applied black coating.  I've only ever wiped it down with a dry cloth after shooting.  It was stored in a hard case that used to house another rifle for years. That rifle had a wood stock and a traditional wood finish.  The case was in a closet in a spare bedroom.  No excessive  heat or cold.  I would think a $1500 gun would have a finish that would last more than a couple years.

[wchilton]

I did a little more searching and it seems that this "soft touch" rubber coating material degrades over time!

Google Search:
"weihrauch soft touch rubber coating sticky"

Forum discussion specific to Weihrauch airguns:
https://airgunforums.co.uk/threads/oh-dear-sticky-fingers.56019/

The above google search finds info on a number of suggested remedies...

HTH

[farrlarr]

As discussed in airgunforums.co.uk, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol works very well.  You will have to rub a bit and have a supply of clean cloths available but process is not dificult.

[wolverine]

As discussed in airgunforums.co.uk, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol works very well.  You will have to rub a bit and have a supply of clean cloths available but process is not dificult.

I tried alcohol. Didn't remove it. Scrubbed like heck too.  Moved on to acetone. Nothing. Tried buffing compound. That just made a mess.  I'm light sanding it and then will decide what finish to use. I may try a coating used on guitar amps/bottom ends.

[avator]

Come to think of it, I once used bed liner paint on and ugly beech stock and it got kinda gooey as time passed.

[wolverine]

Tried sanding with 220, nothing.  Switched to 100 and it's barely scratching it.  What ever they use, its tough.

[wchilton]

Sorry you are having to mess with something like this!  Thinking back, I remember this happening to me with something inexpensive (hairbrush handle) after several years.  I've also had rubber butt pads turn gooey for very old (40+ years) spring guns.  This should never happen for any product that isn't basically throw-away after a year or so.

[farrlarr]

As discussed in airgunforums.co.uk, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol works very well.  You will have to rub a bit and have a supply of clean cloths available but process is not dificult.

I tried alcohol. Didn't remove it. Scrubbed like heck too.  Moved on to acetone. Nothing. Tried buffing compound. That just made a mess.  I'm light sanding it and then will decide what finish to use. I may try a coating used on guitar amps/bottom ends.

You have twice mentioned using "alcohol" but haven't stipulated what kind of alcohol you used.  There are many different types of alcohols; only isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol seems to work in this application.  Is that what you used?

[cosmic]

Paint stripper...

[wolverine]

isopropyl alcohol, paint thinner, mineral spirits, acetone, and goo gone all applied with a 3m puffing pad to no avail.  I sanded it with 50 grit working my way up to 150.  repainted it with a krylon and it looks great.  feels great too.  we'll see how long it  lasts.   

[Back_Roads]

 Looks good ! I wonder if DEET insect repellent would of been the best choice ato strip the old finish It has melted many plastic things I have had it come in contact with