I have a MIDI controller keyboard that I have cleaned in the past with disinfectant alcohol wipes, which I know is a bad idea because it degrades the rubber over time.

Well, the rubber on the pitch bend and modulation wheels has indeed degraded, and the surfaces texture is awful, uneven and sticky now. My fault... I know.

So does anyone know of any way to fix, or even improve, this kind of nasty rubber surface degradation once it occurs? Sanding? Applying oils? Is there any way I can even slightly restore these controls back to their original soft-touch rubbery glory?

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[–] 7 points 4 hours ago (1 child)

Last time I looked into this the answer was no - it’s a permanent chemical change you can’t heal or stop or cover.

The best thing I’ve found was to keep using alcohol wipes to scrape away the gooey top surface every once in a while. ☹️

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  • [–] 7 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

    The best thing I’ve found was to keep using alcohol wipes to scrape away the gooey top surface every once in a while.

    This reminds me of my body's strategy of eating as much and as many foods as it can until my stomach feels better.

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