So I have a couple rubber finished tamas that are a couple years old, and they've developed a residue and are grossly sticky. Sort of how sometimes plastic (e.g. toys or figurines) gets sticky over time. I'm sure this has happened to other people as well who have been playing for awhile. So what do you do with these tamas? Is there some fix? Or should I just sand off the paint? (and if so how?) It seems a shame to throw away a tama.
I would take a rag with some rubbing alcohol on it and see if it can cut into the residue and reestablish that coat.
We had a batch of KUSA Silk a couple of years ago with that problem. Several of the guys just played the finish off but on similar sticky items I've used acetone. Soft-touch paints on everything from ball point pens to computer peripherals tend to break down over time. I usually test a small part of the item then use paper towels and real acetone (not the acetone free nail polish remover) to remove the stickiness. Some finishes respond to "Goo Gone" but that usually isn't as effective though it is safer for the undercoat than acetone which can "smoke" or "cloud" some plastics and finishes. One thing to note is if you remove the sticky part you'll likely be left with a standard glossy paint. For things that are just coated with the rubber finish like the KUSA Silk it's pretty easy, though messy, to get back to a non-sticky finish. On degraded rubber you'll likely need to peel or sand it off. Here are a couple of shots from one of the KUSA's that degraded. You could press a finger into it it was so soft.
Thanks! I'll try the acetone. Do you have any tips for the peeling or sanding? One of the worst ones is a KUSA silk. It's also interesting to note, that this happened to the ones I haven't played as much which matches up with your experience that the stickiness can be played off.
Peeling is for really rubber coated not just sticky paint or top coats. You'll notice that it will get cut and then flake or lift up and you can just peel it off in strips. There will usually be some kind of primer underneath that you can sand or just repaint over. We had some KUSA Silks that were new in a box and when they were taken out they were like the photos above. As for sanding I really use that as a last option. On tamas that have been pretty beat and I just want to remove what little paint is left I start with really coarse sandpaper but use it lightly. Once the paint is gone I touch it up with finer grain sandpaper if there are rough spots. Main thing is try to take off as little material as you can, don't rush it.