"Oil" leaking out of PS2 controllers?

[Aussie2B]

Has anybody had an issue like this with official Sony Dual Shock 2 controllers? I have two controllers, both acquired new with their systems, and after a year or so of owning the first, some oily residue would come out of the base of the right analog stick when played, and it continued to do that for a very long time (it might still do it for all I know, but we rarely use that one now). I have another that I got with my slim silver PS2, which I opened up a month or so ago to clean. It appeared fine then, but now it's producing a slight bit of the "oil" from its right stick as well (it wiped away as black, but that could be the plastic of the stick wearing down and mixing with it for all I know). I don't believe it's related to the cleaning since everything went well with that and I never even opened my first controller. It doesn't seem to affect functionality, but it is strange and annoying. Is this some kind of lubrication breaking down or what? Mainly I'm just curious if anyone else has encountered this.

On a semi-related note, I found a lot of small black hairs inside the silver controller when I opened it, I assume from the guy that assembled it in China. I thought the original PlayStation's Dual Shock was pretty shoddy, but these are even worse.

[james42519]

i had this happen too and i have no idea what is wrong. i just kept cleaning it. here is the post i made on it.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134086

i seen a ps2 controller in plastic bag at a used game store that was doing that said mine was doing that too and asked what could it be and said didn't know and acted like could care less about what i was saying. i took mine apart and cleaned them in water and stuff too and let them dry and put back together. i used alcohol too to clean them and seems like ti is doing it less now then it used too. usually did it when it sat for like a week or something.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

On a semi-related note, I found a lot of small black hairs inside the silver controller when I opened it, I assume from the guy that assembled it in China. I thought the original PlayStation's Dual Shock was pretty shoddy, but these are even worse.

Kaz Hirai's secret pubic hair stash!

[Aussie2B]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with this issue. I can at least confirm that it's not any particular run of the controllers. My original controller is from a Japanese fat PS2 from 2003, while my other is a slim US PS2 from a few years past that, so they can't get much more separated than that. Perhaps it could be an environmental factor contributing to it. I don't think it's care since I believe I take good care of my stuff and I trust other DP members do too. I don't think it's even amount of use either since my silver controller really hasn't seen that much use. It could involve age, though, since even my silver is a few years old now. My black one didn't do it right from the beginning either. I don't think it could be hand oil/sweat. I'm a woman and would like to think my hands don't get terribly oily or sweaty when I play (and if they did feel gross, I would wipe them, not keep playing). And I try to train my boyfriend to not handle our controllers with dirty hands. :P Besides, it's way too perfectly oily and artificial appearing to seem like something produced by the body.

[SeberHusky]

That oil is likely the chemical breakdown of the rubber on the analog stick. I am not a scientist, but after usually 10 years that rubber starts becoming oily and greasy, and then left long enough, it will become putty.

I collect cell phones, and every phone from 2005 and prior has done this. The T-Mobile SideKick II's and the SideKick iD are the worst. Audiovox phones, the rubber turns to putty.

How do you fix this? You don't. There is no way to fix it. It is the rubber breaking down from age, planned obsolescence. What you can do to stop it though, is foot powder! Dump a generous amount of foot powder all over the rubber and then rub it in. Wipe the excess off and there you go. The powder bonds to the rubber and takes away the oiliness. How this will do with sweaty hands for hours, I do not know. Worth a shot though.

[RP2A03]

I have a GameCube controller that does that too. I have found that smothering the rubber in silicone grease seems to slow the degradation down.

[nildem]

Are you talking about this?

8125

I've been told that it's caused by the rubber reacting to a specific chemical used in several household cleaners, hand soaps and sanitizers. Supposedly that type of rubber was also widely used in toys during the 60's and 70's, and it's become an issue among those collecting communities as well.

I've been giving my DS3 sticks a periodic scrubbing with warm water and a paper towel. Seems to solve the issue for me. Probably not the ideal solution for those who play daily, though.

[CRTGAMER]

Are you talking about this?

8125

I've been told that it's caused by the rubber reacting to a specific chemical used in several household cleaners, hand soaps and sanitizers. Supposedly that type of rubber was also widely used in toys during the 60's and 70's, and it's become an issue among those collecting communities as well.

I've been giving my DS3 sticks a periodic scrubbing with warm water and a paper towel. Seems to solve the issue for me. Probably not the ideal solution for those who play daily, though.

I had a couple of controllers do that just from sitting on the shelf, the gummy crap all over the plastic housing.


Game Controller storage Guide - http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=625519#p625519



http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/210153-do-certain-plastic-react-w-each-other-controller-cord-melted-on-psx-case/

While I was digging out my PSX stuff to play games, I found the controller extension (some 3rd party brand) had fused into the case for Final Fantasy IX game. I was able to separate it and the cord looked OK but the plastic around the melted indention on the case feels very soft, almost rubbery. The indention goes almost completely through the case.

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/download/file.php?id=7989

Was it due to weird chemical reaction from 2 different plastics or something? The case and the cord both looks clean otherwise and no funny smell. I don't store chemical in my room where the game stuff were stored, the strongest stuff is probably a glue stick or rubbing alcohol.My guess here is the extension cord had some out-gassing of softeners (used to keep the cord pliable) that reacted with the case, instead of the plastics themselves actually reacting together.

Wiki Outgassing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OutgassingThis makes sense. I had some controllers such as the Game Elements pictured at the very top that would get a sticky coating buildup just sitting on the shelf which I suspected was from the controller plastic reaction itself. After a very difficult cleaning with Alcohol, LiftOff and even Ajax, I finally managed to scrub the controller shell free of the gunk. The stickiness has not returned, maybe the same effect described in Wiki; the new car smell of the plastic reaction settling down.

[RP2A03]

I'm pretty sure this is just the normal deterioration of rubber here. If you ever open an old tape deck, VCR, belt driven turntable, etc; you stand a good chance of finding that at least one of the belts has turned into a black, sticky substance. Silicone grease (not the spray stuff) is your friend.