Stop using spray-on rubberised finish

[dave_electric]

Spacemouse TPU 3D printed sleeve.jpg (73.12 KiB) Viewed 22153 times

Here's a picture of the 3D-printed one I've made...

[xmen]

This is a spot on topic. Please stop using this material.

[Ravenna]

So I recently ran across this problem when I pulled out my barely used Space Mouse Pro from 2013. It was okay until about 2018. Than I boxed it up and stored it in a safe temperature stable location until this year. When I pulled it off the shelf I saw that during the period of storage it had contracted this condition. And it's kinda funny cause I had a cheap dress from hot topic one time that did this same thing and it was about the same material. The fact that they are still using a faulty material after 11 years is insane. It's not a hard fix, I have plenty of retro tech from Atari's to Logitech g500 mice that despite their age continue to not melt on me in the same environment. This without a doubt needs to be addressed. I contacted support about the issue and was offered a discount on a new device. Which is nice considering how out of warranty I am. But I do have to ask myself why would I buy a new device if the problem continues to exist? I might as well strip it down as others have and continue using it.

[NickRno77]

Hello everyone,

I bought a brand new, sealed-in-box, 3D SpaceMouse Pro. Upon breaking the seal (and to my horror), I realized the 3D SpaceMouse Pro was rubber-coated and it was disgustingly sticky!

Sticky, sticky, sticky!!!
I was horrified!!
Bad_SpaceMouse.JPG

The excitement that was building up in me turned into anger, especially considering how expensive this device is. What kind of Product Designer would even think of spraying a tacky and rubbery coating on their mouse!? Trying to clean the sticky surface with a damp cloth just makes it worse, as the lint and fibers from the cloth just sticks to the SpaceMouse!!

After stepping away for a few minutes to calm down, I quickly got to work to save the SpaceMouse.

THIS IS MY TUTORIAL TO "SAVE" YOUR 3D SPACEMOUSE PRO!!

Shopping Guide:
Tamiya Fine Compound
Tamiya Finishing Compound
95% Isopropyl Alcohol
Disposable Microfiber Cloth
Polishing Cloth
Q-Tips
Chemical Respirator
Apron
Safety Gloves
Safety Glasses
2 Towels

Supplies.JPG

CAUTION:
Isopropyl Alcohol is dangerous to your skin and eyes. The vapors from this chemical is also dangerous. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes against chemical splashing. Put on an apron to protect your clothes. Wear a respirator to protect against dangerous vapors. Wear safety gloves. Work in a well ventilated space. Be careful not to spill the Isopropyl Alcohol! If your skin contacts the Isopropyl Alcohol, wash it with warm water and soap.

1) Lay 2 layers of towels over your work area in case of accidental spillage of chemicals.

2) Put on your safety equipment.

3) Dampen the microfiber cloth with Isopropyl Alcohol and begin wiping the rubber-coated areas of the SpaceMouse. When your cloth gets dry, dampen it again with Isopropyl Alcohol and keep wiping. As you wipe, notice the cloth begins to darken as the rubber coating starts coming off. This process of removing the rubber coating from the SpaceMouse takes time, so be patient and keep rubbing until you get a nice smooth surface.

4) Dampen the head of a Q-Tip and stick it under the knob of the SpaceMouse to wipe the surface below it. The Q-Tip will turn black as the rubber coating begins to come off. When the Q-Tip gets blackened, throw it away and use a new one. Repeat this process until it's nice and clean.

5) When you have removed the rubber coating from the entire SpaceMouse to your satisfaction, apply a little Tamiya Fine Compound to the polishing cloth and begin polishing your SpaceMouse until it starts to shine.

6) After you have thoroughly polished the SpaceMouse, apply the Tamiya Finishing Compound to the polishing cloth and polish the surface of the SpaceMouse until you get a mirror finish. Keep polishing until you are satisfied with the result.

Clean-1.jpg

That's it!
You have saved your SpaceMouse Pro, and it should look and feel better than before!!
Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!!

Yeh that’s horrible, I had same problem on a second hand space mouse I purchased. Started cleaning it because it looked grubby then went sticky. I used a combination of alcohol and WD40 to remove the unnecessary rubber coating.

I’m looking at buying a Spacemouse Enterprise, anyone know if you get the same issues?

[rainyGardener]

I just dug out my SpaceMouse to try and get it working with Build Mode in the Sims 4 and also found mine to be very sticky. I ended up taking off the sticky finish with alcohol wipes. The plastic underneath is more matte than the rest of the plastic, but it feels and works perfectly fine. I just wish it had come this way originally!

[vividvulture]

For anyone interested, I can confirm that the new BT edition spacemouse pro does not use the old soft touch finish but rather a matte harder finish. I am currently working with 3DC support as my first sticky spacemouse is still under warranty and they confirmed that the new revision has a different finish and should not have the same breakdown issues with the coating. I upgraded mostly so I wouldn't have to travel with the dongle and an adapter for my macbook and USB-C, but this is definitely a welcome extra benefit. I also like that the BT can wake my laptop from sleep when docked at my workstation.

No kidding really? I thought they were going to stick with this since they've gotten this feedback for a decade now and its such a problem that 3D printed replacements are common on etsy and ebay (nearly 100 watches on this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/256015320350). They actually used to make a hard plastic one in the same form factor as the space navigator back in the early 2000's (https://spacemice.org/index.php?title=SpaceTraveler). I wish they sold replacement parts or else it wouldn't be so much of an issue.

Personally I didn't want the aesthetics of a 3D print with screws on the top and don't really like the feel of TPE filament so I went another direction. My replacement knob was printed in ABS and then I brushed on several layers of platinum curing 30A silicone. You need a couple layers for it to be thick enough to stand up abrasion but the shape of the knob holds the silicone shell on very well. It looks professional and is grabby, though it does have more of a tendency to attract dust but will never chemically degrade like the soft touch coating. You only need a bit for this but but due to the price it probably only makes sense if you have it on hand already. Plastidip would be another option though I assume you might have some degradation after a long period.

[orberto]

You guys have me wanting to preemptively strip mine. It even happens to other devices in Phoenix, so I'm fully expecting it. They ought to just put extra textures on the base plastic mold instead.

One of the posts mentioned using acetone. That seems excessive for plastic??? I intend to dip whatever in kerosene. It's basically WD-40 without the extra lubey ingredients. Then drop it in the tumbler at work. I wish we had a pressure control on our sandblaster, because that would be a much better finish, but we don't. And that monster would probably start cutting into the plastic waaayyy too quickly.