[NTLK] Saving/Restoring/Cleaning Newton Surfaces?

[Grant Hutchinson]

> On Aug 23, 2026, at 12:11 PM, apenultimate <apenultimate at fastmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I have a few Newtons that have been in storage and whose "rubbery" surfaces have started to degrade and feel sticky

This topic pops up on the list every once in a while and I’ve been meaning to add the following suggestions to the Newton FAQ:

Isopropanol
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Andrei Chichak: “The coating is a rubberized paint that eventually looses its plasticizers and just gets goopy. It happened so often that tech companies just stopped using the coating. It comes off quite nicely with isopropanol, but you will be left with the raw base plastic.”

<http://lists.newtontalk.net/pipermail/newtontalk/2024-July/002543.html>

Washi Tape
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<https://hachyderm.io/@thomasfuchs/112374111732874630>

Mica Powder
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<https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/cleaning-up-the-basement-and-rediscovered-the-triplets.43698/>

Corn Starch
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<https://mastodon.social/@rasterweb/114048532051527780>


g.

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Grant Hutchinson
NewtonTalk List Dad & Web Custodian