Craftsman Digital Level Finish Softening?

[lbperry]

I have a Craftsman 7-In Digital Level, model 320.48295. that I have had for probably 12-15 years. It's stored in a padded zippered pouch that it came with. It's been very handy for all kind of leveling around the house and for DIY projects.
The other day when I pulled it out to wall mount a TV the whole thing felt sticky. The closer I inspected it, the more confused I got. The body is made of some type of plastic. The entire surface has a soft film/residue on it. I can scratch it and the darkish film comes off fairly easily.
Does anyone have an idea what is going on? Is anyone on the forum familiar enough with various plastics to hazard a guess about what happening to it? Do you think trying to clean it with a solvent would do any good?
Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,

 

[lilcraigford]

I wonder if this is a case of the material breaking down. I only say that because you mentioned it is plastic. There have been several threads concerning the degradation of older cellulose acetate butyrate (thermoplastic) screwdriver handles. Take a look at this thread: Dissolving Screwdriver Handles

The OP mentions the sudden appearance of an "oily film". Explanations for the cause of this start around post #8. You didn't mention any smell though. Most people say they began to notice an unpleasant vomit-like odor before pinpointing old screwdrivers as the source. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any concrete solutions.

 

[lbperry]

Thanks for the reply lilcraigford. While there's no smell to the level, it does sound like something similar to what's happening to the screwdrivers the guys in the other thread mention. I agree that it's basically degradation of the plastic. While there's very likely no fix for the situation I think I'll clean the whole thing with a solvent and see what effect that has on it. At this point it's just a matter of testing different fixes and seeing if any of them work.
Thanks for the reply,