Yeah, that first time you actually need them is a wake up call. I helped a buddy clear some storm damaged trees off his property once and had to borrow a set. My legs were shaking so bad from the strain after twenty minutes I had to come down. That Tacoma job must have been rough.

Feels like this happens with every single "space-saving" kitchen gadget. I bought a collapsible silicone steamer basket that permanently smells like fish now. The marketing for these things is always perfect, but the actual product is just cheap metal that warps under heat.

Wait, but what if the grease is a feature, @the_rowan?

Wait, was Frank the guy who stopped you?

I had a Contax IIA with that same sticky mess last year. I used to just clean off the gunk and stick the old leather back down. After reading a conservator's blog post about acid migration, I started doing full strip-downs too. The old glue really does become corrosive over decades.