I have one of those rubber sleaves that sit's under a buchner filter funnel that has gone a bit hard and doesn't let me gat a good vacuum anymore. Is
here any way to soften it? I don't know what kind of rubber it is.DrP - 2-6-2008 at 02:04
Hmm... for hard and cracked rubber steering wheel restoration they wash/scrub with a concentrated detergent solution (washing up liquid in water) to
remove old oils, file down the cracks and re-fill them with an epoxy glue. I wonder if something like that will work for you sleave. I don't know if
it will work or not but perhaps just a mild solvent wash will soften it ?? Or perhaps the scrub with detergent and mild solvent? Maybe coating it
with a flexible polymer glue will give it the 'give' and softness it needs to hold a vacuum... just guessing really - hope it works.
PS - if that doesn't work (washing out the oils could have the opposite effect) - than how about trying the opposite and massaging in some
moistorising cream or baby oil or something - you never know.
[Edited on 2-6-2008 by DrP]Dilligaf - 2-6-2008 at 09:36
This is old timey but try soaking in ammonia water. . rubbing with glycerine might work. I believe Armoral makes an otc rubber treatment. . If you
can't find something contact me offline, I work in the printing industry and we use a commercial rubber rejuvinator to soften rubber printing rolls, I
could send you a small bottle.DrP - 3-6-2008 at 00:10
Quote:
Originally posted by Dilligaf
we use a commercial rubber rejuvinator to soften rubber printing rolls, I could send you a small bottle.
Does it say what the main constituents in it are? Is there an MSDS with the info on or something?DrP - 3-6-2008 at 06:18
OK - I had a search around online regarding rubber rejuvenation just out of interest. I saw some guy on another forum suggesting that he uses brake
fluid on rubber when he runs out of the rubber re-gen stuff. I think brake fluid is a mixture of glycol ethers amongst other things, but mainly the
glycol ether. Thus I reckon that that the right solvent would soften it up if scrubbed in a bit.Dilligaf - 3-6-2008 at 16:51
The stuff is from superior solvents, according to the MSDS it is Oxybispropanolmethylether
I would be careful using brake fluid, we used to use it as a cheap tire black when I was a kid, after a while the tires started showing signs of
weather checkingMagicJigPipe - 3-6-2008 at 21:50
Almost oily substance will work. I have done this hundreds of times. Lemon oil, WD40, baby oil, mineral oil. Pretty much any lubricant also. Of
course, there are always exceptions and you should do a small test spot before covering the whole thing.janger - 4-6-2008 at 18:14
Silicone spray seems to rejuvenate and soften some types of rubber. However I onced sprayed some on my pushbike tire. Within several weeks it turned
yellowish (sulphur?) and began cracking more than the non-sprayed areas.
