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oh400ex

Restoring old rubber

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Hello again everyone!

 

We have (in a few threads) had discussions about softening and restoring rubber parts.

 

The secret ingredient is Methyl Salicylate (Wintergreen Oil)

Process as with most things is the most important bit.

 

There are several different ways that the softening can be accomplished but each with advantages and disadvantages.

The video attached to this post is excellent!

This individual tested many different methods and was able to restore rubber using several.

I think that he got very close to describing the ideal setup but without actually getting there.

 

Long and short is this...

Heating the part in water and MS is the best way.

The trick is to control heat and consistently integrate the oil.

 

Best way I have tried is with a hotplate stirrer and immersion blender. Set hotplate to a very low simmer and high stirring while the part is being treated.

The part in solution step usually takes me under an hour before it is softened enough but not too much. The immersion blender is used after adding the MS to water. 

What we are trying to do is create a temporary emulsion type of effect so the small oil droplets stay suspended in the water for longer. A TINY bit of soap makes this smoother. (dip a toothpick tiny amount)(not even a full drop) 

 

I plan on doing a full tutorial on this process in the future but wanted to share this video with anyone who was curious about the overall chemical process. He does a great job!

This is just the summary but back it up and watch the whole video if it interests you!

 

Thank you for reading!

 

 

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If you soak rubber parts in the Tractor Supply parts cleaner, it will swell WAAAAY up, and you'll have to replace it!

 

Discovered that after soaking a caliper in my parts washer over the weekend.  LOL

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15 minutes ago, jeepwm69 said:

If you soak rubber parts in the Tractor Supply parts cleaner, it will swell WAAAAY up, and you'll have to replace it!

 

Discovered that after soaking a caliper in my parts washer over the weekend.  LOL

haha..i found this out the hard way too !, anything rubber that gets wet by the parts washer, over time..will swell up !.

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