Rejuvenating Rubber

ROSE WATER & GLYCERINE, available at any drug store. It is also great for all rubber weather seals such as doors, truck and hood to cowl. It will take quite a few repeated applications depending on condition.

seat? This is a molded vulcanized rubber seat that has been sitting outside for

60+ years. I've heard Armor All, but didn't know if something like Goop handcleaner with lanolin, or something else would work better.

Carb cleaner.............yes thats right. The problem would be finding someone with a large enough bucket to dip it in. Several years ago when I was playing with motorcycles, I had a guy at a cycle salvage yard take the rubber boots from the carb to intake box. The rubber was harder than well you know, he takes the boots and submerges them in the carb cleaner bucket for ~3 minutes and they came out nice and supple. I don't have to tell you what would have happened had he left them in too long, so if you do something like this go conservative. A machine shop with a caustic vat for dipping cast iron etc might work but again you might end up with metal only. Good luck and remember real tractors are RED!! Russ

I have used Charlies soap.

accidently left a dried out rubber part that I was cleaning in theconcentrated soap. I was nice and pliable after three days. I do not know how long it took minimum.

Robert Kapteyn

My applications has always been electronics devices, turntables, VCRs, platens, printer pickup rollers, etc.

I've used Rawn Re-grip rubber revitalizer, It's apparently used by the military as well, before that I used an ether-alcohol / naphtha 70/30 mix that I picked up from an old type writer repairman.

see

for re-grip I also know that racers use ethylene glycol to soften tires, and I've heard of people using DOT-3 break fluid to soften dried rubber parts as well.

I've run into people who say to use methylated alcohol, but my experience is that alcohols alone, tend to dry rubber out.

p.d.

Lee Aanderud wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions how I can rejuvenate an old rubber tractor seat? This is a molded vulcanized rubber seat that has been sitting outside for 60+ years. I've heard Armor All, but didn't know if something like Goop handcleaner with lanolin, or something else would work better.

Lee