OT: Fix/renew scanner rubber roller wheel

You can try "Rubber Renue" [sic] but, IME, it's usually easier to find replacement rollers than fight with jams and misfeeds/crooked feeds.

I'd try diluted chlorine bleach as a start. If it's too strong it'll make the rubber too sticky. (Drag racers do bleach burnouts to make their tires stickier just before the race.)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

I'm not sure you want it sticky, you want it like it used to be. The longtime trusted solution for this widespread problem is Fedron rubber restorer. Apply liquid with the included cloth and let it dry. "Any Machine that uses Paper Needs Fedron."

A wire brush or coarse sandpaper will do the trick

WD-40 is likely to make things much worse, rather than better.

The methods I know of, to remove the oxidized layer of the rubber and allow it to "grip" again, are things like:

- Sandpaper. Use a fine-grit (200- to 400-grit), and very light and careful pressure. Sand side-ways, evenly all the way around the roller, in order to scuff off some of the oxidized rubber and provide a bit of "tooth" to the surface.

The disadvantage to this approach is that you may remove too much of the surface, or do so unevenly, leaving the roller too small or "out of round" and unable to grip reliably.

- Rubber Renue (sold by MG Chemicals). This is the most common commercial product for the purpose, I believe.

It's a somewhat-hazardous mixture (toxic and flammable): 50-70% of xylene, 20-30% of ethylbenzene, and 15-30% of methyl salicylate ("oil of wintergreen" which gives Rubber Renue its characteristic odor).

You could probably home-brew a Rubber Renue substitute, but I doubt it would be easier or less expensive than buying a bottle. A little goes a long way - unless you're into repairing equipment as a profession, you'd probably find that one small bottle of Rubber Renue (125 ml) will last you a life-time.

No. That reduces the rubber contact area to the paper, which causes slipping. Gouging the roller introduces cracks and crevaces, which collect filth, grease, goo, and whatever, which also causes slipping. It also accelerated surface oxidation, which hardens the surface, and causes slipping.

Before attacking, rub the surface of the roller with a dry cloth (not a paper towel) to remove any accumulation of the clay coating commonly found on paper. It will appear as a white powder. If you have a UV LED flashlight, you can make it visible.

As others have suggested, there are commercial products available that do the job well. I would avoid household chemicals because most of them are solvents. That last thing you want to do is clean the roller with alcohol or stronger solvents. That removes the oils in the rubber roller that make the roller pliable and "sticky". It also eventually causes the surface to oxidize, causing the rubber to harden. The usual result from a solvent cleaning is that it works somewhat for maybe a ream of paper.

I currently mix a potion similar to Rubber Renue from MG Chem. It's about 75% xylene, 10% ethyl benzene, 15% oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate). You can probably mix your own. The problem is that the stuff is toxic if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. It also stinks horribly forcing me to do the work outdoors. If you absorb some into your fingers, and then touch some ABS plastic, it will leave your fingerprints in the plastic, even if your finger seem like they're dry. I also have a suspicion that it accelerates de-vulcanization, where the rubber roller turns into a sticky black blob of goo similar to the 1958 movie, "The Blob". (1:55) Ethyl benzene is also highly flammable.

If you don't want to mix your own, there is Fedron Rubber Restorer: I haven't tried it, mostly because I didn't like the formulation.

The instructions for use for Rubber Renue are quite sane but fails to mention that one should NOT rub it into the roller:

Automotive brake fluid. Rub on, let sit for an hour, wash off.

Hi all

Thank you for the good advices, I will give it a go :-)

Thanks

Klaus

Try scuffing them with sandpaper or Scotchbrite.