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What solvents do we like?

In no particular order:

Ammonia Dilute Lye or spray lye-based oven cleaner (best grease, skunge & paint remover bar-none for those surfaces that can accept it and may be cleaned with water afterwards).

91%+ Isopropyl Alcohol Acetone Petroleum Naptha (standard paint-thinner) Methylene Chloride - outdoors in a breeze only MEK where lye cannot be used - as above. Olive Oil (try it on gummed areas, just once if you are surprised. Almost any cooking oil will do something, but Olive Oil has a high percentage of Oleic Acid in it). Methyl salicylate (synthetic oil-of-wintergreen) for non-residue penetrating-oil applications if you can stand the smell. Penetrating oil. WD-40 (actually light-fraction kerosene). Stove Alcohol (methyl alcohol) - not good on many plastics so be careful.

About covers it. Due cautions for HTA explosive potentials are to be noted.

Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA Kutztown Space 338

Reply to
pfjw
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I just bought a bottle of Rubber Renue. I haven't tried it yet though. If I find any wear on rubber parts, I like to replace them. I really have never found a chemical that can rejuvenate a belt or an idler for any length of time.

--
David Farber
David Farber's Service Center
L.A., CA
Reply to
David Farber

Nothing truly renews degraded rubber, which is due to chemicals like ozone reacting with the polymer, due to the shortening of the polymer chains with age and other factors. Now you can coat a rubber thing with stuff, and the stuff will change the surface characteristic slighty and for a while, but you haven't done a thing to the bulk properties.

I used to put a thin coat of gel toothpaste on tired rubber rollers for dot matrix printers and fax machines, back in the day. Worked well, if briefly.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

Dont overlook Westleys tire cleaner . It was made to clean rubber and it does . It wont bring back hard rubber but it sure cleans it .Best if washed & rinsed instead of wipped . I have made several yucky rubber turntable mat , covers look new again .

Reply to
Ken G.

MG Chemicals? Have some sitting right here. Not bad for removing the outer oxide and "gripping up" the surface a bit. As you say, replacement is always better, but this isn't too bad for a quick spiff job.

--
          If you really believe carbon dioxide causes global warming,
                          you should stop exhaling.
Reply to
clifto

I used it on the rollers of an older printer when they would no longer grab the paper. It worked like a champ. I've restored a few printers with it. Haven't tried it on anything else.

Al

Reply to
Al

Still, cleaning rubber parts is sometimes useful. I'll often clean an otherwise good idler just for good measure.

Mark Z.

Reply to
Mark D. Zacharias

Had to do the rubber rollers and odds and ends on my H-P FAX700 today with it.

--
          If you really believe carbon dioxide causes global warming,
                          you should stop exhaling.
Reply to
clifto

Yeah,

I hadn't even thought about that - cleaning platens etc on printers. No way is replacement economical on most PC type printers these days.

Mark Z.

Reply to
Mark D. Zacharias

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