Best Way To Preserve Rubber?

[moleary]

Ok - I did a search and nothing came up so here's my question:

What do you think the best way to preserve rubber might be for small rubber parts and larger items? We all know that when exposed to light and air rubber will dry out and crack (tires, dashboards, gaskets, seals, etc). I did a search on Google as well as on the site and found nothing helpful. A lot of people believe "Armor All" will help! YIKES! That's definitely not a good idea!

I've seen really old "stuff" wrapped in oiled paper that retained most of its flexibility - but would that be the best way to save and preserve our NOS parts or spares? I was thinking for small items they might do well stuffed into a coffee can filled with petroleum jelly (or??) - larger items like hatch seals and what not would be difficult to do that with.

Thoughts?

 

[davidkroberts]

all i know is keeping it out of the sun..... sun eats rubber

 

[dittle]

I treat all of my tires with UV protectant to help slow down the wear and tear on them. Plus it makes them look better in parades

 

[jesusgatos]

I've got a bunch of tires stored outside right now, and they're filling-up with rain-water. I'd like to think that water on the inside isn't any different than water on the outside, but I don't know...

 

[800summit]

WD 40 is good for rubber

 

[kc5mzd]

One thing you can do is to store the rubber parts in a dry clean place.

Water inside your tires is one of the worst things that can happen to them. They use oil to keep moisture away from the rubber.

 

[Snarky]

Water based black paint seems to do okay, I think there are even specified paints created for this purpose. I know companies doing retreads tend to put it on tires to blacken them for resale, but the UV rays don't penetrate the paint, till it wears off. UV protectant is probably your best bet though. I heard 303 UV protectant does a good job, but I've never used it.

 

[68t]

armor all will doing in tires. it will dry rot them. just keep rubber out of sun and keep dry. keep inside if possible, , inside a box with no light. park vehicle over gravels or concret if possible. the ground will doing in tires and body very fast. drive some when possible. i do not put nothing on any of my tires or rubber. just keep clean, use a cleaner and brush, then wash off with hose.

 

[WillWagner]

RuGlide from NAPA works great!

 

[cranetruck]

I'd say 68t is on the money here...

 

[Highball]

I have asked people who should know and have not received a conclusive answer. Obviously the quality of the rubber has a lot to do with it, fillers and additives to reduce cost may hinder unless put in for the opposite purpose. We have all seen 50+ year old tires that hold air and are usable.

Open air, sun and time are enemies. Oil has tendency to soften latex gloves and why you likely use nitrite for anything more than brief mechanical and oil use. This may help heavy rubber objects a limited bit, but don't bet on it.

 

[jesusgatos]

Just picked-up a few walking-foot sewing machines and am planning on making some wheel/tire covers for mah deuce. Seems like that's about the only thing that everyone agrees on (sunlight = bad).

 

[lavarok]

Just picked-up a few walking-foot sewing machines and am planning on making some wheel/tire covers for mah deuce. Seems like that's about the only thing that everyone agrees on (sunlight = bad).

Sounds like a business opportunity.

 

[m816]

I bought two extra tires for the mutt when I restored it. I figured I would want them for a 416 trailer but never kept one long enough to change tires on it. I wrapped each of them in shrink wrap and have had them stored in one of the sheds for a number of years. Did the same thing with the tubes. I look at them fom time to time and they seem to be fresh. The wrapping has discolored some so I am not sure if they are affected.

 

[Beerslayer]

OK, Moleary, Nobody mentioned it so far. 303 Protectant is the best stuff ever for protecting anything that is rubber. First time I used it was 12 years ago when I had a canoe that was made of composite. Years in the sun and it is still good. Whether it is rubber or something else that might be damaged by UV, 303 is the best choice.

It is kind of a joke around here because YoungGun puts 303 on his tires. And well he should!!! But we still give him a hard time about it.


I thought that was real funny but now I am looking through my garage for some 303.

 

[cliffyp]

I make bungee cords for a living, the kind people jump off of things with. Keeping that rubber from drying out, getting brittle and cracking is quite important. Silicone based lubricants are great. They don't deteriorate the rubber like petroleum based products can, but they do coat the rubber and repel moisture. They even help somewhat with rejuvenating rubber that has dried out some. Then just do something to keep the sun away.

 

[gunner01]

gents, I had to throw in a suggestion. Just go to your local auto parts store and buy plain ole regular ATF. rub down items and sit back and enjoy

 

[Chuck76]

I was tolld that baby powder will help protect rubber. A travel camper friend of mine passed the info to me, after trying to find something simple to save the rubber gasket on his slide out camper.

 

[quickfarms]

This is interesting

 

[Kaiserjeeps]

303 will bring back old rubber. Fisherman soaked a bunch of rubber m715 parts in 303 for months and it restored the shape and softness to like new condition. It just takes a long time to rehydrate. I am soaking three wagoneer gas fillers and wrapping them in saran wrap. They are coming back, but it is slow. Walk by and spray it every other day. They are in a 5 gallon bucket, so run off can be wiped back on with a rag. I use 303 on my Cj soft top also. It is pretty good stuff.
Wear gloves though.