Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Has anyone used or tried any of the old rubber restoratiion chemicals. I would like to try some, if anyone has. I would think the longer you let it soak, the softer it might get. Any ideas.

There has been some testing of White Shepherd "Hydraulic Stop Leak", which does soften and swell rubber.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

Rogersol 184 rubber rejuvenator (used on printing equipment such as rollers and blankets). This stuff works well, but be sure to experiment first. It's expensive, but if you know someone in the printing business they might give you a wee bit rather than having to buy a whole gallon.

http://www.graphicartssupply.com/store/ ... 25992478f3

I depends on your goal... The White Shepherd stuff is a rubber plasticizer, which slowly softens and swells rubber. The stuff Zambia recommended, if it's the stuff I've used, quickly dissolves the hard glaze on things like rubber drive rollers so they don't slip. (is that right, Z?)

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

The Rogersol product includes a deglazing agent, but the primary function is to soften the rubber and remove oxidation it also reintroduces plasticizers and such like. I used it on my S3 air inlet pipes which were harder than a donkey's plonker when I started, and nearly as good as new when finished. You do have to use some caution: if you put a part in a baggie with that stuff and leave it for a couple of days, you will come back to a bag of tar.

Jim, we have a separate product for dissolving glaze (which in our shop is made up of dried ink)-- works in seconds!

Please be extremely careful of these rubber softening products on tires for anything. Remember that our tires are subject to both acceleration and breaking torques, and, centrifugal force. If a tire rubber compound has degraded to get harder, it just might not be what we want to ride around on, as it just might come apart from the stress.

Be careful, not sorry.

A lot of old Kawasaki rubber components are pretty good quality. Just spray liberally with any cheap silicone spray, and store in a snap-lock plastic bag till required. Been months/years for some of my stuff. Common sense would dictate (hopefully) it is not for Tires!!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Thanks for all of the replies. To keep everything on the cheap while doing this restoration, I am gonna try RODH2 & Jim advise. Between the two I should get some decent result. Thanks again.

Please don't take my post as advice. The White Shepherd "Hydraulic Stop Leak" is an experiment. One KTW member had luck soaking his crank seals in it, and reported they were still sealing many months later. Another tried the same thing and the seals swelled so much they were ruined. I was going to try mixing it with my engine oil, but found it would not stay mixed, and settled to the bottom of the test tube I tried it in. But it really is one of the common plasticisers used in the rubber/plastics industry, so with care, it may restore parts like intake boots to some extent.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

I'm with rod I put inlet mainfolds , air filter rubbers etc in snap lock bags with heaps of silicone spray and it works a treat good way to store stuff too for later when you restore your bike in the retirement home in your 80s