What's the best way to care for grommets?

[GAJoe]

Okay, so no one knew where to get replacement Elevator Action type thin shaft grommets, that's alright.  Comparing it to a diagram at http://www.pac-man.com/images/grommet2.jpg it appears that it's a Pac-Man grommet in there anyway.  The shaft fits a little loose, so I'm thinking that was a later replacement.  Some tightly wrapped tape should suffice to fix that

Anyway, the point of this topic is to see if anyone has any tips on caring for the rubber grommets in my Wicos.  One of them is fairly rusty and the rubber is starting to wear off.  The rust I can deal with, but I'm not sure what to do to arrest the rubber wearing out.  I've read about applying everything from lotion to gasoline to rubbing alcohol to brake fluid.  Anyone with long term Wico experience familiar with how to maintain these?  Sure, I can buy a replacement grommet for 10 bucks, but if I can keep these working I'd prefer that.  They're already broken in, you know.

[Singapura]

Give them a Wallace!

[GAJoe]

Give them a Wallace!

Waah-waah.   

Doesn't Gromit really take care of Wallace, though?  It hardly even applies.

[Singapura]

Doesn't Gromit really take care of Wallace, though?  It hardly even applies.

Sorry, I always think of that when I see the word. 

[Minwah]

I don't know much about this, but personally the only thing I would use is plastic/rubber friendly grease.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I've always used silicone spray on them.
It lubes the metal parts, but isn't harsh on the rubber parts like some oils/solvents.

[shardian]

Once the rubber starts breaking down there isn't much you can do. The good news is that if they are still working good, then under light home use they will last for quite a while.

Personally, it is worth every penny to go ahead and replace them. I got lucky and bought some @ $5 before Ponyboy liquidated his stock.

[Ken Layton]

There are chemical cleaner/rejuvenator solutions that work well.

At MCM Electronics (www.mcmelectronics.com) they have stock # 20-230 Rawn brand Rubber Cleaner for just $4.99

That little bottle goes a long way and it restores elasticity to the rubber too.

[shardian]

If the rubber is at the point it is starting to separate, I doubt any rejuvenator will help it. If it just has general thin cracking marks, then you might have a chance.

When I replaced mine, the grommets were broken apart about half the way around. You can't fix that kind of damage.

[GAJoe]

If the rubber is at the point it is starting to separate, I doubt any rejuvenator will help it. If it just has general thin cracking marks, then you might have a chance.

When I replaced mine, the grommets were broken apart about half the way around. You can't fix that kind of damage.

Fortunately, it's not cracked or broken.  It's more like the rubber is flaking or wearing down, sort of like what you'd see on a car belt after it's been used for awhile.  There's a powdery layer of worn rubber on the grommet and in the housing.

I believe I'll give the Rawn Rubber Cleaner a try as Ken suggested.  I've got four grommets to maintain, so it seems like a cost effective way to start out.

Thanks for all the responses.  I love this community.

[SavannahLion]

There are chemical cleaner/rejuvenator solutions that work well.

At MCM Electronics (www.mcmelectronics.com) they have stock # 20-230 Rawn brand Rubber Cleaner for just $4.99

Care should be taken when using that. One of the archival facilities I worked with attempted to use that product on the rubber rollers on one of the reel to reel machines. Some of the rollers turned to sticky goo. From near as anybody can figure, it's either a formulation issue when the rubber was originally made and the rejuvenator reacted with it or it's the difference between petroleum based rubber and natural base rubber. In the end, the facility ended up paying $40 per roller for new replacements.

If the rubber is already on its way out, spending $4.99 for the bottle is worth a shot. Just don't be suprised at the results.