RESTORING VINYL

[ratrodz]

Anyone have a good chemical to restore some flexibility to old vinyl? Armoral doesn’t help. Lexol is for leather. ???????

Bob Huff

[RICHARD A. WHITE]

Is this for the lower wIndshield seal??

http://www.richardsoutboardtools.com
classicomctools@gmail.com

[nj-boatbuilder57]

What a timely question!

I asked the exact same thing of a friend of mine. He’s a research chemist at Exxon and does R&D on vinyl, plastics, plasticizers, etc.

Still waiting to hear back, but I’ll certainly share what he offers…

[auldscott]

I’ll be happy to hear that it’s possible to restore old vinyl’s flexibility. My work-around for stiff old vinyl parts such as cowl gaskets has been to warm the part with a hair dryer and get it soft enough to be able to remove it or get it back in place. Ironically, permanent plasticizers for vinyl are available, but they cost more so are not routinely used.

[nj-boatbuilder57]

My buddy didn’t have much to offer. Designing new plastics that last….that’s where the research is. Restoring old plastics…not so much. Once the plasticizers break down, he says there’s not much that can be done. Warming helps, and sometimes mink oil helps. But, he said that for the most part when old plastics go bad, there’s no real solution or any sort of "chemical restoration".

Not what I wanted to hear him say, but he’s a damn fine organic chemist, so I tend to believe what he tells me.

[bullie]

I don’t know that I would recognize a bad organic chemist.

[PugetSoundBoater]

quote Bullie:

I don’t know that I would recognize a bad organic chemist.

😀

"Some people want to know how a watch works, others just want to know what time it is"
Robbie Robertson

[crosbyman]

quote ratrodz:

Anyone have a good chemical to restore some flexibility to old vinyl? Armoral doesn’t help. Lexol is for leather. ???????

Bob Huff

try the folks at FIBERGLASSICS…

they may have solutions or fixes to bad vinyls. At one time when I owned my Crosby..Cruisette (small 16′ cruiser e/w 2 bunks, sink, head )

years ago they had a link to a manuf. who could reproduce stuff… like windshield contour vinyls moldings

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[The Boat House]

Vinyl is a popular material used in cars starting in mid 50s.
Search for vinyl conditioner restorer. Several options.
Don’t know how effective any one will be.
I’d probably go with the mink oil but I think
they are more to keep it from deterateing than
bringing it back.
[/color]

[RICHARD A. WHITE]

I have access to the windshield seal, the one that keeps the plex off the deck, it is white.
I have about 60 foot or so, Also have the deck angles listed on the TaylorMaine website they say are unavailable… I have many of those as well…

http://www.richardsoutboardtools.com
classicomctools@gmail.com

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