Dried, old rubber renovation

I know there has been lots of discussion about "greasy" rubber on lenses and camera bodies. I've dealt with that, but now I have the opposite problem -- a lens with rubber rings that are not greasy enough. I'm sure you've seen it. The rubber on the focusing, zooming, etc. rings look old, dried, "chalky". They look like they need to be "oiled-up", but I have no idea what to use. Should I start with water? I really don't think that will do it. Mineral oil seems like a good possibility. Anyone have a solution that can provide a solution?

I've had some success with rubber rejuvenator-type products when restoring tape decks with hardened rubber pinch rollers and idlers. The specific GC Electronics product I used seems to be discontinued, but the basic formula seems to be some combination of solvent such as xylene + wintergreen oil. Smells yummy, but the label on the bottle contains stern warnings about avoiding vapors and direct skin contact.

If you can do so without breakage, I'd remove the rubber ring from the lens before trying it, and then, start with a small sample surface on the inside. At least one of my lens rings must have been made of some sort of rubbery plastic which started to melt (Sigma-made lens for Ritz Camera IIRC), so it was fortunate that I was cautious.

I use Techspray Rubber Rejuvinator for the dried out drive wheel on my record player, it works great. Just wipe it on. It's designed for rollers in copy machines and such, it may work for your application.

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Some of the rubber rejuvenation formulas for pinch rollers and rubber transport wheels contain some chemicals that certainly have the potential to irritate your eyes, so I would be careful of treating any eye cups with the stuff, but lens shades should be fine.

Case in point; MG Chemicals "Rubber Renue", which is what I have for my Reel to Reel and Turntable rubber treatment, has a strong Wintermint/Evergreen Oil smell that persists even after being wiped-off.

For other things, I usually spray a few applications of original formula Armor-All protectant used in car interiors and let it soak a few hours before wiping it off and buffing the rubber. Usually works and it's not obnoxious...

Thanks for the tips. I've got some Armor-All which I use for vinyl stuff -- like in the car -- and the sides of the tires -- so I'll give that a try -- on some test leatherette first. I bet that will do the trick.

I'm back to report that the Armor-All works better than I expected. Not only does it make the dried-up, chalky rubber look like new, it works great on the exterior of the lens, too -- whether plastic or painted metal. It's great for lens shades, lens caps, anything rubber, plastic or metal.

Armor-All usually comes in spray bottles, but I would advise AGAINST using the sprayer. It might get in places you don't want it to go -- and you really have to control the amount applied. A little goes a LONG way! I used an old, clean, small, cloth rag and put a TINY amount of Armor-All on it -- just a couple of drops. That's all it takes. Rub it on where you want, and immediately rub it off with a dry cloth.

Works great!!!

I'd show some BEFORE & AFTER shots, but I don't have any BEFORE -- but I'm going to go through my other gear, and I'm sure I'll run into some stuff that can benefit from an Armor-All rejuvenation.

Glad it worked out for you, Xkaes. It does work well!

Here's a sample shot of an old rubber lens shade. You can tell which side has been treated -- with just a couple of drops of Armor-All.

Not only does it make the rubber look like new, it protects it too.