refurbishing roller rubber

[Wayne]

Looking at places that recover rubber typewriter platens, I wondered hey, could they refurb all those old warped and swelled useless processor rollers that are laying around people's attics and basements, including mine, and are impossible to replace these days? And I discovered the answer might just be yes. Maybe my ICP-42 will live again someday?

https://www.jjshort.com/Hard-To-Find-and-Obsolete-Rollers.php

At J.J. Short Associates, Inc. we have been serving the hard-to-find and obsolete niche, as it relates to rubber parts, components and rubber covered rollers since 1977. Rubber has many, excellent qualities, but one bad feature is it deteriorates over time; it hates most cleaning agents and solvents and if stored improperly will crack, become brittle and break in pieces. So bring on your parts and rollers for:

• >>>>>>>Photo Developers I presume this is a quaint way to say photo processors

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

If the roller is just glazed and isn't getting traction you can try any of the rejuvenator products on the market. Amazon has a selection.

 

[Auer]

You could ask this guy, he might know something:
https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/tape_rec_wheels_pres_rollers.asp

 

[Wayne]

If the roller is just glazed and isn't getting traction you can try any of the rejuvenator products on the market. Amazon has a selection.

The problem with rollers is usually swelling and warpage, and no chemical fixes that. I hear most of the chemical rejuvenators are temporary fixes anyway, though I haven't tried them.

 

[Wayne]

You could ask this guy, he might know something:
https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/tape_rec_wheels_pres_rollers.asp

My processor lacks a tape deck.

 

[AgX]

There are firms that offer all kinds of roller refurbishng with different elastic materials, typically for the industry. There even was a firm that was specialized in processor rollers.

However that is not cheap, thus obtaining another used processor might be the better option, unless degrading of rollers is typical for a device. If the roller to roller distance is adjustable and and only the surface has degraded, even refurbishing oneself might be an option.

 

[fdonadio]

Maybe my ICP-42 will live again someday?

I assume you’re going to ask them for a quote. If you do, would you mind sharing the cost per roller?

Coincidentally, I have just sent a message to a guy here in Brazil that offers this service, but he’s sick (COVID) and will be under quarantine for the next couple of weeks. I have absolutely no idea how much a work like this would cost.

 

[Wayne]

I assume you’re going to ask them for a quote. If you do, would you mind sharing the cost per roller?

Coincidentally, I have just sent a message to a guy here in Brazil that offers this service, but he’s sick (COVID) and will be under quarantine for the next couple of weeks. I have absolutely no idea how much a work like this would cost.

I don't have any immediate plans to request a quote because getting my processor up and running again would be a chore. However based on their prices for typewriter platens I expect it would run up to $150 or so (less for narrower processors), because a platen is $70 to $100 and they are shorter.

 

[fdonadio]

I don't have any immediate plans to request a quote because getting my processor up and running again would be a chore. However based on their prices for typewriter platens I expect it would run up to $150 or so (less for narrower processors), because a platen is $70 to $100 and they are shorter.

Wow! That’s pretty steep. I hope I don’t have to spend that much to put my ACP-505 back into perfect working conditions.

 

[Wayne]

Wow! That’s pretty steep. I hope I don’t have to spend that much to put my ACP-505 back into perfect working conditions.

I called them and they said it shouldn't be much different than a typewriter platen, but I went and measured/photographed mine and sent the pics to them for a formal estimate. My ICP rollers are 18" x 3/4". I'll let you know what they say. He told me they still do roller work for Kodak so this is the right place.

 

[fdonadio]

I called them

Thank you very much for the help!

 

[Wayne]

Thank you very much for the help!

I also emailed pics and discussed my rollers at length. You will need to get an estimate based on your rollers because they sometimes have to make custom parts if they are odd sizes and such. But they stuck with the same general price range for my rollers, 70 to 80 bucks. I don't have any immediate plans to send mine in but its sure nice to know about this service. I thought my ICP was dead forever. Not sure how much I want to invest in it, I know it needs at least 4 rollers done and there are at least 6 more in it that I haven't even looked at in 15 years. if its only the 4, I'll probably do it. if the others have gone bad, or the machine has other problems if I test run it, probably not.

 

[fdonadio]

My ACP-505 has a handful of bad rollers, I’m sure. Everything else works great: pumps, heating, tubing (no leaks)...