Rubber Softening Experiment : Wintergreen Oil, Brake Fluid, ATF & More

[@jasonanderson6271]

As someone currently finishing his PhD, I am amazed at your fantastic and well planned methodology. If every informational video was like this the world would be a smarter place. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks!

[@Brian-jz1pi]

I watch this video because of your comment

[@applekidn1]

Getting a phd from your master doesn’t make you sound anymore intelligent you slave 🤣

[@luismontes3769]

This is how all internet supposed to be! Good and excellent job!!

[@DomiEE]

Shut up boomer

[@NineZeroHero]

Shut up hater

[@vandoren156]

Wintergreen oil (Methyl Salicylate) is an actual plasticizer, and used in many rubber formulations so it can renew properly many types of rubber. Other fluids like brake fluid etc instead contain oils that will degrade plain rubber (that is why there are particular oil resistant rubbers used in certain applications), the temporary softening is just due to the solvents in the fluids. Avoid boiling the rubber, the temperature is too high, for large parts just use glass beads to fill the voids when soaking and change position of the part every so often.

[@jgteoh]

Nice explaination

[@jmc5341]

That glass bead trick is great. Im kinda embarrassed I've never thought of that before

[@nobodynoone2500]

This is the best comparison I have seen. Everyone is mostly just recalling what grandpa did in 1950s nascar. Thank you!

[@roum22]

Used the 3-1 mix on carburettor intake stubs. They swelled up slightly at first, but softened up nicely, about 10 days later they were back to their original size, and were ready for use. The softening effect lasted about nine months, then the returned to being rock hard.

[@rogerborg]

This is Project Farm levels of commitment. Well done, sir.

[@lindafoxwood9091]

Best example of perseverance I have even seen! This guy sure can get the job done with enthusiasm. Great video.

[@douglasjackson9058]

Thanks for taking the time and doing this. I restore old typewriters. They have rubber platens,rollers,and feet. They are very difficult to find replacement. Expensive. I'm going to try this. Thus video could be invaluable to saving pieces of history. Thanks again,very appreciated!

[@Rob8]

Use a product called "rubber renue".

[@rvfrick2355]

Thanks for this! Your review is more credible and relevant than many of the others I have run across. Your experimental conditions are controlled and identical. I ran my own experiment last month with three solvents and wintergreen oil using a 3:1 ratio by weight. I am rebuilding a grey-market Honda RVF400. Parts are expensive and hard to come by in the US. Anyway, I have some old rubber parts to try my own experiment with. After reading many articles and postings online about the magic of methyl salIcylate were true and I wanted to see if the solvent used made a difference. The three solvents I compared were: 1) Xylene (Renue Rubber product MSDS says this is the solvent they use). 2) Denatured ethanol 3) Acetone RESULTS After a 24 hour soak the acetone parts swelled the most by far 22%! Ethanol and xylene also swelled but "only" about 10%. No rubber was damaged just swollen. After 24 of drying out the Acetone part was most flexible. The Ethanol part a very close second (almost the same as acetone) The Xylene part was least flexible but definitely better than untreated. After 2 weeks of airing out they all essentially returned to the original and all the same size but are still flexible thought they are hardening. I do not (yet) have factory OEM parts to compare with. DISCUSSION If I wanted to use this technique to soften some rubber parts I would choose 100% denatured ethanol or acetone. Both are readily available. I believe the solvents help swell the rubber allowing the wintergreen oil to penetrate into the parts more easily. SUMMARY I agree with 990GTVert's recommendation: buy replacement parts if you can and reserve this method for hard to find or unavailable parts. This is simply a back-up technique if you have no other options.

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks for sharing the results of your tests!

[@segitazautoszerelo]

Very nice! So do you just soaked it, do not need to put in boiling water? And after a year, does it hardened?

[@aneesahmed2978]

This video deserves a million likes and views. Thanks for the Great Job.

[@xivix6710]

Your scientific method here is outstanding.

[@AlienRelics]

Back in the days of cassette decks and VCRs, I used ATF as a cheaper alternative to Rubber Renew. Wipe down every new belt or rubber roller, make sure you wipe it clean. Gets rid of the wax and dust from manufacture, gives the surface good grip without soaking into the body of the rubber. Much, much cheaper for a quart of ATF than for a tiny 4 ounce bottle of Rubber Renew.

[@termonostruman]

atf burn your rubber

[@MrThp8251]

This is a very well shot video with great experimental lab techniques. The voice over is straight forward and well descriptive. The conclusion made sense. He gets FIVE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks very much!

[@Jaemon4Eva]

This is an excellent video because it is so thorough and meticulous. Thank you for taking the time to put this together in such a detailed manor. You've helped more people than you think.

[@mwood1012]

Great work, intensive attention to detail with each test given fair & objective due diligence... and most importantly, a generous disclosure of very useful information for anyone who is invested in a project, facing similar issues with material in similar condition. Thanks so much for your service.

[@deandeibler8363]

Excellent! Very nice job. You must have some experience in carrying out scientific experiments because of the way you handled this investigation. As someone who has been involved in such endeavors for several decades, I'd say you did a great job here.

[@FilterYT]

That was a comprehensive comparison, well done, thanks.

[@wregils]

I watched a windshield replacement on a vintage Jeep. Varsol which is a paint thinner was used . The old gasket was cleaned and reused. The appearance was amazing. I am not having success finding Varsol locally . I appreciate your presentation and wish every KZbin video had the same quality.

[@weediebloke]

Well done mate.. so very nice of you to take the time in this experiment.. many thanks,I'm off to get some Wintergreen oil .

[@philwarner6604]

I found your video while researching ways to soften the hard rubber seals on my collection of Sunbeam C30 Coffeemaster vacuum coffee pots, but I also have a collection of old cars and bikes so I ordered 32 Oz of wintergreen oil from Big Dee's vet supplies for 12.95/16Oz + $6.50 shipping (which was the best price I saw in a short search). Thanks for your well thought out approach. The wintergreen oil cost about the same as one new seal for these coffeemakers, so I hope it works for several of them. If not, I'll have it on the shelf for my rubber car part needs. Thanks again

[@Marcoosianism]

Big Dee's wanted to charge me $60 shipping to Canada for 16oz., haha. They can eat it.

[@tabbydays226]

one of the best videos i found on youtube so far..no words to thank!

[@mikailsameerraifmikailsame9436]

Wow you really took the time and effort to go through so many methods and i truly appreciate what you did. Your Awesomeeeeeeeee in my books brother!!

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks!

[@randalmontgomery4595]

My mother often used a "double boiler" in the 1950-70 era, for cooking, now I understand the concept.

[@obtainiumgaming4472]

Excellent execution and scientific. This is the kind of content people look for. Useful, interesting and well edited. I want to rejuvenate some cassette deck idlers from 1982 that are impossible to find, and this may do it with the 3:1 alcohol wintergreen solution. Thank you.

[@air_cooled_andy]

Absolutely superb video. Thanks for taking the time to make it buddy. It’s take all the guesswork out of the multiple online opinions. 😄🙌

[@tmack1]

To control temp of the water & Winter Green tests, try using a double boiling method. That is a pot inside a pot. They use this method in cooking/heating candy. Outer pot is water only, inner pot is the solution. The water in outer pot more evenly distributes the heat.

[@anomie6788]

I like the fact you didn't quit , well been two days I wonder what a week will do, still not the result you were looking for so lets add some heat. Very well done. I have expensive rubber boots, the rubber is starting to crack , looking for a way to soften the rubber back up. I don't think this will help but it was fun to watch. I think I will try the heat and the wintergreen oil, with controlled heat.

[@analyticalmastermind2569]

Thanks for taking the time to run these tests, this has helped me out. Good work.

[@FinalFront]

One time an old timer retired mechanic told me a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone was the best & cheapest cleaner for soaking parts. So I made a 50:50 solution of Dex/Merc ATF and acetone. I made 14oz & put it in a 16oz glass jar w/lid. The first thing I tried was an idle air control valve (IACV). It had one rubber o-ring & another seal that was shaped like a figure 8. I didn't remove them beforehand since I had new ones. After letting the IACV soak for ~24hrs I found that both the regular o-ring and the figure 8 seal had swelled to triple their original size. They were huge. I had no idea it would do that.

[@bigmac3006]

I just use silicone spray. Much easier. Great vid!

[@brittanywright9646]

Great video! This will help if anyone is in a pinch and needs to reuse some rubber that has hardened. Also, one thing to note, wintergreen can be extremely dangerous and fatal, so use caution, especially around children whether it is ingested or absorbed topically.

[@jonathanfadden9299]

Fantastic video! Just subscribed. Nice methodology and narration.

[@AtmaS]

Thanks for sharing your findings and recording the details of your experiment. Very informative.

[@spenton1979]

Very well done. So thoughou in controlling the variables. Applying this to my Roland v drum pedal rubber notoriously known for hardening. Much appreciated.

[@nancyg243]

Well run experiments! Am looking to soften small parts, so I'll use the 3:1 alcohol/wintergreen mix. Thanks.

[@gowengetter4599]

Thanks for saving me weeks of experimenting! Great video.

[@randyb3347]

Excellent. I just went to utube to find out if smearing some brake fluid on the outside of my brake cylinder piston boots would help keep them pliable and make them last long. After see this I don't think I'll try it. Thanks.

[@petercandance2330]

To cut on cost, it would be interesting to try just brushing on the wintergreen oil and rebrush every few hours instead of a complete soak. I wonder if that would work. In this case you can use pure wintergreen oil even on large parts.

[@indy2867]

I did try this on the rubber “gasket” on some vintage military goggles. It didn’t seem to make a difference, but I only did two or three applications. Since this took days to see results, I think I’d have to be very patient getting enough winter green oil into the rubber.

[@dockazoid8180]

This apparently works with coconut oil which is identified as an alternative plasticizer to petroleum oil but I haven't tried it personally

[@petercandance2330]

@@dockazoid8180 Coincidentally I live in the country that is the top or second top coconut exporter in the world. I'll try that, we use it as common cooking oil.

[@Muzicboy3]

@@petercandance2330 how did it work ?

[@TheMrChaddles]

Yeah did it help?

[@TheLargit]

Thank you that's a good methodical approach, you have dispelled a few myths and shown which solutions work and don't! Many thanks JD

[@rikityrik]

I'm back, Lol. Man I enjoy your videos. This one was top notch, big thumbs up! I'd love to see more content of yours with tests like this. Not sure if you've made others but just to let you know you did a good job.👍

[@aaroncunneen328]

Legendary effort. Thanks for the actual correct method of testing ❤❤

[@Lifeisawheelie]

Idea: try painting the rubber with the oil, and then wrap it or put it in a sealed plastic bag. Then you can add bath-warm water in a bowl and submerge the part without dissolving the oils. And you can Change water when the temperature drops. Neat test. Perfect approach! Thanks for inspiring me

[@Lifeisawheelie]

Lol check out ichiban motos diy on how to restore hard old rubber. I wonder if the hot sauce actually did the trick. Maybe let the wintergreen oil bind to something and subsequently stick to the rubber. Wha do i know :D

[@49ccscoot]

Someone did put a similar approach up on KZbin. They put a small amount of the 3:1 mix in a sandwich bag with the part and kind of rolled it. Then they never bothered to post another video to tell if it worked.

[@iamjacksyoutube5375]

@@Lifeisawheelie I'm a year late but that was a joke video, the real method was in the video description. He used a 50/50 blend of isopropyl alcohol and wintergreen oil soaked for 36 hours or so

[@oficinadodecio4705]

Thanks for sharing your development with the community.

[@zacharygillette7810]

Dude you have videos on everything! I was looking up tire softener and came across this.

[@TheKitteth]

This is so cool! In my research, I found that wintergreen, petroleum jelly and other spirits are rubber solvents, and the rubber goes hard when it loses its plastics. Replasticising is why silicone spray is ideal on window seals and such. The brake fluid thats usually used is part petroleum and part silicone so its both solvent and replasticiser. The recommendations Ive seen around are: For maintenance of rubber - silicone spray wipedown. Heat only used if its hardened due to low temps. Petroleum jelly wipedown for a slightly aged piece that needs a refresh/refurbish. In cases of undamaged but very hard, Ive seen recommendation of hot water soak first to then dry and then soak in your brake fluid or silicone spray for a varied time, checking as you go to see based on the rubbers needs. Once satisfactory, sake out and wash with soapy water, rinse and let dry for a day. I was looking in the way of old typewriter platens and thats all the stuff that I came up with. Apparently sewing machine oil and an old bottle of what was called Typewriter Oil are both petroleum oils and were used for the maintenance of the machines. I thought Id share in case its adds to the research experiments. :)

[@ceeweedsl]

Thanks for adding this. It sounds like you are reporting research rather than experience? I wonder if the "Silicone Spray" you mention is the typical stuff with solvents or the special pure stuff that is food grade. CRC sells a pure food grade spray but the rest are more like WD-40 with silicone added.

[@TheKitteth]

@@ceeweedsl I have both vintage sewing machines & 70s typewriter. Used Vaseline on slightly too firm, and soaked in WD40 Silicone spray (the one labelled as Silicone spray, not the general spray they have) on the platen and rollers of my typewriter to refurb. I wrote all the other stuff bc I did a tonn of research for just that small amount and ppl may have different needs & points of info to make the best decision for their rubber refurb needs & having it all there would make life easier than it was for me.

[@bigal7561]

Well done. I'm going to try this on the rubber intake manifolds on my 1975 Honda CB 360t. I've restored it from the ground up and everything is perfect. I've beat myself to death on these two parts. They have zero cracks and look factory grade but hard as heck. I hate the though of ordering new ones when these look great but air leaks on an old honda will drive you crazy (and after this full restore....it's a short drive).Thanks

[@ejs6097]

Lol, this was perfect timing. I told you all my rubber pieces were bad on my kart. Great tips friend : )

[@gurcsik]

This is awesome. Probably saving thousands of dollars for people combined!

[@triggersw3350]

Interesting experiment. I needed to soften/condition some old print making brayers and hoping to get dents out of them. Bought a 125 ml of 408 C Rubber Renue on eBay made by MG chemicals. As soon as I opened it I recognised the wintergreen smell. What I bought is a premix of wintergreen and alcohol so, based on your test results (which I don't doubt at all), I'll be better off mixing my own softner. Annoying as I have both ingredients and needn't have bought the pre-mix but I didn't know about this rubber softening property of Wintergreen oil. I do now so thanks very much for posting the experiment.

[@TDOBrandano]

One way to reduce the amount of solution needed is putting the part and solution in a sealed bag, and then submerge both in plain water to pick up the space and push air out

[@wayneschmidt490]

Great video with outstanding scientific technique! Thank you very much!

[@thehorizontalphilosopher]

Excellent video presentation.and comments. Its great when people work together. Thank you

[@micdal22]

Thanks for a very informative experiment. I need to revive two washing machine shaft seals, so your video clip is just what I needed. I read somewhere that almond oil is supposed to rejuvenate rubber, which might be a cheaper option (if it works as well as wintergreen oil)

[@CarlosDelaoGunEngraver]

did you ever try the almond oil?

[@josephk2958]

You did such a wonderfully thorough job on this vid! Thank you so much!

[@admk69]

Xylene mixed with Evergreen is meant to work best. I would have liked to see it featured in your tests. thanks for the importnat video... ride on

[@BMWM5E39]

I am restoring old Volvo.. can't get bunch of parts for it.. but now i can restore them!

[@marcussmith9444]

Am trying the 3:1 Rubbing alcohol/wintergreen oil this weekend for my hard-as-nails carburettor boots.Thanks for all your hard work

[@49ccscoot]

Hope it works well for you!

[@grndhg86d]

Excellent job. Thank you for making and sharing this video.

[@PARDS2]

SUPERB!!! OUTSTANDING !!!! BEAUTIFUL JOB!

[@allanmaureenmacintyre4474]

Informative and to the point. 10 out of 10

[@KDM--xm9fh]

Very very well done. Thank you for your thoughtful and methodical approach. Very helpful.

[@fredderpst459]

very informative and interesting thank you. I am wondring about silicone spray

[@CrappycrapCrappy]

I'm gonna try the 3:1 ratio on my old boat shoes. Haven't worn them in 2 years, and I saw the rubber sole is now brittle causing them to be dangerously slippery on smooth surfaces. Hoping they get restored!

[@007nadineL]

Well .???

[@TheMrChaddles]

Did you try it?

[@breh9320]

Any update?

[@edgewatersbestguitarist1524]

Great video! Exactly the explanation i was looking for. Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@bigshnitzeljesse]

Thanks for checking after some time has gone by, unlike others. I've always wondered if the bonds in rubber are being damaged by softening. Transmission leak fix stuff does the same thing and might be able to be wiped on, but may have solvents which weaken rubber. My guess is the alcohol, having little surface tension, soaks into porous rubber(not synthetics) while the oil rides along suspended in alcohol. Then the alcohol slowly evaporates leaving the oil inside. This is probably much safer than solvents that actually dissolve or weaken rubber. I can't think of any reason wintergreen would be better than other oils soluble in alcohol.

[@danz9211]

Plasticizers normally have high compatibility with the polymers. They need to not bleed out (quickly) and not bead up within the polymer. The polymer will swell. It's what happens when any compatible liquid is absorbed by a polymer. Swelling weakens the polymer but that may be temporary (it may not always break a ton of bonds). Polymer compatibility goes further than surface tension. If you'd like to learn more, one direction is to look up Hansen Solubility Parameters, and note that for a polymer, swelling and absorption is a rough equivalent of solubility for non-polymers. While it's possible that alcohol+wintergreen is more compatible with rubber (penetrates better) than wintergreen alone, I have heard of wintergreen as a plasticizer but never alcohol. Baby oil (mineral oil) is another plasticizer, but I suspect they're for different types of plastic. And plasticizing isn't about penetrating better. IIRC it is thought to be about interfering with the inner-molecular forces (maybe holding the molecules further apart or lubricating between them) so the plastic or rubber molecules can un-bunch (stretch).

[@billarroo1]

Always wanted to know what to soften rubber with, VERY Interesting, Thanks

[@markbaxter8799]

Thanks for sharing - very good detailed experiment, will give it a go on my window rubbers.

[@Rustin-wy6yf]

How did it go? Mine swelled up after an hour of leaving them in a 3:1 mix of alcohol + wintergreen oil rendering them useless.

[@robsutherland9284]

that was a great comparison test, thanks for making things clear for all of us

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks. I'm glad if it's helpful.

[@johncollins8304]

I wish someone from the Nobel Prize committee was interested in rejuvenating rubber.

[@Marcoosianism]

The world just does NOT know what's important!!

[@thomasrowan5951]

Very understandable experiment. I have an old toy fire truck (50+years) that has hard rubber tires. I will try your method on them.

[@rkstew]

Damn! you are extremely thorough! Great video. thank you

[@TechiePocket1]

Thank you for taking all the time to make this informative video!

[@Mixerhd3]

thank you so much for this video !! it helped me a lot !❤️❤️ YOU ARE THE BEST MAN 😘✨

[@luxzartheglorious]

Thank you I'm looking to preserve some old gas masks I recently bought and this is very help ful

[@qoph1988]

Marvel Mystery oil is primarily a wintergreen base. I wonder how that would work out. It has lots of other stuff, which I don't know the effects on rubber. It's also a little cheaper than essential oils off ebay and can be found at auto parts stores.

[@Christopherbever]

I immediately thought of MM and other Seal conditioner type products and wondered what they put in them.

[@NKPGarage]

Great testing methodology. Love all of the detail. Subscribed!

[@RidingOff]

wow what a thorough test, thanks for your help

[@michaelarnold417]

Outstanding video! Well done and thanks

[@Daimler-Jensen]

That is pretty scientific, well done and very informative!

[@cramersclassics]

Excellent Summary! Just subscribed, thanks.

[@markcdeyoung3118]

😮That is a minty fresh research I usually coat my rubber parts in straight Wintergreen and wrap them in a bag like a bread bag or a grocery bag as tight as possible

[@2dmaxauto]

Nice work, your experiment and information helped greatly with an issue I've got with my vehicle transmission :-)

[@KnightSwan]

Very well done. Excellent test procedure and A/V documentation. Nice job.

[@michaelrs8010]

GREAT video. Thanks for your time and effort and the info.

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks!

[@Geopolitic157]

Great experiment. Thanks for the information, and for taking the time to do and share.

[@CypressVintage]

Great job and very useful experiment. Perhaps using a crockpot will help to limit the smell and help regulate temperature better. That's what I am going to try.

[@yves3560]

Great job !!! Usefull and interesting.

[@mojo3008]

Mineral spirits works too

[@alcatelevolve2859]

Very well put together video. I found this useful to add to my own experience.

[@kevin15776]

I have vintage sneakers whose rubber soles have hardened. I'm going to try this. Thanks for the video!

[@DriveToyotaSienta]

Thank you bro, your video make me apply to door rubber

[@brucemorton13]

Well done. Excellent use of the scientific method. I appreciate the information.

[@49ccscoot]

Thank you!

[@spenton1979]

Also agree with the comments on avoiding solvents. Will definitely soften but by degradation of the rubber instead of replasticizing.

[@segitazautoszerelo]

Thank you man, you've just saved me nearly a thousand Usd (Y)

[@kristianribchev4039]

Thank you for your experiment, I have learned something.

[@StuntRidersSwiss]

Awesome detailed job ! Great explanation of the different process !

[@davidervin7345]

I use wintergreen oil a lot. Get the gallon size. I tried it on an old motorcycle seat cover. Bad, so bad. The vinyl separated from the backing. Some old carb intakes swelled so much as to be unusable, at least for now. But, in general it helps, even thick rubber parts. I keep a pot covered and toss in parts as I take stuff apart so the mixture lasts pretty long. I soaked an ignition coil where the wires were too stiff to bend and they came out better than new. They felt like silicone rubber wires. And, the shop smells great.

[@Bishka100]

Just a thought, that might be worth a try. To reduce the boiling point of the water, you could use vinegar and/or salt, I have no idea if either of these would affect the rubber, but they would bring the boiling point down.

[@Godisknockingx]

Rubber rejuvinator should do well. It's used to soften the rubber printing blanket on offset printing presses. Costs around $45 for half a gallon.

[@atranimecs]

Unfortunately depending on the brand it may be a tad more priceeey

[@hlmartelli]

Great comparison! Thank you very much!

[@martind349]

To check for swelling (volume) you would measure displacement of a measurable liquid, likely water, before the soaking and after and compare the differences between the two submergances of the part. This is more university lab type measuring than shop.

[@jumpingjo3689]

Micrometer