Topic: Storing wintergreen for a few batches of rubber parts ?

[Grinnin]

Has anyone ever stored a wintergreen oil mix for their rubber parts?

I pick up some wintergreen oil tomorrow to start softening rubber parts.  I'll use just the wintergreen oil and water on a trivet above a woodstove to keep the temp a bit below boiling.

I'd rather do small batches over the next couple of weeks.  Battery pad, bumpers, and battery box suspension first.  Headlight ear rings and other front stuff soon.  Intake boots later.  I COULD try to separate all the parts now, but I'll do a better job by paying attention to one area at a time.

I can get a new paint can for less than $4 and on a trivet it'll be OK on the stove.  It's "tin plate" but I'm concerned that it'll rust pretty fast with mostly water in it.

I doubt that a plastic food container would be a good solution.  I could be wrong; would HDPE resist the action of the oil?

Anyone else have ideas for keeping 2 quarts/liters of wintergreen oil around but sealed tightly for a week or three?

Thanks.

[flybox1]

Use it OUTSIDE, or in a really well ventilated area.
Wear gloves.
I snagged a laundry detergent bottle before it went in the recycle tote to store it in....

[rb550four]

When I soften thing up , I use a ziplock freezer bag.
I usually use the Green stuff, soilant green? That's not it, but it has green in the name ,you can find it anywhere.
  I leave a little in the bottom of the bag , toss rubber items in the bag, shift them around anytime I remember to , and the rubber parts have always been soft...and clean.
  I think that Green stuff smells like it has wintergreen in it. smells nice.

Oh, just remembered....Simple Green. That's it.

[Bailgang]

I've got a batch of xylene and wintergreen that I mixed up at least 4 years ago in a mason jar big enough to soak one carb boot at a time. I still use it on occasion and it's still potent, the mason jar lid seals it well enough to not only keep it from evaporating but keeps the wintergreen from stinking up the place when it is stored.

[Grinnin]

I've got a batch of xylene and wintergreen that I mixed up at least 4 years ago in a mason jar big enough to soak one carb boot at a time.

Thanks.  I think I have jars that'll work for this.

I was concerned that the fumes would soften the rubber around the rim of the cap.  If it works for you with wintergreen plus xylene then it ought to be fine for wintergreen and water.

I probably should have linked to at least ONE of the threads explaining some of the wintergreen treatments.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62328.0

[ekpent]

So many threads on that stuff over the years. Are there any other Old Timers like me that have never considered even using it ??
   Maybe give it a shot someday.

[Pecantree]

New 1 Gal paint can from paint store. And the parts basket from a Berrymans will fit in there.

[seanbarney41]

So many threads on that stuff over the years. Are there any other Old Timers like me that have never considered even using it ??
   Maybe give it a shot someday.

I have not yet found the need to use it...I mean it's not like it fixes cracks and tears.  If your boots are hard, lube 'em up, heat 'em up and clamp 'em down.....I think your crazy for changing out all the stock clamps for those hideous radiator clamps.  I will admit that anytime I am in Walgreens, I keep my eyes open, but have never seen it yet.

[ekpent]

So many threads on that stuff over the years. Are there any other Old Timers like me that have never considered even using it ??
   Maybe give it a shot someday.

I have not yet found the need to use it...I mean it's not like it fixes cracks and tears.  If your boots are hard, lube 'em up, heat 'em up and clamp 'em down.....I think your crazy for changing out all the stock clamps for those hideous radiator clamps.  I will admit that anytime I am in Walgreens, I keep my eyes open, but have never seen it yet.

Sean , Sorry to say but most every 750 I do the stock skimpy clamps go in a box, mostly because the old rubber shrinks and the clamps bottom out or the pot metal heads on the screws strip. These stainless straps without the perforations to hurt the rubber do not look that hideous do they ? and they will tighten down the manifolds so you cannot easily turn them by hand when mounted to the head.

[seanbarney41]

So many threads on that stuff over the years. Are there any other Old Timers like me that have never considered even using it ??
   Maybe give it a shot someday.

I have not yet found the need to use it...I mean it's not like it fixes cracks and tears.  If your boots are hard, lube 'em up, heat 'em up and clamp 'em down.....I think your crazy for changing out all the stock clamps for those hideous radiator clamps.  I will admit that anytime I am in Walgreens, I keep my eyes open, but have never seen it yet.

Sean , Sorry to say but most every 750 I do the stock skimpy clamps go in a box, mostly because the old rubber shrinks and the clamps bottom out or the pot metal heads on the screws strip. These stainless straps without the perforations to hurt the rubber do not look that hideous do they ? and they will tighten down the manifolds so you cannot easily turn them by hand when mounted to the head.

I understand your logic, and was mostly just trying to get your goat because we have talked about this before...I have generally had good success with the stock clamps though.  I always thought the clamps bottomed out intentionally to prevent over-tightening.

[ekpent]

I have found Sean that with a good Manly grip like Terry from AU and I have you can usually rotate those old crusty manifolds on the head intakes when those old punky stock clamps are used with old manifolds and  bottomed out and will not tighten further. If I had the money everything would have new rubber but I need the money for beverages which I hope to share soon with you by the ole' woodburner.  Had the place up to 55 today--WHOO HOO   

[seanbarney41]

Maybe we just need to get some of this here wintergreen stuff.

[DWS]

I bought mine from a health food store.

[grcamna2]

Has anyone ever stored a wintergreen oil mix for their rubber parts?

I pick up some wintergreen oil tomorrow to start softening rubber parts.  I'll use just the wintergreen oil and water on a trivet above a woodstove to keep the temp a bit below boiling.

I'd rather do small batches over the next couple of weeks.  Battery pad, bumpers, and battery box suspension first.  Headlight ear rings and other front stuff soon.  Intake boots later.  I COULD try to separate all the parts now, but I'll do a better job by paying attention to one area at a time.

I can get a new paint can for less than $4 and on a trivet it'll be OK on the stove.  It's "tin plate" but I'm concerned that it'll rust pretty fast with mostly water in it.

I doubt that a plastic food container would be a good solution.  I could be wrong; would HDPE resist the action of the oil?

Anyone else have ideas for keeping 2 quarts/liters of wintergreen oil around but sealed tightly for a week or three?

Thanks.

Grinnin,
I just mix up a small amount of it and I store it in a glass Mason Jar type which works good for it.Be careful w/ the amount of heat that you use when treating the small,thin rubber parts> they really get huge and expanded !    The thin stuff is better w/ a mild heat and no more than an hr. duration Max ! it's best to test w/ cold or lukewarm first on the thin stuff.The thick rubber like carb. manifolds can take some heat.I love the Wintergreen treatments for old,quality rubber parts;my hard intake manifolds are still soft as new and pliable after 4 years use:I let them simmer for 40 mins in a 20% Wintergreen/80% water mix.
I did learn my lesson the tough way on using heat on the thin rubber parts and grommets,etc... Less Heat & shorter duration 

[Grinnin]

Be careful w/ the amount of heat that you use when treating the small,thin rubber parts> they really get huge and expanded !    The thin stuff is better w/ a mild heat and no more than an hr. duration Max ! it's best to test w/ cold or lukewarm first on the thin stuff.

Thanks for your pointers.  And thanks everyone for the discussion.

While my intake boots are pretty firm, I'm not much worried about them.  It's mostly the other parts I want to treat.

While painting the frame I also cleaned and painted the battery box..  I'm sure I could put the old hard bumpers back but why not make them more flexible first?

I have not yet found the need to use it...I mean it's not like it fixes cracks and tears.

By restoring the flexibility I hope to prevent cracks and tears.  I am not sure I understand why preventive maintenance is undesirable.

[seanbarney41]

I don't think I have ever said that preventative maintenance is undesireable.  I just meant that from the many 750's I have worked on, I have found that 40 year old rubber parts are either in very good shape, or maybe they are good enough to work with, or they are already cracked and torn.  Many of these parts are still available brand new for little money.  There are lots of alternatives.  The amount of written material on this subject on this forum is out of proportion with the severity of the problem.

[Bailgang]

I got mine from a racing go-kart supply web site, go-kart racers use it as a traction compound for their tires and I've got enough wintergreen to last me a lifetime. I use a mix of xylene and wintergreen (can't think of the mix ratio at the moment) with that said I've got a flammable mix so I don't heat the wintergreen up, I instead heat the carb intake boot I want to soak with a heat gun, drop it in the mason jar, put the lid on it and leave it overnight. The wintergreen odor is intense enough as it is even at room temp, I can only imagine what it would be like if you heated it up. However as grcamna2 mentioned caution must be used when soaking thinner/smaller pieces in regards to how much heat and how long you soak it.

Choosing to use wintergreen oil or not is a debate in itself, the method you choose to use it is another. Pick which one suits you and go for it.

[goldarrow]

i was just doing this yesterday out of boredom.  old ROCK HARD carbs to intake boots...and we all know that these rock hard boots if throw hard enough at gas tank will make a serious dent to the tank. 

two left boots have not been soaked.  the two right boots have been soaked over night


 one that had been soaked, squeezed with my fingers around the mounting edge


then squeezed the same one with my palm and fingers the whole boot


of course some members here will sarcastically say "The DIY-ers remedy for anything"

[grcamna2]

something in that wintergreen oil has a great restore/softening effect to old rubber,adds a bit more life to it.

[DWS]

Wintergreen is great stuff after soaking mine in one part wintergreen 3part rubbing alcohol for 24 hours they are
Iike new

[goldarrow]

I use acetone straight out of the can 100% and soak the hard as rock boots.  Happy with the results. 

[Grinnin]

When I soften thing up , I use a ziplock freezer bag.
I usually use the Green stuff . . . Simple Green.

I have 2 battery boxes so had lots of bumpers to work with.  The best went into wintergreen and I also put some in Simple Green.

The ones softened in wintergreen went back into the repainted battery box pretty well.  I did rip one, though.  I tried one of the ones softened in Simple Green and it's not nearly as compressible.  It feels better than it did since it the surface isn't crusty, but it isn't soft enough to squish into the hole in the battery box.

I'll retreat two more bumpers in wintergreen and I'll have a freshly-painted battery box with fresh bumpers.  I have another bike that came with many rubber parts painted with the frame and I am really glad I can avoid doing that.

[grcamna2]

When I soften thing up , I use a ziplock freezer bag.
I usually use the Green stuff . . . Simple Green.

I have 2 battery boxes so had lots of bumpers to work with.  The best went into wintergreen and I also put some in Simple Green.

The ones softened in wintergreen went back into the repainted battery box pretty well.  I did rip one, though.  I tried one of the ones softened in Simple Green and it's not nearly as compressible.  It feels better than it did since it the surface isn't crusty, but it isn't soft enough to squish into the hole in the battery box.

I'll retreat two more bumpers in wintergreen and I'll have a freshly-painted battery box with fresh bumpers.  I have another bike that came with many rubber parts painted with the frame and I am really glad I can avoid doing that.

Glad to hear that you're happy w/ the restorative results of Wintergreen oil;how did the small,thin rubber parts work for you? and how much heat did you use ?

[Grinnin]

Glad to hear that you're happy w/ the restorative results of Wintergreen oil;how did the small,thin rubber parts work for you? and how much heat did you use ?

I've done only the battery box, so they're mostly thin:  bottom pad, 4 side bumpers, and the box suspension.  The first batch was well under simmer but for an hour or so.  The 2 additional side bumpers today were at simmer but shorter.

I started the thread to ask about storage, thinking I'd want to soak and store the mixture in the same container.  I've been using an old stainless dogfood dish on the stove, letting the mix cool, and pouring it into a jar.  I have used that dish for parts and whatnot for 40 years.

[faux fiddy]

Wintergreen oil and xylene and not too much heat. Lest we forget:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62328.msg942399#msg942399

After about 10 minutes, I figured Seamus' carb boots were hard, too, might as well go into the garage and pull them off for this magical concoction to do it's trick.  Then, I heard, "WOOOOOF!"  I looked outside, and saw black smoke billowing across my driveway.  Adios, carb boots!

[grcamna2]

fiddy,
it was time for some new carb. boots anyway,right ?

[Grinnin]

Since wintergreen oil and water works so well I'm not sure why I'd want xylene in there at all.

When I need brake cleaner or carb cleaner I sometimes reach for the toxic flammable chemicals.  But I can also do a lot of work -- even on brakes and carbs -- with more benign stuff.  Wintergreen oil clearly releases volatile compounds so it's not totally benign but 2 oz of wintergreen oil mixed with water certainly won't make a photo op like that.

[Bailgang]

Since wintergreen oil and water works so well I'm not sure why I'd want xylene in there at all.

When I need brake cleaner or carb cleaner I sometimes reach for the toxic flammable chemicals.  But I can also do a lot of work -- even on brakes and carbs -- with more benign stuff.  Wintergreen oil clearly releases volatile compounds so it's not totally benign but 2 oz of wintergreen oil mixed with water certainly won't make a photo op like that.

When I first heard of the wintergreen trick years ago and did some research on it the xylene/wintergreen mix was the most commonly used mix that I found at least at that time. I'm not a chemist but from what I've read the xylene which acts as a carrier allowing the wintergreen to penetrate the rubber but then evaporate completely leaving the wintergreen behind to do it's thing. I use a 70% xylene to 30% wintergreen mix, once the part I've soaked has been removed from the mix and allowed to air dry with the xylene long evaporated the part will still have a very strong smell of the wintergreen. Fortunately it's not what I would consider a bad smell, best way for me to describe it is imagine a pack of wrigleys spearmint gum but intensify that smell by at least 10 times. Even after the carb boots I had soaked had dried, installed on the bike and the bike ridden more than a few times I would still smell a hint of that wintergreen in the air in my garage coming from the carb boots for at least a couple of weeks. I've never tried a wintergreen/water mix so I can't say which mix is better but the xylene/wintergreen mix works well for me but obviously using water instead of xylene works too. Take your pick.