Author Topic: CB750 F Carb Boots & Wintergreen Oil (Read 22922 times)

BMHS · « **on:** August 28, 2010, 09:28:18 PM »

Guy,
I thought that this wintergreen oil deal to soften carb boot rubbers was absolutely BS. So I bought 16oz of the stuff, and today I mixed a 50/50 ratio of the oil and acetone. I could not find xylol, so I figured that all the thinner was for getting it thin enough to get into the rubber. So I put the mixture on a hot plate outside, dropped the boots in and sniffed the fumes. I let it do it's thing for about 4 hours, turning the boots over every so often. Well, I think I have to eat some crow. The boots are much softer, and they seemed to stay soft after an hour or so. These boots are from Ebay, so the head side was very hard, and not really useful. At least they are good enough for mock-up now.

On a slightly different subject, does anyone out there have a set of 1977 / 1978 CB750 F boots that they would be willing to sell? I'll make you a very very good offer. Email me at image@alexssa.net if you do.

Thanks

Brian

javahut · « **Reply #1 on:** September 01, 2010, 07:57:24 PM »

Yes, I do, and you will not have to Wintergreen them either, already done, I am curious as to what your offer is tho.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #2 on:** September 10, 2010, 03:16:33 PM »

I found a 1 ounce bottle of Oil of Wintergreen at the drug store behind the counter and it was $3.50.
Where do you find the Oil of Wintergreen in larger quantities?

Thanks!

David

zzpete · « **Reply #3 on:** September 10, 2010, 05:42:17 PM »

I bought mine here. 16oz.
http://www.hdmworld.com/tirepreps.htm

RAFster122s · « **Reply #4 on:** September 10, 2010, 11:00:40 PM »

zzpete,
Thanks! Is that wintergreen tire prep 100% wintergreen oil or a blend?

I just remembered years ago when racing RC cars that the tire traction compound we used on our foam tires was a heavy wintergreen smell for carpet racing (Ozite carpet, special compound carpet for RC indoor car racing). Was overpowering odor when racing indoors in the winter and it stunk to high heaven...would give you headaches sometimes...

Thanks!

David

zzpete · « **Reply #5 on:** September 11, 2010, 02:03:20 PM »

Quote from: RAFster122S on September 10, 2010, 11:00:40 PM

zzpete,
Thanks! Is that wintergreen tire prep 100% wintergreen oil or a blend?

I just remembered years ago when racing RC cars that the tire traction compound we used on our foam tires was a heavy wintergreen smell for carpet racing (Ozite carpet, special compound carpet for RC indoor car racing). Was overpowering odor when racing indoors in the winter and it stunk to high heaven...would give you headaches sometimes...

Thanks!

David

It's 100% Wintergreen oil! Just went out and checked the label, it reads: Tire Prep #12 100% wintergreen oil.

imabass · « **Reply #6 on:** September 12, 2010, 10:50:19 AM »

Where do you buy this oil at?

zzpete · « **Reply #7 on:** September 12, 2010, 11:37:48 AM »

Quote from: zzpete on September 10, 2010, 05:42:17 PM

I bought mine here. 16oz.
http://www.hdmworld.com/tirepreps.htm

http://www.hdmworld.com/tirepreps.htm

imabass · « **Reply #8 on:** September 12, 2010, 12:56:30 PM »

somewhat off subject but is this used for race car tires? If so, could i get it at local race shop?

RAFster122s · « **Reply #9 on:** September 12, 2010, 06:28:44 PM »

The place that ZZpete supplied is for Carting (racing go-carts).
So it isn't a typical race shop but it couldn't hurt to call and ask what kinds of traction additives/treatments they might have.

Carting tires are constructed a little differently than street car tires, more akin to race tires.

imabass · « **Reply #10 on:** September 12, 2010, 08:46:29 PM »

So this thought might not be a good one.. could you use this to treat older MC tires to soften them up? Risk I would see would be not getting the residue off and loosing traction.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #11 on:** September 12, 2010, 09:15:11 PM »

Sounds like a risky proposition, rubber could react badly to the wintergreen and shed a strip of tread at speed. Not worth your life to experiment like that on a safety item.

swan · « **Reply #12 on:** September 13, 2010, 05:19:16 AM »

restoring old rubber with wintergreen oil http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=29707.0

Kong · « **Reply #13 on:** October 26, 2010, 07:09:58 AM »

I just want to make a comment on the original post, the one that didn't follow the instructions.

In the post the fellow said he used Acetone in his mix and took it outside and put it on a hot plate. I am amazed we didn't all read about that stunt in the news paper or hear about it on the evening news, complete with photographs of the fire department trying to save the house. Acetone is extremely - let me say that again - extremely! flammable and combustable. It would be safer to play with fireworks while cleaning parts in gasoline than putting a can of Acetone on a hot plate.

cookindaddy · « **Reply #14 on:** October 28, 2010, 06:04:10 AM »

Xylene is apparently available in the US at Home Depot in big cans in the paint section with the solvents. Not so here in Canada so I had to go to a specialty chemical supply house and they had it in stock.

http://www.caledonlabs.com (about $45 for four liters)

They had several grades. I bought the cheapest. It worked great with the wintergreen oil.

Xylene (or more correctly - "xylenes" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylene) is VERY flammable and should be treated with extreme care.

If you choose to warm the solution, you don't need to warm it very much although it acts faster the warmer it is. I used an open kitchen pot (that now stays in the garage) on the BBQ with a low flame to warm the solution slightly. Took about two hours to make a set of carb boots very pliable like I imagine they would have been new.

tbpmusic · « **Reply #15 on:** November 01, 2010, 06:29:42 AM »

I'll reiterate the safety cautions - please don't heat xylene or acetone, very dangerous.

And my personal (considerable) experience is that the xylene works fine all by itself, making the expen$ive wintergreen oil irrelevant.
I also have firsthand reports from a buddy who does auto windshields - he says regular ol' diesel fuel works just as well. Though I haven't tried this myself. He uses it to soften up brittle rubber molding that goes around the glass........

swan · « **Reply #16 on:** November 02, 2010, 08:42:33 AM »

There is no reason heat your solvents! Gently warm your rubber parts prior to immersion in room temperature solvent/wintergreen oil mix. Use a hair dryer or heat gun to warm the rubber.

I just did another set of rock hard CB400F carb boots this weekend, they softened beautifully and the carb rack slide went in in one try.

Doggie · « **Reply #17 on:** November 07, 2010, 07:20:02 PM »

I was told to buy power steering additive and soak my boots in them for a week. Today I took them out and they are very soft and pliable.
Hope this helps....Doug

Groovy2 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 07, 2010, 11:10:27 PM »

Hi All--
Wow never heard about the winter green treatment before-

But I have soaked boots in Brake fluid and it softens
them up perty good--dont soak along time tho --
the rubber expands alot if in the brake fluid to long --Jay--

javahut · « **Reply #19 on:** December 15, 2010, 07:59:16 AM »

Not everyone is a chemist, I'm not either, but some of the comments here need to have some practical knowledge applied, and as with some others, I am amazed that their boots didn't end up in the next county, along with their pot they were soaking in.

First, solvents are petroleum by products, rubber is a petroleum product, hence the brake fluid expansion and the Xylene/Acetone reactions. by using these products you are altering the base ingredient, rubber, but you are not cleaning it, nor are you removing the gasoline that has become part of the inner surface. I am not saying it does not give some kind of results that soften the boots, probably does, Dangerously.

A cheap stainless steel pot from the dollar store, a piece of folded up hardware cloth in the bottom, dump in your boots, fill with water above the boots, take a guess at gallons but don't fill the pot ( no reason to), dump in 4 oz of wintergreen oil. turn on the heater beneath ( I use an old turkey burner but you could use any type of heater, BBQ grill, whatever. There is nothing flammable in this method..

I heat to a low simmer/boil, nothing violent, and leave them for 45 minutes. then out they come and into a bucket of clear water, rinse/cool, and wipe down with a cloth. You will see most of the crud on the surface of the water,which is usually foamy with oily crud on top. If the boots are still dirty after this, it will be residual dirt on the surface, I have found that a vinyl/rubber cleaner from just about any source will clean the surface dirt off. When I am done I have soft boots that make mounting to the head and carbs alot easier, with no danger of explosions. and they stay that stay for a very long time, and they do not smell for long either.
This is what works for me.

cookindaddy · « **Reply #20 on:** December 15, 2010, 01:17:11 PM »

Worked here also, several different jobs now.

Be careful if you choose to heat the xylene - it is very flammable. Do this outside for sure.

I'm wondering about safe disposal although I don't think the mixture degrades so if you put in in a glass bottle with a tight fitting lid, you should be able to keep it around for the next rubber softening job that you come up against.

BTW - the wintergreen oil softening rubber thing is not new. Wintergreen oil has been used to soften and re-new rubber parts in electronics maintenance for years. I think the first time I used it was in the late 60s to soften and renew the rubber idlers in record players and tape machines. Brush on a bit with a Qtip, wait for a while (20 minutes or so), wipe off the excess and the rubber was like new.

Seeparkfly · « **Reply #21 on:** October 12, 2011, 11:25:25 AM »

Wintergreen for $17 quart. They also have Goat P

for softening tires. Hope this helps.

http://www.hdmworld.com/tirepreps.htm

Papa O · « **Reply #22 on:** February 23, 2012, 04:51:07 PM »

Thoroil.com (100% wintergreen) $18.00 qt $10. ship vs $3.50 Walgreens .125oz or check any local gocart parts supply. The stuff works and smells awesome!

LesterPiglet · « **Reply #23 on:** February 23, 2012, 06:03:01 PM »

I just use hot water.

Rigid · « **Reply #24 on:** February 04, 2013, 12:53:37 PM »

Currently $16.00 shipping, deal breaker, will check local gocart shop

RJStyles · « **Reply #25 on:** June 27, 2016, 08:33:24 AM »

i found a cheaper and easier way to soften old rubber parts. if you look up the chemical reaction that causes rubber to harden, you will read about something along the lines of the silica within the rubber depleting. so one day while i was trying to slid my carbs back on to old hard carb boots, i started to use a silicon based lubricant spray. i noticed the boots getting softer. so now, any time i run across a hard rubber part, i spray it down with Silicon based lubricant and let it sit covered in a container over night. next morning it comes out feeling brand new and it stays that way.

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Author Topic: CB750 F Carb Boots & Wintergreen Oil (Read 22922 times)