[rescue] Rubber rot?

[C Fernandez]

Hmm, not sure I'd do this.  I've heard, although not verified, that 
Armour All, and other products with silicone will hurt the item being 
treated if the treatment is stopped..... in other words, once you start 
using it, you can't stop.  Now with a car you will probably eventually 
sell or junk it, but your computers?  I don't know, but some of you are 
pretty fanatical about them :-)

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

James Fogg wrote:
>> So, what causes this?  are there any prophylactic measures to
>> ward it off?  Are any types of rubber more susceptible than
>> others (I am sure these are all synthetics and not
>> *really* "rubber").  I've had particularly bad luck with the
>> rubber on Sun devices (e.g., the various "feet").
> 
> 
> If you have rubber that hasn't gone too far to rot you can preserve it
> and even reverse the damage a bit with silicone oil. Your best and
> cheapest source for silicone oil is DOT-5 brake fluid. Make sure it's
> type DOT-5, other versions may damage rubber over time.
> 
> A lesser alternative is something like Armor-all, which contains
> silicone oil. They also contain lots of other things that might not be
> good for the rubber (it's meant for vinyl).