Rubber Restorer...

I think what causes most paper transports to stop transporting is that they acquire paper dust in their porous rubber belts and rollers and thereby lose their ability to grab the paper. The "restorer" probably allows these tiny bits of paper to be removed, thereby restoring the stickiness to the rubber surfaces. I have the same sort of problem albeit on a somewhat larger scale in the socket-liner on my prosthesis. While soft, clean, and compliant, it sticks to the skin and forms a suction-based bond that hold the thing onto the remaining portion of my leg just fine. After a few days' use, it picks up skin particles and other forms of debris, which makes the surface inadequately smooth, soft, and compliant, and so, it doesn't work any longer. Of course, unlike printer and tape drive parts, that can be cleaned easily with soap and water. As far as tape drive rollers are concerned, it's quite easy (provided you have access to and experience with machine tools, to remove the rubber from the base material after measuring the outside diameter with a dial caliper, and then build up a layer of silastic (the type you get for $2 a tube at the hardware store) let it cure in more or less round shape, and then apply a toolpost grinder with the roller in a lathe. Silastic machines quite nicely and cleanly with a fast grinder, and if you are careful not to take it down too fast and if you're careful not to get it too hot (let it cool between cuts) it is quite accurately machinable, and also allows you quite a bit of freedom to shape it once cured. Dick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger Merchberger" <zmerch(a)30below.com> To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 12:01 PM Subject: Re: Rubber Restorer...