Brake Fluid for rubber surrounds!?!?!

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A man I know and trust fully just told me he uses brake fluid on his rubber surrounds when they start to dry out or mildew.

I will be doing it but curious to see if if anyone else has done that.

TIA

Yes, they have done it but for the first envelopes of JBL called Lans a Loy.
There are opinions found. For foam wings, the best is liquid silicone. For rubber wings, I would also use it instead of that "discovery."

Lans-a-loy Repair Question - Page 2


There are speaker repair kits here:

Speaker Repair Parts - Parts Express

PS; The brake fluid is hygroscopic (it absorbs humidity from the environment, so it is recommended to change in the cars periodically, which nobody does)
 
I bought 2 drivers (6.5") and one has a wet look of shiny rubber, the other has a dull white powderish look. Both work and sound the same but look different. And since we listen with our "eyes" I figured I would "clean" both surrounds before I get an "ear" ache.

Not something that needs to be done, purely aesthetics. When I mentioned it to my very trusted and experienced audio friend he casually said he uses brake fluid. I said BRAKE FLUID! He said yes he has been using it for decades..

BTW, I just happened to change the fluid in my wife's car this last Saturday. And I had some left but had a shop dispose of it. Had I only known.... I would have kept a few q-tips worth.
 
Silicone grease is the correct lubricant for rubbers, oil based greases including vaseline will cause it to swell.

Yes, absolutely right. I don’t know why I didn’t think to mention this. I am so particular with using only silicone grease when working near rubber, like sliding caliber pins. People don’t always realize the grease advertised for lubricating the pad / caliber contacts isn’t always safe for the pin seals.
 
I guess this may be a never ending issue .....

Then I will say "my truth"

I do not believe in temporary solutions, I always look for a repair that will not be "definitive", but that will last much longer than any "shortcut" to make the job as easy as possible.

We do not know what speaker it is.

Let's start there and we can all advise wisely.
 
i would have to ask a chemist to be certain (or perhaps a hydraulic engineer) brake fluid doesn't effect the rubber components of a brake system until oxygen or nitrogen is introduced, a leaky brake seal quickly becomes a cascade failure if not fixed.
i would advise more careful research be done before attempting to use something like brake fluid on a speaker surround.
 
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There are many products sold for softening race tires. E.G. Hot Lap, Liquid Sand, TNT, etc. The do soften and recondition, I've used them on pinch rollers in turntables and tape machines. Might not be the ideal thing for surrounds, tho...

But they usually cost more per bottle than a recone kit!
 
Again, not "fixing" rubber surrounds.. Just looking to get rid of the powdery white dull look on the surround of the right driver.

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