Rubber Renew on Butyl Rubber Surrounds??

[Mark Allen]

Has anyone here tried Rubber Renew on butyl rubber cone surrounds?? I was wondering if it really works or not. I noticed my Dynaudio woofer surrounds are beginning to oxidize and harden little bit and replacing all of them will be expensive as I have to get them from Dynaudio USA and Dynaudio USA has to get them from the Dynaudio factory and make their usual cut as well... That brings them to about 400 USD each! I can have foam surrounds installed but I don't really like the idea of foam surrounds because I don't think they will allow the drivers to maintain the original specs. Any thoughts??? The drivers are 24W75's.

Rubber Renue | MG Chemicals


Thanks!

Mark

 

[sreten]

Hi,

RR claims to do nothing long term, but short term allows
easier cleaning of the surface AFAICT, so it will not make
any difference to the bulk properties of the surrounds.

Butyl rubber, as used in bike innertubes has very low
gas permeability, and when used as a surround with
no pressure, structural oxidation should be minimal.

I think you'll find they are $400 each because it is pandering to
the pretty clueless, rather than any real addressable problem.
If there was a genuine problem, it would be addressed.

rgds, sreten.

 

[kcdonahue]

I have found 303 aerospace protectant to help remove the build up of crap on butyl surrounds and seems to help make them a bit more pliable.

I had a set of phillips midrange drivers out of DQ-10s that felt stiff as a board. After a few coats and then wiping of the scum that was left over with a paper towel the midrange seemed to clear up nicely.

KC

 

[JMFahey]

Agree.

Rubber oxidation is irreversible, all that product can do is cosmetic.

That said, Dynaudio must have used any additive possible to extend its life, well beyond any foam surround.

Even so, doubt they went beyond NASA, and unfortunately rubber parts used in Moon Landing suits , which are kept at the Smithsonian, are said to be very decayed by now.

 

[Lojzek]

I have never heard of 24W75's having butyl rubber surrounds yet.
I own a pair of them which were originally equipped with foam
surrounds. After their deterioration I have replaced them with
new foam surrounds from a dutch ebay seller and they work very well.

It would be a good idea to measure TS parameters of your units so you
know how much and if the specs shifted.

 

[Greebster]

Find an auto rubber / vinyl conditioner that contains limonene. It's the only thing I can suggest that has a proven track record of softening up old stiff surounds. If you have a juicer, orange peel rind juice will have similar results. Apply to both sides of the suround. Allow to soak in for a while. Wipe clean when done.

 

[Mark Allen]

Well, today I got my bottle of Rubber Renew. The stuff actually works. The gunk that came off the rag was a greenish black color and the rubber is almost as soft as a new woofer's rubber surround is... I still have to do the backs of them. I donno how this stuff works but all I can say is do it OUTSIDE or in the garage. My whole house reeks of rubber renew now and I am airing out the house as I type this. Will do the backs of the surrounds next week but overall this is amazingly successful. Once I am done I am thinking of applying some sort of rubber treatment to keep the rubber from drying out or oxidizing again... These woofers are 25 years old so I have no complaints.

P.S., I have seen this stuff work on belts and idler wheels on turntables before and thats why I thought I'd try it.

Mark

 

[Greebster]

I have what's left of two bottles of the stuff and have used for 30 odd years. It'll leave a sticky glaze that as it dries out over weeks/months rehardens as the aeromatics leach out. Works good enough as a temporary fix for aged belts which it is designed for but not much else. Until it fully dries its a dust magnet much like oil.

 

[Mark Allen]

I thought about applying a rubber treatment so that doesn't happen too quickly. If it does then I'll have to get them refomed. The speakers are not worth installing new drivers and I can buy another new set of speakers for just over 2 grand if I keep my eyes open for a demo pair special. By the way, it didn't seem to leave any chemicals in the rubber, t's very dry here in Utah and it appears to have just evaporated. I can't smell even a hint of the stuff now.

Mark

 

[Bare]

Seriously!? Butyl rubber is Tough stuff. Many decades tough.
Unlikely decent quality Butyl was fitted..
Beyond that; Nothing will Rejuvenate Rubber effectively (brochure babbles aside).
At best 'temporarily' at the cost of further reduced lifespan.
Peanut oil or other non rancid turning Vegetable oils are applicable to rubber..to preserve the surfaces
IF you must.

 

[Mark Allen]

Oh, I realize that and apparently Dynaudios with Buytl surrounds are not very common, although they still can supply brand new drivers for 25 year old speakers. I'll likely send them to be refomed next time I am spending some time in the field working...

Mark

 

[EscritorJuan]

I emailed Albert Von Schweikert about what I should use to treat the rubber surrounds on my Von Schweikert VR-5 HSE Speakers, and he wrote back the following:

Hello Juan,

All of the VR-5 HSE speaker components use Kurt Mueller rubber surrounds that have a twenty year warranty. The Germans know how to make good parts! The Audax midrange and SEAS woofers use these special rubber compounds for a very long life, estimated to be more than 30 years. If you treat all of the butyl rubber edges, they will not crack or dry out for an estimated 50 years!

Buy the liquid made by CAIG from Parts Express; we use it to protect the foam rubber surrounds of the VR-5SE and VR-5 Anniversary models, as well as the VR-9SE Mk2 and VR-11SE Mk2. It works very well!

Cheers,

Albert Von Schweikert
President, Chief Design Engineer

 

[AmadeusMozart]

I emailed Albert Von Schweikert about what I should use to treat the rubber surrounds on my Von Schweikert VR-5 HSE Speakers, and he wrote back the following:

Has anyone personal experience applying this rejuvenator/protector and what were your impressions of how effective it is?

I've got a pair of 21 year old Vifa mids-woofers that have their rubber surrounds drying up. Reconing with some unknown surrounds (non-Vifa manufactured) is not something that I consider a proper approach.