I have an old cord for a Synchronizer unit; the cord is the one with the threaded aluminum cone that goes into the flash unit, with a bipost connector on the other end. The cord (like all of them these days) is hard as stone but not yet cracked up. Is there any way to bring these back to life, or is rewiring them the only option? With that cone end, this one may not even be re-wireable.

Not to dash your hopes, but I'm afraid not much can be done to make it flexible again. I've tried without success.

I have never found anything that can restore old, dried rubber...

But if it's not cracked yet and you handle it very gently, you could try some things. No, I don't know what

Myself, I might give it a good soak in "Son of a Gun" by STP (NOT armour-all!!), place it in a zip lock baggie and let it sit for a month or two, then give it another look.

The bellows on my mini-speed needed a good month of treatment before they were willing to work...

And you could do a net search for restoring old rubber. Maybe someone in the museum business has found something that really works?

But, once it's cracked, it's done!

You could try the stuff used to keep rubber friction wheels from drying out in VCR's.
A liquid that stinks to high heaven...swab on and it may help. Electronic supply house may have, or a friendly VCR repairman could tell you where to obtain. I have never tried it on flash cords, so NO money back guarantee!

A conservator at a museum once told me that rubber is trying to get back to it's natural state: anthracite coal.

Either Son of Gun or Armour All would help prevent it, but I don't think there's much you can do now Except tryi to cut the ends and put new wire in between.

BTW what do you use the cord for?


I can't say I was ever authorised to open my VCR, so I don't know for sure what the solution is Lensman is refering to, but if the liquid is clear, volatile and pungent like laquer thinner, rubber cement thinner or the like, it was proabably 1,1,1, Tri-chlorethane and was used to remove the shine off the wheels and make them grip better. It won't help bring back dead rubber.

Back in the days when secretaries used typewriters and carbon paper, it was sold under the name of Dr. Scat's platen cleaner. I think Tri-chlor was taken off the market at least to the public.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2004-08-17 14:30 ]</font>

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