Thumbler's Rubber Barrel Break-Down??

[turquoiselover]

I've searched the boards and haven't had any luck with my particular problem, so I need advice bad!!

Has anyone else had a problem with the rubber on the edge of the Thumbler's (3# specifically) breaking down, ie. getting sticky and gooey? My husband thinks maybe some oil (I only use 3in1) may have gotten on it. I wiped that edge down with a little MEK to hopefully stop it from making such a mess, but is there another lubricant to use on tumblers that doesn't do this?

Thanks for reading -
Turq

[Jack ( Yorkshire)]

Hi Turq,

I would put on raw dishwashing fluid and wash the rubber with a toothpaste brush a few times to neutralise the oil you got on it to trry to stop the breakdown ASP

I have a Thumbler and had NO such problem.

I will leave this for the others to answer but this is what I would do

Jack
Yorkshire UK

[akansan]

On my older Thumler, I'd get that gunk on my o-ring. It was actually coming off the rubber pads on the shafts. Cleaned the rubber up a bit, and it'd stay clean for another month or so. I think my problem was the oil that I'd put on the bearings would slowly work its way down the shaft - they weren't quite level - and pick up dust in the air and such.

I no longer have that tumbler (down-sized when my hobby interests took a split), but I can promise you after 1 1/2 years of use, there was NO wear on the barrel even with the gunk on the o-ring.

[Sabre52]

Hmm. I may be way out there in left field but I seem to remember reading somewhere that some of the components in some detergents, esp dishwashing type soaps, cause deterioration of rubber barrels. At someone else's advice, I use Dreft with great results and no breakdown but it might be worth checking out the tumbler manual about what to use as burnish too....Mel

[turquoiselover]

It's really weird because it's just on maybe 1/3 of the lip. It's fatter there and sticky. It isn't on the big o-ring at all. You'd think if it was the detergent I was using, it'd be on the whole barrel. My husband said he noticed the rubber on the shaft had a spot on it as well, but that he'd just accidentally dripped a drop of 3 in 1 oil on there. The MEK seems to have dried it out some.
I bought this tumbler used off eBay, and the tumbler and barrel were quite clean. Hell, the tumbler looked brand new, and I've only used it as a "polish only" barrel. I've had it about 2 months.
Thank you all for your words of advice - as usual, you guys think of things I hadn't. I will go out and buy some Dreft and use only that on all of my barrels. I went ahead and ordered a new barrel from The Rock Shed anyway, but I'll use this one until it won't work at all. I can always use more barrels!!

Turqie

[johnjsgems]

Oil will soften and eventually dissolve rubber. I'd be careful what you use to clean them as well.