Is ArmorAll okay to put on Jet Fins?

[H2O 70]

OK...maybe not armor all...but these are rubber-based items. Keeping them flexible and conditioned, I would think, would be a GOOD thing.

So what would one use?

Try Formula 404.

Sorry 303.

303 Products, Inc.: 303 Aerospace Protectant

I've used the 303 protectant on a lot of my outdoor stuff for years. Kayaks, vinyl covers on boats, spay skirt seals, dash board of my truck...

It is sunscreen and conditioner for anything plastic or rubber.

 

[D_B]

the 303 Protectant is fully soluble in water per the MSDS .. http://www.303products.com/msds/303_1002_AEROSPACE_PROTECTANT_2009.pdf

looks like a good one too

 

[Jax]

Thanks, guys! I admit I started off cringing - I used Armor All all over my vehicle when I stored it before I went to Korea for a year; when I came back, everything was very dry and cracked easily. Apparently, once you start using it, you HAVE to keep using it.

Still, protecting rubber parts in Arizona's dry climate is very important, and this 303 sounds like the right stuff. Thanks!

 

[Nemrod]

I bought a pair of used Jetfins for my dauther. They were covered in a cruddy whitish film. I used scouring powder on them and they turned a very nice black matte finish.

You can try rubbing them with neutral shoe polish. It contains some petroleum that will evaporate and Carnauba wax. After that put them in a display case for all to see but not back in the water.

Jet Fins are a rubber product containing some natural rubber, the whitish or yellow "film" that is sometimes found on rubber products is the natural oils and waxes exuding form the rubber and oxidizing on the exterior. It is actually beneficial and should not be removed as it helps to seal the pores in the rubber.

The 100% food grade silicone pump bottle can be sprayed on lightly and rubbed to restore to a small degree or replenish these oils. The rubber will, for a few days, feel a little more supple. It is temporary.

Rubber should be stored in a cool, dry environment away from ozone producing machinery and out of UV light. Wash with clean water, dust with talc for long storage, that is all you need to do and your Jets will last you 30 years and going like mine have.

Do not use Armor All, if you must use such an agent you will find Aerospace Protectant 337 etc far superior and less harmful to the rubber and it is not greasy.

N

 

[JohnB47]

I have a pair of Jet Fins that are about 40 years old. When I first got them, everyone was spraying their rubber items with silicone, so I did too. After a few years, I got lazy and just replaced the straps whenever they got cracks. Since then, the fins have been used, abused and neglected in hot climates and cold, dry and humid. Last year, after a long surface interval, I noticed a brownish film on the surface (probably dirt), so I attacked them with a scrub brush and got most of it off. The fins still work fine, so I don't think it really matters whether you take care of them or not.

 

[Belmont]

I have a pair of Jet Fins that are about 40 years old. When I first got them, everyone was spraying their rubber items with silicone, so I did too. After a few years, I got lazy and just replaced the straps whenever they got cracks. Since then, the fins have been used, abused and neglected in hot climates and cold, dry and humid. Last year, after a long surface interval, I noticed a brownish film on the surface (probably dirt), so I attacked them with a scrub brush and got most of it off. The fins still work fine, so I don't think it really matters whether you take care of them or not.

You are right.

Jet fin rubber is a dense material that is non porous. (ie. no pores.)

The film that appears after some use is simply the release agent that came with the moulding process.

As long as you don't leave them exposed to UV rays or ozone they will last forever.
You can cuddle them, powder them, even sing them a lullaby it won't change anything. They're built to last. (It's a very different rubber from the one used on dry suit seals and fin straps)

 

[spectrum]

2 things I picked up over the years....

1) Speaking with a chem engineer that donated a unit to my snow blower collection I mentioned Armor-All. He gave me chapter and verse on the evils of using it on rubber. It's a VINYL protectant.

2) The oils and such nemrod mentioned are redistributed through use (flexing). that's why JohnB57 is doing fine with his "abused" fins. It's also why vehicles that see little mileage like some RV's can suffer premature tire failure.

Just keep them clean, stored out of harms way (sunlight/UV/ozone) and dive.

Pete

 

[Nemrod]

I just gonna stick with what I said.

N

 

[cool_hardware52]

Alternating, generous applications of salt water, then fresh water, then salt water, then fresh water etc. has preserved my jets in usable condition for many years.

Tobin

 

[Nemrod]

Alternating, generous applications of salt water, then fresh water, then salt water, then fresh water etc. has preserved my jets in usable condition for many years.

Tobin

Yep, that has preserved mine for 32 years and still going strong.

N