Is there a chemical that will put the gloss back on rubber after having worked on it, such as in the case of sanding the surface of footpockets? Steel wool a la Tin Man works great on plastics but rubber is different. Heating it also doesn't work, makes it even more porous.
have you tried a buffing wheel? like the one that comes with the Dremel?
maybe a little bit of a lite abrasive and a buffing wheel, I'd try on something other than the foot pockets at first to not do any damage
Dan - Are you trying to smooth the surface because it is uncomfortable against the foot, or just to make it look good?
I know that the simultaneous application of heat and pressure can smooth some rubber surfaces. I remember this from the old vulcanizing rubber patches for bike inner tubes. That might be applicable for a place where you can get a heated piece of smooth metal on each side and clamp, but probably won't work on the complex curvature of a foot pocket.
I don't know of any way to restore the factory shine though.
Just for aesthetics, thanks.
You need to be a member to leave a comment.