I've been looking for a source for "soft paraffin wax" as needed to preserve gum rubber brake hoods, and have been unable to find any. But I did find out a couple of things I thought I would pass on to the CR group. After reading Lee's note below, I searched around the house, and in the medicine cabinet I found an out-dated tube of generic "Triple Antibiotic Ointment" which lists a "petrolatum" base.
Now, researching petrolatum reveals it is just Vasolene, which is a refined petroleum jelly and so might dissolve rubber hoods, but I tried it anyway on some old Shimano 600 gum hoods that have started to crackle a little. Rubbing the stuff in, the hoods are restored to suppleness and are not "sticky" or tacky, plus they seem to be healing their cracks a bit ! Must be from the antibiotics... :-)
Soft White Paraffin Wax is listed as being made from "purified mineral oil", whatever that is, and so maybe it doesn't attack gum rubber, but I cannot find any, so I figured the petrolatum was worth a try. I've got these hoods on my winter trainer and the improvement in their condition is pretty impressive, at least over the last month.
Glenn Jordan - Durham, NC
In a message dated 12/27/01 10:34:18 AM Eastern Standard Time, lberg@ventoux.com writes:
> "Soft Paraffin Wax BP" (the original poster's recommendation) is a
> "white translucent jelly" that is used as a base (for delivering drugs)
> in ointments. ('BP' stands for 'British Pharmacopoeia'.) The paraffin
> used in canning is a solid at room temperature whereas 'soft paraffin
> waxy' is a 'jelly' at room temperature (melting temp. is <0 degrees C.).
>
> More on "Soft Paraffin Wax BP" can be found here:
>
> http://www.bilaurand.co.uk/