So I have recently been buying up old-logo campy hoods to experiment with restoring or preserving them. the last set i got, was in bad shape with cracking everywhere and starting to split.
i soaked them in acetone. this dissolved the outer layer slightly, which was good, but don't rub too hard or you can literally rub off the logo, which i did on one side of one hood.
I tried boiling them but they just turned light yellow, rather than brown and apparently they did not absorb the hot filtered water, so i quit and cleaned them up with acetone again.
I decided the main thing to do then was to reinforce the hood, so I have been repeatedly applying silicone to the inside of the hood (these ones have stretched out a little bit anyway).
Overall I am disappointed but i think i have added maybe 5 usable years to a set of hoods that would probably have fallen off the bike next year, otherwise. h
owever, i probably will now have to wear cycling gloves since acetone is a carcinogen. as a result, i am still looking for ideas for what can be done to preserve campy-type gum hoods.
I think a better solution would be to buy brand-new dia compe hoods, and try adding silicone to the inside of them until they fit my campy levers very well. these are made of a much more durable rubber anyway and that seems to be the key to long-lasting hoods (together with frequent applications of armor-all).
I have also noticed that nevr-dull (chrome polish) will lift dust, dirt, and oil out of old campy hoods.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA