I use full submersion in Simple Green mixed 50/50 with (preferably warm) water, and scrub with an old toothbrush. The more there is, the more time it might take. Rinse very well after completion. It's been perhaps 3-4 years since I have begun doing this, and so far the hoods have held up well. If any aluminum is included in the dip, be sure not to leave it in the solution for more than a couple of hours, as the chemical can hurt both anodized and non-anodized aluminum surfaces.
Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI ~ ~ ~
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:40:51 -0500 From: "Don Rogers" <turning.pedals@gmail.com> To: "Classic Rendezvous Bike List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR]Cleaning gum hoods?
Hi, folks.
I picked up a set of NOS Dia-Compe levers and they have gum hoods that are flexy and soft and happy -- ready to roll. Except, one of them has a sort of bloom or coating of a powdery/cloudy-looking dark gray substance, which just looks nasty and doesn't make me want to put my hands on 'em. It's not like a surface spot of dirt or grease, though it may have been that at one time. It's more like *in* the rubber, as well as at its surface.
I kind of like some of the mold details of these hoods, which makes me reluctant to order up standard replacement hoods.
I checked the archives and didn't find any useful advice. Does anyone have any suggestions on effective and non-destructive/rubber-safe cleaning of gum hoods? Soaps? Detergents? Degreasers?
Thanks very much,
Don Rogers
Rumford, RI USA