I think that I've found something better than acetone for cleaning deeply grimy brake lever hoods: Tire repair shops use proprietary solvents like "Rub-R-Flux" for spot-cleaning the areas around punctures in inner tubes before applying a patch. works better than sanding. I've found over the years that it works nicely for degriming hoods, too. No, it is not a magic elixir that fixes cracks and restores youthful suppleness, but it does make them look very nice, with little effort. CAUTION: The one I'm using does contain some nasty solvents (trichloroethylene, xylene, ethylbenzen), but I use rather tiny amounts and try to do so outside. I think I paid $8 for a quart many years ago, tend to get about a decade/quart. The goal is to be in good enough health to use up at least one more after this one. :-) I'm about 3/4 throgh this can, and it is at least my second one, so the health effects are not real quick at this level of use.
Also, Don, thanks for the idea of waxing after cleaning; I hadn't thought of that.
harvey "creaky" sachs mcLean va usa.
++++++++++++++++++++++++ Don Gilles wrote:
I don't think there is a magic material that can be added to dry cracked hoods to make them soft like new again. But, here is how I rejuventated some original 1985 Campagnolo shield-logo hoods for a TREK 510 two days ago :
1. Clean the hoods. If you can use soap and water, simple green, or whatnot, more power to you. For my terminally dirty (but supple) hoods, I used acetone. Be careful as this solvent will remove a thin layer of rubber from the hoods, and make them very sticky. Do not wipe the shield logos more than once, or you may accidentally remove the logos.
2. Wax the hoods twice with a high-quality polymer wax, such as NuFinish or Raindance (the type of wax that lasts a year). This will restore the slick finish, and helps to seal the hoods from damaging ozone, which will eventually destroy the natural gum rubber in the hoods.
I have used the same procedure on Carlton hoods. The logos are just as easily dissolved by acetone on Carlton hoods as on Campagnolo. The carlton hoods get very dull after the acetone treatment, but the wax helps to shine them up again. The benefit of using acetone is that it really does remove a thin film of plastic, which brightens up yellowed hoods like a good mouth-bleaching set might do to a smoker's teeth ...