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Mae west resto


1930artdeco
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Hello,

 

I have a Mae West from 44 that is now hard as a rock. Is there anything that can be done to bring it back?

 

Mike

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Agreed, nothing you can do that would be of benefit.

 

Believe me, if there were some way to reverse the condition I wouldn't have passed on a rock-hard USN MK I preserver for $20.

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Just hoping. great now ?I have to chuck it. Although I still have the CO2 canisters, so I may blow them to see what happens for fun.

 

Mike

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SergeantMajorGray

Just hoping. great now ?I have to chuck it. Although I still have the CO2 canisters, so I may blow them to see what happens for fun.

 

Mike

You can chuck it into my collection please don't pop it with the Co2.

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Without some pics I cannot comment on the vest discussed here but here is a little trick when it comes to rubber coated fabrics that have become rigid. If you soak them in warm/hot water which it doesn't take very long so don't leave it, be sure to have hands on thru the whole process it will become malleable, remove and blot with towel to remove access water. Then you can shape it but as it cools down and dries it will become rock hard again. So in a case of a rigid mae west that is flat as board , you soak it, then conform it to a mannequin bust, let dry and viola! its hard as a rock again but in a displayable state. It is a not a restoration but at least it can serve a purpose, it may not work on all items as they might be just way to far gone but you can try it and wouldn't hurt it.

Some mae wests are just donors. Salvage the oral inflation tubes and valves if present, they simply unscrew, remove CO2 cylinders and waist, crotch and neck strap, some contractors sewed them on but most riveted them try to retain the rivet on the front side. For the neck strap most are held in place by a cement patch, try to remove the patch from vest. These are the items necessary for a resto.

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Rubber / rubberized fabrics are prone to either hardening or decomposing with the passage of time. Unfortunately, it's an irreversible chemical process. Rubber can become tacky and slowly break down...or alternatively becomes quite hard / brittle. I suppose it depends on the kind of rubber compound used, plus how it's been stored these past 70 years!

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