ashnikes Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 I overheard an army navy store owner say to someone, you can easily liven up the rubber seals on your ammo cans (or anything for that matter) with some Vaseline, just smear it on the rubber seal and in a few hours your old cracked dry seal is good as new, any other good tips? Quote
+capdude Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 tip - Ignore the logs stating that there is a gooie substance all over the top of the cache container. Quote
+PokerLuck Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 I know that Vaseline, being petroleum based, can harm certain types of rubber. There are other types of greases that are designed for use with rubber, though. Quote
+brslk Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 I know that Vaseline, being petroleum based, can harm certain types of rubber. There are other types of greases that are designed for use with rubber, though. And how do you know this? Quote
+Chokecherry Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 I prefer silicone based vs. water based. Quote
+kunarion Posted July 13, 2010 Posted July 13, 2010 liven up the rubber seals on your ammo cans (or anything for that matter) with some VaselineThat's what I used on my ammo can hide (and on the cans I'm setting up to hide). I selected ammo cans in mint condition with excellent seals, but they still had some crusty wax from the original seal, which I cleaned off. I only used a very light coating of Vaseline. If the seal stays clean and intact, it will keep water out longer. Quote
knowschad Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I've always heard that petroleum products can harm rubber, but I have no proof of that. I do know that sunlight and ozone do hurt it, and I suppose a coating of vaseline (or glycerine, or Armor-All) will provide some protection from contact with ozone. Replacement O-rings are very inexpensive, as well, although, admittedly, a trip to replace them isn't always cheap or convenient. Quote
AZcachemeister Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I work with synthetic rubber O-rings and seals on a daily basis. Vaseline is a petroleum-based product that will degrade many (most) types of synthetic (and natural) rubber in short order. Silicone grease is the product you want. Pool stores have it. Quote
+SweetPea&Crew Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 White lithium grease. You can get a .40 oz. tube for less than two bucks, and it's rated all weather, all temperatures. It will withstand extremes in heat and will not freeze, and it will lubricate just about anything. Quote
+Isonzo Karst Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) I've never had an ammo can seal fail. So the notion of spreading goo of any flavor seems superfluous. Cans in Florida that aren't lost to fire, flood, or removal, generally hold up fine for about 5 years. Then they start rusting out along the bottom edges. No seal failure, even then. If I were interested in extending their life, I'd spend extra effort on priming and painting the bent edges (I don't). The oldest ammo can in the wild that I know about in Florida, is GC4588 at over 8 years. The other old ammo can caches aren't in the original can. This guy is placed on a bit of elevated ground, keeps it dry. Seal is good, some rust starting on the bent edges. Edited July 14, 2010 by Isonzo Karst Quote
+Castle Mischief Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I prefer silicone based vs. water based. Ditto. Quote
+TomToad Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I overheard an army navy store owner say to someone, you can easily liven up the rubber seals on your ammo cans (or anything for that matter) with some Vaseline, just smear it on the rubber seal and in a few hours your old cracked dry seal is good as new, any other good tips? I don't think that would work on recycled tupperware. [] Quote
AZcachemeister Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I've never had an ammo can seal fail. So the notion of spreading goo of any flavor seems superfluous. Cans in Florida that aren't lost to fire, flood, or removal, generally hold up fine for about 5 years. Then they start rusting out along the bottom edges. No seal failure, even then. If I were interested in extending their life, I'd spend extra effort on priming and painting the bent edges (I don't). The oldest ammo can in the wild that I know about in Florida, is GC4588 at over 8 years. The other old ammo can caches aren't in the original can. This guy is placed on a bit of elevated ground, keeps it dry. Seal is good, some rust starting on the bent edges. Nothing beats actual field testing! If something is gonna rust out, it's gonna happen in Florida! Even so, a little bit of cheap insurance never hurt, eh? Quote
ashnikes Posted July 15, 2010 Author Posted July 15, 2010 speaking of rust, anyone own a cache on the beach? or one in the north where road salt tends to collect? how do you keep your caches in good shape in those enviornments? water is one thing, but mix water with salt, and you get some seriously bad cache container environments. Does salt water affect hard plastics like a lock and lock? and does it affect the seals at all? Quote
+Chokecherry Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 Placing away from the roads is how one protects their caches from road salts up here in the snowy regions. Quote
+brslk Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I've heard of people here in Alberta using rubberized undercoating or rocker guard on ammo cans. I'm sure that would work great. Now that I think about it, it would probably work to stop the UV damage to plastics. Might not protect against liquid nitrogen though. Quote
+Scubasonic Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I overheard an army navy store owner say to someone, you can easily liven up the rubber seals on your ammo cans (or anything for that matter) with some Vaseline, just smear it on the rubber seal and in a few hours your old cracked dry seal is good as new, any other good tips? I thought you said you were leaving Geocaching? Scubasonic Quote
+brslk Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I overheard an army navy store owner say to someone, you can easily liven up the rubber seals on your ammo cans (or anything for that matter) with some Vaseline, just smear it on the rubber seal and in a few hours your old cracked dry seal is good as new, any other good tips? I thought you said you were leaving Geocaching? Scubasonic Let it go. You are becoming as bad as him. Quote
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