Good morning folks. I was wondering if anyone has a method to restore some flexibility to the WWII Japanese "rubberized" canvas items? One of the items that I picked up yesterday is a "rubberized" infantryman's waistbelt. Fortunately, it's not totally "seized" up, but is still pretty stiff from having been coiled up in a trunk for so long. Any help in putting some life back into this thing would be appreciated! Thanks.
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You can use a hair dryer to soften it enough to shape it, but it will be stiff when it cools -
No permanent fix. As David says above a blow dryer will allow you to set whatever position you want but as soon as it cools off that's it...back to being rock hard & frozen.Comment
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Thanks gents. I was considering using heat on it..sounds like a good idea. At present though, I'll more than likely just leave it alone as I don't have a mannequin display or anything of that nature that'd allow for it to be unraveled. It's not TOTALLY stiff, but isn't exactly what I'd call pliable either. This will help if / when I decide to uncoil it. Thanks again!Comment
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Giving it a good douse of ArmorAll helps a lot. It softens it slightly as well as cleans and protects it from further decay.
CBComment
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Thanks for the advice! Isn't Armor-all petroleum based? I typically try and stay away from those, (if possible) as I've read that it can have a detrimental effect down the road. Anyone else ever tried this?? Thx!Comment
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