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TCTom
USA
281 Posts |
 Posted - 11/12/2021 : 20:20:58
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I have a "block" of a Dunlopillo seat cushion that's been in storage since at least the mid 1970s. Pretty hard, and I'd like to soften it to open it up for study.
I've looked online for ideas to soften it but thought I'd ask the group if there are any good techniques or tricks before I dive into this.
Purpose of the project is archeological, not restoring it to use.
Got any suggestions?
Tom Wilson
Zionsville, IN USA |
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Westbury
United Kingdom
2034 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2021 : 21:02:15
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Hello, Tom.
Possibly immersion in very hot water could work.
Worth a try, it wouldn’t do any harm.
Chris |
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Ian Bowers
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
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Blue M
United Kingdom
1474 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2021 : 07:42:28
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Are you sure it's Dunlopillow? Looks like a pneumatic cushion to me. Dunlopillow is a rubber sponge. Perhaps it's Moseley "Float-on-Air" much used by MG.
I'd use a hacksaw.
If it's a pneumatic cushion you want then "fat bike" inner tubes work well. |
Edited by - Blue M on 13/12/2021 07:49:14 |
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leafrancis14
United Kingdom
323 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2021 : 10:17:13
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If it's leather, I had some old bucket seats repaired and wanted to keep as much of the original leather as possible. The guy that did the work managed to save the seat backs and told me that he uses E45 skin cream to bring the leather back....slaps it on and the leather absorbs it.
Barny Creaser
(Wellingborough) |
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TCTom
USA
281 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2021 : 13:12:22
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It is rubber, and I mistakenly called it Dunlopillo, which is a latex form. This is a pneumatic cushion and does have a Dunlop logo on it.
Seems letting it set for a while in near boiling water may be the best experiment. I'll do more research before making time to play with it; very low on the priority list.
Tom Wilson
Zionsville, IN USA |
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Blue M
United Kingdom
1474 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2021 : 15:18:39
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| How interesting, I didn't know Dunlop made them. I too would like to know the construction when you get round to it. |
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Chris Nowlan
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 14/12/2021 : 03:20:30
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Hi Tom,
Years ago,I had a Morgan friend with pneumatic seat cushions with virtually the same dimensions as my L2 & J2 seats. I borrowed them for a time and experimented with multiple inflation pressures on my own cars but found them to be truly horrible. My butt floated all over the place and didn’t feel that my body was at all well anchored. New bladders are available from Morgan specialists which are the correct size but I would not recommend them. Cheers, Chris |
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Blue M
United Kingdom
1474 Posts |
Posted - 14/12/2021 : 06:26:59
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| Chris, inflating them was your mistake. They are meant to have hardly any air in them. Then you sink into a kind of pneumatic bucket. |
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Oz34
United Kingdom
2560 Posts |
Posted - 14/12/2021 : 21:02:41
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The ideal is two independent tubes one forming the periphery of the seat and the other in the middle. The outer one has a fair bit of air in it with the inner one much softer.
Dave |
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Blue M
United Kingdom
1474 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 06:26:23
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| Dave, yes, and then the structure of the seat cover stops it going all over the place. |
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thecollingburnboys
United Kingdom
574 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 13:14:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Westbury
Hello, Tom.
Possibly immersion in very hot water could work.
Worth a try, it wouldn’t do any harm.
Chris
I agree with Chris
and gently open it out. Dry with a soft towel and let it dry slowly and naturally like a pair of wet trainers. Not near a heat source as this will make it go hard and crusty again.
Ian's suggestion of leather Revive or a similar product is a good idea.
Afterwards, I can't see a Paraffin or Lanolin based moisturizer cream doing it any harm. Like E45 Cream, someone else suggested or a neutral hide food. I always tell people to think of their leather seats as a big pair of leather shoes and treat them the same way.
The more natural products and the less harsh chemicals, the better in my humble opinion.
Kind Rgrds James Collingburn |
Edited by - thecollingburnboys on 15/12/2021 13:20:05 |
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rapide
United Kingdom
238 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 15:11:17
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| It seems all have overlooked the fact that it is not leather but rubber of the type that old bunsen burner gas pipes were made from. Not dunlopillo which was a more foamy structure. It is obvious it can't be restored .I take it that you just wanted a pattern so I would be inclined to use a sharp blade and run down the seams so each individual section can be gently teased out in front of a gentle heat source to supple it up |
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TCTom
USA
281 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 15:14:36
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I don't think I need a pattern, or to use it. Just want to open it up and actually see how these rubber cushions were constructed.
Tom Wilson
Zionsville, IN USA |
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Orstin
United Kingdom
639 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 16:03:00
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I'm not sure it exactly the same style as the Moseley 'Float on Air' cushions the were very common back in the day, but this image shows the version used in the back seat of an Austin 7...
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Edited by - Orstin on 15/12/2021 16:07:00 |
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thecollingburnboys
United Kingdom
574 Posts |
Posted - 15/12/2021 : 16:24:25
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Ways to soften rubber: https://www.wikihow.com/Soften-Rubber#:~:text=%20Softening%20Rubber%20With%20a%20Soak%20%201,dry.%20Although%20the%20rubber%20will%20smell...%20More%20
Good point Garry, however, I know the cushion is rubber and not leather.
I and others were suggesting what could be done to soften it.
I have no experience of softening hard, neglected rubber. I recommended products you would normally use on leather because the face, the painted/grained side of upholstery leather, isn't natural anyway. It's completely synthetic and covered with paint, used to be Cellulose.
So using softening products for leather may sound daft but to me it isn't.
I would be softening it in hot water, pull it apart where required, if it rips so be it. Dry it, then some form of moisturizer/hide food that I had at my disposal. I wouldn't buy something in but that's me.
I doubt it would destroy it and even if it does over time, that's a risk I would take on something unusable.
Trial and error Tom but that's what I would do if it were infront of me.
Kind Rgrds James Collingburn |
Edited by - thecollingburnboys on 15/12/2021 16:51:23 |
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