I think I am losing my grip

Rennie Heuer

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The gripping pads on my Grr-ripper are drying out and just don't grip like they once did. I looked up replacement parts but the pads are not sold separately, but the entire leg is sold singly or in sets, for $40.

Does anyone have a trick for breathing new life into these pads? A solvent? Some kind of cleaner?

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Any idea what the material is?

You could start at the low end of the spectrum and move up; White vinegar, alcohol, acetone, M.E.K. etc. On the other hand you might try some Purple Power. We use that to clean oily/dirt off of plastic, painted, metal surfaces.
 
Maybe run it across some coarse grit sandpaper, just a few passes to rub off the slick layer and get to some new rubber, might work. Considering at this point it isn't working so you really can't make it worst...lol
 
had that happen to a couple i had rennie and got replacement parts tried many solvents and the best was mek but still not fixed. tried sanding but not real hard just touched it..
 
Try Lestoil. You can also get it at Walmart. I originally got it to clean my table saw blades (works well). I also tried it on my golf club grips and it does a great job of rejuvenating the "stickiness" of the grips.
 
Bill is probably onto something, it may be more of a dirt issue than drying out. A really good cleaning may bring back some life (just guessing).
 
Some of the cleaners out there seem to react with urethane's, plastics, and similar materials. I forgot to mention that Purple Power seems to do this. Using it on some painted surfaces and it acts more like a paint remover. It does clean auto paint really well without seeming to harm the paint.

I use it full strength a lot of the time. It may clean off the dirt and might soften the surface a bit on the grippers. ??? It does come in a plastic jug so obviously it doesn't react with some plastics. I would use a Scotchbrite pad with a cleaner wetted in it to scrub the surface to clean off potential embedded dirt and probably wood resins that are embedded in the surface. Looking at it, my best guess is that it is a urethane material.
 
OK, tried the DNA. First with a rag, looked like it was working. Moved up to an old toothbrush, worked better. Wet sanded with the DNA and some 150, worked great. I'll let it dry out well overnight and see how it works in the morning.
 
I too use DNA but, Vaughn I live in a different environment than those of you outside of the southwest. Dad lives near the coast and the salt air does strange and wonderful things to rubber and plastics.
 
I checked it this morning and the DNA wet sanded in with the 150 grit seems to have worked perfectly. It works as if it were brand-new. Need to remember this tip, I'm sure I or someone else will need it in the future.
 
It sounds like you have solved the problem, but I just wanted to mention another possibility. Lee valley sells high friction material in sheets that you can stick to anything, for instance making a chunk of 2x4 into a good push block. The tricky aspect is that the sheets are hidden on the "bench pucks" page.
 
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