sticky coating on new air hose

[Vince Shriver]

I just mounted an airhose reel in the shop. The hose is coated with a sticky paraffin like substance (maybe cosmoline). It's a rubber hose - can I get it cleaned up with turpentine, liquor thinner or mineral spirits without damaging the rubber hose?

[Jason White]

If it's cosmoline, you can probably use WD-40 or mineral spirits without damaging the hose. Lacquer thinner will probably eat through it.



I just mounted an airhose reel in the shop. The hose is coated with a sticky paraffin like substance (maybe cosmoline). It's a rubber hose - can I get it cleaned up with turpentine, liquor thinner or mineral spirits without damaging the rubber hose?

[John Sanford]

Try very hot soapy water first. If that doesn't do the trick, move up to Simple Green or the like. Which solvents the air hose is immune to, and which it isn't, depends on the hose's construction.

[Vince Shriver]

Mineral spirits, followed by soapy water and then a clean water rinse took care of it. Just seems odd that that stuff was applied to a rubber air hose. Anyway, thanks for the replies, gents.

[Bruce Page]

If the manufacture felt the hose needed protection, I'd be a little worried about the durability of it.

[Rick Fisher]

Usually its from a sticker or tape from shipping.

[Brian W Smith]

An extremely useful product in a shop's arsenal of lubes/chems is;Go snag a G of Ru-Glyde,usually at a NAPA store.It's designed for mounting of tyres,which it does very well.But it is also an extremely good rubber cleaner/preservative.Also used on leather for the same.

This is what we clean our air hoses and ext cords with,as well as rubber machine parts.A G will last 10 or so years in an avg sized shop.