Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use. I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago. After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material. Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting? Or is the
material just too dried out to resurrect? (I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.) Thanks for your time
and comment. Sincerely,
--
J. B. Wood e-mail:

On 1/23/2018 6:37 AM, J.B. Wood wrote:
Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use.Â* I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago.Â* After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material.Â* Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting?Â* Or is the
material just too dried out to resurrect?Â* (I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.)Â* Thanks for your time
and comment.Â* Sincerely,

Unfortunately it is a normal aging process due to oxidation. It depends
on the type of plastic of course and rubbers are more susceptible.
Antioxidants retard degradation and can work fairly well if designed
properly. I recall buying cheap bicycle tires that degraded in a year
with practically no use at all. Once degradation has set in there is
nothing to stop it.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:19:17 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/23/2018 6:37 AM, J.B. Wood wrote:
Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use.Â* I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago.Â* After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material.Â* Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting?Â* Or is the
material just too dried out to resurrect?Â* (I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.)Â* Thanks for your time
and comment.Â* Sincerely,

Unfortunately it is a normal aging process due to oxidation. It depends
on the type of plastic of course and rubbers are more susceptible.
Antioxidants retard degradation and can work fairly well if designed
properly. I recall buying cheap bicycle tires that degraded in a year
with practically no use at all. Once degradation has set in there is
nothing to stop it.

+1

AFAIK, when it's deteriorated like that, nothing you can do.

In article ,
says...

Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use. I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago. After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material. Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting? Or is the
material just too dried out to resurrect? (I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.) Thanks for your time
and comment. Sincerely,

Where I work they gave us a pair or two of safety shoes every year. I
did not use one pair and they were in the closet for several years. I
went to wear them one day and the soles had gotten very mushey adn just
came off in bits and pieces.

Shoes of the same brand that I wore most every day do not do this.

I don't know why, but I don't leave the shoes in the closet for long
periods of time any more.

In article ,
"J.B. Wood" wrote:

Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use. I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago. After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material. Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting? Or is the
material just too dried out to resurrect? (I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.) Thanks for your time
and comment. Sincerely,

J. B.-

A chemist should give you a better answer. I suggest you do a search on
"plasticizer", a chemical added to some materials to improve their
flexibility. I understand the plasticizer can dry out or migrate away
from the material with age, resulting in the effect you noticed.

If the material can be resurrected, it might be by soaking or painting
it with a plasticizer. To me, it would be more trouble than it is worth.

Fred

In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 23 Jan 2018 06:37:42 -0500, "J.B. Wood"
wrote:

Hello, all, and my question deals with plastic/rubber materials as used
on athletic shoes and growing brittle with age even with non-use. I
recently unboxed a NOS pair of Etonic running shoes that I purchased
about 15 years ago. After I ran in them a couple of times the plastic
sides and heel split about half way across exposing the inner foam
padding material. Could I have coated/soaked the outer material in
something to prevent or discourage this cracking/splitting? Or is the

Maybe if you did it 15 years ago it would have helped. But it would be
hard to cover every spot of it.

material just too dried out to resurrect?

You'd have to check with a priest, but I don't think many materials can
be resurrected.

(I've had similar issues with
aged/dried out adhesives but this is different.) Thanks for your time
and comment. Sincerely,

I used to buy shoes that were very comfortable from the moment you first
put them on, like slippers, with leather uppers and plastic soles. Once
I went to a wedding in Europe, got there only 8 hours before the wedding
and found that the heels of the shoes were falling apart in big chunks.
Maybe I'd stepped in a solvent? Had to take a taxi to a store and buy
shoes in 10 minutes, take a taxi back, in order not to be late to the
wedding.

On 01/23/2018 10:22 AM, Fred McKenzie wrote:
A chemist should give you a better answer. I suggest you do a search on
"plasticizer", a chemical added to some materials to improve their
flexibility. I understand the plasticizer can dry out or migrate away
from the material with age, resulting in the effect you noticed.

As an aside, the 'new car smell' and the film on the inside of the
windshield even if you do not smoke comes from the plasticizers
migrating out of the materials.

On 01/23/2018 06:37 AM, J.B. Wood wrote:

Hello, and my thanks to all who responded to my recent OP. Your
responses were most informative. Sincerely,


--
J. B. Wood e-mail:

Im old enough to remember when that didnt happen because the materials that were used had more rubber or copper etc.
Now that were letting S€¦hole China make all of that theyre stingy with the such materials.

On Wed, 24 Jan 2018 06:16:18 -0800 (PST), wrote:


I’m old enough to remember when that didn’t happen because the materials that were used had more rubber or copper etc.
Now that we’re letting S…hole China make all of that they’re stingy with the such materials.


The plastic in mid seventies American cars got real fragile within
10 years with sun exposure. MOST of today's plastics are far superior.
The plastic in the interior of my 22 year old Ranger is like new. You
NEVER saee cracked dash pads any more. The plastic in my 16 year old
Taurus is also in "showroom" condition. The plastic in my '69 Dart was
getting hard and dry by the time I sold it in 1972