Removing really old rubber

John Kovacich Asked 10 years ago

I want to restore an old Yasaka Mark V bat that I got in the early 80's.  The rubbers on both sides are hard and brittle.  The red rubbers (on both sides) are almost completely black now.  Peeling it off is not an option.  Should I soften it with acetone or try to pry it off in pieces with a thin blade?

Thank you for your time,

John

Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago

Hi John,

I know this type of bat well.

You can scrape the old rubbers off to a certain extent with a blade.  I have found a scraper works well because it isn’t too sharp.  The only thing I worry about is having something too sharp that cuts into the wood.

You will get most of it off with that and then you may need to use some sandpaper and then a solvent to gets the last bits of the sponge off.