Mink Oil True or Fiction??

[oldtexasdog 2,481]

Bob has it on the Sunfire True Sub surrounds to use mink oil-does it work and if so how often should it be applied?

[fill35U 1,847]

Bob has it on the Sunfire True Sub surrounds to use mink oil-does it work and if so how often should it be applied?

 

I have no idea as to what Bob said or whether it could be good or bad.

 

But I did research Mink Oil a couple of years ago when I was looking into preserving leather. Turns out there's not much of a consensus on what it *is* these days. I remember when the popular formulation was mainly lanolin, but I've seen lots of other mixes since. So the question becomes: Which brand? Or which active ingredient? Do we want the *real* weasel juice?

 

(I ended up going with Obenauf's and the ever-yummy Huberd's) 

[RodH 4,866]

I have a 24 year old pair of hiking boots that are still in great shape - mink oil every year on the leather...

 

But one of the cat's always wants to pee on them.

[Ratamahatta 437]

That is a good question, I have heard the same thing as well.  What I don't get is the surround on mine is foam, surely you don't want to do it on a foam surround. And I am sure he was talking about pure mink oil, not stuff with silicone or other additives that might attack the adhesives. I have wondered where I would get a new surround for that sub if I had to.  Any Guru advise? 

[fill35U 1,847]

Good to know, Rod! From what I've heard, undiscovered cat urine is one of the most destructive substances to *unprotected* leather! 

 

Which brand of mink oil do you use?

 

I hate to speculate on the fate of a feline that marked its territory on a speaker belonging to an audiophile... 

[fill35U 1,847]

I have wondered where I would get a new surround for that sub if I had to.  Any Guru advise? 

 

I'm not a guru, but if Sunfire wasn't any help, Nick at Stereo Integrity might sell you a similar surround.  Maybe the folks at Speakerworks.com ?

[RodH 4,866]

It's a local product: Capo industries of Burlington Ontario.

 

"Protects leather, plastics & vinyl (?)"

Never tried it on an LP.

[Ratamahatta 437]

I hate to speculate on the fate of a feline that marked its territory on a speaker belonging to an audiophile... 

 

A surround made from taxidermy cat hide, lol.

 

with that center piston I would hate to try and change out the surround as it looks like its glued over the surround. There is a speaker re cone repair shop in Denver I would probably visit.  

[compwaco 1,129]

I have a pair of Lafayette Coaxial drivers from the mid 1960's that have sheep skin surrounds. Sounds like mink oil might be just the ticket for those.

[RodH 4,866]

Lanolin!

[oldtexasdog 2,481]

Laugh on but if you go into the owners manual for a True Sig sup right here on this site under "CARE" it's right there?

MINK OIL?? 

[dcl 3,283]

I read the same Bob Carver advice, went looking for the stuff but never felt comfortable going through with it. Looks like boots could outlast surrounds.

[AndrewJohn 10,708]

 

 

I have a 24 year old pair of hiking boots that are still in great shape - mink oil every year on the leather...

 

But one of the cat's always wants to pee on them.

 

My mother in law's poodle always pees on my boots..., I don't think it's the mink oil.  The animal doesn't like me and I'm a dog lover (real dogs, labs and hunting dogs). 

[AndrewJohn 10,708]

In the category of "inquiring minds"... or "you can't make this up"   I had to look this up.  

 

(I was momentarily confused since OTD started this thread, that it might be one of those WI stories...   It was not. and I should have known better than to question OTD in my mind, like that.  Sorry OTD.  )

 

HEre's a snip from the page in the Sunfire Architectural True Subwoofer, in our library.

 

Says to do it once a year, or more, if you live next door to Gene.  Nothing about the "active ingredient."  But, I would suggest/conclude that back in the day, in the Northwest where Carver was located, and where it's very wet most of the year, pure mink oil was more available and common - so I'd try to find the real weasel oil.  I had some from when from Red Wing shoes, I used on my steel toed boots in the machine shop where I worked as a teen.  I'll have to see if I still have it in my shoe-care kit, and if it has additives.  

 

 

 

 

[fill35U 1,847]

I think this could get mighty complicated:

 

What kind of long-term damage are we trying to avoid? If used and stored indoors in a climate controlled environment, temperature (and rapid changes) and humidity (and rapid changes?) aren't an issue. The other culprits are UV light(sunlight or manmade), oxygen(especially ozone!), and migration of plasticizers. 

 

So we want the substance we apply to form an oxygen barrier, prevent plasticizers from leaving(and/or replace them), and block UV light if necessary. Perhaps suntan lotion would work? I've used it on automotive vinyl for these reasons, FWIW. Even then, dozens of formulas to choose from. Different mink oil formulations as well, as mentioned above. 

 

What might be the negative effects? If the additive softens the surround, it might change the compliance(Vas). The additive could harm the adhesive used to glue the surround to the basket or diaphragm. Or it may cause the surround to swell, dissolve, or weaken to where it's easily damaged. One substance that seems universally despised for all plastics and elastomers is Armorall! 

 

The Sunfire subs are around 15 years old now. Has anybody heard of a cracked, dry rotted, or otherwise failed surround? I'd guess hardly anybody applied mink oil to their surrounds as instructed. Maybe Sunfire or Bill Flannery have some data on failures and if mink oil helped? 

 

If we knew for sure *what* the surround(and adhesives) and particular "mink oil" consisted of, we could make some better guesses or even experiment.

[oldtexasdog 2,481]

 

 

In the category of "inquiring minds"... or "you can't make this up"   I had to look this up.  

 

(I was momentarily confused since OTD started this thread, that it might be one of those WI stories...   It was not. and I should have known better than to question OTD in my mind, like that.  Sorry OTD.  )

 

HEre's a snip from the page in the Sunfire Architectural True Subwoofer, in our library.

 

Says to do it once a year, or more, if you live next door to Gene.  Nothing about the "active ingredient."  But, I would suggest/conclude that back in the day, in the Northwest where Carver was located, and where it's very wet most of the year, pure mink oil was more available and common - so I'd try to find the real weasel oil.  I had some from when from Red Wing shoes, I used on my steel toed boots in the machine shop where I worked as a teen.  I'll have to see if I still have it in my shoe-care kit, and if it has additives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thats OK sometimes I do take--Liberties??? I do however have two of these I need to look after.

 

I found a Mink Road Kill now to figure how to process it for pure oil?

 

 

[Ratamahatta 437]

I have seen some on e-bay that were dry rotted and broken all the way around, I for one will do noting to mine, Foam seems to last a long time here in Colorado. When it finally goes bad I will replace it or the driver. 

[maytag 857]

 

[hewlew1 258]

I bought my Sunfire sub used and the first thing I did to it was apply Mink Oil. I used KIWI Camp Dry Mink Oil and applied it liberally to both surrounds. To look at the sub now there is no trace of it ever being done completely absorbed by the surround.

[RodH 4,866]

Mink oil is an amazing^tm substance. My personal (unsubstantiated) theory is that armor-all was an attempt to duplicate it with industrial chemicals - that failed.

[4krow 7,167]

  Guys, I am still laughing. It is difficult to type. I couldn't have come up with better stories if I tried. And the fact there is reference to the product right in the manual, gets me to wondering if Mr. C isn't screwing with us.  Of course, I know that there are reasons, but what a surprise it was to wander down this road and read the things I have read. Makes me pretty sure that you guys are stuck with me by the sake of similarity.

[RodH 4,866]

Just do it already!

[UncleMeat 1,174]

Are the surrounds a different material on the MK IV compared to the MK II? There is nothing that says to use mink oil in the MK I manual. I have a MK II but no manual and can't find one online to check on its care advice. I would treat it the same as a MK IV but need confirmation that the surrounds are the same material (a dense foam).

[oldtexasdog 2,481]

Well I got my Mink and it's female but milking it for it's oil just isn't working??

 

 

 

 

[UncleMeat 1,174]

 

 

Well I got my Mink and it's female but milking it for it's oil just isn't working??

 

You gotta rub her all over the speaker foam without letting her bite the surround. Tricky but necessary annual maintenance. ;-)

 

Just need to know if MK II units have the same surround as the MK IV.