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Seat bumpers for a 1948 Baby Blakes Lavatory


Boater Sam

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My wonderful Baby Blakes loo, 1948 vintage, round bowl, needs 3 new seat rubber bumpers or are the buffers?   These are the long oval ones, they are the only spare part that is now unavailable from Thetford.

The small round ones for the cover are still available but its not those that I need. The loo is in perfect working order but the rubbers are sticky and tatty.

Does anyone have any spare, or can you suggest an alternative? I've looked at the modern plastic ones, they are all too small and most are screwed on, the Blakes ones push into a slot in the seat.

All cost met etc., thanks,     Sam.

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According to Mr Google...

Talc to dry the surface is one ‘fix’

Wiping with white spirit or alcohol is another (but I guess that’ll also further damage the rubber). 

Edited by WotEver
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41 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

My wonderful Baby Blakes loo, 1948 vintage, round bowl, needs 3 new seat rubber bumpers or are the buffers?   These are the long oval ones, they are the only spare part that is now unavailable from Thetford.

The small round ones for the cover are still available but its not those that I need. The loo is in perfect working order but the rubbers are sticky and tatty.

Does anyone have any spare, or can you suggest an alternative? I've looked at the modern plastic ones, they are all too small and most are screwed on, the Blakes ones push into a slot in the seat.

All cost met etc., thanks,     Sam.

Ring Andy on 07970 108712 he usualy can get spares for those bogs.

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9 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

Thanks mrsmelly, but Yacht Parts have only the small ones for the cover.

Shame I got some stuff for a sea bog from them some time ago. Is the entire seat still available?

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Blakes changed to a shaped seat many years ago, the round ones are ancient history. Unfortunately the rubbers off the later ones don't fit.

I will try cutting some from the cleat off an old tractor tyre but it won't be easy or neat. The seats are bakelite with a shaped recess for the rubbers to press into so screws would not be a good idea.

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If you have an original one as a reference - even if in poor condition - then it's possible to cast a mould from it, clean it up, and use a two-part liquid casting rubber to make new ones. I do a bit of this sort of process for making prototypes of plastic parts etc.

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15 minutes ago, Giant said:

If you have an original one as a reference - even if in poor condition - then it's possible to cast a mould from it, clean it up, and use a two-part liquid casting rubber to make new ones. I do a bit of this sort of process for making prototypes of plastic parts etc.

It’s probably something which could be cheaply 3D printed (many local printing companies offer 3D printing as a service). The biggest problem would be in getting the computer model designed. 

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2 hours ago, WotEver said:

It’s probably something which could be cheaply 3D printed (many local printing companies offer 3D printing as a service). The biggest problem would be in getting the computer model designed. 

Yeah, a 3D print in Ninjaflex or similar rubbery filament is another option, but I'd hesitate to use a 3D print in this application since the surface will be rough and somewhat porous, which makes it hard to keep clean. And with the flexible filaments you can't really smooth the print with sanding or with solvent vapour in the same way as you can with solid plastic.

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44 minutes ago, Giant said:

Yeah, a 3D print in Ninjaflex or similar rubbery filament is another option, but I'd hesitate to use a 3D print in this application since the surface will be rough and somewhat porous, which makes it hard to keep clean. And with the flexible filaments you can't really smooth the print with sanding or with solvent vapour in the same way as you can with solid plastic.

I suppose you could paint it but then you’re into on-going maintenance. 

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On 15/04/2018 at 12:32, Giant said:

Yeah, a 3D print in Ninjaflex or similar rubbery filament is another option, but I'd hesitate to use a 3D print in this application since the surface will be rough and somewhat porous, which makes it hard to keep clean. And with the flexible filaments you can't really smooth the print with sanding or with solvent vapour in the same way as you can with solid plastic.

How about a hot blade?

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On 14/04/2018 at 11:51, Boater Sam said:

My wonderful Baby Blakes loo, 1948 vintage, round bowl, needs 3 new seat rubber bumpers or are the buffers?   These are the long oval ones, they are the only spare part that is now unavailable from Thetford.

The small round ones for the cover are still available but its not those that I need. The loo is in perfect working order but the rubbers are sticky and tatty.

Does anyone have any spare, or can you suggest an alternative? I've looked at the modern plastic ones, they are all too small and most are screwed on, the Blakes ones push into a slot in the seat.

All cost met etc., thanks,     Sam.

Mailspeed Marine. Baby Blakes seat buffers oblong TBB7245  tel 01273 837823 or online ? £1.73 each

Probably the wrong ones?

Edited by mrsmelly
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On 15/04/2018 at 10:03, Giant said:

If you have an original one as a reference - even if in poor condition - then it's possible to cast a mould from it, clean it up, and use a two-part liquid casting rubber to make new ones. I do a bit of this sort of process for making prototypes of plastic parts etc.

If a mould could be made from the new one obtained, a firm setting mastic could be used to make them. I have used it to create the rubber mounts when hanging a sink on cast iron brackets. 

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1 hour ago, Boater Sam said:

May well mould some new ones, would Shore hardness 85A be best or a softer 70A? There seems to be some guys on here who know their rubbers.

If I had the original in my hand I could give you a rough guess what it is. The proper tool to measure is a durometer, but a useful rough guide to Shore A hardness is:

20 = Rubber Band
40 = Pencil Eraser
60 = Car Tire Tread
70 = Running Shoe Sole
80 = Leather Belt
100 = Shopping Cart Wheel

I would go for 85, given that you'll be putting your weight on them when you sit on the seat and presumably they're not that big. Think about a running shoe sole being 70, and you spread your weight across the whole foot on that.

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