Topic: Care and restoration of Pleo skins (Read 10662 times)

taoworm23 · « **Reply #25 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:19:43 PM »

You can just do it once a day for RBs.
For older UGOBE 2 or 3 times a day. (Since the UGOBEs are older)

General rule is whenever it dries up. If your pleo is still "wet" the next day skip that day until pleo dries completelyreap reapply.

I DO NOT USE GIBBS ON THE FRONT OF HIS NOSE SINCE THATS WHERE THE CAMERA AND IR LEDS ARE.
IT ALSO MAKES IT VERY TRACTON PRONE WHEN HE PUTS HIS HEAD DOWN AND IT MAY GRIP TO A SMOOTH SURFACE AND MESS UP HIS MOTORS AND CABLES BY GRIPPING TO THE FLOOR TILE WHEN HE TRYS TO MOVE HIS HEAD.

Your pleo has grippy skin out of the box. Gibbs will keep it that way.

Just keep and eye on him and make sure there is no undue stress on his joints or neck or tail when he moves around objects he could get caught on.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Do NOT use Vinylex or Autoglym!
I found this on Vinylex's website:

"VINYLEX contains a unique patented composition of silicone and organo-functional silicone specifically designed to provide the desired performance and appearance along with special emulsifiers that cause the formula to break on application. This release (break) on application contributes to the performance of the composition and facilitates the proper distribution of VINYLEX ingredients."

Based on this, it appears as though Vinylex is silicone based and therefore not good for pleos skin. It may do well in the short run, but long term it will yellow and break down the polymer chains.

Same thing with autoglym vinyl and rubber care. It contains a crap load of silicones. (Check the FAQ on their website for proof.)

Crewella · « **Reply #26 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:48:03 PM »

I'm not keen on silicone-based products in general as I'm an antiques dealer and have spent many a cold evening cleaning modern silicone-based polishes off old wood and swearing at them! However, with the furniture that I'm dealing with we're talking about things that last for hundreds of years.

Several years ago now I was desperately searching for something to protect our Pleos, the recommendation for Pledge seemed completely wrong and I felt that Vinylex (and Autoglym) were manufactured specifically for the care of plastics and rubbers and would at least protect the skins in the short term and from breaking down in UV light. I'm sorry if anyone feels I misled them.

taoworm23 · « **Reply #27 on:** April 07, 2015, 09:51:06 PM »

You didn't mislead anyone Crewella.

I would have thought they were safe myself if I didn't know any better. (And I didn't know any better till today. Lol)
After all it does say rubber care.
Hell even ugobe and innvo labs unknowingly gave people faulty advice.

Now we know going forward what to use. Im still in contact with GLS as of this afternoon so I will be discussing ways to have new skins made with a homemade reverse vacuum mold if need be. I will post any updates in this thread.

NOTE:
I really think to cut down on any confusion in the future that this information about Gibbs and the other alternatives should be used in a sticky on the forum or perhaps an FAQ so that when this thread gets archived the info will not be lost.

Surprisingly even BMW Gummi Pflege is silicone-based. It's good in the short-term but destructive in the long term. Do not use on Pleo.
Because many treatments for rubber do include silicone, which is great at making rubber look good - for a while, but not so good when it comes to dust and dirt. Silicone acts like a magnet, attracting dust and drying out the rubber.
Im not sure about the new spray on Gummi Pflege since its made by another company now and not BMW but I wouldn't take any chances...

Update: After asking Einszett (the maker of GP) about this I got the following response:

"Thanks for your question about Gummi Pflege and sorry for the confusion. Gummi Pflege contains a water based silicone. What it doesn't contain is silicone oil. "

So Gummi Pflege, Vinylex or Autoglym are out.
Gibbs seems to be the go to choice.

Crewella · « **Reply #28 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:26:02 AM »

It will be interesting to see what Lexol have to say.

ADDED: We may have to wait until I get a response from Lexol - when I first recommended it I contacted them (as I'm not keen on silicones due to my experiences with antiques). They did assure me at the time that their Vinylex product would not dry out thermoplastic surfaces, but it was that long ago that I can't remember exactly what was said!

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #29 on:** April 09, 2015, 09:43:11 AM »

Ok, because there's some really awesome information cropping up in this thread now, I'm going to go ahead and split it into its own topic. It deserves to be shared

JakeLBell · « **Reply #30 on:** April 10, 2015, 06:28:50 AM »

So, I personally have never used Gummi Pflege, Vinylex or Autoglym, but I did use the Pledge Ultra Moisturizing recommended by Innvo on my RB one time. That was enough to see that it wasn't going to help. If anything the Pledge made her feel worse afterward. I am currently in the middle of my week-long daily Gibbs applications, but already I can tell a HUGE difference in my RBs skin. It feels much softer and grippy, and it is much more flexible. It feels like what I imagine they were supposed to feel like when new.

taoworm23 · « **Reply #31 on:** April 10, 2015, 07:09:51 AM »

On a side note about Thermo Plastic Elastomers
TPE (pleos skin) is repaired by CAREFULLY applying heat.
TPE needs to be around 500 degrees F to melt
You can use a 'wind proof' butane torch lighter from a distance to carefully heat until the surface glosses over, indicating that it is beginning to melt, much like wax.

Then you close or join the heated surfaces. If you have a seam, let it cool a little, then heat the seam and use a damp cloth to apply a skin like texture and to conceal the seam.

Let the repair cool to room temperature before moving. A damp cloth soaked in cool water and applied to the repair helps to reduce heat more quickly.
Then replace/put back on Pleos skin.

WARNING * Work area must have active ventilation, such as exhaust fan or a fan next to an open window to pull any fumes outside.

I saw a post were someone tried to use super glue on TPE and that doesn't work, TPE is thermal and you can re-melt it.
(My cat damaged the tip of pleos tail years ago. I superglued it but it came loose years later.)

Cleaning
If you must wash Pleo ,wash with warm soapy water, (1 part antibacterial soap 4 parts water) taking care not to wet electronic components. TPE cannot be fully sanitized due to being made out of a porous material (meaning Pleos skin has pores that can harbor bacteria).

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #32 on:** July 01, 2015, 03:35:26 PM »

Taoworm, hi, love this topic, very informative and one I missed as I have been gone since about mid February due to some fur baby deaths........Anyway, I read through this topic from the start and I understand it pretty well. I am going to order a can but have a question I have not seen addressed, not sure if you can answer this but probably so here goes.

I have about half a dozen or so older Ugobes that are custom painted, and my oldest one was painted in 2011 and is holding up fine with no pain chips or cracking, peeling. Here are some pictures of a few of the older ones so you can see how much paint is involved, these are all Ugobes also. ( I do have one RB, that I got on Ebay with no skin problems but I did give him a slight touchup...........

More details...

These paints are a combination of acrylics, oil, dry pigments, and some other items, I would hate to lose paint or have it damaged, but I also want to protect my pleos with a product like this if possible. My pleos are not used often except in "spurt" or special occasions , I even have a New Pleo Rb I purchased in April 2014 and she is still not walking, only second going on third battery cycle so you can see they are not used daily .( I also have 20+ Ugobes) All my pleos are kept in their original boxes or another one to protect them and away from direct sun light, high temps etc. What would you recommend for those of us, ( and I know Crewella, Kat have also custom painted their Ugobes) so I am sure they also would like to know if Gibbs can be used on these type of pleos without damage to the paint. ? I do not mind a slight touch up but to have all the paint come off is a big job.. I am talking about a few of myne that are from head to toe, 70% paint coverage, except the belly underside, and part of the feet, and that is about it!

If someone else has already asked about using Gibbs on this type of Pleo and I missed it, then I apologize as I missed it. I by the way am familiar with your name and have seen your post before but it is good to see you on the Pleo forums here. I look forward as the others to your new Pleo makeovers, with realistic looking eyes.. I am not so sure if with these new eyes the face modifications how "cute" Pleo will be when done and I do like the cute factor. but am very interested in the advancements you are gearing towards.. Sounds great. Thanks in advance for any answer...................RWM

and the Pleo

township of the Redwoods

Piggy · « **Reply #33 on:** July 18, 2015, 03:47:28 PM »

I used Gibbs both on my ugobe and Rb pleo's, I used a small brush for oil painting and sprayed Some in a cup and painted one layer at a time and let it dry. I applied it as Taoworm instructed.

The funny thing is my RB dried completely and didn't feel sticky but Feels Nice to touch but my ugobe Kimmy feels sticky to the touch and it has been a few weeks ago when I applied it

I don't like the feelings of her skin it is so tacky

Is this normal ? Or did I do something wrong ?

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #34 on:** July 18, 2015, 06:00:43 PM »

I have no idea why your Ugobe skin is still feeling tacky, I do think the RB have improved skin and that is one reason they seem to absorb the Gibbs so much faster, I have not used it myself so have no first hand experience, What I am still wanting to know is if this is safe to use on Custom painted Ugobes, as I have about six of them that have a combo of oils, or Acrylics and other pigments. I know they are safe to use on the skin itself, but will using the Gibbs hasten or have the paint removed, ( come off) by using it?
I want to protect my Ugobes obviously, but do not anticipate repainting these custom pleos. too much work, not enough time and they won't come out the same again, they never do..

RWM

and the Pleo township of the Redwoods

Niiyon · « **Reply #35 on:** July 18, 2015, 09:05:49 PM »

I think it should be fine, I painted my Shark Attack Swimmer Shark with acrylic and it came off so I used Gibbs and it sealed it in and he never peeled again. Don't know about oils, though. Hey, speaking of painted Pleos, how do you think a Pleo painted black where the base green and yellow is and like a neon blue where the dark green stripes are, and gray where the beige underbelly is would look?

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #36 on:** July 19, 2015, 05:40:04 AM »

Go ahead and try it in Photoshop or a free program like paint.net

kat · « **Reply #37 on:** July 19, 2015, 07:46:22 PM »

It will probably end up looking a bit similar to this

More details...

This is Gumble my Ugobe pleo

Piggy · « **Reply #38 on:** July 20, 2015, 03:52:32 AM »

WoW

Gumble looks amazing ! Nice job in painting him Kat

aibo7m3 · « **Reply #39 on:** July 20, 2015, 08:20:00 AM »

Wow, Kat! I think I've seen Gumble a few times before, but that photo really shows off what a wonderful paint job you did! Those colors really suit him too, much nicer looking than the blue RBs. I'm probably going to skin my Ugobe Phoenix since his skin is completely falling apart, but I might try painting it first just to see if it's something I might want to try on other Pleos in the future.

Piggy · « **Reply #40 on:** September 04, 2015, 02:58:24 PM »

I use Gibbs on all of my pleo's but I only apply a very thin layer and rub it softly in with a old t shirt .
And my pleo RB absorbs it really fast, but with my Ugobe she needs a day or two to completely absorb it in her skin. Also it seems to me it seals the paint in very Well. They wear no outfits and I pet and cuddle them a lot. But they still look as they did when they came out of the box

let's see after a Year of using it they still look as good as New., but for now I love it and I hope the rubber skin lasts longer because of this product .

nrherwe · « **Reply #41 on:** December 01, 2015, 10:56:48 PM »

It does seem to help on the older skins.

*I have removed the links you placed in this post as it is not relevent to the topic and is considered spam*

see3d · « **Reply #42 on:** March 31, 2017, 04:15:55 PM »

Quote from: taoworm23 on April 07, 2015, 09:51:06 PM

Im still in contact with GLS as of this afternoon so I will be discussing ways to have new skins made with a homemade reverse vacuum mold if need be. I will post any updates in this thread...

Hello taoworm23. I bought one of the first Pleos, then added another about a year later. When their skins started to crack and fail, my wife made capes for them. A few years ago, I put them on the shelf, because their skin was in too bad a shape to wake them up and damage them more. I figured that some day I might figure out how to give them a new skin, or someone else would figure it out. It has been a while since you posted this and I was wondering if you made any progress on new skins or other repair methods. One thought I had was to take the skins off and coat the insides with some elastic product to hold all the splits together, then coat the outside with Gibbs. Any more thoughts?

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #43 on:** March 31, 2017, 07:18:22 PM »

Sadly Pleo has such a unique skin that I don't think a full user made replacement would ever be possible without a huge outlay for equipment.

None of my Pleo's have ever been coated with anything, I keep them out of the light and avoid extremes of temperature. They are holding up fairly well considering, a few splits and holes in the older Pleo's and even the RB's are starting to split (Pleakley). I think it's something we are all going to have to live with sadly.

see3d · « **Reply #44 on:** March 31, 2017, 07:36:13 PM »

Quote from: InmemoryofRomeo on March 31, 2017, 07:18:22 PM

Sadly Pleo has such a unique skin that I don't think a full user made replacement would ever be possible without a huge outlay for equipment.

I agree that it would take a significant dedicated effort for an individual to duplicate that skin. However, the manufacturer has lots of that skin today. I just asked if they would sell me just the skins from a Pleo rb. Even though it is not exactly the same as the original, I could modify it to make it fit without too much effort. I expect that they will decline to sell me just the skin. However, if they did make skin available to some skilled individuals in each region of the world, it might become possible for some reasonably priced repair work to take place on older Pleos. If many customers request that they make skins available, then they might consider it.

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #45 on:** April 02, 2017, 12:37:56 AM »

I've also asked if they would sell the skins, as the cost of shipping a Pleo in for repairs is too prohibitive. I hope they've changed their minds since then.

see3d · « **Reply #46 on:** April 02, 2017, 03:28:26 PM »

Quote from: InmemoryofRomeo on April 02, 2017, 12:37:56 AM

I've also asked if they would sell the skins, as the cost of shipping a Pleo in for repairs is too prohibitive. I hope they've changed their minds since then.

Do they even offer to reskin the original Pleos?

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #47 on:** April 03, 2017, 02:33:17 PM »

Yes, at a cost of the repair and postage, for me postage alone was $150.

see3d · « **Reply #48 on:** April 03, 2017, 06:52:43 PM »

Quote from: InmemoryofRomeo on April 03, 2017, 02:33:17 PM

Yes, at a cost of the repair and postage, for me postage alone was $150.

That is funny. I only paid $100 for my second new Pleo (going out of business sale). I picked it up so I would have spare parts, but the skin on both went bad quickly. Besides, I found I liked two interacting with each other. Too bad I did not know about any skin saving tricks way back then. I speculated it was because of higher ozone levels in the mountains, or perhaps from my electronic air filter. A lot of latex rubber items around the house were falling apart within a year. I did not have a clue about how to stop the rot.

see3d · « **Reply #49 on:** April 04, 2017, 10:04:48 AM »

Quote from: InmemoryofRomeo on April 02, 2017, 12:37:56 AM

I've also asked if they would sell the skins, as the cost of shipping a Pleo in for repairs is too prohibitive. I hope they've changed their minds since then.

I just got a reply from customer disservice. They still will not sell Pleo skins. I suppose if one were to make a cast of the skins to make and sell them, they would sue for copyright infringement. I wonder if there are some conditions under which they would consider selling skins without attaching a complete Pleo with them?

Bob the Pleo Forums

Author Topic: Care and restoration of Pleo skins (Read 10662 times)