For clues…
… look toward sunscreen products. They do list ingredients. From there remove botanicals like aloe and fragrance that would be a waste of $ on palstics and fabrics, maybe alter the remaining carriers to better interact with the surface layer of plastics than skin (technically, skin could be classed as a plastic)…
Just idle speculation…
303 for latex - Armorall for others
You’re right that 303 tells you what it doesn’t have but not much else. Kokatat recommends it for their latex seals because I guess silicone is not good for latex. They also tell you that sunscreen is not good for the latex seals. So, I use it on the seals.
But to shine your boat or paddle or varished wood kayak etc. I use whatever is on sale like Armorall which is about 1/3 the price. They all have UV filters.
Sili or not sili?
Jaybabina wrote:
Kokatat recommends it for their latex seals because I guess silicone is not good for latex.
True, Kokatat sez: “Latex gaskets need to be treated every 4–6 weeks to prevent drying and cracking. Kokatat recommends 303 Protectant …”
http://www.kokatat.com/customer_service_care.asp
And yet Palm, no slouch when it comes to drysuits, suggests: “To keep your latex seals in good condition, regularly apply a silicone-based rubber conditioner.”
http://www.palmequipmentusa.com/care.htm
So here we have two major mfr’s of drysuits which utilize latex gaskets giving very specific and OPPOSING advice on how to properly care for the latex. Notice, however, that the only party who claims outright that silicone-based protectants are detrimental to latex is the maker of a competing product: 303.
C’mon, there must be a chemical engineer or polymeric wonk among our ranks, to give his or her thoughts on the subject!
No contradiction.
– Last Updated: May-08-06 6:21 PM EST –
"So here we have two major mfr's of drysuits which utilize latex gaskets giving very specific and OPPOSING advice on how to properly care for the latex."
Not "opposing", just different, advice.
Both could very well be reasonable treatments.
Where does 303 say silicone is "detrimental" to latex?
http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=286
I suspect that silicone doesn't provide much UV protection.
A little more searching
I looked at the Goodyear, Goodrich, Yokohama, and Michelin tire web sites.
None are recommending 303. Only Michelin recommends any type of treatment - their own.
To be fair, the Michelin treatment product sounds similar to 303 - UV protection, anti-ozone, not petrolium distilates.
http://www.michelinman.com/care/tirecareproducts.html?source=careindex
The Michelin stuff seems to be cheaper than 303, so it might be worth a trip to the local auto parts store to see if they have any if you are in need of something.
hey gnomon
– Last Updated: May-08-06 10:26 PM EST –
Thanks for posting the picture. Not only shows the benefits of the 303, your rack gave me a thought on the way I'm going to hang my kayaks off the side of my shed.
303 also recommended by Watershed dry
bags. Watershed recommends it for use on the zip lock type seal which normally wouldn’t be exposed to UV. However, it does lubricate the seal and makes it more supple - much easier to open and close than untreated. I would presume that at least some of the manufacturers that recommend 303 and other products have done some testing of the product they are recommending. Also, rubber bands will deteriorate without exposure to UV from sunlight, much like latex gaskets will do if hung in a dark closet for years. Apparently there are other things whcih will also cause latex to degrade (ozone?) and the use of 303 may help to extend their life. Seems to me like a small price to pay to possibly extend the life of $100 worth of latex gaskets on a drysuit and $150 worth of VCP hatch covers. I’m much less concerned about treating my poly and composite boats because they are stored under cover. However, I treat all of my rubber bands every 4-6 weeks. I just don’t want to chance that they might fail early 
~wetzool
Live is better than Google
Found this interesting site when searching using http://www.live.com:
http://www.chrisj.winisp.net/lexicon.htm
While it had some information on 303 I found the other stuff equally as interesting. Google is just not what it used to be now that Microsoft has built their search capabilities. Also http://ideas.live.com is a pretty cool place for new services.
This is interesting the composition is
listed as Proprietary …
http://www.303products.com/techinfo/msd/msds_intl/303_1002_AEROSPACE_PROTECTANT_v2.pdf
Silicone is not harmful to latex…
…at least not in and of itself. Guys like Sing use silicone grease on their necks to reduce irritation and it doesn’t cause any problems with the seals. It’s the other ingredients in junk like Armorall that cause problems.
What’s unusual about that?
Most companies are going to try to protect their products from being copied.
Made from sperm whales…
…or whale sperm… I forget…
303 NOT waterproof
I treated a royalex canoe and placed it on top of the van. The next day we had rain and I noticed oily streaks down the windshield and van. It made a but mess!
303 sez
"303 Aerospace Protectant does not contain silicone oils or petroleum distillates, or other agents unsafe for rubber, vinyl and other plastics."
http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=287
303 seems to say here that “silicone oil” is an “agent unsafe for rubber, vinyl and other plastics.”
Perhaps the matter is stated more correctly in the second paragraph on the page: ““Leading Brand” protectant products contain silicone oils giving them their oily, greasy, dirt attracting nature. Some even contain petroleum distillates (petrochemicals)!..which should never be used on rubber or vinyl and most other plastics.”
Reading lesson
– Last Updated: May-09-06 11:44 AM EST –
303 website: "Some even contain petroleum distillates (petrochemicals)!....which should never be used on rubber or vinyl and most other plastics."
Here, 303 is saying that "petroleum distillates" are bad for rubber (it's explicit).
303 website: "303 Aerospace Protectant does not contain silicone oils or petroleum distillates, or other agents unsafe for rubber, vinyl and other plastics."
Here, 303 is indicating what 303 does not contain and mentions "other agents unsafe for rubber". We don't know what these other agents are. There's no other information in this statement. The sentence is not also saying that "silicone oils" are bad for rubber (it may have been written to "suggest" that).
The only criticism of "silicone oil" they make is that it attracts dirt and it doesn't last.
Many rubber manufactures suggest using "silicone" to treat rubber. So, it's OK to use silicone. It is possible that 303 is better but there's no indication that "silicone" itself is bad (other than attracting grease).
When I wipe it down thoroughly, I do not
get streaks on the windshield. Maybe you got worse acid rain up there.
Gee, thanks!
Certainly you can see how the quoted statement could be interpreted to mean that silicone is unsafe for rubber:
“303 Aerospace Protectant does not contain silicone oils or petroleum distillates, or other agents unsafe for rubber, vinyl and other plastics.”
http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=287
If someone told you that peanut butter and jelly contain salt, you might reasonable infer that they both do, although in fact jelly does not.
Perhaps after my reading lesson you can advise 303’s marketing wonks on the proper use and placement of commas and periods.
It’s a bad sentence
– Last Updated: May-09-06 1:22 PM EST –
It is a bad sentence.
Still, they mention explicit "problems" with silcone oil (attracts dirt) in a few places but don't mention that silicone oil is in any other way "unsafe" for rubber. If silicone oil was really "unsafe", one could guess they'd prefer mentioning that repeatedly rather than the kind-of-lame "attracts dirt" complaint.
Also, respectible companies (eg Palm) suggest silicone for rubber.
It’s a good sentence
Very carefully crafted to not say that silicone is bad, any yet appear to say that silicone is bad when read quickly.
Misleading
– Last Updated: May-09-06 1:28 PM EST –
If you associate "good" with "misleading", then I agree with you!
It's possible that it was written that way intentionally (we don't know). But there is ample evidence that indicates that the interpretation of it as "silicone oil is bad for rubber" is not reasonable.