Well anyway, my question (below) wasn't about removal of the chrome
strips, it was about cleaning the rubber so it does not come off on my
fingers and anything else that touches it and make them totally black. I
could use some advice there.

The chrome strip removal issue is a useful one to discuss, but mine are
off and my fingers are jet-black and there are jet-black smudges all
around the rubbers now . . . so one thing at a time for me. I reckon I
will put new non-chrome rubbers on later this year . . . but for now,
what I have found is that rubbing the window surrounds with rags soaked
in either Armorall or Clorox Clean-up results in jet-black rags and
black streaks down the side of Mellow Yellow. And takes about two rags
and 20 minutes per window to get the first 90% of black stuff off. And
it's, like,  really really really really really really really really
really really boring. Is there something designed to clean that powdery
black rubber outer layer right off, quick as you like, hey presto?

--

Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
KG6RCR

On 5/16/2005 8:14 AM Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

> My apologies all around. I'm asking a lot of questions these days, most
> of which are probably Vanagon/Westy 101, and have not been able to
> contribute much in the way of answers. Maybe when I get smarter . . .
>
> But anyways,
>
> Pulling the creepy brown "chrome" strip from Mellow Yellow's rubbers is
> pretty easy. But the tips of my fingers turn black as soon as I touch
> the rubber. I'd like to clean up the rubbers so they don't smear black
> all over the place. What's a good technique to remove the rub-off-able
> surface black and get the rubber nice and shiny?
>
> --
>
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> KG6RCR
>