How to seal rubber base of Energizer 360 area lantern?

[davinajackson]

Hi Workshop. My Energizer lanterns have rubber bases that are cracking and melting, creating bad black streaks on our outdoor tables. Is there any way to seal the rubber inconspicuously—or any other worthwhile fix? Thanks if you can help

[JacobZ]

Hi @davinajackson,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic have you with us.

Rubber can degrade due to a process called reversion, where the vulcanized rubber reverts to its original, less-stable state. The cracking and melting are signs of deterioration and are often irreversible. The environment, particularly heat and moisture, can accelerate this process.

You could try spraying the bases with Rust-Oleum LeakSeal Flexible Rubber Coating Spray to help seal the rubber, but I'm not so sure how well it would last if the rubber were particularly degraded.

Maybe you could simply sit them on some cheap cork mats.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob