Softening harden rubber - lights FYI

[inairam]

One set of round backlight had the rubber connections hardened to the point the mating connection would not go in. I have not been able to find these connections and did not want to replace the lights fixtures that were otherwise ok

I did a search and there is a lot of info on softening harden rubber by soaking it in 3 parts alcohol ( I used denatured because we had it at work isopropyl is what is recommended) and 1 part methyl salicylate (AKA Wintergreen Oil it smells like a cross between Lysol and a candy shop)

After 24 hours the rubber was soft. ( It I did it at home I would have checked it more frequently and may have pulled it sooner)

It does not come up much but here you go if it does.