Hi, it's been a while. Normally the pumps dad and I fix up we do not have hoses on, (hose is balky, takes up too much room). Now we have a pump that we want to put a hose and nozzle on. We have a couple old hoses that have been in the shed. There are no cracks or checks in the hose, the only thing is, they are pretty stiff. Does anyone know how to bring an old hose back to life , ( maybe a bit more bendable?) Thanks

I've cleaned up the outside before with lacquer thinner and then used cable ties to force the hose into the position I want on the pump.

cloth or rubber hoses???

I have brought some rubber seal parts on a car back to life. These were rubber, not weather strip, but rubber seals in a couple places around the window of an older car. The parts had some paint overspray on them. I took the part off and brushed a little aircraft paint stripper on them. Let them sit in a pie tin for a while. This is the nasty methylene chloride stuff that is gradually going away. Much to my surprise, not only did the paint come off, but the parts seemed much more pliable.

Just buy new ones at a farm supply store. They are flexible and no black chalkiness all over your hands.

Or buy one from the gas pump reproduction suppliers. You can get chrome ends and a shorter hose so there’s not a lot of excess hose. I like using 6’ short hoses on short electrics.

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the hoses we have that are stiff are black rubber ones.