Preserving speaker surrounds

The foam surrounds on my Vifa C17WG-69-08 drivers has gone a shade of green-grey, and I am pretty confident they are now a heartbeat away from the fatal cracked speaker surround.

"Bloke on the internet says" paint them with silicone oil. Not the spray-on type (as it contains things that evaporate that will screw the foam), but the kind you drip on as a lubricant or use with pouring acrylic art.

The latter, it turns out I have.

Brush, can I introduce speaker surround.

Now from green to brittle to a blacker softer shiny foam.

I have zero ideas if this is going to prolong their delicious existence, but its worth a shot. First impressions are very very good. Magic like. Speaker covers back on (I am no longer a teenager with driver lust, I am a growed-up with no doubt rapidly failing hearing) to assist with keeping the UV off.

May they live on well into their 30's.

Update

So - this did indeed tide me over to get brave enough to replace teh surrounds. I have documented the Replacing speaker surround foams's - which I cannot deny was an emotional experience (plot spoiler: It is stressful but it went well) - but its well worth doing if you are a the practical sort.