Originally posted by greywolf
i remember the old valves with the thin rubber tubing stretched over them( like a rats condom) not that iv,e ever seen a rats condom!. i havnt seen those valves in many years, but some of the pucture repair- kits you can buy still contain the rubbers, odd!!
Yup, those are probably Woods valves you are thinking of. You could unscrew the top and have access to the thin rubber pipette (rat condom). It would deteriorate over time so you could trim the fray from the ends, flip it around, spit on it, and eventually change it.
The Woods valve was a tremendously simple and maintainable design - certainly suitable for the generations and uses it served.