Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You'll probably find that an old tube doesn't work as well as a patch. They tend to be too thick and covered in talc. Adhesion isn't as good either. However there is a solution to buying patch kits.
The Third Hand sells Rema patches in boxes of 100 for around $15 and spare glue tubes too. That way you can use those old boxes
Wait a moment; we had a shortish thread about JUST this very problem here, a while ago, and the initiator told us that old tubes worked great for patching.
I think cleaning the tube and the "patching tube" thoroughly to remove traces of grease, is critical. But after that, the tube will stick very well.