Foo - what if i...

[i am channeling phantomcow, i am channeling phantomcow...]
ok, i'm putting myself out there for some ridicule but
does anyone have an idea about the permeability of an epoxy resin to air?

my current tinkering pet project is:
coat the surface and edges of the rim tape on my mtb wheels with a thin coat of epoxy to make the rim air tight, install a ust-ish presta valve with removable core, go tubeless on the cheap (and possibly lighter than stans???).

anyone want to tell me why this won't work?

NERD ALERT!!

I'm outta here.

anyone want to tell me why this won't work?

Because many epoxies dry too hard and are brittle. It'll leak soon after being slammed against a road surface.

Also, you'll be screwed if you have to replace a nipple.

Oh man I didn't even read the post. I saw "Phantomcow" and high tailed it outta here.

Plus I really don't have a comment on it anyway other than what Wordbiker took out of my mouth. (He can read my mind).

Oh man I didn't even read the post. I saw "Phantomcow" and high tailed it outta here.

Plus I really don't have a comment on it anyway other than what Wordbiker took out of my mouth. (He can read my mind).

Oh my! :eek: *reading Siu's mind*

How about laying a bead of silicon glue all the way around the rim under the rim strip?

Yeah, like the kind you use for fishtanks. Flexible, waterproof and you can get it off if you need to.

Why do you hate tubes?

Let us know how it works...
http://www.dick-blick.com/items/239/03/23903-1004-3ww-l.jpg

Search in the MTB thread and you'll find plenty of info on DIY tubless conversions. Might want to check that out before you just decide to throw caution to the wind.

ok, not to resurrect this (it's not really the appropriate place for it)
but i just did my proof of concept run. 7min epoxy for plastics (cures a little more pliable at the expense of tensile strength; won't shrink or expand according to packaging) on top of a single layer of woven nylon rim tape, covering the edges as well as possible.
i got an old conti explorer pro tire to hold air, without sealant, for about twenty seconds until it all emptied out of the puncture which caused me to retire that t(y)re in the first place. and some spoke holes leaked; i've obviously got to do a little hunt and peck with the resin.

(the fact that i'm doing this on a friday night before a race proves i need more of a social life)

Take a look at Devcon products below. There's a variety of flexible urethane products.


http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?brandid=1&catid=3

Just a thought, but the resins seem to be watertight, as boats are built of cloth and resin, to it may work. Only one way to find out.