Rubber cement for tire patching?
04-29-08, 10:48 AM
#26
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04-29-08, 11:37 AM
#27
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Versus what? Or is it just Germany you have a problem with? The War is over. Time to move on.
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07-30-08, 10:26 PM
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On a similar note, I'm thinking of buying a bunch of patch kits online. If i store those somewhere cool and never crack open the glue, will they keep and not dry up?
07-31-08, 03:24 PM
#30
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Test out both rubber-cement and vulcanizing-fluid 1-month after using it. Peel off the patch that had rubber cement and see how easy it comes off? Sure the pressure will keep it squeezed between the tube & tyre, but I've had patches creep on fast mountain downhills (45-50mph) with full 100% braking into bumpy corners.
Now after a month with the vulcanizing-fluid, try peeling that patch off. It won't. It's chemically fused to the tube and you'll end up ripping the patch and/or the tube, but it will not separate from the tube.
Now after a month with the vulcanizing-fluid, try peeling that patch off. It won't. It's chemically fused to the tube and you'll end up ripping the patch and/or the tube, but it will not separate from the tube.
09-29-14, 12:41 PM
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Elmers Rubber Cement
09-29-14, 01:27 PM
#33
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09-29-14, 03:58 PM
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I've used both Elmer's rubber cement and vulcanizing fluid from the auto parts store. The vulcanizing fluid works fine, hasn't dried out after several years in the can, and the price was about $5 vs. $20 for the Rema can (and no wait for delivery).
The Elmer's glue worked. I patched the tube at home and wasn't trying to ride in within the next hour, so I didn't test this. The little jar dried up & hardened a bit faster than the can of vulcanizing fluid (which is still OK after 4 years, used it recently).
The little Rema tubes all dried up quickly after the first use; I had at least on that solidified before I opened it. (Maybe it was damaged before use? too old?). Cheapest and easiest for me was to buy a box of 100 Rema patches, and generic auto vulcanizing fluid.
The Elmer's glue worked. I patched the tube at home and wasn't trying to ride in within the next hour, so I didn't test this. The little jar dried up & hardened a bit faster than the can of vulcanizing fluid (which is still OK after 4 years, used it recently).
The little Rema tubes all dried up quickly after the first use; I had at least on that solidified before I opened it. (Maybe it was damaged before use? too old?). Cheapest and easiest for me was to buy a box of 100 Rema patches, and generic auto vulcanizing fluid.
09-29-14, 04:17 PM
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09-29-14, 04:25 PM
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WOW thread started 04-27-08 in and the answer has still not been found 
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09-29-14, 04:49 PM
#37
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09-29-14, 04:53 PM
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The answer was found long ago. See post 30 above. Some people are just cheap.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
09-29-14, 05:04 PM
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Well, you are right but the last posting on this thread prior to yours was over 6 years ago. Zombie thread for sure.
09-29-14, 05:12 PM
#40
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Go to the auto supply store and buy a can of Slime rubber patch cement. I don't remember how much it costs, but it's cheap.
09-29-14, 05:15 PM
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If you put the can of vulcanizing cement in a glad jar and store it in the freezer it will
last forever. Ed
last forever. Ed
09-29-14, 05:32 PM
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Ha, yes, but the cement should be dry by now...
09-29-14, 07:58 PM
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Yes I know I have tried it also with the same results LOL
I have a 8-oz. can of Rema Cold Vulcanizing Cement $8 and bulk 100 patches $6 for patching at home and save those little tubes for my saddle bag.
And yes the grandkids make me actually use them a lot!
I also remember using Camel Vulcanizing Patchs and Monkey Grip they were great! and fun to watch
I have a 8-oz. can of Rema Cold Vulcanizing Cement $8 and bulk 100 patches $6 for patching at home and save those little tubes for my saddle bag.
And yes the grandkids make me actually use them a lot!
I also remember using Camel Vulcanizing Patchs and Monkey Grip they were great! and fun to watch
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It may not be fancy but it gets me were I need to go.
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09-30-14, 05:43 AM
#44
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Heptane doesn't do anything for "vulcanizing". Vulcanizing is the process of adding sulfur to the rubber to cross link it and harden it to make it more durable. The accelerator present in the vulcanizing fluid of a Rema system does cross link the existing polymer. Rubber cement does not. Rubber cement is simply a surface adhesive.
The answer was found long ago. See post 30 above. Some people are just cheap.
The answer was found long ago. See post 30 above. Some people are just cheap.
09-30-14, 06:05 AM
#45
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Nowadays vulcanizing means crosslinking rubber with sulfur or many other chemical agents. I suspect the crosslinking agent is incorporated into the patch and the vulcanizing rubber cement contains the accelerator to make it all go at room temperature. The solvent in the rubber cement helps spread all the chemistry around. The rubber in the cement bonds to the patch and to the tube and holds the whole thing together.
However, "rubber cement" doesn't contain the catalytic agents and thus forms no new bonds with the rubber of the tube. And the solvent isn't involve in the reaction at all and has to be removed in both rubber cement and in the vulcanizing fluid. That's why the bonds can't be made until the vulcanizing fluid has a matt finish...the solvent has to evaporate and get out of the way. It actually interferes with the vulcanization.
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Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
09-30-14, 06:36 AM
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Vulcanization still means adding sulfur to the latex to harden it. The cold vulcanizing patches take advantage of the sulfur that is already there to form new bonds in rubber by using chemicals to catalyze the reaction. And, yes, the solvent is there to make the chemicals more mobile.
However, "rubber cement" doesn't contain the catalytic agents and thus forms no new bonds with the rubber of the tube. And the solvent isn't involve in the reaction at all and has to be removed in both rubber cement and in the vulcanizing fluid. That's why the bonds can't be made until the vulcanizing fluid has a matt finish...the solvent has to evaporate and get out of the way. It actually interferes with the vulcanization.
However, "rubber cement" doesn't contain the catalytic agents and thus forms no new bonds with the rubber of the tube. And the solvent isn't involve in the reaction at all and has to be removed in both rubber cement and in the vulcanizing fluid. That's why the bonds can't be made until the vulcanizing fluid has a matt finish...the solvent has to evaporate and get out of the way. It actually interferes with the vulcanization.
09-30-14, 03:35 PM
#47
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10-01-14, 10:22 AM
#48
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Maybe rubber cement shouldn't work as well as vulcanizing fluid, but it works perfectly well for me. I appreciate the explanations. They are interesting. I don't know why I have had such success with the wrong stuff. Is it similar to how bumble bees shouldn't be able to fly but do anyway? 
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10-01-14, 12:16 PM
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I've tried rubber cement and it worked OK, but I was able to pretty easily pull the patches off the tube if I tried. With the vulcanizing fluid, pulling the patch off is basically impossible and the tube tears if I try. IDK what this means in actual use except perhaps that rubber cement might be more likely to develop a leak over time. Since I tend to continue to use tubes that accumulate multiple patches, I stick with the vulcanizing fluid.
10-01-14, 12:35 PM
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