HardyWeinberg

Is the glue in tube-patching kits just regular rubber cement or is it something different?

fietsbob

there are a variety of rubber cements , there are volatile solvents that evaporate
and soften the un vulcanized part of the patch, the red layer in Rema Patches.

Maybe Barge , shoe repair glue is a substitute , if you need large quantities.

FBinNY 

Most, if not all, patch kits don't use rubber cement. The "glue" is one half of a bonding preparation, with the other half being prepared on the patch. That's why it's so critical that you allow it to dry completely on it's own before applying the patch. BTW- don't blow on it to hasten drying, the moisture in your breath screws up the chemistry.

LarryMelman

In another thread, someone who apparently understands the chemistry of cold patching wrote the following. If this is all true, and you do it correctly, the end result is a permanently bonded patch. Unfortunately, I have found that I can always peel off my patches (which are properly applied and use the correct cement) by applying heat.

"It's a two part system, with a vulcanizing accelerant in the cement, plus finely ground unvulcanized rubber, and a solvent to make it all spreadable. The patch has a thin layer of specially prepared rubber on the surface that touches the tube; it's got an extremely fast acting vulcanization accelerant that requires external activation (by the accelerant in the cement). There's enough unbound sulphur on surface of the tube that the system produces a cross-linked connection from the tube surface through the rubber in the cement, and including the rubber of the patch. It's a very clever bit of applied chemistry. Details vary a bit from patch brand to patch brand (and is one of the reasons that some patches are very specific about what cement to use.)"

ScottNotBombs

Also, Walmart's automotive section sells patches... they're by the tire pressure gauges and all the slime stuff. They look the same as the park patches though and they also sell seperate big tubes of the glue next to the patches for less than $2. I use it all the time.

It says rubber cement on the package, but I've never had an issue with it...

ScottNotBombs

I just looked at my other tubes of glue and they all say they're rubber cement... I have like 4 of them because I never use all of them.. Maybe they just use "Rubber Cement" as a layman's term?

davidad

I buy an 8 ounce can of Slime cement at the auto parts store and usually repair my tubes at home.