Originally Posted by
apricissimus
In your experience, how often do patch kits actually work? I've tried them twice, and twice they have failed as I was reinflating the tube. Last time was two days ago. I had a pinhole puncture, which seems ideal for patching, but air started escape from the same hole (patched) at about 30 psi.
Am I just doing it wrong? Or maybe do I have a lousy patch kit?
For me if the patch works initially it never fails later. But I have had a few problems where the patch does not hold right away. This usually happened when peeling off the plastic on the top of the patch - some people leave this on. I like to take it off to see that I have a well-sealed patch. But I think I get impatient. Steps seem to be rough up the spot, apply glue liberally, wait until glue is tacky but not overly dry (about 5 min), apply patch pressing really well, wait about 5 min, remove plastic preferably from center having broken the plastic by scrunching the patch before applying it. Sometimes when I peel the plastic up from the edge I bring the edge of the patch up with it.