alo

With all methods of patching tubes that I have seen, something is first used to roughen the surface to be patched.

1. In Australia these days, you apply glue to the surface of the tube to be patched, wait for it to be touch dry, then apply the patch, and press firmly.

2. A few decades ago in Australia, there used to be patches with a metal backing which you clamped to the tube. They had a material on the metal which burnt. You lit this, waited for it to burn, and melt the patch to the tube. Here are some historical pictures of some patches and a clamp.






3. In S E Asia, two methods are used. The first is like (number 1) the glue on patches. Except in S E Asia, they use a cigarette lighter to light the glue after applying it. After about one second, they blow it out (tubes can burn). Then light it again, and blow it out again. After about 3 times, it no longer lights. They then apply the patch, and press firmly. This saves waiting for the glue to dry. I also wonder if the heat also makes the patch stick better. I have tried these patches, and waited for the glue to dry. They do not stick very well.

4. In S E Asia they tell you that the glue on patches (number 3) do not stick well, and usually use another method. They use an engine piston, or something similar, to clamp a piece of rubber tightly to the area being patched. They put flammable liquid (maybe kerosene or diesel) in the piston, and light it. This heats up and melts the rubber to the area being patched. There are also electric versions, which heat up after being plugged into the power. This method of heating the rubber and melting it to the tube, seems to result in patches which stick much better.

dwsmartins

Here in Brazil the urban centers are almost 100% on the glued cold patch method, even cars and trucks. But on rural or remote areas the hot method is still in use, but they apply a vulcanizing goop before applying a plain strip of old tube on top of it.

There are even hot presses commercially available for it, both electric and querosene lit. Some old grumpy farmers and tractor drivers still begs for this, despite several tube manufacturer’s recommendations against it.

Trakhak

cyccommute is a chemist and has repeatedly demystified the topic of tube patch technology in Bike Forums threads. My conclusion from reading those threads is that Rema patch kits are reliable whereas other patch kits may not be.

With respect to the apparent need to abrade the surface of the tube, when I patch a hole in a tube at home, instead of using sandpaper or the equivalent, I simply wipe the area around the hole with alcohol, let the alcohol dry, and then apply the glue. Works every time.

alo

The hot patches used in S E Asia use a special rubber. It is not a strip of old tube.

alo

That makes sense. One of the purposes of abrading the area is to get it clean.

freeranger

When I was a kid, I remember my father showing me how to patch tubes. He would light the glue, only let it flame for a few seconds or so, let it cool, then apply the patch. I don't use that method, I use the "traditional" rough it, apply glue, etc. But don't remember any patch failures from "kid days".

alo

In S E Asia they don't stop for it to cool. They just apply the patch fairly soon after putting out the fire. I don't know whether it makes any difference to the effectiveness of the patch. Maybe the heat helps it stick better.

Bill Kapaun

Hot patch is from the 50's and before.
When I started working in a gas station in 1964 I never saw anybody use a hot patch anymore.
With REMA, there's no need to mess with any other method. The patch pretty much becomes "ONE" with the tube.
Just don't be shy with the sand paper.

crowbike

I always use a pre buff liquid cleaner. Never had a problem with patches not holding.

2_i 

One modification of the cold glue patching I heard of, that does not require waiting 5 min, is to put the glue on, then wipe it off and put the patch on right away. I have not tried it but maybe it deserves some dry runs.

davidad

It won't work. The tube needs to be cleaned, either chemically or with sand paper to remove the mold release compound on the rubber.

rydabent

Or---------------instead of all that messing around you could use Park glueless patches like I do. When properly applied they last several years. No muss no fuss no bother, and no dried out tubes of glue.

Gresp15C

One nice thing about the little sandpaper is that it rubs off most of the mold flash in case the puncture is close to a seam.

cyccommute 

Maybe 20 years before.

You are a bit older than me but I think this “hot patch” thing goes back to what our Daddies were taught back in the 30s. The process to hot patch is not taking rubber cement or proper vulcanizing fluid and setting it on fire. It doesn’t work that way. All you do is scorch the tube and weaken it. Cold vulcanization (and just rubber cement) work through chemistry and not just heat. Heat is probably detrimental because it burns the chemicals that are needed for the bond to form. Even old hot patches weren’t just a case of dousing the tube with solvent and setting it on fire. There was more to it than that.

Yes, just use the Rema TipTop and just follow the directions. There’s no need for setting anything on fire.

cyccommute 

Yup. RTFM works wonders.

cyccommute 

Glueless patches don’t have a real good track record. Probably because of the mold release compound. The patch sticks to the release compound and it does what it does in the mold...it releases.

Bill Kapaun

Memory is a bit foggy, but I remember them using a clamping fixture of some type, usually attached to the end of the work bench near the "tire area". I don't think the rubber was "supposed" to be exposed to flame. I only saw it done 2-3 times. 6-8 years later (age 16) when I actually worked in a gas station, it was only cold methods.

Here's a "tube" video. I don't remember the finished product being that ugly!

alo

We had them in Australia in the 60s. But they may have been bought in the 50s.

Method 4, I discussed in the first post, is used in S E Asia today. It is a different method of doing hot patches.

alo

This video shows what was done. However the patch he uses is an odd shape. See the first post for normal patch shapes, and the clamp. The finished product was a smooth rubber patch. Something may have not worked properly with the one in the video because it was old.

alo

Here is a video of how it is done in S E Asia. Some do it like shown in the video. Others use an electric device for heating it.

2_i 

You can still buy hot patches on Ebay and I mean real ones, not those where the term just serves as a bait, but their supply is waning. In my memory, the patch material was softer than of the tube itself and it melted while the tube was just softening. Using the clamp was essential. The process was cumbersome, but you pretty much worked without a break until the tube got sealed.

bOsscO

This. I'm pretty sure that Rubbers brand inner tubes (Rubbers Brand Inner Tubes) are widely available. Each tube comes with a Rubbers brand glueless patch, and man do they stick to the tube and provide a good seal.

dedhed

When I was a kid in the 60-70's the hot patches were still around and we used them. In fact cleaning out the family homestead to settle the estate, I recently tossed out a couple of the little presses. Progress is fine, but it's gone on for too long.: Hot Vulcanizing

Rogerogeroge

I don't think that will work. If you're cold glue patching anyway, there should hardly be any excess glue to wipe off, use as thin a layer as possible.

cyccommute 

Yep. That’s how a hot patch is done. But most people that I’ve seen do it...including my Dad...have started with a regular rubber cement patch kit, set the cement on fire, and slapped a patch on when the fire went out. Not exactly the same thing. As you said, the rubber isn’t really exposed to flame.

I do have to say that the guy in the video isn’t practicing the best safety. A gallon of mineral spirits open on the bench next to a flame that isn’t all that hard to put out is asking for a visit from the local fire department.