Alternative tube patch cements
 

Are there any other types of cements that will work other than the usual patch-kit rubber cement? (usually it's Rax or that German brand )

Weldwood contact cement? Duco Cement?

Patch kit cement isn't cement or glue in the traditional sense, it's vulcanizing compound.

Tire patches use a 2 part system, analogous to a two part epoxy. One part is the preparation you apply after scraping, which when dried (important) leaves the tube ready to react with the second part which is part of the patch. When done right a permanent bond is made between the patch and tube.

If you want to patch a small puncture in the tube, that is really easy and quick to do it, try Park Tools GP-2. They seem to last forever on a patched tubes. Some say that it's just a temporary fix, but I have a tube with 3 of them for the last 3 years or so, and with around 9k miles on it. They still hold strong.

The Slime brand cement that is readily available works well for me with the Rema patches. I think it must be "proper" patch cement, I can't pull up the edge of a patch after it has set.

While they indeed call it "cement", it isn't "cement" as the rest of the glue and adhesive industry think of it.
It is a vulcanizing compound, so it's the right stuff for the job even if they've chosen to stick a silly name on it.

My bet is that they've gone with a more familiar name, even if it's technically inaccurate, for the sake of making the use of the product more self-explanatory.
There are probably far more people around who'd understand what a cement is used for than people who'd know what to do with vulcanizing fluid/compound/solution.

A simple test would be to try to glue anything else than a patch with it.
If it's really a cement, I'd expect it to have some sort of adhesive properties even in other combinations of materials.

This may be a good time to mention that you can buy a lifetime supply of Rema patches, the small ones that fit a road tube, for about $20 on ebay. Very few folks I ride with will use a patched tube.:rolleyes: They give me their flats, I patch them and offer them to the group. Rarely are there takers. I have LOTS of tubes....

I ran out of regular patching cement, and tried contact cement. It didn't work very well.

I use Napa Heavy Duty Vulcanizing Cement. Works great, big can was around $8-12 I guess. It's the real deal, glue sniffers would like it.

Despite not being a true vulcanizing fluid and not actually reacting with the patches and tubes, I've had excellent luck using plain old "Elmer's Rubber Cement" from any office supply or X-mart. I scuff the area around the puncture with sand paper, wipe it clean and apply a thin layer of the rubber cement extending over a bit larger area than the patch will cover. Let the cement dry completely then apply the patch and iron it down with firm thumb pressure. Patched this way I've had excellent results and almost no failures. Perhaps it's not the right cement but it really does work.

Yep! I sprung for one of that and an 8oz Rema Vulcanising fluid. Between my bikes and my son's bike (a true flat-magnet, as he won't pump his tires up, despite my constant text messages/reminders to do so), have not regretted the purchase one bit.

You can but the Slime patch compound at any auto supply house in an 8ounce can with brush.

I've used regular rubber cement, and had failures. The patches creeped off the hole. That was on skinny tubes, in fairly high pressure road tires. That never, ever, ever happens with vulcanizing fluid. I keep a jar of fluid, which I buy from the auto parts store, at work and home, and use that when patching. It's about six bucks a can, which if you can screw the top on, will last a couple years of occasional use, or a few hundred patches if you're busy. (plain rubber cement costs $3 for a bottle that's half the size, so it's not any cheaper. Might have some somewhere, of course which would get you home, but it won't save you much money.)

+1

My Rema patch cement dried out half way down the can, and did you know it's really hard to get trichlor nowadays? I've been using Elmer's for three years now, probably patched a dozen times or more with the stuff, and (knock on wood) haven't had a patch fail yet. This is on tubes usually pumped to 85-95 psi.

Hillrider's right about the prep, too. It's critical to sand way more than you want to to get below the mold release.

You can also buy case lots of the little Rema tubes of the fluid ,

so unopened, the other ones wont evaporate the solvents..

My "Elmer's" cement is used on 700-23 tires and tubes run at 105-120 psi so high pressure isn't necessarily a cause of failures. Also, yes Elmers comes in 4-oz bottles at about $2 each but it serves several purposes other than tube patching so its cost compared to vulcanizing cement isn't the issue. We use it up before it dries out.

I seem to remember it could be used to make great fake boogers the size of a marble.

Oh to be 8 again. :D

I had marginal results with Elmers, Real vulcanizing cement is better IMO, almost impossible to pull the patch off.

I'm not claiming that "real" vulcanizing cement isn't better. I'm only reporting my experience that Elmer's has been satisfactory. I really don't care if I can pull off the patch as long as the tube doesn't leak.

I care if the tube leaks also, thus my comment about the marginal performance of Elmers as a patch cement.

Bingo. Cool. We have a Napa here.

Can you walk in and buy some, or do they have to ID you and "special order" it?

(sigh) Another hassle thanks to the crystal-meth heads.

very cool, I always wanted to try that

Slightly off topic: I have lots of left over patches, what I don't have is any extra of those small glue tubes that dry out after opening. Spending $3-4 for a patch kit seems wasteful when all I need is the glue tube.

You can get a good sized tube of the real deal vulcanizing fluid at any auto parts store or big box store for about 2 bucks. Look where they have the auto tire repair kits.

You can buy small tubes of Rema "glue" on Amazon etc.
Just pick up a couple when you make some other bike order to save on shipping.

You can make those tubes of vulcanizing fluid last longer by rolling them up as you use them to force out any air before screwing the cap on. It's usually the air trapped inside that will dry them out.

I'll try that. Thank you.