Tube patching glue (vulcanizing fluid)

[Colin Campbell]

I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
carry on a ride.

He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't been
opened, ..."

And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used for
the last repair."

We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the darned
tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess) between flat
repairs?

And where can one buy extra tubes of vulcanizing fluid?

 

[Artoi]

In article <[email protected]>,
Colin Campbell <[email protected]> wrote:

> I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
> carry on a ride.
>
> He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't been
> opened, ..."
>
> And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used for
> the last repair."
>
> We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the darned
> tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess) between flat
> repairs?
>
> And where can one buy extra tubes of vulcanizing fluid?

And how do the tubed rubber glue solution compare with self-adhesive
patches?
--

 

[[email protected]]

Colin Campbell writes:

> I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
> carry on a ride.

> He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't
> been opened, ..."

> And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used
> for the last repair."

Don't rely on the unopened tube of glue to be any better at no
evaporating. Until the tire patch makers learn that a crimped tube
leaks, we will continue to see completely dry unopened glue tubes.
Plastic screw caps with a metal/cardboard insert seal better than a
poorly crimped tube. Unfortunately, many of them are poorly crimped.

To test this, open a tube with its threaded end up and see how much of
the tube can be flattened before glue appears. Just the same, a well
crimped tube contains clear liquid, not milky jell, as many specimens
do.

> We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the
> darned tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess)
> between flat repairs?

> And where can one buy extra tubes of vulcanizing fluid?

Any good bicycle shop will do.

Jobst Brandt

 

[[email protected]]

Colin Campbell wrote:
> I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
> carry on a ride.
>
> He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't been
> opened, ..."
>
> And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used for
> the last repair."
>
> We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the darned
> tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess) between flat
> repairs?
>
> And where can one buy extra tubes of vulcanizing fluid?

Why not carry a tube? It is faster and you don't have to deal with
repairs, etc. You can get a can of inner tube cement at an auto parts
store. You can also get the cement tubes, but the can will last forever
and the contents will not dry out. When you get a flat, take your tube
home and patch it there.

Andres

 

[peter]

[email protected] wrote:
> Colin Campbell writes:
>
> > I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
> > carry on a ride.
>
> > He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't
> > been opened, ..."
>
> > And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used
> > for the last repair."
>
> Don't rely on the unopened tube of glue to be any better at no
> evaporating. Until the tire patch makers learn that a crimped tube
> leaks, we will continue to see completely dry unopened glue tubes.

It's been quite a few years since I last encountered one of those so my
impression is that the makers are getting better at crimping the ends.
I almost always run out of patches well before I'm out of glue, so I
usually put the half-used tube from the previous patch kit into the new
one just in case there should be a leak. More common in my experience
than a poor crimp is an unnoticed crack in the plastic cap that allows
the glue to evaporate.

When closing the glue tube I squeeze it a bit so some excess glue coats
the threads inside the cap. This gives a good seal without needing to
turn the cap on so hard that it's likely to cause a crack to start.

 

[David Damerell]

Quoting Colin Campbell <cmcampb_at_adelphia.net>:
>I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
>carry on a ride.
>He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that hasn't been
>opened, ..."

I bring a spare tube. The patch kit's just for emergencies.

>We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the darned
>tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess) between flat
>repairs?

The opened tube from a Rema Tip Top patch kit on my bike, which has been
open for a few years, has not dried out. Ditto the one in my toolbox.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!
Today is Second Wednesday, August.

 

[[email protected]]

Peter Rathman writes:

>>> I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what
>>> to carry on a ride.

>>> He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of glue. One that
>>> hasn't been opened, ..."

>>> And I jumped in, "...and one that has dried out since it was used
>>> for the last repair."

>> Don't rely on the unopened tube of glue to be any better at no
>> evaporating. Until the tire patch makers learn that a crimped tube
>> leaks, we will continue to see completely dry unopened glue tubes.

> It's been quite a few years since I last encountered one of those so
> my impression is that the makers are getting better at crimping the
> ends. I almost always run out of patches well before I'm out of
> glue, so I usually put the half-used tube from the previous patch
> kit into the new one just in case there should be a leak. More
> common in my experience than a poor crimp is an unnoticed crack in
> the plastic cap that allows the glue to evaporate.

> When closing the glue tube I squeeze it a bit so some excess glue
> coats the threads inside the cap. This gives a good seal without
> needing to turn the cap on so hard that it's likely to cause a crack
> to start.

Do this with the opening upward to drive out any air (empty volume)
that would allow internal evaporation. Coating a bad cap with glue
won't prevent evaporation.

Jobst Brandt

 

[[email protected]]

David Damerell writes:

>> I saw a friend riding the other day, and we were discussing what to
>> carry on a ride. He mentioned, "A patch kit, and two tubes of
>> glue. One that hasn't been opened, ..."

> I bring a spare tube. The patch kit's just for emergencies.

>> We laughed, and went on our way. But how does anyone keep the
>> darned tube from drying out (or actually evaporating, I guess)
>> between flat repairs?

> The opened tube from a Rema Tip Top patch kit on my bike, which has
> been open for a few years, has not dried out. Ditto the one in my
> toolbox.

Well! I guess that proves that it cannot occur. So what other
explanation do you have for dried out glue tubes, even unopened ones?

Jobst Brandt

 

[peter]

[email protected] wrote:
> Peter Rathman writes:

> > When closing the glue tube I squeeze it a bit so some excess glue
> > coats the threads inside the cap. This gives a good seal without
> > needing to turn the cap on so hard that it's likely to cause a crack
> > to start.
>
> Do this with the opening upward to drive out any air (empty volume)
> that would allow internal evaporation.

Yes, of course I squeeze it with the opening upward - otherwise the
glue would all end up on the ground. But the tiny air volume inside
the closed tube won't allow for a significant amount of evaporation
before an equilibrium is reached with the vapor pressure of the glue.
If you get a dried out glue tube it's the result of leakage to the
outside, not just evaporation into the small empty space inside the
tube.

> Coating a bad cap with glue
> won't prevent evaporation.

Nor was it ever implied that it would. If the cap is cracked (i.e.
bad), then the tube will dry out quite quickly. The idea is to seal it
sufficiently but not tighten the cap so hard that it is likely to
crack. I find that a thin glue coating on the threads helps me do this
consistently. I haven't had a problem with a dried out tube of glue in
many years since adopting this technique.