Tube Patching Question

[Jobst Brandt]

Robert who?" writes:

>> How long must I wait before using my newly patched tubes, etc?

> If your tube is properly patched, you can ride it immediately. All that "curing" **** is ****.
> Just make sure to sandpaper the hell out of it and that the glue is totally dry before you put the
> patch on.

You don't have to get ****** off about it. Besides, you are wrong about that. I think the reasons
are adequately explained in the FAQ that doesn't require you to take it on faith (as you seem to
believe) but gives you means by which you can test the truth of the methods described.

http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8b.1.html

Jobst Brandt [email protected]

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:59:29 -0500, "Jonathan Kaplan"
<[email protected]> may have said:

>I've never been able to succesfully patch a tube. (I've used a liquid cement type kit) I have it
>patched slightly inflate it to check it. Then I re-install the tire. When I get to about 80psi, it
>lets go. What am I doing wrong? (I always end up replacing the tube)

I've had very poor results from the self-adhesive patches, but I've had good results from
conventional use-with-glue patches. The square multipurpose ones seem to be less reliable (for me)
than the round clear-back patches, and the Novara "microdot" patches were just an exercise in
frustration on the one occasion that I tried them. I buy the smaller round Camel patches almost
exclusively now. The larger ones cover too much area on a tube, and result in excessive stretching
in my opinion.

--
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[Pete Biggs]

Jonathan Kaplan wrote:
> I've never been able to succesfully patch a tube. (I've used a liquid cement type kit) I have it
> patched slightly inflate it to check it. Then I re-install the tire. When I get to about 80psi, it
> lets go. What am I doing wrong? (I always end up replacing the tube)

The inflate-to-check bit might be where you are going wrong as the patch won't be fully cured if
test is done soon after patching and there won't be a casing to effectively help keep the patch
pressed against the tube. Only inflate just enough to round out the tube to make it easier to fit
into the tyre, no more. You'll get almost 100% reliability if patching technique is good so they'll
be no need (and eventually no desire) to check at all. It /will/ work!

1. Sand tube well - area larger than patch.
2. Apply cement (thin layer will do) - again make sure area is larger than patch.
3. Immediately inflate slightly to blow bubbles in the cement to mark the centre point,
then deflate.
4. Allow to dry (3 to 5 mins+ depending on conditions).
5. Apply patch (I find ones with feathered edges better), press firmly.
6. Wait at least 5 mins if convenient (pref 12 hours+), do not inflate to test.
7. Remove celophane/paper (snipping edges in advance makes peeling off possible without disturbing
patch; press down again to make sure though).
8. If edges are not sticking (they should normally stick ok first time), apply some more cement
and wait until it's very tacky before pressing patch again.
9. Chalk/talk patch if you like.
10. Fit, inflate.

~PB

 

[Robin Hubert]

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> RE/
> >What ramifications does the above statement hold? How long can I wait
before
> >using my now patched tubes, etc?
>
> Dunno from "vulcanizing", but my own incompetance is sometimes a factor -
either
> through misplacement of the patch or not noticing additional punctures.
>
> To guard against that, I patch a tube empty, let it sit overnite, pump it
up so
> it's swollen a little more than it would be inside the tire, then just
hang it
> up where I hang my spare tires.
>
> There's always a tube like that hanging there and when I patch a flat at
home, I
> just take swap one one that's hanging and still has air in it.
>
> On the road, my prejudice is to swap in a spare tube and fix the flat at
home.

Then what do you do when that rare second flat happens? I recommend replacing the punctured tube
with your spare and patching the new puncture right away so it can cure.

Robin Hubert

 

[Jobst Brandt]

Pete Biggs writes:

>> First: It is not true that the common patches vulcanize. If you want to try it, just heat a
>> patched tube by pressing the patch against a fairly hot Teflon coated frying pan. This is the
>> best method of pulling off an old REMA patch. Vulcanized patches do not come off.

> That's disappointing. My Velox patches that appeared to be vulcanized have failed the frying pan
> test. Still, they normally stick and stay stuck very well.

> Why is cement sometimes called "vulcanizing rubber solution"?

Snake oil! It sounds good and I bet you can't find a definition for that term. Vulcanizing is done
with heat, not fluid.

Jobst Brandt [email protected]

 

[Sorni]

"Pete Biggs" <pbiggmellon{remove_fruit}[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> 9. Chalk/talk patch if you like.

Talk to the patch, Gracie?

Bill "please get me home, baby" S.

 

[Dave Kahn]

"Pete Biggs" <pbiggmellon{remove_fruit}[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> 7. Remove celophane/paper (snipping edges in advance makes peeling off possible without
> disturbing patch; press down again to make sure though).

Some patches have covers that are very difficult to remove. Folding the stuck-on patch with the
cover on the outside of the curve will often split the cover making it relatively easy to peel
away from the patch. Peeling from the split towards the edge is also less disruptive to the
feather edges.

--
Dave...

 

[Jobst Brandt]

Dave Kahn writes:

>> 7. Remove cellophane/paper (snipping edges in advance makes peeling off possible without
>> disturbing patch; press down again to make sure though).

> Some patches have covers that are very difficult to remove. Folding the stuck-on patch with the
> cover on the outside of the curve will often split the cover making it relatively easy to peel
> away from the patch. Peeling from the split towards the edge is also less disruptive to the
> feather edges.

Rema, the most commonly use patch here and in Europe, has a cellophane cover with a prepared break
line across its center. After positioning the patch, stretching it in the direction that causes the
break line to separate, the cellophane will peal away from the center of the patch making it easy
to remove without lifting the patch. The break line is discernible as a faint dotted line on the
shiny surface.

Jobst Brandt [email protected]

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:56:18 GMT, "(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote:
>RE/
>> Even with a strong light and the big magnifier, I still can't find the cause of the punctures.
>> I'm just going to scrap that tire as cursed, and not worry about it.
>
>Call me obsessive, but I glue a little bit of patch on one side of each tube at the valve stem.
>When I mount a tube this little bit of color goes on the same side as the tire maker's logo.

Hmm...this causes me to get this idea: It's not necessary to scrap the tire. Just cover the problem
area with something that the puncture won't get through -- a couple layers of duct tape ought to do
it. It may be sharp enough, but if it was long enough to make it through a couple layers of duct
tape, then it would be easy to find with one's finger.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[A Muzi]

> RE/
>>There's this little stub of a tire crayon that I use for the same purpose...

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> *Tire* crayon? You mean I don't need to use this smelly old Sharpie laundry marker to draw a black
> line around the puncture on a black tube and then try to see it when I place the patch?
>
> Actually, I did try a couple plumber's crayons I had laying around - but they didn't work...

Tire crayons used for auto, motorcycle and bicycle tire work are bright yellow and fairly soft -
softer than a carpenter's crayon. We mark the tire, rim and valve on one side before removing them
to repair a flat.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:50:04 GMT, "(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote:
>RE/
>>There's this little stub of a tire crayon that I use for the same purpose...
>
>*Tire* crayon? You mean I don't need to use this smelly old Sharpie laundry marker to draw a black
>line around the puncture on a black tube and then try to see it when I place the patch?
>
>Actually, I did try a couple plumber's crayons I had laying around - but they didn't work...

"Liquid Paper" and "Wite-out" correction fluid work great for me. I also use it for truing wheels.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Mark Janeba]

Werehatrack wrote:
> My recollection is that the old vulcanizing patches were both cured and fused by the heat, but I
> know that the last few times I tried to use one during the '60s, they didn't bond worth a damn.
> The people at the parts stores advised switching to cold patches. I think the bottom line is that
> the hot patches only worked with the old tubes. As such, "vulcanizing" is *really* an obsolete
> concept.

Probably right about the obsolete. As a historical note, though, I remember seeing a hot patch
applied when I was around 14 and on one of my first long rides. When the fellow lit that combustible
backing, it made an impressive show in the eyes of the kids standing round.

Fun to watch, but I'm glad we don't need to mess with that stuff. For the record, many of my spares
have 7-10 [cold] patches on them and are holding well.

Mark Janeba

 

[Dave Kahn]

[email protected] wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> ...the cellophane will peal away from the center of the patch...

That rings a bell.

--
Dave...

 

[Andymorris]

Werehatrack wrote:
>>> There's this little stub of a tire crayon that I use for the same purpose...
>>
>> *Tire* crayon? You mean I don't need to use this smelly old Sharpie laundry marker to draw a
>> black line around the puncture on a black tube and then try to see it when I place the patch?
>
> Exactly. They exist in yellow and white, they're opaque, they don't dry out in geologically
> significant periods of time, and they mark on tires and tubes very nicely.
>

Where can you buy them from?

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

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[Carl Fogel]

"AndyMorris" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Werehatrack wrote:
> >>> There's this little stub of a tire crayon that I use for the same purpose...
> >>
> >> *Tire* crayon? You mean I don't need to use this smelly old Sharpie laundry marker to draw a
> >> black line around the puncture on a black tube and then try to see it when I place the patch?
> >
> > Exactly. They exist in yellow and white, they're opaque, they don't dry out in geologically
> > significant periods of time, and they mark on tires and tubes very nicely.
> >
>
> Where can you buy them from?
>
> --
> Andy Morris

Dear Andy,

Try Checker Auto and similar places. They're sometimes listed as "tire marker wht," not "white
tire crayon," just to keep us guessing. It hardly matters, since the search option doesn't find
them anyway.

http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDetails.asp?SourceArea=&SourcePage=SEARCHRESULTS&MfrCode=VCT&MfrPar-
tNumber=M8821&CategoryCode=3190

Sorry about the price.

Carl Fogel