wrote:

Mark, Ya Know, that's interesting.
I get a little nib about 1/2 the time. I've always thought it was
something I was doing wrong, but I'm not sure what. I try to leave the
clear plastic on even after mounting the tube, but it usually falls off
before. The hardest part for me is getting the patch centered. I've
developed a method to do that, but it takes too long. And yes I use
talcum powder, despite highly regarded advice to the contrary.
John

What is a nib?

To patch, I draw the tube across the back of my left hand,
injury centered, and hold the tube firmly in that hand.

Then I clean the area with a solvent , ideally Tech 2-Way
Prep, a patch-specific cleaner, on a clean cloth. Alcohol,
MEK, Trichlorethylene, tape deck cleaner or anything else
that evaporates cleanly will do. Anything that leaves a
residue won't help.

The older crowd smears patch cement on the area and shaves
that off with a pocket knife.

Now I have a chemically cleaned surface, dead flat, with the
hole centered and I haven't smeared my fingers across the
cleaned area.

Spread cement in an area slightly larger than your patch as
thinly and evenly as possible while remaining wet. Allow an
angel to pass. That in this case is ten to thirty seconds
until the glue looks dry.

Peel back the patch backing. With care you can get the
backing mostly off so you can hold a covered edge and keep
your fingers off the prepared patch. Press the patch firmly
over the injury and either use a patch stitcher or your
fingers to push the patch firmly onto the glued surface.

Some photos here might help:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/tubfix.html

Our FAQ is also instructive:
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/index.html

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