A patching dilemma...

wrote:

Hi Matt
Bike tools Etc sells 100 small Ream for a very reasonable price ~$15.
I do believe that they have a shelf life, although I don't know what
it is. I've been hesitating to buy 100 because of this. Would you be
interested in splitting or thirding 100? Where do you live? I'm in the
SF Bay Area.
John

Sounds good. Check your email.

Matt O.

Hi Matt
like tools Etc sells 100 small Ream for a very reasonable price ~$15.
I do believe that they have a shelf life, although I don't know what
it
is. I've been hesitating to buy 100 because of this. Would you be
interested in splitting or thirding 100? Where do you live? I'm in the
SF Bay Area.
John

i asked this group about shelf life last summer(?) & the opinions
were a very long time, pretty much indefinite.

As for "glue" or vulcanizing fluid - I tried buying that in bulk, and
it
definitely did NOT have shelf life. Now I go to a dept. store and buy
the cheapest patch kits I can, about $1.50, pitch the patches and use
the glue. I think I'm still far ahead overall in the cost of patching
supplies.

give 'rubber cement', the paper stuff, a try. i was fooling around
& made a 1-in x 3-in patch using an old inner tube, rubber cement &
naptha/Coleman fuel (as a liquid buffer) and lived to tell about it. i
had a tube with a 2 in split and wondered if it would work.
if i'm DIY a patch from an inner tube, i'll coat both surfaces with
the rubber cement after a naptha cleaning & allow both surfaces to
_dry_ (NO CHEATING!)

Per Mark Janeba:
One annoyance: In the latest box I bought (probably 15 years ago), the
foil peels off before the cellophane. (From the day I got the box) I
just catch a corner with a fingernail and peel away; it leaves an
annoying (but harmless) munged part on the edge of the patch.

Geeze, I thought that was the way they were supposed to work. All my tires
have patches covered with cellophane...
--
PeteCresswell

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:

Per Mark Janeba:

One annoyance: In the latest box I bought (probably 15 years ago), the
foil peels off before the cellophane. (From the day I got the box) I
just catch a corner with a fingernail and peel away; it leaves an
annoying (but harmless) munged part on the edge of the patch.


Geeze, I thought that was the way they were supposed to work. All my tires
have patches covered with cellophane...

The Rema patches I've used have a thin slit in the cellophane at the
center of the patch. Stretching the tube/patch after the repair
splits the cellophane at the slit and makes it easy to remove if
desired.

Peter wrote:

The Rema patches I've used have a thin slit in the cellophane at the
center of the patch. Stretching the tube/patch after the repair
splits the cellophane at the slit and makes it easy to remove if
desired.

I just wonder about the best practice WRT removing the cellophane. I suppose
it's there to keep the patch from drying out. But I'm sure it also helps
protect it from peeling off the tube, and/or sticking to the tire. OTOH, I
wonder if peeling it off helps the patch cure faster.

I bet Jobst knows...

Matt O.

Matt O'Toole wrote:

Peter wrote:


The Rema patches I've used have a thin slit in the cellophane at the
center of the patch. Stretching the tube/patch after the repair
splits the cellophane at the slit and makes it easy to remove if
desired.


I just wonder about the best practice WRT removing the cellophane. I suppose
it's there to keep the patch from drying out. But I'm sure it also helps
protect it from peeling off the tube, and/or sticking to the tire. OTOH, I
wonder if peeling it off helps the patch cure faster.

I bet Jobst knows...

To quote Jobst Brandt, "It [cellophane cover] does hurt but not much.
The cellophane is non-stretch and the tube and tire are, so this has a
distortion effect that helps loosen a freshly applied patch, if this is
the only tube one has. The cellophane is made to be easily removed as I
previously explained.

Link to full post:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/070b771882bbaf34?dmode=source.

--
Tom Sherman - Near Rock Island

Matt O'Toole wrote:

How can I buy a bunch of the smallest size patches? Most patch kits come with a
bunch of big ones, but only two or four small ones. The larger ones don't fit
on road tubes without wrapping around them, so it's hard to get a good bond all
the way around, to keep the edges from peeling. I haven't had one fail in
awhile, but smaller patches would be better. Can someone get these in bulk, and
sell me a bunch? I'm sick of paying $4.00 for a patch kit with 2 good patches
in it, and a bunch of crap I'll never use.

Also, is it better to remove the plastic, leave it on, or leave it on as the
patch cures but take it off before using the tube? I do let my patches cure
overnight whenever possible.

We stock boxes of 100. LBS can get them quickly - nearly
every distributor who sells patch kits also sells boxes of
patches.

The clear vinyl cover shows where a patch stitcher/patch
roller has been applied. Since you don't use one of those ,
peel it up if it comes easily, leave it if not. Doesn't matter.

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

US$0.25 at http://www.biketekinc.com/

BikeTek, Inc.
957 Clock Tower Drive
Springfield, IL 62704

Phone: 217 - 787 - 2907
Fax: 217 - 787 - 9968
Email:

Matt O'Toole wrote:

How can I buy a bunch of the smallest size patches? Most patch kits come with a
bunch of big ones, but only two or four small ones. The larger ones don't fit
on road tubes without wrapping around them, so it's hard to get a good bond all
the way around, to keep the edges from peeling. I haven't had one fail in
awhile, but smaller patches would be better. Can someone get these in bulk, and
sell me a bunch? I'm sick of paying $4.00 for a patch kit with 2 good patches
in it, and a bunch of crap I'll never use.

Also, is it better to remove the plastic, leave it on, or leave it on as the
patch cures but take it off before using the tube? I do let my patches cure
overnight whenever possible.

Matt O.

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