[CR]sealing dry sidewalls

(Example: Events:Eroica)

From: "C. Andrews" <chasds@mindspring.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 09:54:52 -0800
Subject: [CR]sealing dry sidewalls

Todd wrote:

In the old days, I could get
>> little bottles of liquid latex for fixing this but my supply is gone
>> and I haven't found anyone who stocks it. What are other people doing
>> for their aging sidewalls?
> *******

You know...I *never* had good luck with those little bottles of latex..and no better luck with the cans of latex carpet-installers use. The stuff just would not adhere to old side-walls. Somehow (using heat maybe), the manufacturers of these tires induced the latex to soak into the fibers of the tire-casing. I could never get that to happen. The latex would just sit on the surface, and peel off at the slightest pretext.

One product I've had quite good luck with is the current flavors of non-volatile contact cement. The stuff is quite thin, brushes on milky white, and dries clear. It makes a tough, flexible coating that does appear to soak into the fibers a little bit. I've used it on a couple of tires, and I'd try it again before I used latex. I believe the brand I used the last time was DAP, but probably any quality brand of VOC- compliant contact cement would work. I imagine the high VOC cement of the bad old days would really work well...but it's toxic to breathe. I'm glad it's gone.

My two cents..

Charles Andrews SoCal

Concerning Carlos Kleiber one of the greatest of all post-war conductors:

The glamour often associated with a conductor's life held no appeal for him; he preferred to stay at home in Munich. He once told Leonard Bernstein: "I want to grow in a garden. I want to have the sun. I want to eat and drink and sleep and make love and that's it."