Jump to content

Emergency puncture repair with Silastic.


bill van snorkle

Recommended Posts

This tip really belongs in the 'Handy Hints and Botch Jobs' thread, but 'Search couldn't find it! It really is only useful to us bushies in remote locations than those who live 5 minutes away from the nearest tyre service or motor factor.

Anyway, I've had a recent spate of punctures due I think to a scrap metal merchant working along our road collecting bits of old farm equipment.

I ran out of tube patches and glue on Sunday, with 2 inner tubes to repair I didn't fancy the 70KM round trip to purchase another patch kit, so I looked around in my drawer full of glues, sealers etc and thought I would give my tube of 'Black Silicon Instant Gasket' a try.It's the quick drying stuff that smells of Ammonia when going off. Well, it worked brilliantly, repairing a nail hole on one tube, and a 2" long tear on the other. The method I used was an initial light coating over the nail hole, and to join the two sides of the tear together. Once that dried, with a little help from a gas heater, I inflated the tubes to a size slightly larger than they would be when inside the tyre, and applied a thick coating of Silastic over the patch area so as the repaired area wouldn't be under tension when mounted inside the tyre and properly inflated. After 140kms of rough country roads, tyre pressures have remained stable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy