Tube repair

When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube to
get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:
http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Jun 7, 5:09*pm, wrote:
When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube to
get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:
*http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

are you going to carry it with you when you ride too ?

On Jun 7, 4:09*pm, wrote:
When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube to
get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:
*http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

GREAT idea, (as usual) Carl, thanks.

I can put that to a lot of use when I'm at Bikes for Tykes.

Kind regards.

Lewis.

*****

Carl Fogel wrote:

When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube
to get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:

http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I
stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

I see that practicality got lost somewhere. If a strip of the medium
coarse belt sander band is used, it isn't hard to hold, store or use.
A stiff fabric belt is easy to tear off, yet durable enough to last
for more flats than I care to consider. In addition, use the head of
a BIC shaver to remove mold ridges, close to the puncture or a slow
leak may develop along there.

Of course we went over all that before.

Jobst Brandt

On 08 Jun 2008 15:53:39 GMT, wrote:

Carl Fogel wrote:

When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube
to get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:

http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I
stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

I see that practicality got lost somewhere. If a strip of the medium
coarse belt sander band is used, it isn't hard to hold, store or use.
A stiff fabric belt is easy to tear off, yet durable enough to last
for more flats than I care to consider. In addition, use the head of
a BIC shaver to remove mold ridges, close to the puncture or a slow
leak may develop along there.

Of course we went over all that before.

Jobst Brandt

Dear Jobst,

I used sandpaper strips before.

Then I tried the foam block.

It worked much better and was much easier to use.

Of course we went over all that before.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 05:45:29 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Jun 7, 5:09*pm, wrote:
When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube to
get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.

I recently found that a flexible sanding block, the kind used by
painters, works better than anything else that I've tried:
*http://www.selleys.com.au/Rota-Cota-...s/default.aspx

It's just sandpaper glued to a square-edged block of flexible foam,
about the size of a bar of soap.

The block is easier to grab and use than plain sandpaper, and the
slight flex seems to help it erase ridges.

It works so well that I'll buy a new block when the one that I stole--

Er, I'll buy a new block when the one that the painters forgot wears
out.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

are you going to carry it with you when you ride too ?

Dear R,

Nope.

The flexible foam sanding block stays on the workbench where I just
patched my 24th flat of the year, two holes after a near-miraculous 26
rides without a flat.

The tube had been in so long (almost a month) that it stuck to the
inside of the tire in one place, something that I rarely get to see.

It takes four flats before I run out of spare tubes on a ride.

Then I open the postage-stamp-size Park glueless patch kit, which
works just fine, even though the clear patch looks so much like Scotch
tape that it doesn't inspire confidence.

The flexible sanding block surprised me because it was so much quicker
and easier than the strips of sandpaper that I used at the workbench.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

wrote in message
...
When I patch tubes, I hate sanding, scraping, and shaving the tube to
get rid of mold-release, crud, and little ridges.


So do I and so I don't bother doing that. Never had a problem, never
had a slow leak from a patch. Rubber inner tubes are flexible, ya know.
And they last forever. I have a 25 year old inner tube on one of my
bike tires, there's almost more patches than tube.

Ted