Hard Rubber Repair

[Greg]

I know this is a bit of an old chestnut but has anyone successfully repaired hard rubber?

 

My beloved CS200 fell out my pocket in a car park (changing jackets) and, over a week later I returned to look for it and there it was! Rather yellowy brown from a week of rain and sunshine, I can cope with that, but I think someone must have trodden on it as the bottom of the cap has split and broken away. (Nib and body etc all ok, if discoloured.)

 

Like most I have tried superglue in the past with very limited success. Well failure really, after a week or so. I have also tried a few other types of glue with even less success. Has anyone tried 2-pack glue, such as Araldite?

 

Any suggestions to bring my old pen back top life would be hugely appreciated. Its survived 80 odd years, I'm not going to give up on it now. (It also has the most versatile nib in my experience)

 

 

Greg

[Greg]

Ok, I know I'm answering my own post...

 

I used araldite this time. Not used it before on a pen (sword to cut through flowers?)

 

Its held nice and strong and I can screw the cap on and off. Cleaned off the excess while it was soft, I'll let you know how it holds in the longer term (this pen is a daily user).

 

On another tack I polished away most of the yellow with T-Cut, rubbed in a tiny amount of 3-in-one and then buffed it with car polish. Not quite as black in places as it was but the pen looks great again. It was covered in tiny bits of gravel from the car park and a few of these have made tiny indentations. Part of the pen's history now, I'm afraid.

 

It writes as perfectly as it did, back into the fray!

 

 

Greg

[eckiethump]

Nice to read that Greg, have tried this method a couple of times, but not with daily user pens. As yet no kown method of a long term fix. Araldite can be cleaned off with vinegar, so I would suspect the small surface areas it it is used in pens anything acidic will cause the join to fail. I do believe the best two part epoxy is the type used in dental work, but as yet never been able to track down a supply.

et

 

[jicaino]

the only way I know of repairing hard rubber and actually rebonding it together is this:

 

mix rubber, sulphur and some mineral "charge" (steel oxide, iron oxide) plus minium, in this order: you heat sulphur until it melts, then you add minium and mineral and (if you're still alive by then LOL ) add the rubber. You mix it, then you put a dab of this in the crack(s) and rub the repaired area with a red hot piece of steel (sort of hot burnishing, rapidly and gently)

[Greg]

the only way I know of repairing hard rubber and actually rebonding it together is this:

 

mix rubber, sulphur and some mineral "charge" (steel oxide, iron oxide) plus minium, in this order: you heat sulphur until it melts, then you add minium and mineral and (if you're still alive by then LOL ) add the rubber. You mix it, then you put a dab of this in the crack(s) and rub the repaired area with a red hot piece of steel (sort of hot burnishing, rapidly and gently)

 

 

Well I gave it a go and I'm writing to you in the depth of night having entered the chemistry laboratory of my local secondary school. The smoke set off the alarm but the stench from the sulphur was so much that the fire brigade refuse to come in the building. I am currently communicating with the police through a loud hailer and have just requested a pizza.

 

The broken cap has stuck well (also stuck fast to the small spoon I was using as a mixing bowl) but I can't see if it is a good join as my eyes are so sore and streaming.

 

I'll let you know if it was better than Araldite in use when next at liberty.

 

Greg

[jicaino]

you made me laugh hard !

[eckiethump]

One post caused a sharp intake of breath, the next has me giggling like an idiot.

et

[Pete]

the only way I know of repairing hard rubber and actually rebonding it together is this:

 

mix rubber, sulphur and some mineral "charge" (steel oxide, iron oxide) plus minium, in this order: you heat sulphur until it melts, then you add minium and mineral and (if you're still alive by then LOL ) add the rubber. You mix it, then you put a dab of this in the crack(s) and rub the repaired area with a red hot piece of steel (sort of hot burnishing, rapidly and gently)

 

Now that is some serious pen repair.

[fountainbel]

Hi Jicaino,

Fascinating repair approach!

Could you specify the volume/ amount of each of the components?

Thanks & regards, Francis

 

the only way I know of repairing hard rubber and actually rebonding it together is this:

 

mix rubber, sulphur and some mineral "charge" (steel oxide, iron oxide) plus minium, in this order: you heat sulphur until it melts, then you add minium and mineral and (if you're still alive by then LOL ) add the rubber. You mix it, then you put a dab of this in the crack(s) and rub the repaired area with a red hot piece of steel (sort of hot burnishing, rapidly and gently)

[jicaino]

hey guys

 

I'll dig out my old recipe books from way back when I worked as a restorer for a museum of personal items and report back. I restored old pipe mouthpieces, combs, all sorts of things made of hard rubber and the results were really good. (the fumes were really intoxicating too! )

[extrafine]

I'll bet that you could really build up a following if you started offering this as a service: very few people (me included) would even want to try their hand at it!

[Greg]

I have bought a couple of old HR pens from the dreaded which are, to be honest, fit for the bin but cost accordingly. I bought them really in search of flexy nibs but they have broken caps too and are worthy victims to attempted repairs with something new.

 

Split BHR caps seem a common thing, perhaps the reason for the cap rings in the first place. The split starts vertically up the cap and then turns right (not left in the Northern hemisphere!) about 1/2 inch up and continues in an arch until it reappears at the edge again and the chunk falls out.

 

I have tried various types of glue to repair the split or rejoin the chunk on a couple of these with little success. Even after a week of glue drying anything approaching stress breaks it off again. One of the wonderful things about these pens is the thinness of the material used, but this means little surface to join and HR seemingly resistant to the effects of glue.

 

The pen in question here had a tiny split which was made much worse (up to the right turn bit) by a friend who, thinking it was a felt tip, whipped the cap off. Its car park experience finished the arch.

 

So far so good, after nearly two weeks its still strong with the Araldite. I'd actually like to break it apart again as I think I could make a closer fix, but I wont risk it.

 

By the way, after 2 weeks heavy use the colour is returning to full black again. I find this with BHR pens in use, they seem to enjoy the work and regain their healthy colour. Anyone else find this?

 

Greg

 

[jicaino]

grease from your hands most likely is returning the pen to "fully blackness". Good carnauba wax (no need to get ultraexpensive small containers from "specialty" sites, go get 3M premium paste wax for cars, last forever and does a terrific job at about the cost of one small tiny winy "ladies purse" size pot) and control of potentially harsh enviroments (such as parking lots! :shock: ) keeps it black.

[Ron Z]

The only really successful hard rubber repair that I've had is on a feed that broke years ago. I immediately glued it with an epoxy, and it's still holding, even though the pen was in rotation for a while.

 

Adhesives will not stick to an old break. The surface of the hard rubber oxidizes, and it can't stick. A fresh break you stand a chance. An old one, no. You might try cleaning the break with 1500 sandpaper, and then an adhesive. But that may nor may not hold for long. Lynn Sorgatz has commented that he does epoxy machined pieces together, but he has no idea how long it will hold. Maybe for years, as has been the case with my feed. Maybe not!

 

 

[artaddict]

The only really successful hard rubber repair that I've had is on a feed that broke years ago. I immediately glued it with an epoxy, and it's still holding, even though the pen was in rotation for a while.

 

Adhesives will not stick to an old break. The surface of the hard rubber oxidizes, and it can't stick. A fresh break you stand a chance.

 

How fresh a break? I broke a pen last week, does it stand a chance?

[david i]

The only really successful hard rubber repair that I've had is on a feed that broke years ago. I immediately glued it with an epoxy, and it's still holding, even though the pen was in rotation for a while.

 

Adhesives will not stick to an old break. The surface of the hard rubber oxidizes, and it can't stick. A fresh break you stand a chance. An old one, no. You might try cleaning the break with 1500 sandpaper, and then an adhesive. But that may nor may not hold for long. Lynn Sorgatz has commented that he does epoxy machined pieces together, but he has no idea how long it will hold. Maybe for years, as has been the case with my feed. Maybe not!

 

Of course then there is Ron's rosewood HR Wahl.

 

-d

[tipstricks]

I don't know if anyone has tried before, but I have found a special plastic superglue+activator (#862658)

http://www.henkel.it/adesivi/catalogo/images/prodotti/SUPER%20ATTAK/862658%20attak%20plastica.jpg

that I use sometime to repair my children's toys, and I give it a chance in a completely broken Waterman's 12psf barrel, you can see in the attached shots. I don't know if it was a fresh crack or not (I bought it on ebay already cracked), it's about 2 months I've glued it, and today I've made a test leaving it down on a table from a 1 meter height, 5 times. It's still entire.

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8720/p1030058aw5.th.jpg

 

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5336/p1030055xr3.th.jpg

 

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6822/p1030054vb3.th.jpg

 

Any positive/negative comments or feedback on this glue application are obviously appreciated.

I was able to find data-sheet of this glue only on italian section of Henkel website, nothing in english language.

Edited September 16, 2008 by tipstricks

[Ron Z]

I've had PLASTICS repaired with super glue and an activator fail after a few years. The joint simply fell apart with a little stress. Hard rubber won't be effected by the activator, so doubt that it will do anything for you.

 

I should add that the difference between a cap lip and a hard rubber feed repair is surface area - with the cap lip the contact area is very small compared to the feed - therefore you don't have the strength in the bond.

Edited September 16, 2008 by Ron Z

[Greg]

Not only is the contact area better but a feed will not come under the same stress as a cap lip, although the cap remains dry.

 

Talking of which, the cap of the venerable CS200 with the car park experience remains solid. It is still a hard working, daily user (main pen) and thoroughly enjoyed. The cap doesn't screw on as cleanly or fully as before (some 2.5 turns, now only half a turn) due to glue on the threads. However, it is secure and there appears to be no weakening of the injury now over 2 months later.

 

I don't think this is the answer to the problem as using Araldite is rather clumsy for such a fine repair, but this pen was a goner and so such vanity was less important.

 

(A nice thought is how the type of cars that would have accompanied its stay in the car park would have changed over its lifetime.)

 

 

Greg

[siamackz]

The only really successful hard rubber repair that I've had is on a feed that broke years ago. I immediately glued it with an epoxy, and it's still holding, even though the pen was in rotation for a while.

 

Adhesives will not stick to an old break. The surface of the hard rubber oxidizes, and it can't stick. A fresh break you stand a chance. An old one, no. You might try cleaning the break with 1500 sandpaper, and then an adhesive. But that may nor may not hold for long. Lynn Sorgatz has commented that he does epoxy machined pieces together, but he has no idea how long it will hold. Maybe for years, as has been the case with my feed. Maybe not!

I have a hard rubber feed that has broken in two. Would you advise epoxy? Or loctite?