Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

OK - this is about the 100th thing I've repaired/made using RTV.

RTV = Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone Rubber. I like the good stuff - DOW Corning 732.

This is must have stuff for SHTF. I use it all the time to join dis-similar materials and other odd jobs. It is great for putting stuff together that you can take apart later....but with great effort......I use to "glue" down parking blocks in the garage/hanger.

I used it just a few weeks ago to patch a bicycle tire.....I first tried rubber cement that did not work....the RTV then worked perfectly.

I have tubes of this that are over 10 years old that are just fine - as I keep them in my beer fridge at near freezing.....keep it cold and most chemicals/films/batteries will last nearly forever.

Here I have a pair of 1200 gram Thinsulate hunting boots with a nylon camo exterior. I must of got into a piece of barbed wire in the field - or they just startet to fail at the flex point from years of deep woods/swamp walking.....the fabric was cut and the boot has a few inner plys of rubber that started to split open/crack.....the inner most liner/layer of rubber/neoprene was fine. The crack is right at the flex point of the boot at the ball of the foot - great for crack propagation......

I cut away the fabric to create a open clean area on the surface of the boot. I pulled open the crack and packed it full of RTV between all layers. With my finger I spread RTV on the crack and the surface of the boot out onto the fabric. I made a patch out of a piece of bicycle inner tube.....I washed the partch with soap and water a few times to make sure all the talc was off. The patch has a memory/rounded shape...so fit it to go the way it wants to go.....I smeared RTV on the patch just a bit more than you want. Press patch in place and start to work out from middle - but dont press out too much of the RTV....just make sure it is stuck everywhere. I wanted the repair to look good and stay stuck on so I used a nice big radius on all corners and also wiped away just the right amount of RTV from edge of patch but still has a bead.

I've placed it over forced air heat outlet for several days.....says it is full strength in 6 or 7 days....but i bet it is there right now due to heat.

Patch looks strong and distributes flex forces from walking/bending to a larger area....looks like it will hold up for a long time.

Saved me $100.

NOTE: Buy more spare boots/clothes for reserve with crappy green paper while you still can......and also more RTV.....and save scrap inner tubes.....

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

Great info ruprick, Thanks

Pusher

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

I forsee when it could easily become a side-business for you! Looks great. Now tell your friends you can fix things! Don't tell them how, just get their business! d(Trade secret & all that)

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

So that Shoe Goo stuff is just overpriced rtv right?

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

I used the blue permatex RTV for many years when I was a mechanic. It's more resistant to heat, petroleum products and chemicals. Use it instead of gaskets on engine oil pans.
I use clear RTV for household repairs. The clear RTV is available in caulk-gun cartridges. I used it to glue the countertop backsplash to the sheetrock, to glue signs on just about any surface, to seal holes in the foundation of my house, to glue a screen door patch in place (beats replacing an entire screen), to seal large holes in the firewall of an old truck, to seal leaking windows on a camper shell and hundreds of other chores I can't think of now.
I didn't know Dow corning 732 was the best, I'll buy a tube next time.

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

And high temp RED RTV for flue pipes, intake manifolds and other hot items.

Re: Rubber hunting boot repair with RTV and piece of Inner Tube
 

http://www.dowcorning.com/applicatio....aspx?R=2142EN

I googled Ruprick's info and got the above site, they give free samples of their RTV, but be aware you have to put in a company name, I just put in home owner and it took my application. Hopefully they will send me a sample.