What causes rubber bands to deteriorate?

What causes rubber bands to deteriorate? I can tell the air has something to do with it, because the rubber bands down in the container are good, but the ones on top break easily. TIA

Reply to
Clark Magnuson
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Ozone, oil, heat

atheists that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian.

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Reply to
Tom Gardner

Rubber bands? I really don't care about the cause of rubber bands deterioration, I just wish I knew what was causing mine.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Reply to
Tom Wait

There are not as many people going to the rubber ball nowadays, so the rubber bands are not getting the work and they get out of practice and thier playing deteriorates.

Reply to
Pipper

I don't know but here is my solution:

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Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs

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Ontario

Reply to
Boris Mohar

What's that drawing it's sitting on?

Reply to
Jim Stewart

Oxygen and UV light are the two big killers. Either one alone will turn a nice springy rubber band into a pile of granulated rubber in an amazingly short amount of time. Both together makes it happen even faster.

And god forbid you try to keep rubber bands "alive" anywhere near either chlorine or ozone...

Reply to
Don Bruder

It is the electronic schematic for an amplifier that I am laying out.

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs

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Ontario

Reply to
Boris Mohar

Ozone is the biggest culprit. It's what causes sidewall cracking in tires, too, even those that are stored in a "cool, dry place away from sunlight."

Reply to
Dan Thomas

Don Bruder wrote: (clip)Both together makes it happen even

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ How long is faster than "amazingly short?"

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Any time-quantum less than "amazingly short" :)

Reply to
Don Bruder

that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian. the bags of rubber bands that i had in the shed over the years probably dried out.... the rubber oils in them must have dried out and they became brittle.. broke easy, no more elasticity..........

Reply to
jim

imho, most "rubber" bands sold these days are some screwy formula that ages rapidly when exposed to air. this is especially true with the "cheap as dirt" multicolored multisized offerings.

maybe a better group for this, dunno what, sci.chemistry? i bet you will have longer life from genuine rubber, and they cost very little more, but are mostly the "orig" color. get made in USA stuff at an office supply or in quantity at Sam's or Costco.

the difference will be remarkable, 1-2yrs vs 5-10yrs. just my ho.

--Loren

Reply to
Loren Coe

Reply to
Kent Frazier

that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian.

Probably oxygen. New rubber is a favorite bitch of mine. We get rubber bands around the newspapers and these deteriorate quite quickly if just left lying around or much more quickly if under tension. I have colored rubber bands from the 40's and 50's that are still strong and don't deteriorate under tension. The same goes for the rubber erasers on the end of pencils. After a few months and certainly after 2 years, the erasers on pencils are hard and just make streaks when you try to use them. But, I have pencils from the late 1940's, one of which has been in a pencil holder on my desk for the past several years, and they still erase like a fresh eraser. Obviously the composition of the erasers is much different now than it was a few decades back, and it isn't an improvement.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Pipper wrote: There are not as many people going to the rubber ball nowadays, so the rubber bands are not getting the work and they get out of practice and thier playing deteriorates. ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Many of the musicians refuse to play that venue, because their checks bounced. At least that is what I have heard, but that may be stretching the truth.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Ive noticed the surgical rubber tubing in my wrist rocket sling shots goes to hell rather quickly as well. Much shorter time now than before..like 1 yr.

Gunner

"Gun Control, the theory that a 110lb grandmother should fist fight a 250lb 19yr old criminal"

Reply to
Gunner

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:57:43 GMT, "Leo Lichtman" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

Its a very elastic term....

**************************************************** sorry remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I was frightened by the idea of a conspiracy that was causing it all. But then I was terrified that maybe there was no plan, really. Is this unpleasant mess all a mistake?

Reply to
Old Nick

Or try rec.models.rc.air. Lots of trainers and smaller models use rubber bands to secure the wing. Generally, we use No. 64 natural rubber. They're still replaced regularly. If they go in flight, it's not called a model. It's a powered lawn dart.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Peter T. Keillor III

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