Disintegrating rubber bands

What's happened to rubber bands? About 10% of my mixed stock are in various stages of decay. I suppose this is something to do with being eco friendly, but it means I can't trust them any more for holding stuff together for more than a few weeks.

Can you still buy good ol' rubber bands? What's the decay process of the eco ones - does they decay from manufacture or is it initiated by the first stretch?

Phil

Reply to
Phil Addison
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On my experience the old ones used to do what I can only describe as 'melt' and stick to everything.

Modern, presumably plastic, ones keep good for years.

Light doesn't have a good effect on the old ones.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

I'm guessing at the decay process, but natural rubber is stabilised by a process called vulcanisation, whereby sulphur creates cross linking between the rubber molecules, stabilising them. Remove that sulphur, maybe by a process of oxidation, I don't know, and possibly a stcky natural rubber is the result again.

Just a guess,

Andy.

Reply to
Andy

You're right but I didn't want to show off :-)

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

/Buy/?

I pick up from the pavement the ones dropped by the postpeople.

They've changed recently from 'natural' colour to pinky-purple.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Owain wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@proxy00.news.clara.net:

Me too; but they're just as bad as Phil's - when you want to use them, they've gone all manky :-(

mike

Reply to
mike

Have they?

Could it be because the weather's turned a bit nippy and they are still wearing their shorts?

Reply to
Andy Hall

The best place to harvest them is the car park of our local delivery office, near the bike racks.

Reply to
Bob Eager

The message from Owain contains these words:

Round here they're blue and have been for ages.

Reply to
Guy King

There were loads of complaints from the public a while ago about posties dropping rubber bands all over the place - Royal Mail claim that they are now bio-degradable. (Which of course doesn't mean that they aren't unsightly and dangerous to pets.)

Thirty or forty years ago rubber bands seemed to last for ever - nowadays it would appear that they're only intended for very short-term use.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Yours would be too, if you were still wearing your shorts in this weather.

Reply to
Jason

The message from "Jason" contains these words:

Except I really ought to try to remember how colourblind I am - they're red!

Reply to
Guy King

Oh no. You should treat yourself with more respect than that...

Reply to
Andy Hall

LOL!!

Si

Reply to
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot

The UV light degrades them. Leave one on the window sill for a few weeks, and it will just crumble..

Reply to
google

Ours changed to those years ago - they're very good. Too good - I have an overabundance.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Our postman is stll wearing his red T shirt and black trousers, he's a very fit young man. He's also regular, friendly and gets things right. But I daren't tell the RM management that or they'll take him off our walks (he does two). They did that with the last one I commended. We've had a miscellany of awful postmen :-(

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

I doubt there is much difference in the way that elastic bands are made. Perhaps they were made of natural resin originally but whatever they are made of these days will be the cheapest available suitable material as suits throw away items that they are and have always been.

I think the OP's problem is that his bands are now in contact with something that perishes them, chlorine or oil based most likely.

Reply to
Weatherlawyer

Probably more likely to be a dodgy case of Aldi Spray Tan.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

Our postie, Wayne, is still in shorts. He reckons that if it's very cold it makes little difference when you're walking fast, and when it's raining you don't feel as wet 'cos you ain't got wet trousers sticking to your legs.

Reply to
Guy King

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