Recommended black sealant for screen rubber splits?

Post by **Old and Slow** » Wed May 01, 2019 6:02 pm

Well, don't open the tube until you get home!
It worked for me.

drcdb15 · Post by **drcdb15** » Wed May 01, 2019 6:03 pm

Well folks, the winner is....... Sugru !

Have a look at this: https://sugru.com/cars-motorcycles/7-wa ... assic-cars

Especially example number 7. Sugru it is, many thanks to Daily Driver, and £3.95 winging its way to Mr eBay. I shall report the outcome in due course.

And many thanks too, obviously, to all who have helped me in this search.

Post by **philhoward** » Wed May 01, 2019 6:34 pm

Sugru does seem to have good reports - comes in small packets sealed.

1969SE5 · Post by **1969SE5** » Wed May 01, 2019 11:21 pm

If it does not work, You can borrow one of my Tubes of the Wurth RTV, it is the best you are going to get, I promise you.

Simon644g · Post by **Simon644g** » Thu May 02, 2019 8:27 am

Change the rubber

drcdb15 · Post by **drcdb15** » Thu May 02, 2019 5:06 pm

philhoward wrote: ↑
Wed May 01, 2019 6:34 pm
Sugru does seem to have good reports - comes in small packets sealed.

And, according to their own web site, a shelf life of a year at room temperature, but THREE years if you keep it in the fridge.

drcdb15 · Post by **drcdb15** » Thu May 02, 2019 5:11 pm

1969SE5 wrote: ↑
Wed May 01, 2019 11:21 pm
If it does not work, You can borrow one of my Tubes of the Wurth RTV, it is the best you are going to get, I promise you.

I have no doubt it is every bit as good as you say, but at the price I've seen it is simply not economically viable when other options are there at only 14% of the cost.

Stornoway Grey · Post by **Stornoway Grey** » Thu May 02, 2019 7:31 pm

Will Tiger Seal work? I think it cost £9 including delivery online, and can be used for many other tasks relating to vehicle maintenance...

drcdb15 · Post by **drcdb15** » Thu May 02, 2019 7:48 pm

Stornoway Grey wrote: ↑
Thu May 02, 2019 7:31 pm
Will Tiger Seal work? I think it cost £9 including delivery online, and can be used for many other tasks relating to vehicle maintenance...

Very likely. I've just found this on the web, dating from late 2016:

Tiger seal is a 1 part pu, so is 221

Sika have a new hybrid PU/MS called AT. The MS part is the type stuff that Bostik/Evode marketed as Sticks Like S*** a few years ago when this technology became mainstream.
MS generally has better temperature extremes performance than PU and is a bit more environmentally friendly (if that's a consideration)!
I've not used the AT Metal product it but I will say when I was involved in the industrial adhesives industry, Sika had one of the best reputations for specialty bonding applications.
If they've engineered the best characteristics of PU and MS polmers into one product, I'd personally give that a go @snotty
theBusmonkey, Sep 29, 2016

But again the cost/waste is the issue. Tiger Seal seems only to be available in a standard 310ml cartridge, so I'd pay nearly twice the cost of Sika at Screwfix, and again be left with a rubber brick of stuff I'd likely never use. I've thrown away enough of these still-half-full cartridges over the years, I really don't want to keep doing it. I can get a small capsule of Sugru, keep it in the fridge for over a year, have hardly any left over, and all for under £4. Whether it does the job of course remains to be seen, but the evidence so far is promising.

1969SE5 · Post by **1969SE5** » Thu May 02, 2019 11:33 pm

drcdb15 wrote: ↑
Thu May 02, 2019 5:11 pm

1969SE5 wrote: ↑
Wed May 01, 2019 11:21 pm
If it does not work, You can borrow one of my Tubes of the Wurth RTV, it is the best you are going to get, I promise you.
I have no doubt it is every bit as good as you say, but at the price I've seen it is simply not economically viable when other options are there at only 14% of the cost.

hence offering to let you have some of mine..........

derekoss · Post by **derekoss** » Fri May 03, 2019 9:09 am

In any event the thing you must do is clean out the cracks of all dirt with a good solvent to create a durable bond. Aldi or Lidl had 1/2 litre tins of a multipurpose solvent.
The other way is trim the crack with a new Stanley blade to expose fresh rubber to adhere to.

Derek

Post by **Diyhell** » Fri May 03, 2019 9:36 am

derekoss wrote: ↑
Fri May 03, 2019 9:09 am
The other way is trim the crack with a new Stanley blade to expose fresh rubber to adhere to.

Derek

Now that's a great suggestion. My dad was an expert in adhesives (designed the glue that stuck Concorde's tall together so the story goes) and my experience/his input was that it's as much about the surface you're bonding as what you're using to bond.

Post by **DailyDriver** » Fri May 03, 2019 10:33 am

Sugru does bond well to a variety of different things, but especially rubber. I have just used some to bridge a couple of caps in the windscreen seal on my car and I now can't see the join. Top tip - use the inside of the packet that the Sugru comes in with a few drops of water to smooth it down after you have applied it as this helps blend in to existing rubber / seals with a nice smooth surface. Obviously the cleaner the surface it has to adhere to the better, like most things.

As for shelf life, providing each pack is unopened and kept in the fridge it will last a reasonable time. I always keep a couple of packs in the fridge "just in case" and have never found a pack that has cured itself (although to be fair, once you discover Sugru you will always find uses for it.....)

Post by **Laters** » Fri May 03, 2019 11:17 am

Ive been using sugru for a good few years now & it is very useful. Over time it does dry out and go harder & less flexible.
That shouldn't be a problem with the uses mentioned above.
I currently have a few packs of it sat in the fridge door & it always seems to get used before I have had any issues with shelf life.

My windscreen surround is cracked in the usual places and its on the list of things to be done one day so will be giving the sugru a try as there are a good few things to be done before the windscreen seal is even considered.