Vinyl and vulcanising rubber cement

[daiking]

One for the likes of @JSHarris or @SteamyTea (long time no see).

 

I’m trying to repair a kids pool inflatable. There is a small patch but typically the hole is on a seam so I think it needs some glue and the patch. If I were at home I’d get a vinyl hot tub repair kit and give it a go.

 

as I am in Timbuktu, metaphorically, I have got my hands on a bicycle puncture repair kit. Is this cement also suitable for a vinyl inflatable?

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Probably not, unfortunately.  Adhesive for PVC (which is almost certainly what the inflatable is made from) needs to contain a PVC solvent, often tetrahydrofuran or cyclohexanone , and it's unlikely that will be an ingredient in any butyl rubber cement (which is usually what bike puncture adhesive is).  PVC pipe joint adhesive might work, depends if you can get a bit of PVC for a patch.   If you can find some PVC pipe adhesive (the stuff used to bond solvent weld waste pipe fittings) then that will also have dissolved PVC in it, as a thickening agent, so you may get lucky and be able to do without a patch.

 

The stuff does take a long time to dry fully, though, if you can get some PVC pipe adhesive locally then I'd suggest waiting around a day after doing the repair before trying to see if the inflatable is leak-proof.

[daiking]

11 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

Probably not, unfortunately.  Adhesive for PVC (which is almost certainly what the inflatable is made from) needs to contain a PVC solvent, often tetrahydrofuran or cyclohexanone , and it's unlikely that will be an ingredient in any butyl rubber cement (which is usually what bike puncture adhesive is).  PVC pipe joint adhesive might work, depends if you can get a bit of PVC for a patch.   If you can find some PVC pipe adhesive (the stuff used to bond solvent weld waste pipe fittings) then that will also have dissolved PVC in it, as a thickening agent, so you may get lucky and be able to do without a patch.

 

The stuff does take a long time to dry fully, though, if you can get some PVC pipe adhesive locally then I'd suggest waiting around a day after doing the repair before trying to see if the inflatable is leak-proof.

 

Thanks. Looks like a no go then or superglue and chewing gum.