[Shop-talk] Rubber bungee cords

[Paul Parkanzky]

I feel your pain!

I used to play with my dad's black rubber bungee cords when I was a
kid and eventually started to "borrow" them when I needed to strap
something to my bike/moped/car/etc. When I moved out and started to
fend for myself, I always liked to buy "nice stuff" and so when I
needed bungees I bought the black rubber ones from Tractor Supply or
wherever that looked just like what I was used to using as a kid. They
weren't as stretchy and didn't hold up at all. I ended up disappointed
and just started using the more disposable HF bungees that I could
basically buy in bulk.

My father passed away six or eight years ago and I inherited most of
those old bungees and they still work just as well as they did all
those years ago. My dad worked a sales job for a while where he drove
all week and picked several of them up from the sides of the road so
there's a bunch of brands but the thing they have in common is that
they all just work and want to last. I'm not normally in the "they
don't make them like they used to" crowd, but this seems like a time
when that applies.

-Paul


On Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 5:31 PM eric--- via Shop-talk
<shop-talk at autox.team.net> wrote:
>
> Here is a quick question,  is there anyway to prolong the life of one of those common black rubber bungee cords?
>
> My wood processor has custom made ones that dry rotted after about 5 years of indoor storage.  They aren't expensive, but it's a pain to have to order them.
>
> Is there something I can put on them (an oil or silicone or something) to prevent them from dry rotting?  Also, should I leave them without tension when not in use?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.
>
>
> Sent from my Commodore 64 on a 2400 Baud Modem.
> Tech Viper
> "Be as beneficent as the sun or the sea, but if your rights as a rational being are trenched on, die on the first inch of your territory." Ralph Waldo Emerson
> -Who is John Galt?_______________________________________________
>