Originally Posted by
Fredo76
Yes. My father still had some in the '70s. The back side had a pad of what seemed like cardboard made with gunpowder, that you could not put out once lit. Vulcan was the God of Fire, right? Real Vulcanizing involved real fire, that melted the patch material onto the tube. My friend did not believe my warning not to try lighting one, and filled the workshop with smoke minutes before my father came home. What are friends for?
Vulcanization is the curing of an elastomer. The original method invented by Goodyear involved heat but we have progressed since 1839. Cold vulcanizing is a whole lot easier, just as strong, and you don’t need to carry a fire source, a clamp, and a rather bulky patch kit. Hot patching isn’t something that is easily done on the road and, as you found out, it makes some rather nasty smoke.