Rubber smell driving me crazy

[Lou Jost]

Admittedly not an optical question...I built a vibration-resistant support using small rubber inner tubes as a base, with a slab of granite on top. But the rubber smell drives me crazy. Anybody know how to get rid of it?

[ChrisR]

Know what you mean!
You could try a large plastic bag but you may find the rubber sticks to it.
Cooking "cling" film is quite porous so probably wouldn't do it, but wound around as a wrap, may be neater.

[Saul]

Tried bags - did not help. Now they are sitting in my garage 3 years already and still stink.

[elf]

Sunlight or UV may or may not work, depends on which Internet site you believe

[ChrisR]

It's amazing how porous things actually are.
A paintbrush used for oil paint will go hard overnight if wrapped in cling film. They need a thick plastic bag.
Sniffer dogs detect drugs astonishingly well through apparently sealed containers,
I've seen a leak detector using hydrogen bubbled into water. OK it's a tiny molecule which is why it's used, but I didn't expect readings through a boarded, laminated floor within about half a minute, from a small damp patch.

Aluminium foil glued along rolled edges?

[Lou Jost]

I tried bags before writing my post--didn't work. My tires are baking in the sun outside right now, and will probably stay there a very long time.

Some sites recommend white vinegar, and I will probably try that eventually. My dinner table still smells like rubber even with the tires gone. Yuck.

[Chris S.]

How odd. When I experimented with inner tubes for anti-vibration, I found the scent delightful. (But perhaps you didn't grow up downwind from a tire factory, so the smell of rubber doesn't make you feel like a barefoot seven-year-old on a June day?) Just don't tell me you can resist sinking your nose into a fresh catalog for a nice, long inhale--that would be inhuman.

As plastic bags are porous, they are often laminated with a thin layer of metal, which greatly reduces porosity. Would such (generally misnamed) "Mylar bags" serve your needs?

--Chris

[Lou Jost]

I do like "new book" smell!

The mylar-lined bags are a good idea but these have not yet reached my small Andean village. Maybe in another ten years. But by then the tires will probably have lost their smell.

[Chris S.]

Lou,

If you'd like me to purchase some Mylar bags and send them to you, just ask. I forward items to forum members all the time. (Though I'll admit to not always being speedy. )

--Chris

[Lou Jost]

Yes, thanks very much!!! I can pay you by Paypal or other means. I will write you a personal message with data tomorrow.

I have a friend who grew up in the Andean countryside and loves the smell of cow manure.....

[Chris S.]

Sounds like a plan! Feel free to contact me offline to tell me what you wish me to order. I'll do so, take delivery, and forward the items to you.

Fascinating how odors, when first experienced in good times past, can trigger happy feelings. I sympathize with your friend who loves the smell of cow manure.

Cheers,

--Chris

[ray_parkhurst]

I've had similar problems with other products containing rubber that were made in China. American rubber products don't seem to have the problem, and European even less. Not sure where your tubes were made but if they are Chinese (like 90+% are) you may want to buy some non-Chinese sourced tubes. I have some rubberized monoculars that have been in the garage for a year now and are still too toxic to use!

[Lou Jost]

Thanks Ray, I've heard that from other people too.