I was looking for rod grips today. I found out that the epa is tryjng to outlaw hypalon rubber in this country. They are trying to replace it with epdm which is a big mistake. As soon as you get any kind of oil on it. It will start breaking down and turn into a mess. If you are building rods for people it will be very hard to fix. Striping the rod is the only way. I work with epdm allot at work. So I have seen what can happen when it is used around oil by people who do not know better.
Mike
Thanks a lot for the heads up on this. I just ordered EPDM for some grips on a rod I'm building for someone.
Guess I'll cover them with X-Flox & use them myself... Jeff
Good time to buy hypalon and hoard it. It's getting harder to find especially in longer lengths. I think they already banned the manufacture here, hoping someone overseas takes over so it doesn't disappear completely. The other materials are a poor substitute from my perspective.
Sheridan - I buy most of mine overseas (Thailand, China etc) - Chris.
It takes forever to arrive but it's cheap and readily available ;)
It seems like we can never get ahead without more regulations slowing us down.
Mike
What is the logic (other than it's the G'ment!) to the banning?
Frank
I guess it takes some pretty nasty chemical process to manufacture. The way I understand it is that it could be done but the cost of outfitting a plant to meet the regulations was prohibitive.
It is odd... I tried to sell a box of hypalon at a swap meet last year. I didn't even get one sniff.
Can EPDM work if it is overlaid with X-wrap? I'm not up to speed...
I checked & what Mike posted is true regarding EPDM. Based on this I will not build a rod for someone else using it. I'm going to use what I've ordered for my personal rods.
Also I'm hearing that there is work being done to add a polymer to EPDM to make it more resistant or maybe impervious to breaking down when it comes in contact with oil. Dont know the status of this or if its even on going.
I dont know if covering X Flock will be the answer. I know it will help to some degree. After having EPDM in place on blank I will wrap both ends with quality tape then all of it with X Flock.
I dont have any X Flock on hand at the moment. Any one have any scrap X Flock they can test with WD-40 or any other oils that it may come in contact with to see... Jeff
If they modify epdm they will kill the market for buna. It will be priced much higher also. Just expect to pay more from now on.
Mike
Mike, this is stuff I only heard. If true I have no idea if it's on going... Jeff
I don't get it Mike. Why can't they shift to other CSM manufacturers (Japanese) or neoprene? They are resistant to oils.
If you have ever spend any time in Beaumont, Texas you will understand why DuPont had to close the Hypalon plant.
-steve
The reason they are outlawing hypalon is it ends up in land fills. It last a long time and dosen't break down. Wait they wlll keep going until there is nothing left to use. Big companys like this because you will buy more often because it doesnt last as long.
Mike
Quote from: Rivverrat on May 12, 2018, 04:51:05 PM
I checked & what Mike posted is true regarding EPDM. Based on this I will not build a rod for someone else using it. I'm going to use what I've ordered for my personal rods.
Also I'm hearing that there is work being done to add a polymer to EPDM to make it more resistant or maybe impervious to breaking down when it comes in contact with oil. Dont know the status of this or if its even on going.
I dont know if covering X Flock will be the answer. I know it will help to some degree. After having EPDM in place on blank I will wrap both ends with quality tape then all of it with X Flock.
I dont have any X Flock on hand at the moment. Any one have any scrap X Flock they can test with WD-40 or any other oils that it may come in contact with to see... Jeff
I wipe my rods down, including the deckhand rods with x-flock at least once a year with Corrosion X. The X makes the heat shrink compound look brand new. No issues as of yet and I have been doing this for many years.
SoCal Thanks for that... Jeff
OK, after hearing many conflicting things I decided to see for myself. I saturated one side of this scrap piece of EPDM with TSI oil.
This is the most likely oil my grips will come in contact with. I'll give it a few days & post back... Jeff
Remember Monkey Grip inner tube repair kits? They came with some sort of solvent cement, little EPDM pre-cleaned patches and a scrubber to give the tube some tooth where the patch was to be applied. That same solvent cement will make a permanent bond with any form of EPDM.
-steve
Mike, EDIT: MY REPLY HERE WAS TO STEVE it was stated earlier in the thread that oil would degrade EPDM. I looked into it & initially was told by many that this was true but later received conflicting reports. Regular epoxies for rod building seem to work just fine with it so far... Jeff
It seems they might be treating the grips with something to make it oil resistant. I have silicone that is used for car door seals and it is what Toyota uses on their door seals. United Composite uses 3m epdm cold shrink tubing for the forgrip on their rail rods. I think if you treat the surface you should be ok. The silicone does not make the surface slipery. It makes it grip better.
Mike
Mike, I wanted to state that what you said about EPDM in your opening post is a fact. I have witnessed oil degrade this material but had since forgot about it.
I'm glad you posted what you did.
However as we both can see this EPDM for rod handles is very possibly different. Having been treated or what
not... Jeff
It might very well turn out to be a better choice But they have rushed this to market. Nothing come without problems. We are the guinea pigs for them. With proper care it should last for years.
Mike