[w.michael]

I pinched one of my new tubes this weekend while trying to install it. I was told that one of the old tire shops close by still used hot patches, so I took the tube to them. Turns out, they do not use hot patches, and told me hot patches are no longer available.

But I let them patch the tube for me. They cleaned it well with a solvent, applied glue liberally when the solvent dried, and used a roller to press the patch well onto the tube. They did not rough up the tube, but I think the solvent took the place of that.

Anyway, it looked like a better job than I would have done with the patch kit I had purchased at Advance Auto. I installed it, and it is holding air, at least for now. I'll know more in a few weeks when I check it again.

W. Michael