Inexpensive Rubber Cement
 
Inexpensive rubber cement can be made easily with ordinary gasoline and raw
sheet rubber.
 
Imported pastes are often expensive. Many of these are not good for mounting
pictures and similar materials; they soak through the paper and wrinkle both the
picture and the mount.
 
Rubber cement does not wrinkle the pieces to be joined. It has another advantage:
if it smears, it can be rubbed off with the fingers when it is dry.
 
     Tools and Materials
 
Ordinary gasoline: 250cc (16 ounces)
Raw sheet rubber in one piece:
  5gm (115 ounce)
Jar with lid
Stirring rod
Brown bottle
(*)Tin can
(*)Charcoal
(*)Small pieces of cloth
 
_________________
 
(*)Needed only if gasoline is colored.
 
                          * * * CAUTION * * *
 
    Gasoline will burn and explode, and the vapors can be a
    health hazard. Be careful when mixing or applying the
    cement. Do not inhale the gasoline vapors. Make the rubber
    cement in a well-ventilated place.
 
The rubber to be used should be a translucent, light-brown sheet. Any brand of
gasoline can be used. Some gasolines are highly colored. This coloring should be
removed so that the rubber cement will not stain when it is used. To remove the
coloring, pour the gasoline over common charcoal several times (see Figure 2).

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Use a clean tin can with a hole in
the bottom. Put a small piece of
cloth in the bottom of the can to
keep the charcoal from falling into
the filtered gasoline. You may have
to change the charcoal several
times before the gasoline is clear.
 
Put the 5 grams (1/5 ounce) of raw
sheet rubber in a jar and pour in
the 250cc (16 ounces) of ordinary
gasoline (see Figure 1). Cover the

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jar.
 
It takes about three days for the rubber to dissolve completely in the gasoline.
Stir the mixture several times during this period, especially when the mixture
becomes thick. If some of the rubber does not dissolve, more stirring will break it
up. When the rubber is dissolved, you will have a smooth, milky-colored cement.
 
To store the rubber cement, it is best to use a brown bottle because the cement
will become thin if it is exposed to sunlight for a long time.
 
Mark the bottle:
 
                         DANGER: EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE,
                         HARMFUL OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED
 
The cement should be kept in a ventilated cupboard when it is not being used.
 
To make a handy dispenser for the
cement: Cut a hole in the cover of
the jar, large enough for the
handle of a 2.5cm (1") brush (see
Figure 3). Push the handle through

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the hole and leave the brush in the
jar. This should be airtight because
the cement hardens quickly when
exposed to air.
 
Source:
 
Bunyard, Robert J. "Rubber Cement in a Tropical Climate," The Multiplier, Vol. 2,
No. 6, July 1956.