TESTED: STORMSURE FLEXIBLE REPAIR ADHESIVE

STORMSURE FLEXIBLE REPAIR ADHESIVE

15g £6.49

The Stormsure Flexible Repair Adhesive is described as “a single component, high performance, moisture curing polyurethane adhesive that exhibits exceptional bonding characteristics to a broad range of materials”.

Stormsure Flexible Repair Adhesive is reckoned to bond metals, glass, plastic composites, PVC, PU, Nylon rubber, leather, wood and man-made materials. To be honest, nothing less than I’ve come to expect from other, high end, over the counter adhesives. However, true to claims, it seems to be offering a more permanent union between rubberised components and composites.

Ingredients

£6.49 buys you three 5ml tubes, perfect for wedge packs. This also avoids the problem of unwanted curing/wastage that can be a problem with other “super glues” if you don’t use them all at once. Storm sure were understandably tight-lipped when it came to alchemy, but confirmed it was polyurethane based.

Directions

Usual cautions apply. Keep away from aquatic life, animals and children. Minimise contact with exposed skin and wash hands thoroughly after use. As with most forms of repair, preparation and to some extent, patience is key.

Ensure materials to be bonded are clean and dry, apply evenly to one side and press them together. Now, unlike generic “super” glues; which generally form a working bond in 60 seconds, or so (though still benefit from being left to cure for another hour at room temperature) the storm sure requires a full twelve hours.

Their tuff-tape is what you need, should your inflatable mattress or tent get a hole at 3am-something I discovered first hand!

Performance

Being as we’re a cycling mag, I’ve focused on bike specific/related applications. The first candidate was my Univega’s wedge pack. The LED tab had split at the right corner, running the risk of losing an expensive rear light.

Having cleaned with an alcohol wipe, I fed a generous bead around the affected area, doubling up at the split. Left for fourteen hours, I was pleasantly surprised by the stocky, rubbery texture, which is proving an extremely reliable repair.

Fully cured, the adhesive can be painted but frankly, I couldn’t be bothered! Generally speaking, pop-riveting is my preferred method for re/attaching mud-flaps but I’ve had good results when re-tethering these two.

Grafting these big, rubbery models found in my bodge box, to another brand’s narrow section composite guards also proved very successful.

On both occasions, two plastic clothes pegs were employed and left for a full, 14 hours.

I tend to pad about the office in leather moccasins and the factory bonding agent was beginning to lose its grip, allowing the moulded sole to creep away at the sides. Predictably, this resulted in some slight darkening of the tan leather upper but this has become uniform with subsequent helpings of hide food/protectant.

Given this is a highly stressed area, I wasn’t surprised to find it hadn’t formed a truly invisible repair but the adhesive seems genuinely waterproof, in the everyday sense.

Minor nicks and cuts in tyre casings are usually repairable with a drop of superglue and this remains the best quick fix, following a roadside flat. However, even compared with some gel-type glues, the flexible characteristics meant deeper lesions, caused by thorns and glass were more successfully repaired-without resorting to a tyre “boot”.

The one notable failure was my inflatable bed - even with the appropriate patch and suitable curing times, neither would adhere satisfactorily. Frankly, any product claiming to be universal in this sense, is begging to meet its match, so I wasn’t completely surprised by this.

I’ve cruised through 10ml (two tubes of our kit), which is still pretty economical and with practice, wastage is minimal. I’ve deliberately left the excess, around the mud flaps to prevent the elements getting in and potentially spoiling the bond.

Conclusion

The flexible repair adhesive isn’t a magic wand. Their Tuff Tape, or where appropriate, fast drying super glues are better bets for temporary roadside fixes, or little jobs, such as sealing freshly cut cable ends.

However, provided you’ve prepared the surfaces meticulously and religiously followed curing times, the flexible repair adhesive seems to form a long-lasting, dependable bond.

Verdict: 3.75/5 Versatile repair glue with lasting results but not a cure-all.

Michael Stenning

www.stormsure.com

PUBLISHED AUGUST 2017

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