[Jewelry making - Article 01175] - Re: [Orchid] Repairing Rubber Cord Necklaces

[James Binnion]

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    These "rubber" cords are not rubber at all but one of a family of
    plastics called elastomers. There are several families of elastomer
    (butyl, nitrile, silicone, polyurethane, fluoroelastomer, etc.) and
    dozens of formulations. Visually there is no way to tell which is
    which but the properties vary greatly with the family and
    formulation. The trick is to find out which one(s) are suitable for
    use as a necklace cord. I can just about guarantee that the folks
    selling this cord did not do any research and just bought black
    "rubber" cord at the best price they could get. So it would not
    surprise me at all to see different elastomers used in the same
    parts sold at different times by the same vendor. Some of these
    materials are affected by sunlight and become brittle, some loose
    elasticity as the plasticizers in them evaporate, some cannot
    tolerate petroleum oils others are sensitive to alcohols and on and
    on. Anyway to find a long lasting cord for this purpose you will need
    to do some research. 

James Binnion
jbin AT mokume-gane.com
James Binnion Metal Arts
http://www.mokume-gane.com
360-756-6550
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