I did some searching and calling around a while back, but most purveyors seem to cater to large-quantity industrial clients. I even got sneered at by some woman on the phone because I was small potatoes. That show of bad form pretty much put me off the whole thing, but I figure maybe I can come up with something more sympathetic here. Stranger things have happened…
Basically what I need is 3/4 inch diameter black rubber rod stock, of a composition approximating car tire rubber. If a quantity must be a minimum of 20, say, I can do that.
Anyone have such a connection, or know of one? TIA.
A few years back, I went to the local Mom & Pop hardware store because three inches of vinyl tubing would solve my repair problem. It was priced by the inch, so I said I’d like three inches. Mom said she wouldn’t sell me that little bit. So I bought a foot of tubing. This doesn’t help with your need but I thought I’d share this to comfort you.
I run into the same thing buying stock for making instruments. There are three suppliers I use for various industrial types of raw materials for use in my home shop that you could look into. Each has a lot of stuff so you may have to get creative looking through their stock for what you need.
Thanks, it’s a good start - especially the first two. Never even thought to check McMaster-Carr.
No, it’s not for beatings. I use a cane but it’s got a custom end where the rubber part fits into a ferrule, rather than the usual slip-on-over-the-end thingum. It’s a sharp look. I’ve been making my own plugs up to now drilling 3/4 in. diameter cores from from 3/4 in. thick sheet rubber (so the result is of course of equal diameter to length, in this case a good size), but as a process it’s more of a pain in the butt than it would be simply sawing off what I need as need arises. You know, work smarter, not harder. Plus my present sheet stock is running low, so I figured it’s time to look around again.
I’m open to the composition, so long as it’s not so hard as to have no traction worth speaking of. This is for the business end end of an honest, functional walking cane, remember, not just a matter of looks, so whatever exhibits similar traits to tire rubber will be what I need. It goes without saying that such a product must wear down eventually and need replacement anywhere from every 4 to 6 months, depending on what conditions cause the wear - so having at least several rods would be a smart idea considering the long haul. If I used regular cane tips the replacement schedule would be much the same.
No suggestions on sources for hard rubber, but I do look for a lot of stuff for work (and home) – everything from screws to raw materials such as polycarbonate and various metals to bearings. And I must say, I think McMaster-Carr has an awesome website. For such a traditional company, they made the transition to e-commerce better than any other company of that type, IMO.
I’m not saying their stuff or prices are better than anyone else’s, just pointing out the useability of their site.
Thanks, Ben. You’d think there should be something suitable in all that selection. And it’s a good idea as an alternative to my plan. I would, however, only consider such forms to be a temporary stopgap measure: with tubular construction comes less structural stability and wear longevity for my longterm needs. Still, it’s worth a look.
You have several choices for hardness. If your standard is an auto tire then either a 60 or 80 might work for you. Below are some examples from Wikipedia. The fuller explanation of durometer ratings is here.
Material Durometer Scale
Bicycle gel seat 15-30 OO
Chewing gum 20 OO
Sorbothane 40 OO
Sorbothane 30-70 OO
Rubber band 25 A
Door seal 55 A
Automotive tire tread 70 A
Soft wheels of roller skates and skateboard 78 A
Hydraulic O-ring 70-90 A
Hard wheels of roller skates and skateboard 98 A
Ebonite rubber 100 A
Solid truck tires 50 D
Hard hat (typically HDPE) 75 D
Local folks, too. That’s a plus if they can meet my needs.
And thanks for the chart. It was a good reminder, because I vaguely recalled 70 Shore A as being the median for what I wanted, but it slipped from memory.
Cast Urethane may end up being a bit slippery for a cane plug, but YMMV. Neoprene rubber rod I found on MSCDirect might be a better choice. For $13.50, worth a try.
