Operation Experimentation #4-Death of a Rubber Boot

After two weeks basking in the sun on the lovely beaches of Hawaii I am now seriously concerned that my skin is basically reacting the same way as the rubber on these boots. I sure am glad I used 30 to 50 SPF and stayed in the shade as much as I did. Although for the previous 39 years that was not the case at ALL.

My new motto: Pasty white is the new tan.

Cuz once your skin looks as bad as this boot?

There ain't no turning back.

You can see in this close up how damaged the right boot is compared to the left.

Another close up view of the mid section of both boots.

Both boots, full view. The equivalent of sunscreen (left) VS no sunscreen (right).

The right boot has had nothing applied to it. The left has had 4 applications of Lacrosse Rubber Conditioner over 2 1/2 months. As you can tell, although the left boot has still been affected by the sun and heat, the right boot is MUCH worse off. I can actually feel the cracking on the right boot now and don't have to pinch the rubber to see the damage.

These boots are officially d-e-a-d. Please check back later for information on funeral services. Please send sunscreen in lieu of flowers.

Coppertone SPF 70 Spray?

I am so lovin you right now.

Operation Experimentation Update #3

Yet another couple of weeks have gone by and those boots are still parked on my front porch. One of my friends made a comment that only I would ruin a perfectly good pair of $60 boots for an experiment.

The boots are getting stronger sun exposure for a longer period of time now as well as more exposure to heat since it has definitely warmed up. I took another close look at the boots today and the hairline fractures in the rubber is even more extreme.

Both boots made the same crackling sound as before (like crunching up tissue paper) when I pinched the rubber together. On the right boot, which has not been treated with the rubber conditioner, the cracks are much more severe. Unlike the last time I checked them, this time the thin fractures in the rubber can be seen even when I don't pinch the rubber together. Before, these cracks disappeared when I released my hold on the boot. Although this is true for the right boot, the left treated boot, it is now in considerably better shape than it's mate.




You can hopefully see in this picture that the right boot (on the left in this photo) has a kind of dull look to it whereas the other boot doesn't. This is a result of all the hairline cracks over the surface of this boot.

The hairline cracks run the full length of the boots as well as along part of the sides which have been exposed to the sun. The cracks make the pattern appear faded more on the untreated boot. The inner lining of both boots is beginning to pull away around the top front. Again the back of both boots remain undamaged as they haven't been exposed to any sun.

So I would say that although the rubber conditioner doesn't 100% prevent damage it does slow it down. (Again NO sun exposure is best). Had to throw that in there....

I wiped both boots down, applied yet one more coat (that makes 3) of the rubber conditioner to the left boot and left the pair in their offical spot on my front porch to take more UVA/UVB abuse.

More in the next installment...

BTW...if the sun does this to a pair of boots with minimal sun exposure, just think of what it is doing to your skin without any sunscreen. Just food for thought.....

Operation Experimentation Update #2

Awhile ago I put a pair of Black Tattoo City boots on my front porch to see how the sun would affect them. The left boot had one application of LaCrosse Rubber Conditioner, the right had nothing. I wanted to see:



#1. How long it would take for the sun to begin to damage the rubber

#2. If a rubber conditioner could help prevent this damage

Now that the boots have been sitting on my porch for a few weeks I thought I had better take a gander at them to see what's up.

We have had a few really warm days but overall it has been sunny and in the 70s. The boots are in the sun maybe 2 to 3 hours a day, morning sun only. So not even the super strong, afternoon sun.

Other than looking a might bit dusty, they still look fine. But upon closer inspection, I noticed when I 'pinched' the rubber together on the front of the boots, it cracked. When I did this, I could actually hear the rubber make a crackling sound. The cracks themselves were very thin, hairline 'fractures' that ran all along the front of the boots where the sun shone on them and appeared on both boots. The sides and backs of the boots don't appear to be affected at all. The rubber there is still supple and not showing any UV damage.

(I took a bunch of pictures but it was difficult to get a clear, close up photo of the damage. Hopefully you can see the tiny lines in the rubber in this picture. You can see them best on the black area below the skull and crossbones. They appear white and look like scratches.)

Bottom Line:

Sun: 1
Rubber Boots: 0

The next few days are going to seriously heat up, potentially over 100 degrees. I put another round of the rubber conditioner on the left boot and sat them back out on their porch location as shown above. I'll check back on them (and report back to you) in a few more weeks.

Although I do think the rubber conditioner is helpful and is good for maintaining the shine and moisture in the rubber, the sun is just too detrimental to rubber. Boots can't be left in the sun at all without them becoming damaged very quickly.

So be sure to tuck those boots away in a cool, dark place when they aren't on your feet.



Bloggin' off for now.

Operation Experimentation Update

Here is update numero uno on Operation Experimentation:

Got the rubber conditioner in the mail the other day. This is what it looks like:

It came with a "Material Safety Data Sheet" which is a little intimidating at first but upon closer inspection, basically you just shouldn't eat, drink or spray this stuff in your eyes or on your skin. Ummm....DUH!

I took a pair of Black Tattoo City boots and, following the directions on the bottle, cleaned the boots off with a damp cloth. I then sprayed the left boot with the rubber conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes and wiped off the excess. Boy! That boot sure was shiny!! If nothing else, it really spiffs up your boots.

Can you see how the left boot is extra shiny?? It shows up even better in person.

Then I put both boots outside on my front porch where they are exposed to the elements. This is their new home:

They get mostly morning sun at this point but as spring wanes to summer, it will get hotter and sunnier out there. This is the location of my aforementioned boots which turned to dust after a summer sitting out under the bench you see in this photo.

After a few days sitting out there, nothing much has changed of course. I'll keep checking them every few days and will take pictures if I see any changes.

Until the next Operation Experimentation update....bloggin off.