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.

You Know It's Africa Hot When...

1. The dog that normally shadows your every move doesn't get up and follow you everywhere


2. You don't have to turn the shower water past cold


3. You sweat in places you never thought possible ('nuf said)


4. Spontaneous combustion occurs on the short walk to get the mail


5. The fan on your laptop NEVER stops running


6. You'd rather eat all the creepy stuff they eat on Fear Factor than turn on your oven to make dinner


7. M&Ms actually DO melt in your hands


8. I am whining in my blog about how hot it is (okay I start whining when it hits about 80 but still...)

9. It is 80 degrees INSIDE your house and it feels cool

10. People you never, ever see in shorts are practically nude

I don't know what else to say except IT IS SO DAMN HOT!!

AARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!

Please, Mr. Sun, we all know you are strong and powerful. Please stop proving it. A nice 85 sounds great about now....

UPDATE:

You also know its Africa hot when you go outside at 8pm and a mere 96 degrees and you think, "Wow! It is so nice and cool outside!"

That? Is messed up.

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.