I put my rubber bands that hold my wing in a small coffee can with some talcum powder in it, the talcum soaks up the oil and makes the rubber bands easier to put on

substitute oat meal for the baby powder and its a lot less powder mess. Works just as good if not better. Even after a few uses that way go ahead and trash them just to be safe.
Al

I agree, I used talcum and found that oat meal works without the mess.

Some people use kitty litter, but it's kind of abrasive. I've always used talc - never thought to use oatmeal. I think I'll give that a try next time I need to refill my rubber band container.

A couple things about rubber bands:

They are sensitive to UV light so keep them in a light-tight container.

Natural Gum rubber is the best to use. They are the bands that are sort of a transparent orange.

Next best is latex, but when they get stretched, they also get "sprung" for lack of a better word. In other words, they don't go back to their orginal shape which gum rubber will.

Colored rubber bands harden and break down faster than other types. I'm sure that's due to the dye they use. Don't use colored bands. They're made for office people who need any excitement they can get.

Rubber bands are very cheap guys, cut them off and throw
them away after use. Your planes are not cheap, why risk
them?
Yes, I know, many of you reuse rubber bands with no probs.
But I've seen quite a few planes lost due to the failure of
reused bands. Just my thoughts.
Jerry

Ditto that advice.... got to staples get a 1 lb bag for a couple bucks and chuck em when used. It is a false economy to re-use rubber bands. We have all seen trainer wings fall off... not a pretty picture when the parts stop moving.

Actually, I've always thought watching the wing slowly rotate towards the ground was kind of a pretty sight.

It's the lawn dart affect of the fuse that makes one feel ill.

At under 4 bucks a pound for #64 rubber bands, why bother to recycle them?

It's true that rubber bands are in-expensive, but then why be wasteful? I use the baby powder in a container to store my used bands. When putting the bands on the plane, I check each one for tears etc. Any rubber bands that don't look or feel good are discarded. Also, I tend to use plenty of rubber bands that if a couple break, I would still not have any problems. Also, it's a good idea to use a few new rubber bands with the rest of the old ones.

Typically, on my eagle II, I use about 8 rubber bands per side which is plenty. Have never had a wing failure in over 5 years and hundreds of flights.

Corn meal is better than oatmeal for grabbing the oily residue off of the rubber.

Typical office supply bands... yo can re-use ONCE. and then only if the second use is within a week of the first. You never do get all the oil off of them and they break down.

The Gum Rubber... you can reuse a couple of times... but compare one that was reused to a new one some time. You'll quit reusing them.

TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF ALL WHY NOT USE 1/4 PLASTIC SCREWS AND DRILL HOLES IN THE LEADING AND TRAILING EDGE AND SUPPORT THE FUSE WITH THICK PLY AND THEN YOU WOULD EPOXY THEM TO THE SIDE, PREDRILL THE HOLES AND THE WING THEN YOU BOLT IT ON!!!! I'm going to do this for my hobbico trainer MKIII and that'l take care of the rest of your oily crappy bands and best of all once used you can use them infinitley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On this one I have to go with the One Day Use method. There is nothing worse than watching a $350 airplane crash because of an 8 cent rubber band. I have seen it quite a few times. It just isn't worth it. This is one of those hints where ya really should take the advice.


Deadstik [8D]

I keep my rubberbands in a small can of oil dry from Autozone. I replace them every other trip to the field with no problems.

I hide anytime I see someone re-useing rubber bands. being frugal just wouldn't mean so much to the guys that just scattered in the pits, dodging your rubberband less, and now pilotless contraption.

It's purely a safety issue, no economics to it.

Cheapest insurance in R/C...Ditch 'em at day's end. In fact, I cut 'em off EVERY time, even if I'm just changing batteries or making adjustments prior to resuming flying. Some of the older guys at my field (who must have delayed stress syndrome from the depression or something) are horrified that I'd cut off once-used rubber bands, so to make 'em happy, I save 'em for the club trainer when they're around. Otherwise, I trash 'em. I like my planes too much to risk them over something as stupid as a few rubberbands.

When I was flying on less then a shoe string budget I saved my bands in a motor box filled with corn starch. Now I just trash them after a day in the sun and soaking in oil It just is not worth it to me to have to think about the bands not being strong or tight.

This brings up a memory of an article I read in a R/C mag. It was in the hints and tips section and the guy was talking about the wing moving, and he said that if you put them on back to front it would put more pressrue on the front and keep the wing in place. If my wing move while in fligh I am going to add more rubber bands.





Dru.

Modelers are strange... They spend $2 to $20 a flight for fuel... $10 in gasoline to drive to the model airfield. $500 to $20,000 on making a radio cntrolled aircraft... and worry about spending $2 a pound for ruber bands... so they re-use the stupid things.

That put it a bit into perspective?

While this sounds good, the model in the air or engine runing will equalize any induced stress he put on the bands. Weither you re-use them or use fresh ones, make sure that the wing is secured on the fuselage.