Rubberband Issues???
 

I've always bought my rubberbands from Staples. No big deal, no large brand just regular "Staples' brand. Recently I used a company that offered boxes of them for a great price. When I get my glass in I cut it, wash it, dry it, weigh it and bundle it.
I've got hundreds and hundreds of glass that are bundled into 1/4 lb increments. I pull them out of the bin and the rubberbands just disinegrate. I mean totally fall apart.
Some glass I have so much of that they are bound in 10 lb bundles and I'm so afraid to pick them up without them all coming loose and falling to the ground.
Has anyone had problems with their rubberbands doing that and where did they buy them?
I got mine from a major shipping supply store called, "Uline"
They are stored inside, no major heat or sun touches them.
I have no idea why this is happening.

it's a chemical reaction,,,,not the rubber bands.....Susan

I hate rubber bands on glass. Over time they either disintegrate or worse, become gummy (with a nod to all the Pittsburgh folks who call them gum bands!). Sounds like the brand you found just has a shorter life span or are drying out for some reason. For years I've been using elastics meant for hair instead. Some kinds lose their stretch eventually, and they won't be large enough for your big bundles, but they generally hold up pretty well. I got to go through massive quantities of some old german glass once, and it was tied with string or twine.

I find when I reuse the rubber bands that the newspaper boy uses, they fall apart or turn gummy pretty fast. I'm sure there is a shelf life on these thing but how you'd find it, I don't have a clue.

my rubber bands disintegrate too so I switched to plastic bands and they work great.
they don't disintegrate but they don't have as much memory as rubber so once it stays stretched out, it won't go back to the size it was. It will still be elastic though. I am happy with them and they don't stick to the glass like disintegrated rubber can...

The same thing happens to me. I was saving them to reuse them and they just fall apart. I thought it was due to the dry climate here but apparently not!

you can get rolls of "twist-ties"...the plastic-covered wire that they use to secure bags of bread etc. They don't deteriorate and as you take glass from that bundle you can just tighten the wire a bit.

And for those big 10lb bundles, wrap the bundle with a strip of paper (use brown paper grocery sacks or something similar) and then use duct tape to secure it. The paper keeps it from gumming up the glass and duct tape is strong enough to hold securely.

Another thing that works REALLY well is that self-adhering plastic wrap...you can get it from Staples I'm sure...it's 4" wide. I've gotten a lot of glass where the shipper used it to wrap the bubble paper...and it's SO much easier to get open than tape is...I reuse all my packaging materiel...and it's strong enough to be safe to use on those 10lb bundles. I save it by rolling it around an empty paper towel tube....it very reuseable

yah, when I get glass from generations or abr it's plastic wrapped together. Works great.

rubberbands and glass do not get along, they rot...I HATE rubberbands. I just bought a package of fifty hair things...thin style...dollar store would probably even be better price...SuzyQ gave me the idea, they won't rot and unbundle your glass.

I also bought a roller of the plastic stuff like suppliers use to bundle your glass...I use that to.

I don't think it matters where you live or the weather...rubber bands just do not do it with glass rods.

blue glass tape works too, doesn't leave a sticky residue. but yep hate those rubber bands! I am still picking chunks off of some glass

I think it's a world wide issue. The rubber bands disintegrate and turns into glue on the glass. And, when you try to burn it off, it gives off a really noxious smell.

Well I'm not happy that my customers are getting crappy rubberbands, I am glad to know that it's not only mine that are doing this. I raised heck with the shipping company I deal with because I've never encountered it before. I've been doing this for over a year now never had problems this fast!!!!
I found glass stuck to the bottom of the bins and I couldn't believe it.
So I guess the rubberbands weren't cheapies but this is the normal thing that they do.
Thanks for the heads up on the "Chemical" issue.

I use the "hair" bands too - but they disintegrate quite quickly as well. I have tried thin ones and thick ones. I think I may just go with twine.

To tell you the truth, I'm really not that fond of using anything I have to wrap around glass like a rubber band or hair band...mainly because I keep getting too close to the cut ends of the glass and getting nasty cuts. Wrapping it with that clingy plastic keeps me from getting blood all over my glass bundles *grin*

Yep, rubber bands and glass suck! I just transfered all my glass new storage and was left with crumbly sticky rubber band mess all over my glass. YUCK!
Maybe you can use the shrink wrap stuff that ABR uses. It'll keep you glass cleaner too!

I've been using the little girl hairbands from Wal-Mart - the "coated" kind that has some kind of thread or something wrapped around the stretchy part -- so far they're doing their job - which for me is to keep different colors separate when all lying next to each other on a shelf - like sardines in a can!

Here is a link for the mini wrap. Maybe you could slide the bundles out just enough to rewrwp the end and then rewrap the other ends. Order just one of anything new you try so that you won't be stuck with alot of product that won't work for you.


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Good luck,
Alison

Propane fumes (like from bleeding your lines) is what causes your rubber bands to disintegrate.

my rods are in a different room then torching and I don't use propane or bleed any of the lines so....I think maybe it's just the lifespan of the rubberbands...maybe

Well being extremely latex allergic I really hate them. I have to wear gloves and take them off outside. I get pulmonary edema as a reaction so I take no chances.

it's not just propane fumes...even tho they certainly don't help matters. The plain truth is that the materiel used to make rubberbands, be they real rubber or synthetic, degrades over time and make a mess.

And the stuff Alison posted the link for is what I am talking about. I don't completely wrap the bundle, just a wrap around the middle is enough to secure the bundle and you can pull single rods out as you need them...and you can unwrap and re-wrap it to either tighten the bundle or to add more rods. A wonderful, and cost effective way to organize glass!

Rubber is organic. It falls apart.

Here's your solution... it doesn't get sticky and the bundles will lay flatter too... no rubber band bulge. ;)

Yep, that's pretty much what I use, cloth pony tail holders from the Dollar Store. About a penny each. :)

I like the pony tail holder idea. I too have a gummy mess with some of my rubber bands, mostly the larger ones.

I hate rubber bands. I used to store my glass with rubber bands and they deteriorated and stuck to the glass so I had to soak the rods in soapy water and scrape them clean with a plastic scrubbie. No more rubberbands for me. As soon as my glass is delivered I get rid of them all. (Anybody want some?)

For transporting glass (and for long term storage) the mini wrap is terrific. It holds the rods so tightly together that they are less likely to break. (I bring a roll with me when I go to the Gathering.) But it's a PITA getting a single rod out.

For day-to-day storage of glass I am going to USE, I never band them together. I found comparatively inexpensive plastic tubes that come in all lengths and sizes at
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and they work like a charm for separating colors. I especially love them for stringers. I have used their tubes both horizontally and vertically. I buy all different sizes - smaller ones for stringers or for colors I have very little of. The tubes also help keep the glass cleaner and less prone to scratching than storing them completely loose.

I have ordered from Danczak many times and love both their products and their customer service. They ship really FAST. Their 2" x 2" square tubes come in 24" lengths and can be cut with heavy scissors or a serrated knife. I buy the round tubes in 12" lengths. They're closed on one end.

Barb

OOOOH MANNN... I bet that is a mess. Poor you having to re-bundle everything :( I know what a pain it is just to re-do the glass I get. I also use the ponytail bands. Sometimes they stretch out really fast (I think because of the heat) but they don't leave that gummy mess and you can always tighten them up.

Reenie, for the larger bundles that won't fit in a pony-tail band, try the larger version they sell for tying down tarps. I have some of these, they look like a GIANT pony-tail band! A thin-ish bungie cord loop with a round ball on one end where it's tied together. You wrap around and then hook the ball through the end of the loop. They will also stretch out over a few years, but hey, cheap and replaceable. You know, if you don't have one of those stretch wrap guns laying around handy!

Thanks for the link, Barb.
The square tubes are on clearance sale right now, so I got 8 cases.
The Bullseye will fit nicely in the 24 inch tubes and I figure I can cut the
ones for the Moretti.
I have been using the fence rails and downspouts but the glass does get a
bit dusty that way.
These seem easy to label as well, and will work better for longer term storage.
I like the idea that these have lids.
Thanks again.:)