Camel Cold Patch and Rubber Bands

The first truly liberating experience in my young life was my first bicycle. My mother was dead set against it (“too dangerous”) but I prevailed. That bicycle took me all over Kingsville, Texas and far out into the countryside. All on my own.

In the 30’s and 40’s bicycles had balloon tires. Those narrow high-pressure tires didn’t come along until after WWII. Balloon tires used rubber inner-tubes to hold air. They were soft and flexible, which made them susceptible to a boy’s worst enemy – sand burs.

South Texas is a thorny land and we had all kinds of stickers to contend with – grass burs, devil’s heads and sand burs among them. Hard on your feet and hard on bicycle tires. They could stick right through the tread and punch a hole in your inner-tube.

Get out the Camel Cold Patch. Every boy soon learned the routine – take off the tire, yank out the inner tube, patch the leaks. Some were tiny and if you overlooked one your tire could go flat overnight. Bummer. Camel could stop leaks.

The top of the Camel Cold Patch can was a scraper. Abrade the tube surface, smear a little Camel goo on the leaky spot and press on a Camel patch. Let ‘er dry. It was a cold vulcanization process – you couldn’t rip off that patch. You’d tear the tube first.

Automobiles of that area also had balloon tires with inner tubes. The usual practice was to replace a leaky tube. Always use new inner tubes when you buy new tires.

Now, a discarded inner tube from a car was a real find. You could slice it for big rubber bands and make yourself a rubbergun.

Whittle out the silhouette of a pistol. Affix a spring-type clothespin to the handle. Stretch a big rubber band back from the end of the “barrel” and hold it with the clothespin at the handle. You got yourself a weapon!

Rubbergun fights could drag on for a while. You picked up your enemy’s ammo and shot it back at him. Combine rubberguns and bicycles and you’ve got boys jousting like King Arthur’s knights of old.

There are other ways to have fun today. Are they any better?

Dac Crossley
January 30, 2011

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” – Helen Keller.

Comments

[irene black]

This "new" computer is still doing strange things after a trip to the shop, several on-line conversations.
Don't know what cause the LSO, it read also before posting.
Keep getting duplicate e-mails.
Irene

[irene black]

Bit behind you, childhood during WWII, when create your own toys was a given.
The Knights rode tabacco sticks and shot inner tube weapons. A warm memory for the only time my dad took a paddle to me for shooting my sister.
Sling shots were good LSO.
Irene

[Eileen Obser]

I love how you remember all the details of the Camel Cold Patch. Like the other "girls" in the Posse, I didn't have to fix bikes and tires. Daddy took care of that. But I love to think and write about the olden days, so thanks for sharing this.

[Mike Long]

I went through a bunch of patches in the mid-Fifties in Neuse community, near Raleigh NC. One speed American Flyer-collected Indian artifacts from farm fields every day after school, often 6-7 miles from home. Wound up with 1800 of 'em plus some Minie balls.

[Marja McGraw]

My, but you sure had a fun childhood! Remember mud pies? Oh, I guess that was a Girl Thing.

My dad always took care of things like that for me. Just like Sunny, I thought my father could do anything. I love the memories that you stir up.

[Patricia Gligor]

Dac,
Your posts always remind me of things from my own childhood and/or teenage years.
I loved to ride my bike! It wasn't a ten-speed or more; it had one speed and that was however fast and hard I could pedal. My parents put limits on where I could ride with one of my friends. If they only knew how far outside those limits we went!

[Mike Draney]

I guess I bridge the gap between generations...I also used cold patches on my bike tires, but when I was a boy, there was no such thing as car innertubes, rubber band guns was just a story that my dad told me. No problem...in NM every kid got a BB gun at about 9 or 10. I have the scars to prove it! I never put my eye out, but a colleague of mine (who grew up in Colorado) did. All in all, though, I think that letting kids spend their childhoods playing computer games is MUCH more hazardous to their health!

[Caroline Clemmons]

One of the advantages of being a girl is that my dad did all that for me. Although, I am a decade younger than you, I loved my bicycle. The day I received it when I was nine, my dad made me practice leverage until I could balance on the bike without it in motion, then he let me ride it. I believe that was a valuable lesson. I never fell. I wish I still had that bike. It wasn't a "name" brand, but was a really great bike.

[Sunny Frazier]

I never understood how my father knew how to patch innertubes on our bikes or make us rubber band guns. I saw all that as a child and never questioned. It's just what dads did. I thought my dad was so wise and could do anything. Wish he was still around. Wish I'd paid more attention.

[Elizabeth Chilson]

Answering your question: There are other ways to have fun today. Are they any better?

I don't think so!!!!