Changing your Rubber

[Spearo_Fla]

O.k. no jokes from the peanut gallery!

This is just a poll to see how often you guys change the rubber on your guns.

I recently changed my rubber and noticed I was hitting things again. It had been a good 8 months since I changed. I guess you could say it depends on how much you dive too.

I take longer shots then most and was beginning to think my aim was off.

This past weekend armed with new rubber I made my normal 16 ft shots.

What about you guys?

[kitefisherman]

I usually hunt at least once or twice a week. I change my bands when I notice a change in the gun's accuracy - usually after three or four months. I may go longer on guns that I don't shoot often or that have three bands than I would with a gun on which I use a single band. Replacing the band(s) usually restores the gun's accuracy and may even knock me out of a shooting slump by giving me more confidence. 16 foot shots are well within my range although I always try to close the gap if possible.

[biggsy]

I look for excessive cracks on the bands, they seem to stretch more and lose the kick they had 'new out of the bag.' With the stainless cable style I have sometimes I replace them sooner because of fraying from the cable. Mine seem to last at least 6 months. I also go through a lot of effort of storing them in a plastic zip lock bag in a fridge after being sprayed with silicone spray. I dont get many cracks when storing them this way. I might go on two trips a month with about 3-10 dives each trip. Main thing I look at is the cracking on the bands, so I probably replace them too soon, but I have never noticed a difference in shot making when replacing them either. I can only imagine what some of the commercial spearos do or how often they change them. I am sure the cable or wishbone breaks before the band is bad :) Hope that helps.

[Big Pig]

When I don't see stars when I'm trying to load my gun, I know its time to change the bands

[eyyeball]

MUST resist.............. too easy........

[Charlestondivin]

I change every other trip. Maybe a bit excessive but what is the cost of a fresh band compared to gas/bait/tank fills, etc.

[bgbill]

I change my rubber after each shot!

[junior]

Originally posted by Big Pig
When I don't see stars when I'm trying to load my gun, I know its time to change the bands

:D LMAO - For me it's when my wife stops asking if that was me she heard grunting underwater.

[Spearo_Fla]

Charlestondivin - I'll pay for your old bands to be shipped to me!Must be nice to have money? What size guns do you have and what type?

[Spear One]

Freeshafters ( at least the smart ones) like to keep their bands "fresh and snappy". When you only have one band doing the job, that band needs to be working at peak performance to maintain accuracy and penetration at distance. It is also much more affordable to change 1 band every other trip.

There is also a big difference in the longevity of a band based on how and where it is stored and cared for. Biggsy gave a good detailed description on how to care for bands in his above post.

The manufacturer of the latex tubing also has a lot to do with how long the tubing lasts. About 10 years ago I discovered there was a huge difference in the quality and logevity between the two major latex tubing manufacturers in the USA. These two companies supply the vast majority of latex tubing throughout the world.

After extensive testing over many years, I determined that the tubing we currently use is much less reactive to the wishbones and rings used to assemble the bands. In addition, our tubing breaks down much slower from exposure to heat, ozone, light, and excessive stretching/use. Our tubing is also "high modulous" which means it produces higher torque with less % of stretch.

Latex is an extremely "reactive" material and it does not like to come in contact with any type of metal, especially when mixed with salt water. That is why all of our cable wishbones have rubber heat shrink material over the balls that are inserted into the tubing. Latex is most reactive to brass and aluminum. Therefore, we electro plate the balls of all our wire type wishbones to keep the reaction to a minimum.

There is a lot more to speargun bands and band construction than most folks realize. It is very difficult to create consistancy in your shooting unless your bands are consistant each time you change them. If you want to create consistancy in your shooting, I suggest you try this.

1) Pick one manufacturers bands and stick with that one company.

2) If the band are not bagged (ours are) or brand designated, ask your dive store who made made them and ask the store if they are their only band supplier.

3) Once you find the right dia. and length of band for you, stick with that one band or combination of bands each time you buy.

4) We make custom bands. If you need a 25" instead of a 26" band, tell the dealer and he will order it. If they refuse to help you, call me or send me an e-mail. We have many folks who like 23 1/2" bands on their 52" guns for freeshafting.

5) Store the bands properly. For maximum life, rinse the band with fresh water. Apply a liberal coat of Armorall, especially over the ball of the wishbone, place in a gallon ziplock bag or similar, and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

How long a band lasts depend entirely on how old it was when you bought it and how you cared for ir afterwards. As soon as you see any cracking around the ball of the wishbone, that band is very close to being "done".

[biggsy]

Great info Kevin. I never knew that the latext was that reactive to metals. I can go home now, I learned something! :)

[Spearo_Fla]

none of my rubbers have metal in them.

[El Duke]

I change my rubber after each use and regarding bands for gun I change that when they brake or look like it will brake (about once every 10-12 months)
To be honest I do not notice accuracy change with old and new bands as long it is same thickens and length.

Once I had Beuchat 20mm rubber last over 2 years and my replacement lasted 2 months. Same company but looks like they changed quality of rubber.

[BluewaterRocket]

Kevin,

Can you comment on why you chose stainless cable as opposed to dacron (i.e. like the Riffe bands); especially given the reactive nature of latex with metal.

I've used many different types of bands including solid metal wishbones, SS bands, and Riffe Dacron bands. I do not like the solid metal wishbones, and prefer to use SS or Riffe. The only negative I've seen with the Riffe dacron bands is that they will occasionally frey.

[Charlestondivin]

I keep the wishbones to re-tie new bands. I think the fresh bands is more a mental confidence thing for me. Just more confident when i have a fresh band.
Originally posted by Spearo_Fla
Charlestondivin - I'll pay for your old bands to be shipped to me!Must be nice to have money? What size guns do you have and what type?

[Spearo_Fla]

I've only seen them fray on guns with notches. Usually by the time they fray on a fin or peg shaft it's already past time to change the rubber.