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I found a pair of my old rigger boots (in a surprisingly low-wear state) and found that the rubber-like material on the soles is degrading and going soft, sticky and crumbly.

I'm guessing it's just a synthetic polymer that is breaking down.

I felt the need to mention that it was not in an ozonated area, since that does tend to degrade natural rubber.  But usually only on the surface.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mNZ_q4CHuk

Files

My work boots have melted!

This is a pair of rigger boots. Classic construction site footwear in the UK. I've had these in a cupboard for a long time and recently rediscovered them. But the soles of the boots have degraded in some way. They have gone sticky and crumbly. I'll guess that they're made of some sort of polymer designed to emulate rubber, that has degraded with time. There was no ozone generator being used in that room, so I think the main culprit is time and an unstable chemistry. It reminds me of those products with a rubber-feel textured plastic case. After a few years they often break down into a sticky mess too. These days I tend to wear composite toe cap safety trainers (Uvex) instead of the big boots. Much lighter and more comfortable. If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- https://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty. #ElectronicsCreators

Comments

Mike Hughes

Planned obsolescence ?- they want you to buy a new pair every winter maybe? edit: I just found this article about it and it is pretty damning of industry practices these days :https://productdesignonline.com/tips-and-tricks/products-buy-designed-fail/

evilution

Planned obsolescence!

Anonymous

My guess (along with several others) is either FUBAR or designed obSOLEscence. See what I did there? lol

Anonymous

Might be similar to car tires. Let them sit, the oils dry out.

Kevin Bauer

I had a pair of golf shoes that I hadn’t worn in 10 years (impact of kids) do that to me on a charity golf tournament. Soft spikes started falling off in the parking lot, and the shoes continued to degrade as I walked 18 holes - dropping bits of sole on the greens as I went. They were a top brand, and spendy, but not meant to last. Reading other comments, I remembered the “rubber” on the inside passenger door handle of my 10 year old BMW turned gooey. This is apparently due to the plasticizer that gives it a nice soft feel, until it abruptly goes bad. Things fail in ridiculous ways now!

Loscha

So many synthesizers and drum machines from the 90s-10s featured soft touch rubberized knobs and wheels. They've all turned to tack now. Some of them are not replaceable. It's a serious consideration for any piece of kit that I buy -- to not have that rubber on it.

StevieC

Happened to my old cadet boots as well. With my rigger boots however, the glue holding the soles to the boots failed. 🙄

Anonymous

There is a long list of bacteria and fungi that thrive on both latex and synthetic rubber. They produce cleavage enzymes that cut through the polymer which can turn it into a crumbly mess in just a few months.

Jim Hewlett

I've had that happen to several pairs. I just assumed some manufacturer had produced a synthetic rubber with a short and disappointing life, and that several shoe and boot makers found it cheaper but didn't test it properly. I've had some for 5 years which failed quite suddenly. Some chemist needs a slap, although I usually blame accountants first.

Mike Hanley

Rubber products start degrading from when they are first cured. ISO standards generally give then a shelf life of around 7 years. Oxygen and UV light accelerate the degradation. It may be these were already old stock when you purchased them.

Curtis Hoffmann

The rubber was actually made from oatmeal as a way to keep costs down. It's probably still edible, if you add enough syrup...

Peter Laws

Did someone say ... RUBBER SOUL??? https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lvTG69VbZm3r3r9crRBvT1Tj305YEbuaM

Kai-Steffen Hielscher

Well, when the soles are made from PU polymer, this is quite common. It happened to several pairs of mountain hiking boots I owned. Just google "PU hydrolysis".