Art & Inspiration Rubber hardness testers

Those are durometers.
They test hardness.
The hardness isn't a durometer.
It is for testing plastics and rubber.

 

I didn't know that there was such a thing says the guy that tests tires with a hammer.

 

I thought you were supposed to use your boots to test rubber?

 

Moriarity, is there anything that you don't collect?

 

Didn’t know those existed ?!?!


Now I need one !!!!


Do you want thin the collection ??? Ya got a couple to many of the moon ones !!

dang you got all the toys , absolutely love it !!

 

If all of them are used on the same tire, do the readings match? Just curious.

Gary

 

No, but now I feel the need to collect them.

 

I've only seen them in photos in HRM and other magazines.
You probably just bumped up the value of your collection by a factor of ten.

 

Had one in my dirt track days. Gave it to a friend when I went to college. Haven't used one since 1981 or 82. Nice collection

 

Rubber hardness testers in school were a lot less complicated. If you stretched them out and they didn't break, you were good to go.

 

Damnit Mark ...now I need one .

 

I bought one when I was racing. We had a number of tire compounds with different hardness. At the time most guys used their fingernails to get an idea of the compound. Before Hoosier started making thin sidewall race tires, we ran Firestone wrinkle wall slicks (which we grooved). I remember buying a new slick which durometered the same as the old one I was replacing. However, the new one wouldn't touch the track like the old one. I guess it wasn't that the durometer lied to me, it that the hardness of the compound isn't the only thing that makes a tire work.

 

Remember the craziness of those Firestones, just touch anything and the sidewalls were toast. So easy to cut thru the sidewalls. I don't have a clue how many plies the sidewalls were, but if it was more than 1, I'd be surprised.

Here in the northeast, we had M&H Racemasters, then Firestone Indy car or formula one rain tires, Hoosier block tread, the drag slicks and finally got Goodyear dirt tires. The Hoosiers were too soft forbig block modifieds, but worked really good with the injected small blocks. I do remember what they durometered, 40 or under new, and didn't get too much harder with heat cycles, probably mid 40s.

Yes those were the days...

 

Still use them for checking all rubber parts, hoses, motor mounts, bushings etc. The better "lab" quality ones have a calibration tool.

 

It all depended on how long it was kept in the wallet...

 

I had one and thought it helped when purchasing new Hoosier tires as the numbers cast in tires varied from tire to tire, very useful at a track that required a certain tire compound. When I started in Midgets 1970 it was simple, 2 choices 5.50 RR Firestone ascot (digger for early ) 5.50 M & H tire we grooved up, LR same tires 5.00, M & H came in 2 choices soft/medium. 4 monroe shocks, same. I raced through 1991 finishing in wing Sprint cars, 3 different tire brands, several sizes/compounds, tires now sensitive to heat cycles. Shocks, too many choices/brands/valving and wing style/brand/ wicker bill sizes. A lot of choices AND a much larger budget required. In 21 years a $1500 race car with spares that I almost broke even $$$ wise to a $40/45,000 Sprint Car with spares that I Never got close to Even on the $$$ BUT what great FUN and MEMORIES, Priceless !

 

I put them on inside out for my pleasure!

 

I was a drag racer. We'd count rounds. Every 3rd or 4th weekend I'd swap side to side. Never tested hardness, intriguing little tool, thanks...

 

Mid Century “Modern” is off the list as well.

 

When we were racing Hardtops on dirt 20 years ago, the rule was no less and 50 durometers on the right rear. Hoosier mad a Medium tire that fell just over 50, and the Soft was around 38. One guy that was famous for cheating sanded the letters "Soft" off his tire, thinking no one would notice, so we started durometer testing the right rear tires, when the cars were staged up for the main event.

 

I worked for a rubber molding company as an Engineer for nearly 40 years. I have one from my job. I keep it in a drawer with my slide rule.

 

So much of that stuff is off the hook kool, and really some of our unique car stuff fits. Think early 60s dealers.