Review on Efficient Vinyl Inflatable Repair: Tear Aid Yellow by David Roberts

I just used this product to repair a Repairing an Intex Durabeam air mattress which I accidentally pierced with a picture frame.The cut created a two inch gap in the vinyl which can be seen in the photo.As far as my observations go: 1) The box that was shipped to me , was in good condition, but upon opening the box I noticed that one of the smaller, die-cut patches partially covered the wax paper backing had torn off and something else was stuck to it in the box. Luckily I didn't intend to use the piece anyway (too small for a two inch wound) but I was able to return the patch to a convenient spot in case I needed to use it another time. 2) The patch material is transparent so the patch will be less visible when applied to vinyl regardless of its color. This was desirable for my application. 3) Supplied with two alcohol wipes to prepare the application area. 4) It's been about 8 hours since the patch was applied and it seems to be sticking well to the vinyl although I haven't inflated the mattress yet as the patch takes 24 hours to set. Steps: I deflated the air mattress onto the floor and pressed the cut portion of the air mattress so that it was perfectly flat and parallel to the floor. I made sure there were no wrinkles in the material and avoided creases under the damaged area to ensure flatness. I measured the cut area and designed a rounded patch shape on the computer that extends the cut edge by approx. Lining material. I then gently wiped the damaged area of the air mattress with the alcohol swab that came with it, making sure to clean any areas where the patch might come into contact. I then turned on the fan in the room to evaporate the excess alcohol, which only took a few minutes. Be sure to keep the edges of the patch about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the tear. Then, without letting the patch move, I removed a small piece of protective wax paper from the side of the patch and pressed it against the vinyl air mattress. I then used the debit card in my wallet as a squeegee and at the same time peeled off the protective liner, this kept the patch perfectly flat and aligned during application and also ensured that no air was trapped underneath the patch during application. When the entire patch was applied, I pressed firmly with my fingers and the plastic handle of the scissors to ensure thorough contact between the surfaces. I did this vigorously a couple of times, making sure all the edges were glued well too. The instructions say you can use a heat gun to speed up the cure, but I don't have one so that method wasn't used in my case. The instructions also state that the bond strength (for type B patches) will drop to approximately its final value after about 24 hours if a hair dryer is not used. I intend not to inflate the mattress until at least 24 hours have passed, so I'll have to go back and update it in the future. So far the solution seems to work as advertised, although I've deducted a star for the poor packaging. This resulted in one of my stickers partially peeling off the wax paper backing and sticking to other items in the box. Luckily this development didn't affect my project as I just needed a larger patch that wasn't removable at all. EDIT: It's been a week since I did the repair. The repair is NOT a permanent solution, at least not for a 2 inch wound. On at least two occasions I have woken up on a mattress to find the mattress was deflating. With such a hole in an air mattress, the patch will stretch as the vinyl expands due to inflation. This allows the tear to open further, allowing the vinyl to spread from its original position, which can gradually cause the patch to peel off slightly at the edges. To make matters worse, since the patch doesn't hold the crack back, the corners of the crack tend to spread further, further aggravating the problem. The tear ended up extending much closer to the edge of the patch than I started causing leakage. To reduce the possibility of leaks, I had to press my fingers on the band-aid each night before bed to ensure the connection was re-established. Granted, this product probably would have worked better if I had made the patch longer to accommodate the gap that grows after the patch is applied. My leaks always occurred on the left side of the patch where there was not enough space between the crack and the edge of the patch. Also, I would have guessed that this product is for pinholes that don't tend to continue to expand and tear. I also imagine that this product could work on long wounds (like mine) if a few sutures were used to force the wound closed prior to application. When the patch is then placed over the sutures, the sutures, not the patch itself, carry the propagating force. Then the patch will likely be able to create an airtight seal, which it seems to be doing well.