On Thu, 8 Dec 2016 06:43:58 -0000 (UTC), Leon Schneider
wrote:

wrote on Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:15:44 -0500:

The radial tire patch is a re-enforced patch - a tube patch is not -
it needs to stretch with the tube.

But how do you know a radial patch by sight and look and feel?
Is there a way to tell?

Real easy. 99.9% of the time it will just say "radial repair patch"
on it.
I have not seen a "non-radial" tire
carcass patch in years.

I'm not sure what that means.
Are you saying all patches sold in the auto parts stores are radial?
Or inner tube patches, more likely.

A radial tire needs to be patched "all the way
through" - plug the hole and seal the liner. Combination patches are
best. I have been "guilty" of patching nail punctures with a simple
plug - and gotten away with it.

Your advice is fair that you have to patch the inside, seal the hole, and
ensure the belts aren't sharp. Nonetheless, both of us have gotten away
with "just" a plug and just a patch.

The reamer in a tire shop is usually mounted in an air operated "die
grinder" or drill.

I figured a "drill" might tear up the belts a bit too much though.

Not a "drill bit" - a "reamer"
But the bit they use in tire shops seems like something we all should have
at home because it makes a screw puncture a standard size and it smoothes
out the belt tear I would think.

An alternative to a "plugpatch" is installing a plug, then buffing the
interior and putting a patch over it.

I like that idea, in that you install the standard plug, and then you cut
and grind it flush, and then patch over that to protect the inside.

I need to find where to get, for homeowners, small amounts of that black
goop they paste over the patch when they're done, at a tire shop.

Much farther ahead to just pay to have it done properly. ( you DO
know that concept, righthe amount of materials you need to buy, and
the FACT that those supplies deteriorate with age and most likely will
be useless the next time you need it, means you are cheaper long-term
to pay to have it done in the first place unless you get a LOT of
punctures.

I'm sure I can find industrial sizes, but we patch one tire a year, so,
small amounts are all that is needed (a few ounces).

As said above - you will NEVER come out ahead by buying the stuff and
keeping it on hand for one or two punctures a year - or one every year
or two.

No patch within an inch of the edge of the tread, or in the sidewall.

Yup. Too much flexing going on there.
And too close to the edge of the belt.

I find it mildly ammusing that 2 falacies pervade usenet.
The first is that it's always cheaper to buy on-line
and
The second is that it's always cheaper to do it yourself.