Speargun rubbers getting shredded at muzzle!!

[pyromallat]

i have a salvimar voodoo and im using acid green salvimar bands... great bands , love the progressive launch... but the bands are degrading too fast on the muzzle ... i tried sanding the muzzle a little to get rid of anything that could scratch the bands but it didnt help... im very concerned that my bands will pop on me while im spearfishing
Help!
Cheers.

 

[foxfish]

Hi, what is the gun, pictures might help?

 

[pyromallat]

Hi, what is the gun, pictures might help?

I have a salvimar voodoo open

 

[Pinniped72]

They are starting to go for sure, I wouldn't use them if I were you, they will fail at some stage and sods law it will be at the worst possible time, the forces in speargun rubber can be quite considerable. How do you store your gun and rubbers, think heat and light and are you absolutely sure that there is nothing rough on the muzzle were the sling goes through? Also is there any chance that the mono, if that's what your using is rubbing against the rubber under extreme tension, just a thought

 

[pyromallat]

They are starting to go for sure, I wouldn't use them if I were you, they will fail at some stage and sods law it will be at the worst possible time, the forces in speargun rubber can be quite considerable. How do you store your gun and rubbers, think heat and light and are you absolutely sure that there is nothing rough on the muzzle were the sling goes through? Also is there any chance that the mono, if that's what your using is rubbing against the rubber under extreme tension, just a thought

The bands i got straight from the spearfishing store i got 2 rubbers on my gun 1 14mm and 1 16mm and the 16 mm is going bad and i always wash them with fresh water... im thinking on switching back to a 18mm band with my 6.5 spear but how about if i get a 6.75mm spear what bands set up should i use?

 

[popgun pete]

That looks like age cracking, rubber under stress, such as being bent in a muzzle anchor that squashes down or curves the rubber, is attacked by ozone in the air, a form of oxygen. When you stress the rubber by doubling it over or stretching it out you can see the cracks in those places where the rubber has been under load. You also see it around the wishbone ties as bands get older. Often a new gun can have been sitting for a long time before you buy it and the bands have in a sense "gone off". Colored bands are more susceptible than black ones, but they all deteriorate even in storage, however under the right conditions the reactions can be slowed down that attack and degrade the rubber.

 

[pyromallat]

That looks like age cracking, rubber under stress, such as being bent in a muzzle anchor that squashes down or curves the rubber, is attacked by ozone in the air, a form of oxygen. When you stress the rubber by doubling it over or stretching it out you can see the cracks in those places where the rubber has been under load. You also see it around the wishbone ties as bands get older. Often a new gun can have been sitting for a long time before you buy it and the bands have in a sense "gone off". Colored bands are more susceptible than black ones, but they all deteriorate even in storage, however under the right conditions the reactions can be slowed down that attack and degrade the rubber.

As far as i know those bands were fresh when i got them... I tied them myself... i now have changed them toba single black 18 mm band and the problem came back with them so i sanded down the muzzle to get rid of sharp turns and edges and coated the muzzle with epoxy glue and seem to have solved the problem quite well.
Cheers and hope this info is helpfull to anyone running into the same problem.