What Is Rubber Cement Waterproof Fabric?

Early Inventions

• People were fascinated when rubber sheets first arrived in Europe from the Americas in the 1730s. Within 60 years, Joseph Priestly developed the first waterproof fabric. He combined the rubber with turpentine, which turned the rubber into a spreadable gel known as rubber cement. By coating fabric with the rubber cement, the fabric became waterproof.

Perfecting the Invention

• It took until 1823 before using rubber cement to make large quantities of waterproof fabric was practical. Rather than turpentine, Charles McIntosh used naphtha -- a waste product of coal -- to turn rubber into rubber cement. He used the rubber to make a sandwich of two fabrics with the fabric as the "bread" and the rubber as the filling. Combined with a new way to process rubber, the fabric was a hit for being waterproof and comfortable.

Problems

• Although the wool of the waterproof fabric made the McIntosh jacket warm and comfortable, it was also the downfall of the fabric. Wool contains a natural oil called lanolin. This oil breaks down rubber. In addition, there was no method yet to stabilize rubber so if the jackets were exposed to warm weather, the rubber became gooey. In cold weather, the jackets hardened due to the rubber freezing.

Today

• Rubber cement as it was known in the 1800s is no longer used to make waterproof fabrics. Rubber compounds are, however, combined with fabric to make waterproof or water-resistant material. Neoprene is one of the most well-known rubber fabrics today and has uses ranging from wet suits to mouse pads. In keeping with the tradition of the early waterproof fabric inventors, if you tear your neoprene wet suit, you'll use a type of rubber cement glue to repair it.