Talcum Powder

BillCNC

BillCNC

Well-known member
Hey All,

I'm about to replace my tires and I want to put some Talcum powder on the tubes. A couple of years ago the US and Canada removed it from Baby Powders and I was wondering if anyone knows where to buy Talcum powder from these days?

Regards
Bill
 
Look online, there are still places that sell tire talcum powder for non-human use. Corn starch is plant based (baby powder); talc is mineral based. There is a difference in moisture absorbance.
 
I put new tubes and tires on my 28 last year and I used baby powder and have had no problems. It worked great.
 
Just a heads-up for anyone still using talc: you might want to check out the FDA Warning & Recall related to talcum powder. Some products were found to contain asbestos, which is why the shift to cornstarch-based powders became more common, not just for babies but across the board.

That said, if you're using it strictly for tires or tubes, there are still non-cosmetic grade talc options online (as others mentioned), but it's worth being aware of why it's gotten harder to find the pure stuff in stores.

Better safe than sorry.
 
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Seed talc is available online and at supply stores in agricultural areas. The asbestos amount contained in some baby powder samples was miniscule. I think the only ones that benefited from the whole thing were the lawyers.
 
I used this silicone based talc at the recommendation of someone on Ford Barn when installing my American Classic Radials. Best stuff I have ever used for installing tires. A little expensive but the 16oz jar will probably last the rest of my life. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/basetubetalc05-11180.php

566799
 

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The slipping around generates heat, epically in radial tires, which is one reason why tubes for radial tire are thicker.
 
I used to have a container of “old style” (true talc) baby powder left over from my bicycle touring days, where we sometimes had to change tubes multiple times a day. Lost it in a move. I put new tires on the Model A last summer and was forced to use the new corn starch version. It still helped but didn’t seem quite as slippery as the old stuff and didn’t seem to cling to the tube as well. The garage sure smelled nice. Don’t want to think of what it will do if it gets wet. Corn starch is what you use to thicken stir-fry sauce.
 
Plastic garbage bags placed on top of wheel. Tire bead slips over the wheel and right on the wheel. There is a U-tude tutorial on this technique .
 
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