Abstract: An apparatus and method for cold retreading or recapping of the running surface of a vehicle tire. A rubber, rope and cloth mold larger in diameter than the recap tires produced in it is produced utilizing a new tire male mold covered with perforated polypropylene film, uncured rubber with nylon rope at its edges and highly stretchable cloth enclosed in an envelope and cured by application of pressure and heat. A larger male mold is used to make the final female mold directly, or a like-size male mold is used to make an intermediate mold which is used to produce a tread ring that is stretched to form a larger diameter male mold from which a final mold is prepared. The somewhat flexible, compressible final female mold thus produced is then utilized in recapping tires by positioning it around a prepared tire carcass coated with cement, a layer of uncured rubber, and a sheet of perforated polypropylene film.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cold retreading of the running surface of a vehicle tire. A rubber and cloth mold is produced utilizing a new tire male mold covered with perforated polyethylene film, uncured rubber and highly stretchable cloth enclosed in an envelope and cured by application of pressure and heat. The somewhat flexible female mold thus produced is then utilized in recapping tires by positioning it around a prepared tire carcass coated with cement, a layer of uncured rubber, and a sheet of perforated polyethylene film. The mold and tire assembly is then enclosed in an envelope, and like assemblies are placed in a chamber where curing of the rubber layer is accomplished by inflation of the tire carcass, evacuation of the envelope, pressurization of the chamber and application of heat.