Tires and meds

[gamerguy]

Tires are a mix of many components and compounds. A portion is the elastomer, the balance is the cords or 'bones'. Modern tires use a wide variety of materials in the mix.

Even if you could reclaim the elastomer how are you going to source the fabric of the carcass you will be molding the new tire to? Even basic tires are made of synthetic cords with steel belts under the tread area. Your best approach would be to use cotton fabric belts and a heavier material to form the belts. But you will lose a lot of durability and life span compared to modern tires.

My understanding is every tire must have some natural rubber in the elastomer mix. How are you going to source that?

I read a book a few years back about the immediate aftermath of WWIII. It concerned a group of people escaping DC on a sail boat and their journey to the eventual tip of South America and for a couple beyond. In addition to the usual bad guy suspects was the entire continent of South America. As the boat passed Brazil it was attacked. Partially out of fear of carrying a plague from the north and partially out of retaliation for starting TEOTWAWKI. How willing would these same people (or their descendants) be to trade with us Northerners in the far future? What would we have to trade with?

The same goes for wiring, medical gloves, anything which would need natural rubber. Now, not to say some enterprising university or other organization couldn't have a greenhouse with a bunch of rubber trees somewhere. But I don't know the biology of that kind of set up.

In my opinion electrical and electronic apparatus would either be few and far between or not at all. You can make steam powered generators and insulate the power lines with cloth and the windings of the generators and motors with varnish impregnated cloth. Anyone who has worked on pre WWII equipment has probably come across fabric insulated wiring. Also there are a lot of places where tires and wiring have been made in the past which may have avoided the big 'un. Getting supplies to sustain repairs let alone new manufacturing though will be the issue.

Of course many adventures could be staged around forming a trading organization designed to move raw materials around the world.