Rubber Bench Mat

[Peter.N.]

I rather like the smell of new rubber, reminds me of the old coal lorries.

Peter

[ColinTheAmpMan1]

I have just found out that Robert Dyas sell what they call a "Non-Slip Mat" by Rolson at £1.43. It is made from PVC and measures 30cm x 150cm, but can be cut to size. It looks like it could be a nice bench-mat, so I bought one (Poundland didn't have any).
Colin.

[HamishBoxer]

I still have and use my 2 Phillips bench mats.They are good no doubt but whether they ever turn up for sale I do not know.

[Andrewausfa]

Originally Posted by ColinTheAmpMan1

I have just found out that Robert Dyas sell what they call a "Non-Slip Mat" by Rolson at £1.43. It is made from PVC and measures 30cm x 150cm, but can be cut to size. It looks like it could be a nice bench-mat, so I bought one (Poundland didn't have any).
Colin.

Wilkinsons also stock these or a very similar product, which I bought some while ago. My thoughts were they're great for protecting a cabinet on the bench, final assembly etc.being soft and compressible but for the rough and tumble world of equipment disassembly and repair I went back to my rubber car mat.

Andrew

[G0HZU_JMR]

I rather like the smell of new rubber, reminds me of the old coal lorries.

I guess it depends on how strong the smell is A few years ago I bought a pair of green rubber ESD mats from Farnell. These were branded 'Multicomp'. They looked really nice on the Farnell website but I knew there was a problem the moment I unpacked them. The new rubber felt cold and clammy and it stank. It was so bad I could smell the mats from downstairs and each time I went up the stairs the smell got slowly stronger, step by step. It was so bad it meant sleeping with the workroom door open was impossible.

I ended up putting both mats by the boiler for many months to try and cure the smell away. This was a success and the mats lost all of their rubber smell. They also lost their cold and clammy feel and they are good to work with now. Very tolerant of abuse from a soldering iron and easy to keep clean.

[Tim]

I have a square of carpet sample obtained from any old carpet place for the bench to prevent scratching etc.
I use a rubber car mat too sometimes if I need something more insulating.