Cured rubber skim stocks having improved metal adhesion and metal adhesion retention by use of organo-metal complexes and halogenated polymer

In an improved cured rubber skim stock of conventional composition, bonded to at least one metal member contained in it, the improvement which comprises incorporating into said stock prior to curing a minor, but metal adhesion - promoting and - retaining amount of the combination of (a) about 5-30 phr of at least one halogenated polymer and (b) about 0.25-8.0 phr of at least one organo-cobalt or about 0.5-12 phr of organo-nickel complex, said halogenated polymer (a) being chlorobutyl rubber, bromobutyl rubber, fluorocarbon elastomer of specific gravity about 1.86, or chlorosulfonated polyethylene polymer containing about 43% chlorine and 1.0 to 1.1% sulfur and having a specific gravity of about 1.26 at 25.degree. C., and said complex (b) being Manobond C represented by the general formula ##STR2## wherein each R is an alkyl radical of from 9 to 12 carbons or organo carboxylate complexes of cobalt or nickel with aliphatic fatty acids having from 2 to about 20 carbon atoms.