In Nigeria, ‘vulcanizers’ do general maintenance work on vehicle tyres. They patch up punctured tyres, maintain pressure, attach tyres to wheels, etc.
In British and American English, does ‘vulcanizer’ have the same meaning?
Here is the answer:
Vulcanization is a chemical process of heating natural rubber with sulphur in order to make it tougher or stronger.
By extension, a vulcanizer could mean someone who vulcanizes rubber, the equipment used for this process, or a substance added to rubber during this process.
In America, people who are called vulcanizers in Nigeria do not have particular names because it’s not a specific profession. They might be called tire technicians, mechanics or even ‘the-guy-who-fixes-tires’.
In the UK also, there are no particular terms; thus, tyre-fitters, mechanics, or technicians might be used.
Generally, people go to automobile repair shops, garages or workshops to repair tyres and mechanics or technicians attend to them.