Wetsuit Repair Notes

[billie_morini]

Need to repair tears or holes in your wetsuit? I did recently and thought I’d make the information I gathered available to all. Below are some very useful links. Below that are some notes about cement/glue/adhesive.

My repair was just like this one, although I used Block Surf Neoprene Cement having black colour:
http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/wetsuit ... suit-tear/
(the result is excellant)

Good pictures with this one:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Patch-a-Wetsuit/

More:
http://www.ehow.com/how_117816_repair-r ... tsuit.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Repairing-a-D ... &id=416168

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/surfing/51985/2

Cement/Glue/Adhesive Notes
1. The best cement is one that is neoprene-based. It should have acetone and toluene in it so that it truly welds the fabric together.
2. Follow the instructions. When they say "apply, wait 5 minutes, & don't allow fabric edges to touch" and "apply a second coat of cement and wait 10 minutes," do it exactly. If it is hot where you are working, then reduce durations by 1 minute. I used a digital kitchen timer.
3. Silicone glue and rubber cement will not provide a long-lasting repair because these products glue the fabric instead of weld it.
4. As stated above, I used Block Surf’s Neoprene Cement. I bought a 4 ounce can and that provides a lot of cement.
5. I was very tempted to use DAP Weldwood Cement. It is one-third the price of the products sold at surf and dive shops. You can get it at any good hardware store. In the US, you’ll find it in almost any ACE Hardware and Orchard Supply Hardware. In addition to 1 and 3 ounce containers, you can get it in pints, quarts, and gallons for installing flooring materials.
6. The reason I paid $9 at the surf shop for Block Surf instead of $3 at ACE Hardware is because my local surf shop treats all of its customers, including me, very well.
7. Here is an incomplete list of some neoprene cements:
Aquaseal
Black Witch
Block Surf Neoprene Cement
DAP Weldwood Cement
Iron Mend
McNett Cement
Neoprene Queen

[surf patrol]

nice job Billie!

[LarryS]

I had to repair an old drysuit to get back on the water windsurfing, since my 4-year old Neil Pryde drysuit zipper failed! The rubber that gets squeezed between the teeth to form the watertight seal dry rotted and flaked off, completely ruining the zipper! I had only worn it a few times and the suit was in pristine condition. I filed an issue with them on this "Neil Pryde quality issue" 10 days ago and still haven't received a response, so apparently NEIL PRYDE DOESN'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS!

I tried DAP Weldwood Cement from Lowe's due to the price - $6/quart at Walmart (that's 8x as much at half the price!) I was wary because it is officially contact cement, but it is "polychlorprene based which is neoprene.

I used a medicine syringe as a dispenser, and an old paint brush to spread. It is quite a bit thinner than typical neoprene cement so you have to use more, and apply in layers to get coverage of badly worn areas. I had some big tears and gaps, so I bought a bicycle innertube at WalMart for $5 and cut it up to make patches, and it worked great! Be sure to scuff the innertube VERY vigorously with coarse sandpaper to improve adhesion, and do the same on your wetsuit especially if it has a shiny coating. Clean both surfaces w/alcohol. On the inside of any major tears, you will want to glue on a thin mesh cloth as a reinforcement, using 2 good coats of cement...nothing else will stick to the nylon interior. Most wetsuit manufacturers use this method on the seams.

Overall I found it does the job quite well, and cures quickly. Time will tell if it holds up as well as the expensive stuff.

[surf patrol]

Another excellent wetsuit repair job. Do you have any pictures?