Kydex BP/torus wing part 2

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Jasonmh

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A while back I posted this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/deep-sea-supply/235749-thoughts-new-purchase.html

Where I talked about minor concerns about the heat warning on the kydex plate:

"The kydex BP comes with a warning to not expose it to high heat or leave too long in direct sun exposure ( I am paraphrasing here), as the thermoplastic can warp. That sounds like one of those things where you probably won't know how much is too much until it has gone too far. I am assuming that leaving it on the dive deck of a boat for a day in FL is not too much, or I may be concerned since many boats do not have shade."

We were on a liveaboard in BVI 2 weeks ago with the rig and am happy to report that it had no problems with the heat at all. When getting ready for the trip, I wanted to take the rig with me, but was mildly concerned if it would affect my dives if the plate warped. I decided to take a second aluminum plate on this trip as a backup, just in case. With how expensive the trip was I didn't want to take a chance that i'd have a problem. Turns out I didn't need that backup at all. I didn't treat the DSS rig any differently than I normally would because of the kydex plate, so it spent the entire week on the back dive deck in the carribean sun. There was almost no shade to speak of, although I'msure it was in the shade some of the time just as the boat turns into/away from the sun, but I didn't do anything differently to make sure it was kept in the shade. There was no hint at all of any warping, loosening, or weakness in the plate, and it came back looking as good as when I bought it. I would not hesitate to make the trip next time without a backup backplate. Just thought I'd post my experience since it is something that I and others had brought up before.

EDIT- Meant to add that I love the setup and will definitely be using it for travel from now on.
 
A while back I posted this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/deep-sea-supply/235749-thoughts-new-purchase.html

Where I talked about minor concerns about the heat warning on the kydex plate:

"The kydex BP comes with a warning to not expose it to high heat or leave too long in direct sun exposure ( I am paraphrasing here), as the thermoplastic can warp. That sounds like one of those things where you probably won't know how much is too much until it has gone too far. I am assuming that leaving it on the dive deck of a boat for a day in FL is not too much, or I may be concerned since many boats do not have shade."

We were on a liveaboard in BVI 2 weeks ago with the rig and am happy to report that it had no problems with the heat at all. When getting ready for the trip, I wanted to take the rig with me, but was mildly concerned if it would affect my dives if the plate warped. I decided to take a second aluminum plate on this trip as a backup, just in case. With how expensive the trip was I didn't want to take a chance that i'd have a problem. Turns out I didn't need that backup at all. I didn't treat the DSS rig any differently than I normally would because of the kydex plate, so it spent the entire week on the back dive deck in the carribean sun. There was almost no shade to speak of, although I'msure it was in the shade some of the time just as the boat turns into/away from the sun, but I didn't do anything differently to make sure it was kept in the shade. There was no hint at all of any warping, loosening, or weakness in the plate, and it came back looking as good as when I bought it. I would not hesitate to make the trip next time without a backup backplate. Just thought I'd post my experience since it is something that I and others had brought up before.

EDIT- Meant to add that I love the setup and will definitely be using it for travel from now on.

Jason,

Glad to hear your trip was a success. Thanks for taking the time to report here on your experiences with your DSS Gear.

As with most "warnings" on most products, the actual risk associated with the warning is usually quite small.

We have had only a couple reports of Kydex warping, and these both involved prolonged direct sun exposure in very hot climates near the equator.

Tobin
 
Jason and Tobin,

Just wanted to add a few comments, along with a disclaimer. First, the disclaimer - I work for Kleerdex, the manufacturer of KYDEX(r) thermoplastics, BUT I'm only in this forum to pay attention to our 'end users' feedback. Now, the comments - KYDEX T and KYDEX 100 (which are most commonly used for backplates) have an HDT (Heat Distortion Limit) of 'about' 150 to 170F. However, there are a number of factors which could cause the backplate to warp, including the 'fabrication' method of the backplate, the thickness of the plate, and the 'weight' or 'stress' put on the plate while sitting in the sun for EXTENDED periods. One would really need to leave the backplate baking AND under stress to get it to warp. Ironically, if the backplate were 're-heated', one could bring it back to it's orginal shape. The increased temperature and heat put into the backplate (even if re-heated and bent back into shape) would NOT affect the impact resistance, ductility, notch-sensitivity or any other physical property of the sheet. Hope you don't mind the additional comments.
 
Jason and Tobin,

Just wanted to add a few comments, along with a disclaimer. First, the disclaimer - I work for Kleerdex, the manufacturer of KYDEX(r) thermoplastics, BUT I'm only in this forum to pay attention to our 'end users' feedback. Now, the comments - KYDEX T and KYDEX 100 (which are most commonly used for backplates) have an HDT (Heat Distortion Limit) of 'about' 150 to 170F. However, there are a number of factors which could cause the backplate to warp, including the 'fabrication' method of the backplate, the thickness of the plate, and the 'weight' or 'stress' put on the plate while sitting in the sun for EXTENDED periods. One would really need to leave the backplate baking AND under stress to get it to warp. Ironically, if the backplate were 're-heated', one could bring it back to it's orginal shape. The increased temperature and heat put into the backplate (even if re-heated and bent back into shape) would NOT affect the impact resistance, ductility, notch-sensitivity or any other physical property of the sheet. Hope you don't mind the additional comments.

No worries.

We follow the factory recommended guidelines for thermoforming.

Tobin
 
Jason and Tobin,

Just wanted to add a few comments, along with a disclaimer. First, the disclaimer - I work for Kleerdex, the manufacturer of KYDEX(r) thermoplastics, BUT I'm only in this forum to pay attention to our 'end users' feedback. Now, the comments - KYDEX T and KYDEX 100 (which are most commonly used for backplates) have an HDT (Heat Distortion Limit) of 'about' 150 to 170F. However, there are a number of factors which could cause the backplate to warp, including the 'fabrication' method of the backplate, the thickness of the plate, and the 'weight' or 'stress' put on the plate while sitting in the sun for EXTENDED periods. One would really need to leave the backplate baking AND under stress to get it to warp. Ironically, if the backplate were 're-heated', one could bring it back to it's orginal shape. The increased temperature and heat put into the backplate (even if re-heated and bent back into shape) would NOT affect the impact resistance, ductility, notch-sensitivity or any other physical property of the sheet. Hope you don't mind the additional comments.

Interesting, thanks for the info.
 
So will the Kydex plates pose a big problem with warping if left in a car throughout the day in S Florida temperatures? I dont mean on the front seat in direct sunlight, but like in the trunk or on the backseat floor.
 
So will the Kydex plates pose a big problem with warping if left in a car throughout the day in S Florida temperatures? I dont mean on the front seat in direct sunlight, but like in the trunk or on the backseat floor.

No.

We have sold thousands of these plates.

Tobin
 
That is good to hear Tobin, I think i am completely sold on your Kydex plate now. My gear will be spending agood amount of time in the back of my truck (it has a tonneau cover) so the heat issue was something that was on my mind... Thanks for clearing this up!
 
No problems with one one on my rebreather out here in the middle of the Pacific - it spends a lot of time
on dive boats, in the back of my truck on the way to shore dives, etc etc etc
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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