Installing a drysuit neck seal

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RonFrank

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The title says it all. I'm debating on if I should do this myself, or pony up the $$$ and just pay to have it done. It would be a no brainer IF I could get it done locally for the price they charge online...

So if you have experience in doing this please respond. Looks easy enough, but I don't know anyone who has actually performed the surgery. :eyebrow: I have a Bare NexGen if that matters.
 
O pleaze use the :search: there are several very good threads on this.:D

You know how to do it,don't you.:confused:

:D
 
Ron, here's a step-by-step guide and a couple of pics from my DIY replacement of a latex neck seal on my trilaminate drysuit (DUI CLx450). There are other methods, but this works.

This may generate more questions than answers, but hopefully it's a good start. Just give a holler if it's unclear. I have more pics, if needed.

Latex neck seal replacement on a trilaminate drysuit

1. Peel off the old latex seal. For the most part, mine peeled off fairly easily with just firm, steady pulling, but it sometimes came off in pieces and sometimes required judicious use of a heat gun. I've heard that a clothes iron will also help to soften the glue's grip.

2. Roughen and level the surface of the old glue. I used a Dremel coarse sanding drum and took most the old glue off, but just roughening and leveling is probably fine. Wipe the glue surface clean with a rag dampened with toluene. Lacquer thinner works nicely, too.

3. Make a round template disk that will be used to fully spread and anchor the neck opening of the suit. The template should be sized or marked to match or slightly exceed the diameter of the contact surface of the new latex neck seal. I used 1/4" polycarbonate cut into a circular disk and marked it with concentric circles as guidelines for the inner edge of the suit opening. You can even use stiff cardboard for templates.

4. Make a second round template for the seal itself, this one cut as a ring-shaped disk to match the size of the contact surface of the latex neck seal.

5. Roughen the contact surface of the latex seal with sand paper and wipe down with toluene.

The picture below shows the two templates and the sanded surface of the old glue on the suit neck opening.

Neck_seal_installation_ring_and_disk_ACt_R900_PC010063.jpg


6. Apply double-sided tape to the suit disk along the circle where the suit material should be anchored. I made a continuous circle with the tape to improve its grip on the porous trilaminate material of the suit. Insert the suit disk into the suit opening and fully spread the suit material perfectly round and flat before pressing it onto the tape to anchor it.

7. Apply double-sided tape to the ring-shaped disk. In my case, I applied the tape radially every couple of inches as can be seen through the clear polycarbonate in the picture below. Use more tape if needed to hold the latex securely and flat.

8. Position the flange of the latex seal over the seal disk and press it onto the tape to anchor it flat and round.

9. Apply contact cement to the intended areas of contact of both the suit material and the latex seal. I used an industrial 1-part neoprene cement called S-18, which is similar to ordinary contact cement, but stronger. (One of its uses is to glue marine carpet onto boat hulls, but it's the preferred glue of a local drysuit repair shop in my area.) I find it best to use 3 moderate coats of glue with about 10 minutes of drying time between coats or until tacky.

10. Lay down thin spacers on the tacky glue of the suit opening to prevent contact of the two glued surfaces during positioning. (I used flat wooden sticks about 1/16" thick).

11. Once the templates are positioned to accurately align the intended contact areas, begin to remove the spacers one at a time, each time pressing down the top template to make the glued surfaces come in contact where the spacer had been. See pic below.

Pulling_separator_sticks_ACt_R900_PC020094.jpg


12. Once all the spacers have been removed, again press the template firmly to improve the contact of the glue.

13. Remove the seal disk from the latex.

14. Roll the latex firmly a few times to further improve the contact of the glued surfaces. I used a wallpaper seam roller. If you've been careful, you won't have any significant bubbles trapped. If there are bubbles, they can usually be rolled out or left in place if they're very small.

15. Remove the other template from the suit.

16. Wipe any residue of tape off the suit and seal. Neutralize any overspill of contact cement with unscented talc powder or corn starch.

17. Seal the inside edge of the latex with Aquaseal (thinned about 50/50 with Cotol or the nearly equivalent toluene). A thin, flat bead about half an inch wide is fine, centered over the edge of the latex.

As I said, this doesn't cover all the details so just ask if something needs further explanation.

If anyone sees anything I've missed or has better ideas, feel free to chime in. :)

HTH.

Dave C
 
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I had to replace all the seals on a White's Tropical Explorer. I found Kayak Academy up in Issaquah, WA and got a bunch of seals and their tools for neck, wrist, and ankle seal replacement.
Sea kayak lessons and kayaking instruction courses, dry suit and kayak sales and rentals, Greenland paddling strokes school
You could make all the tools yourself, but their prices were ok and this stuff was all new to me.
They have ->great<- online instructions, and the ankle and wrist seals went on fine, although I was getting sloppier by the third seal. Their procedure and tools pretty much parallel what Dave did up there in New Hampshire
Now here are my detailed instructions for replacing a latex neck seal on a trilam suit:
I put the suit and seal in a box and sent it to Steve Gamble. It was back within a week.
Home
I could have done it myself, but geez, the steps involved were too onerous. The tools and clamps I got from KA worked well, but messing with AquaSeal, the glue from hell, well, I didn't feel like doing another seal.
I also have an OS drysuit - their seals require their PB-300 glue, but these guys are also great to deal with and have repair stuff as well. They manufacture their own seals, and their prices are pretty good.
OS Systems - The Drysuit People
Good luck with the neck seal.
 
WOW that jig above is over the top. I quickly cut one out for my DUI with my plasma and never even cleaned the edges up. Works great. For a past suit without the inverted seal I just used a piece of melamine cut in a circle.

Last time I did a neck seal it took me about 35 minutes of actual time. The seal was off in less than 3 minutes and the new one was prepped and ready to start applying glue a few minutes later.

I use the PB300 and seals from OS Systems. Then use MEK from the hardware store to thin and for pre-prep. Since I have a CF200 the edges must be sealed and a tube of Aquaseal along with some Cotol finishes the job.
 
Now here are my detailed instructions for replacing a latex neck seal on a trilam suit:
I put the suit and seal in a box and sent it to Steve Gamble. It was back within a week.Home

:rofl3:

I often feel like doing that, especially after I've messed up a project! :shakehead:

Thanks for the link to Steve Gamble! I noticed he's carrying compressed neoprene socks for drysuits and I've been looking for a source for a DIY project! I'll give him a call.

Gotta love this place! :)

Dave C
 
suggestions for DIY'er that is changing from Neoprene seals (neck & wrist) to Latex....?
 
I've never done one either however like any new diy project I'd prefer to have someone show me how's it's done first or at very least YouTube the task at hand a bunch. It's always more statifying to me to know that I was the one who did the job.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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