Cutting the neck seal on drysuit

[jwalko]

Ok...got the new drysuit and tried it on. It fits good, but of course the new neck seal (Latex) is too tight.

I see the rings. Any idea of how many rings to cut off for a 16.5" neck? I read somewhere that the opening should be a certain percentage smaller than your neck, but I can't find that information right now.

Is there a preferred method of cutting. I was thinking of stretching the neck over a tank and cutting with a razor knife (I read this somewhere). Maybe I would use masking tape (the blue stuff, since it doesn't stick as much) as a cutting guide, since it would be much easier to see than the rings.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks;

John

 

[Randy43068]

Hi John,

I'm assuming it's a latex seal you need to cut.....

First off, relax. I was nervous as a cat when I cut mine. Not that I'm advocating buying a new neck seal if you really, really mess it up, it'll cost about 70 bucks to replace. All in all, not something that should be a huge worry.. but a little concern is good.

Get a pair of very sharp scissors. If you don't have a pair of 6 - 7 inch ones, ( maybe 5 - 6 inch ones, can't recall what I used) go to Sam's Club and get a good pair for 10 bucks or less IRCC. They have a good brand, can't recall the name of them.

You have plenty of rings to practice on, so do that. I started with the first ring and started cutting knowing that it's a practice cut.

After about 3 rings I discovered that if I followed the inside ring it was much easier to follow the line and make the cut. Cut it ONE ring at a time. When you are cutting try to make long cutting strokes and not let any jagged edges where a rip can start.

Cut a few inches then turn the entire drysuit a little each time you complete a cutting stroke. It takes a bit of time but once you successfully cut a ring or two you'll feel a whole lot better.


When you have it cut down to a size that you know is still too tight, try it on. You don't have to put the entire suit on, just stick your head through the neck seal to see how tight.

Make it a little tighter than you think you'll need.

Perhaps someone else will chime in on this, but I can give you a call if you'd like.

It is easier than you might think.

Ok...got the new drysuit and tried it on. It fits good, but of course the new neck seal (Latex) is too tight.

I see the rings. Any idea of how many rings to cut off for a 16.5" neck? I read somewhere that the opening should be a certain percentage smaller than your neck, but I can't find that information right now.

Is there a preferred method of cutting. I was thinking of stretching the neck over a tank and cutting with a razor knife (I read this somewhere). Maybe I would use masking tape (the blue stuff, since it doesn't stick as much) as a cutting guide, since it would be much easier to see than the rings.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks;

John

 

[LG Diver]

Randy makes some great suggestions. One thing I might suggest is to go to a fabric store and get a rotary cutter like this instead of scissors:

Each time you stop the scissors you risk a jagged edge that increases the risk for splitting the seal later on. With the rotary cutter you can make one smooth continuous cut. Stretch the neck seal over a plastic pitcher and start trimming 1/2 a ring at a time. Try it on after each trim. This gives you plenty of practice cutting, and ensures you don't trim off too much. Stop trimming when it feels like it's still a little too tight. When you think you have it sized right, leave it on your neck for about 10 minutes and make sure it doesn't cut off circulation and make you dizzy.

Like Randy said- royally hosing it up, while being inconvenient and generally sucking, is not really that costly so don't stress too much over it (though I can relate- I agonized over it for days before I did it for the first time).

 

[Randy43068]

Randy makes some great suggestions. One thing I might suggest is to go to a fabric store and get a rotary cutter like this instead of scissors:

Each time you stop the scissors you risk a jagged edge that increases the risk for splitting the seal later on. With the rotary cutter you can make one smooth continuous cut. Stretch the neck seal over a plastic pitcher and start trimming 1/2 a ring at a time. Try it on after each trim. This gives you plenty of practice cutting, and ensures you don't trim off too much. Stop trimming when it feels like it's still a little too tight. When you think you have it sized right, leave it on your neck for about 10 minutes and make sure it doesn't cut off circulation and make you dizzy.

Like Randy said- royally hosing it up, while being inconvenient and generally sucking, is not really that costly so don't stress too much over it (though I can relate- I agonized over it for days before I did it for the first time).

Wow, I did exactly that too. I'd pick it up study it a while put it down then walk away. Finally I needed the suit so it was do or die.

I thought of using a cutter like you mentioned but didn't have anything to stretch the seal over. I like the idea of using it, however.

 

[dlndavid]

Randy's method sounds very good. Stretching over a larger item such as a tank can be very bad I've heard.
The stretching can start a tear much easier.
I used a small bleach bottle and a sharp exacto knife.
Another key, which Randy mentioned, is to take long cuts and don't leave any jagged edges while rotating the suit. If I were to do it again, I would make a stand to mount the bleach bottle holding the neck seal up at a good height where I could walk around the whole suit and make one long continuous cut.

 

[covediver]

I used a tupperware container. seems to have worked pretty well. container is still airtight

 

[LG Diver]

Wow, I did exactly that too. I'd pick it up study it a while put it down then walk away. Finally I needed the suit so it was do or die.

Let me tell you... the anxiety I experienced over cutting a neck seal was NOTHING compared to the agonizing the first time I installed a p-valve by myself. There's nothing quite like taking a 3/4" leather punch to a brand new drysuit. It took a few beers to work up the courage to finally swing the hammer.

 

[PCBCaptChris]

It is very important to understand the laxtex will relax a bit with extended wear. Prior to cutting leave it on the bleach bottle (I perfer a folgers coffee can) for 24-48 to allow it to settle into where it will be after use for a while, then cut. It'll save you some leaking after it is broken in...

 

[=C=]

I used a kitchen pot... stretched the neck overnight... in the morning used a razor blade to cut off one ring. Been diving it since with no problems.

 

[JeffG]

Randy's method sounds very good. Stretching over a larger item such as a tank can be very bad I've heard.
The stretching can start a tear much easier.

Stretching and cutting at the same time is Very very bad.

One misstep and the neckseal will tear/split and its done.

This comes from experience.