Cutting wrist and neck seals...first timer

[BBL-Butt]

Hello all ,What's the rule of thumb when I go to cut my wrist and neck seals,my neck size is 17 and my wrist size at rhe bone is 7.5
Thanks for any help.....

 

[Rick Inman]

Cut a little, try it out. Cut a little, try it out.

Don't over-cut. Seals stretch, so I usually stretch a new neck seal around something (an al 80 for example) over night. Same with the wrist seals.

I have made the mistake of over cutting seals in the past, so now it has to be obviously too tight before I'll take the scissors to it. If it seems a little tight on the surface, but I'm not choking, I dive it, and usually don't notice any discomfort in the water.

 

[BBL-Butt]

Thanks Rick, it's still a little scary .So pre-strech them then start snipping.
Thanks for the help

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Great advice Rick! I was given the same advice Rick said and this method works great. I might add make sure the cut is contiuous. I used a big pair of really sharp shears to do my wrist seals. A razor blade with the neck seal strecthed around an al80 and used a big Oring as a guide to get is straight.

 

[TSandM]

Yes -- DO stretch the seal beforehand. I did my first one that way, and then read somebody saying that latex doesn't really stretch, so I did the second one without stretching it and regretted that very quickly.

Be very careful to use something extremely sharp and cut very smoothly. Any jagged irregularity in the cut will give rise to a tear eventually.

 

[do it easy]

Be careful when cutting a seal that is stretched out on something. It will usually shrink and move when it's cut, unless you put something around it to hold it in place. For some reason, I'm drawing a blank, but I think I used tape to keep the stretched out seal from walking.

I cut mine so they are snug and then stretch them out overnight on bottles or tanks.

It also helps to practice on old seals or just take a little bit off at time.

 

[dave4868]

I've tried long scissors and short scissors and found better control with short surgical scissors with 1" blades. Sharpness is the key no matter what you use.

I've also found the cut doesn't need to be continuous as it's easy to tension and spread the latex a little to re-enter the cut again.

Don't forget to make an allowance for winter fat that might be gone in the summer. Better a little tight than a little loose!

Dave C

 

[fppf]

Remember your neck will shrink when it gets cold. So a little snug in a warm house should be fine in cold water.

I found the best way to cut a seal is to strech it slightly over a rubbermaid. Then use a rottery cutter that is found in sewing stores, like Joann Fabrics. Just be really careful, if you roll over your finger it will be gone!

 

[Mo2vation]

I use scissors for wrists. I never cut latex neck seals with scissors. I insert something (in my case, much to my wife's chagrin, a small All-Clad saucepan) and use a new exacto blade.

I get very precise, straight, clean, perfect continuous cuts this way. Unless I was to use scissors with 12" blades, I'd never get a continuous cut on a neck seal - which is the key to avoiding nicks.

By the way - positive nicks ("bumps") aren't really an issue. Negative nicks (" V's ") are a huge issue.

---
Ken

 

[BBL-Butt]

Thanks everyone,it's funny how nervous this makes me maybe it's the fear of the cold,not wanting to go back to a wet suit ....................