Dry Glove Installation Without Latex Seals

[spincrisis]

Hey everyone,

I bought a used dry suit a few weeks back that's in relatively good condition. The only problem was the latex wrist seals were dry and cracking, and eventually they tore. I've removed the wrist seals completely (which may have been a terrible mistake), but fortunately I've been given a set of the SI Tech Dry Glove System.

Is there any way to attach the dry glove system without a latex wrist seal? I know it's not recommended in case a leak developes in the dry gloves. If I need the latex seals can someone point me to a good tutorial on installing them onto a suit?

If you'd like to see images, I've uploaded in my user gallery (can't include them, this is my first post)...

 

[Camerone]

To clarify, there's nothing "not recommended" about using rings without wrist seals. Some people like having a backup dam inside the wrists, and there are a lot of people who don't care for it. I don't like it, for one...so no harm using snap-on gloves without latex seals...

The first step is removing the remnants of the old seals. Use a heat gun (Harbor Freight has them for $10 all the time...Oh...or Canadian Tire, in your case...) to soften the glue and remove the old seals. Once it's cooled down, use some Methyl Ethyl Ketone to clean up the glue and prep the surface for new adhesion.

If you want to do this, though, what you have to do is permanently attach the suit side piece of the rings to the arms of the suit itself. This is a fairly simple operation involving contact cement - you put on the rings much like you would put on a spare set of seals: apply the cement to both sides, let it set up, apply another coat, let it get tacky, put the rings inside the suit fabric, roll the surface with a brayer to set it up, add a little seam tape around the edges to make it pretty, and you're off to the races.

Replacing your seals is the same process - usually, I stuff soup cans or 20 oz soda bottles (full) in the arms to hold the shape...whatever fits the taper of the suit. Seals are actually a little easier, as you can fold the latex back on itself (making a cuff) while you apply the cement, and it makes the alignment a lot easier to get right without wrinkles.

I'd actually recommend installing the seals, as it's a little easier (IMHO) as a first time project. If you already have the basic stuff in the toolshed (MEK, heat gun, and a brayer), you can do it for around $30 for the seals and the seal cement, plus an hour or so of your time.

I highly recommend Steven Lindblom's excellent work at Airspeed Press - Wetsuit and Drysuit Maintenance and Repair. It's worth every penny, as are the other Airspeed Press books, and it has lots of pictures to walk you through the process step by step.

 

[spincrisis]

Thanks Camerone! I think I'll do as you recommended and install the latex seals first and then the dry glove system.