Iron Mend Fabric Repair Kit Neoprene McNett

[emoreira]

I´m using an old Dufour 4 mm Farmer John wetsuit.
It´s in a relatively good condition. It was a gift from a friend of mine. He bought it a lot of years ago to use it for wave surfing.
It has no reinforcement in the knees. Though this is in no way a problem, keens is a frecuently rough zone and I would like to add a patch to reinforce it.
I´ve seen the Iron Mend Fabric Repair Kit Neoprene
Does any one have any experience with this product ?
Is it effective, does it last ?

 

[DiscoverReady]

Hello,
This is Gerald from McNett. The Iron Mend Fabric Repair Kit is great for reinforcing the knees and adding some additional abrasion resistance. It includes a 10" x 6" knee-pad patch and a heat shield to apply the patch using an iron. You can cut the 10'' x 6'' patch in half to create two patches, which should be more than enough to create separate patches on both knees.

A few things to keep in mind when applying Iron Mend. First, make sure that you lie the patch and wetsuit as flat as possible. You do not want any folds or creases. Second, make sure that you do not overheat the iron, as an overheated iron may cause damage to neoprene. Third, it is important that you heat the entire patch. As the adhesive heats up, it will attach itself to the suit. Make sure that you are heating the entire patch. Once the patch heats up apply a heavy object over the patch and allow it to cool for a few minutes. If for some reason the patch did not adhere, you can always re-heat it.

Another option to consider would be painting a thin layer of Aquaseal over the knees (McNett Dive | Repair Guide | Wetsuit & Drysuit Repairs). While this is not the most "pretty" or aesthetically pleasing solution, it would offer the most abrasion resistance. The Iron Mend kit contains a fabric patch. While the patch will not come off, it is possible to rip both the patch and suit if you were to scrape up against a barnacle, for instance. However, there's not much that will penetrate cured Aquaseal. Begin by cleaning the wetsuit. Once clean and dry paint a layer of Aquaseal over the knees and dry level overnight.

I hope that helps. Feel free to contact us if any questions come up: https://mcnett.zendesk.com/home