Latex wrist seal replacement questions

[Jcp2]

I want to replace latex wrist seals on a fabric drysuit myself with a set of seals that are properly sized for me. The suit had seals put on that were on top of the base of a prior set of seals, so I removed both to the level of the fabric with the help of a heat gun. There are just little yellow brown bits left attached to the seam trim.

I have three questions.

The first is what is the yellow residual stuff? I think it’s left over aqua seal or equivalent. Do I have to remove it entirely?

The second is what is the most appropriate type of adhesive to use? I’ve read and watched material advocating aqua seal, neoprene cement, and even neoprene cement for a base on top of the fabric followed by aqua seal for the seal itself.

The third is how hard is this really? Paddlers seem to do this a lot on their own, but divers seem happier to send it out to a shop? Before we get into latex seals versus replaceable ring systems, I have a suit with rings as well; I want to give this a go for learning purposes.

 

[boat sju]

Can you get this in "Pandora" ?

DAP Weldwood 32 fl. oz. Original Contact Cement 00272

DAP Weldwood 32 fl. oz. Original Contact Cement is a multi-purpose neoprene rubber adhesive that forms an instant. High-strength bond on a variety of surfaces. This adhesive resists the effects of heat,

www.homedepot.com

 

[Curious_George]

Welcome to the world of DIY. It’s a great place, lots of money to be saved for people that are willing to spend a little time there.

@boat sju is exactly right with the contact adhesive selection. Sure you can go to one of the online dive stores and get the same for lots more money, but weldwood is identical and you are here because you want to save shipping time and money right? Get the smallest size of that exact item at your local hardware store and some throw away acid brushes to apply it.

Now, about your project. Not critical to get rid of all the old yellow adhesive, but try to get as much as possible without damaging the suit fabric. It’s probably contact cement. This will facilitate a smoother and better sealing replacement seal. And I like to put a bead of aquaseal on the inside seam for good measure; applied with an acid brush and thinned with acetone. If you didn’t mask the suit sleeve on the outside and have an ugly glued edge, put on some melco tape to pretty it up.

This is not hard. #1 is prep - do a great job there and the rest is easy. If you like this info, I can also explain details of the exact process for the replacement if you can’t find any of the number of posts and videos already out there explaining how it is done.

 

[Jcp2]

Welcome to the world of DIY. It’s a great place, lots of money to be saved for people that are willing to spend a little time there.

@boat sju is exactly right with the contact adhesive selection. Sure you can go to one of the online dive stores and get the same for lots more money, but weldwood is identical and you are here because you want to save shipping time and money right? Get the smallest size of that exact item at your local hardware store and some throw away acid brushes to apply it.

Now, about your project. Not critical to get rid of all the old yellow adhesive, but try to get as much as possible without damaging the suit fabric. It’s probably contact cement. This will facilitate a smoother and better sealing replacement seal. And I like to put a bead of aquaseal on the inside seam for good measure; applied with an acid brush and thinned with acetone. If you didn’t mask the suit sleeve on the outside and have an ugly glued edge, put on some melco tape to pretty it up.

This is not hard. #1 is prep - do a great job there and the rest is easy. If you like this info, I can also explain details of the exact process for the replacement if you can’t find any of the number of posts and videos already out there explaining how it is done.

So to confirm, contact cement is the way to go, aqua seal not best choice although many people use it as well. What about the debate between cutting off part of the old seal and leaving the base on the cuff to put the new seal on top, or removing the old seal completely before replacing it with a new one directly on the suit fabric?

 

[Curious_George]

I’m a belt and suspenders person, preferring to use both. Contact cement to attach the latex seal to the suit and after that dries, turn the sleeve inside out and apply a little bead of neoprene on the inside seam.

Even roughing up the old and new latex, I don’t find that they seal that well together. I prefer to remove all the old latex.

 

[Zef]

So to confirm, contact cement is the way to go, aqua seal not best choice although many people use it as well. What about the debate between cutting off part of the old seal and leaving the base on the cuff to put the new seal on top, or removing the old seal completely before replacing it with a new one directly on the suit fabric?

1. Back in my whitewater paddling days the method was to cut the old latex seal off leaving the part glue to the sleeve cuff...then glue the new latex seal to the band of latex left in place on the cuff. If you removed everything down to the suit material then you have a slightly bigger challenge to clean and adhere the new seal. The quality of the prep work will determine the quality of the bond between the latex and the suit. A major recommendation is to apply multiple thin coats of the contact cement instead of fewer thicker coats.

2. If you are willing to attempt this type of repair then I would encourage you to consider installing a set of Si-Tech QCS oval cuff rings. The rings permit you to use a silicone or latex seal and affords you the ability to field repair your suit and save your dive if you ever tear your wrist seal. The amount of effort/work to install the ring system is not much more than what you need to do to glue on new latex seals.

-Z

 

[zider]

I replaced seals on my old suit and will second the use of contact cement. Be sure to put base layer of cement on both the suit and the seal before connecting them. Once dry, I used the same cement to wrap the seam with the tape linked below. I think it helped improve the seal while also adding strength to the joint. It also made the finished product look really nice. Good luck with your project!

Gummifabrikken Drysuit Finishing Tape per foot | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

This .5mm thick rubber finishing tape is great for cleaning up the work on your drysuit repairs! It comes in 2 widths. 20mm and 40mm for whatever your application. 40mm is typically for boots or thicker project areas and the 20mm is for wrist and neck seals. This gives your work that...

www.diverightinscuba.com

 

[Jcp2]

1. Back in my whitewater paddling days the method was to cut the old latex seal off leaving the part glue to the sleeve cuff...then glue the new latex seal to the band of latex left in place on the cuff. If you removed everything down to the suit material then you have a slightly bigger challenge to clean and adhere the new seal. The quality of the prep work will determine the quality of the bond between the latex and the suit. A major recommendation is to apply multiple thin coats of the contact cement instead of fewer thicker coats.

2. If you are willing to attempt this type of repair then I would encourage you to consider installing a set of Si-Tech QCS oval cuff rings. The rings permit you to use a silicone or latex seal and affords you the ability to field repair your suit and save your dive if you ever tear your wrist seal. The amount of effort/work to install the ring system is not much more than what you need to do to glue on new latex seals.

-Z

So I went digging in a box that I got with an Antares purchase for my other drysuit and found a set of extra si tech QCS rings. Yay! But then the cuff of the suit I’m working on is too small. Boo! I guess I’ll have to trim the sleeves back, but how far?

Ok, tried putting ring inside sleeve from body out to cuff. There is an outside over sleeve cuff that is sewn to the suit as a second layer and the ring won’t fit because this protective fabric cuff makes the sleeve diameter too small for ring. I’ll have to save these rings for my next suit.

 

[Zef]

So I went digging in a box that I got with an Antares purchase for my other drysuit and found a set of extra si tech QCS rings. Yay! But then the cuff of the suit I’m working on is too small. Boo! I guess I’ll have to trim the sleeves back, but how far?

Ok, tried putting ring inside sleeve from body out to cuff. There is an outside over sleeve cuff that is sewn to the suit as a second layer and the ring won’t fit because this protective fabric cuff makes the sleeve diameter too small for ring. I’ll have to save these rings for my next suit.

I recommend giving Dive Rite In Scuba a call for some technical advice. They have a drysuit repair facility at their shop, can do alterations, and often provide advice to folks who are in a similar situation to yours.

-Z

 

[Jcp2]

So I went with the latex seals. It wasn’t difficult once I figured out how to get the seals folded back. I went with DAP weld wood and did several coats on both the fabric and the seal, with drying in between and a wallpaper roller to finish up. It’s not pretty but I’ll have a chance to test it in a couple of weeks. Most of the time was waiting for the cement to dry. Glad I gave it a go, the next time will be much quicker. Thanks to the board for all the help, both in the archives and in this thread.