Mares BCD repair?

[Octopusprime]

I have a mares prestige pro with the integrated pockets. Above the left pocket there were 2 grommets for a BCD knife. I had a small 3.5" BCD knife in the grommets and the grommets pulled out of the BCD.

I am am concerned the nylon will fray and want something to cover holes as well as seal edges to avoid fraying

 

[KeithG]

since you are not trying to repair an actual hole in the bladder, any type of flexible glue that is for outdoor use should be fine.

you LDS can likely sell you a very expensive tube of wetsuit sealant glue. or you could try something like a tube of good old shoe goo from your local home depot.

 

[claymore]

The hardware store may have replacement brass grommets that you could install. Other options would be a luggage repair shop or a boat cover maker.

 

[tbone1004]

get the edges burned with a small butane torch to keep them from fraying, that will seal it. Put a butter knife behind it so you don't go too far into the material but it just takes half a second to singe back the nylon and it will fuse to itself. better than any glue

 

[Octopusprime]

get the edges burned with a small butane torch to keep them from fraying, that will seal it. Put a butter knife behind it so you don't go too far into the material but it just takes half a second to singe back the nylon and it will fuse to itself. better than any glue

Im not going to put in new grommets... I think they were bad idea to start.


i agree reed about burning instead of glue... I can put a piece of wood in the pocket to protect bladder. I will want to cover the holes too. Not just for looks but to keep items from falling out...

 

[ti325v]

I would burn off the loose threads, problem is you will likely not get all of them and the fraying will begin again.
We have about 40 bcd`s and do a bit of this kind of repair. You could dribble a little bit of super glue just to keep the loose ends down, or

FYI
3m 5200 adhesive/sealant is an excellent product for any kind of BC repair.
It takes a week to set up, and gets all over the place.
With non bladder BCD`s we successfully repair cuts in the bcd with patches using the 5200, if you are careful you can put the patch on the inside of the bcd. overlap the cut an inch or so put some soap on the inside of the bcd behind the patch so the 5200 does not stick it together, Use some nylon bcd material, the 5200 sticks to the plastic liners and the nylon shell material. Cover with a thin plastic bag, also with soap on it, weight it, let it sit for a few days and if you did a good job, you will see just a fine line where the cut was. We have some repaired like this in service for 2 years, with no problems. Staff members have even used it to glue on inflator hoses attachments and opv valves that have cracked while waiting for new gear to arrive, one went three months with daily use before a new bcd got here, and was still going strong.