Neoprene 5mm by the sheet?

[KentCe]

Any source for a 5mm sheet of neoprene (say 1 by 1 meter)? Or just cheaper to buy a low cost XXXXL wetsuit and cut it up?

Any good pointers for attaching neoprene pieces?

Thanks, Kent

 

[Bob3]

Check with Rubatex, get ahold of your local distributor & have them hook you up with a local buyer of their products: http://www.rbxcorp.com/fabric/

Works out to be a LOT cheaper that way.

For glue, get a fresh can of decent quality wetsuit cement (like McNett's SEAL CEMENT). Just follow the directions on the can.
Biggest mistake beginning gluemeisters make is rushing, the glue coats need to be DRY to the touch before squishing together.

whoops, had the wrong URL in there.

 

[scuba-punk]

Seattle Fabrics - they have everything. Look at their website and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.seattlefabrics.com

-Frank

p.s. - like bob3 said, think of neoprene glue the way you would contact cement (that's what it is). once it is ready, put it together and it won't come apart easily. surface prep and taking your time are sooooo important.

 

[oxyhacker]

Be aware that foam neoprene is not a generic product, and that there are numerous grades, not all of which are suitable for diving.

There's general purpose crap mouse pad/beer can cooler stuff, surf/snorkle suit grade, and genuine dive suit stuff. The cheaper stuff has less genuine chloroprene (neoprene) resin and more cheaper SBR resins and fillers, loses insulating value quicker as it goes deeper, and breaks down rapidly under the compression cycling a suit used for diving experiences.

Just about all the stuff for sale from the sewing and outdoor fabrics places on the net is the cheaper stuff, which isn't really suitable for diving as opposed to playing in the water.

One exception is
http://johnrsweet.com/index.html
which sells Rubatex 100% CPR neoprene. Unfortunately they only stock 1/16" and 1/8". However they have said they'd consider stocking other thicknesses if there's enough demand.

They also sell Rubatex neoprene cement, which is very nice stuff, at a very reasonable price.

scubapunk-17055 once bubbled...
Seattle Fabrics - they have everything. Look at their website and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.seattlefabrics.com

-Frank

p.s. - like bob3 said, think of neoprene glue the way you would contact cement (that's what it is). once it is ready, put it together and it won't come apart easily. surface prep and taking your time are sooooo important.

 

[scuba-punk]

That's good info. I've just used the stuff to make pockets for my wetsuits. Never tried to make a suit out of it, so thermal insulation has never been an issue - yet. Thanks for the tip.

-Frank

 

[oxyhacker]

Oh, another thing I should have mentioned, is a very cool product we have been playing with, Melco Tape.

This is a three layer iron-on tape, with an outer layer of stretchy nylon, which can be used to reinforce seams or patch rips in the nylon layer of neoprene wet and drysuits. Since it stretches just like the base material, it doesn't peel off when the base material is stretched, the way most other glued-on tapes tend to.

It's useful as a subsitute for sewing on home made neoprene projects, as well as for patching rips in the nylon layer on neoprene suits. Or pinning down the loose ends so a whole seam won't unravel when the stitching has become damaged, or when a neoprene drysuit seal has been trimmed.

Only problem is the distributor, McNett (the Aquaseal people) only sell it to OEMs in huge roles. Wilderness Fabrics sells the 3/4" tape in small quantities, and McNett retail packages it in 12"x3" pieces as Iron Grip. Sweet is also considering carrying the stuff.

 

[seidhe]

Any source for a 5mm sheet of neoprene (say 1 by 1 meter)? Or just cheaper to buy a low cost XXXXL wetsuit and cut it up?

Any good pointers for attaching neoprene pieces?

Thanks, Kent

Search engine for "5mm neoprene sheet"
There is a glue specifically made for neoprene and wetsuit construction. Ask your local dive shop for some, or they can tell you where to get it. It's cheap and the neoprene will give before the glue does.

 

[kidspot]

If you decide to go with the "cheap" wetsuit, http://www.triple-l.biz sells an XXL shorty for $38. - might work for ya' but most wetsuits I've seen are sewn pieces, so if you need a solid single piece you might have to go with raw material. What about checking with a firm that custom makes wetsuits like www.wetwear.com? I think there's a custom shop in the Seattle area too (can't remember the name, but someone else might).

Aloha, Tim

 

[JustinW]

just curious, what are you looking to do with it?

 

[Damselfish]

just curious, what are you looking to do with it?

whatever it was, they probably already did it - orig post from May 03