DIY Zipper Repair Questions

[happy-diver]

Well I checked out Pliobond 25 on ebay and had it in seconds what do you normally do

Ashland Pliobond 25 LV Solvent Based Adhesive Tan 1 qt Can

Ashland PLIOBOND General Purpose Thermosetting Adhesive 25 Tan is used to bond non-porous and porous surfaces such as glass, wood, plastic, rubber, paper, concrete, drywall, metals, and other substrates. It can be used for assembly, waterproofing, and anchoring. It is resistant to shock, mold...

www.ellsworth.com

leave plastic zippers for body bags

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Well I checked out Pliobond 25 on ebay and had it in seconds what do you normally do

leave plastic zippers for body bags

I guess I could have done that

Normally when I'm feeling lazy though I ask stupid questions!

 

[Still Kicking]

Plastic zippers are better these days but there is really no advantage over brass for a shoulder zipper where it is a straight line (vs the curve of a front zip). I would go with metal for longevity.

You can put the zipper on the inside or the outside of the suit. Depending on the construction of the suit, one way will probably be easier than the other. Putting it on the inside usually results in a cleaner look. If you go inside, turn the suit inside out in following directions.

1. If you can remove the old zipper with heat that's great but more than likely it's stitched if it's factory so you will have to cut it out. Trim about 1/2" either side of the teeth so you have a 1" slot for the new zipper teeth.

2. Get a 4" wood board a few inches longer than the zipper and put it inside the suit across the shoulders, centering the hole. Clamp the ends. The suit should be streched tight.

3. Rough up the gluing surfaces with a dremel. Clean with toluene or other aggressive solvent. Apply quality contact cement of your choice in 3 coats to each surface allowing it to dry between coats. The last coat should just be tacky (~5 mins).

4. Place plastic sheet across the suit to keep glued surfaces apart. Peel back the sheet at one end and position the end of the zipper over the end of the hole, press firmly into place. Gradually pull back the plastic and press the zipper into place as you go. When it's all the way in place, roll the sh*t out of it with a heavy roller. Leave in place to cure for 24 hours.

5. Apply a bead of Aquaseal around the edge of the zipper to add another seal and secure it in place.

 

[Tracy]

Can you get that easily like weldwood?

Most ACE hardware stores stock it, if not, they can order it in for you.
It is used with Fernco couplers in some applications. Some municipalities require them to be glued.

If weldwood is all you can get, it will stick just fine. It is just annoying hard on a cuff ring when it is cold outside.

 

[joebob24]

Did you clean and layer the glue multiple times? What type of suit? Tape the seams?

Yes, I cleaned it with acetone and put 3 coats of glue on it. The first time, I didn't sand the zipper very much, so this time around I sanded it really well. After a few days, I could still peal up a few spots pretty easily, but it was a little better than the first time around. The glue sticks really well to the dry suit, just not great to the zipper. I used some E6000 to seal around all the edges and that seems to keep it from starting to peel and sticks the parts that peeled up back down nicely. I think if I were to start over, I would try something different. The 'drysuit glue' from DRI really doesn't seem to be very compatible with the plastic zipper.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Yes, I cleaned it with acetone and put 3 coats of glue on it. The first time, I didn't sand the zipper very much, so this time around I sanded it really well. After a few days, I could still peal up a few spots pretty easily, but it was a little better than the first time around. The glue sticks really well to the dry suit, just not great to the zipper. I used some E6000 to seal around all the edges and that seems to keep it from starting to peel and sticks the parts that peeled up back down nicely. I think if I were to start over, I would try something different. The 'drysuit glue' from DRI really doesn't seem to be very compatible with the plastic zipper.

Bummer.. yeah I don't know. I would maybe call DRiS and run them through exactly what you did, what type of suit and what type of zipper. I have called them a few times and the guys in the back have always been super supportive of the DIY guy. I've never felt like they try to make it seem like you should just leave it to the pros (like I would have expected).

I deal mostly with Tim, but he'll patch me through to the back anytime.

 

[PR_SMITH]

I put a plastic zipper in my DUI CF200 (compressed neoprene)
I stripped out the old brass zipper
Cleaned up any glue residue using a Dremel with a sandpaper drum
Roughed up about 3/4' each side of zipper
Lots of cleaning with MEK (Zipper and suit)
Installed the zipper using SC4000 2 part glue
Added a reinforcing strip of nylon material to overlap the edge of the zip and the suit.
200 dives on it since, works great

Here's a great how to video:

 

[divezonescuba]

I have been using Marine goop, where some of the previously mentioned glues failed.

Th problem with the tizips that we had in all of our drysuits was involving the tape on which the zipper teeth were attached. The vinyl layer flaked off leaving the non waterproof substrate mesh exposed.

Since then, we have only used ykk metal or plastic without issue.