Fusion and DC Gloves w/Inner Latex Seal

[gravitron]

Hi all,

I finally got my Fusion this week! It is much lighter than my CF200X.

I'm trying to install my DC Dry Gloves onto the Fusion and wonder if anyone else has tried to do so, but in the "inner latex seal" mode. The LDS where I teach is equipping their rental fleet of Fusions with DC rings in "no inner seal" mode, on which they can mount either seals or gloves, but with the gloves there is no protection against a glove failure causing a flood. The "inner seal" setup was a piece of cake on the CF200 and much needed since I dive in very cold water a fair portion of the year and am starting tech training.

Is this at all possible? I almost seem to be there, but right now the darn velcro is tucked under the neoprene at the wrist, so I can't attach the skin. Unless I want to dive a bag, I have to find a trick, or maybe switch to the Si-Tech system which I've had many an unpleasant dive with.

Thanks for any info, tips, hints, tricks.

Phil

 

[fdog]

Well, I use Si-Tech gloves, and I'm not sure what's different about the DC ones.

I left the Lycra skin (or the Tech Skin, whichever you have) attached at the wrist velcro, with the neoprene glove cuff cover folded backwards over the forearm, and then attached the wrist ring. There's enough seal left to make contact with my wrist that I've dove it wet, without the dry gloves, without problem.

I tried leaving the wrist cuff folded back over the forearm and it looked kind of tacky, so I carefully folded/stuffed it under the SiTech wrist ring, where it fit rather nicely. However it eventually rolled and caused a bit of constriction, so I now have it stretched over the wrist rings. I'm sure this is going to make the neoprene cuff way loose if I ever take off the rings, but <shrugs> in the tropics I don't wear gloves. I suppose I should just cut them off and be done with it but I never seem to.



All the best, James

 

[gravitron]

Thanks, James.

The DC system uses a pair of large o-rings on both the suit and glove side to hold things (the seal and the glove) in place. In particular, the interface between the seal-mounted suit ring and the glove ring is a large o-ring which has much less of a tendency to let water through than the SiTech's minuscule o-ring, in my experience. It's also much easier to don and doff, click on, pop off.

The SiTech system is much easier to mount on suit and gloves, though. I've found the DC system to require 4 hands, though I've read of people designing their own tools to accomplish the task singlehandedly.

For now, I've set-up the DC rings with no inner seal, but I'm pretty sure that'll give me Mickey Mouse hands when I reach back to do valve drills. With the inner seal and a piece of material assuring air exchange, there are no Mickey Mouse hands.

Phil

 

[TSandM]

For now, I've set-up the DC rings with no inner seal, but I'm pretty sure that'll give me Mickey Mouse hands when I reach back to do valve drills. With the inner seal and a piece of material assuring air exchange, there are no Mickey Mouse hands.

WAY more importantly, you now have a setup where, if you get a hole in a glove, or a leak in the dry glove seal, you will flood your suit. I've actually stopped using the equalizing tubes in my dry gloves because of a very unpleasant experience where I had a failed seal and ended up with an undergarment so wet I could pour water out of my arm at the end of the dive. If you're doing dives that require doubles, and diving in the Montreal area, flooding a suit is a REAL safety issue for you.

 

[gravitron]

I agree wholeheartedly. These days, water temps are 70F so flooding is not such a big issue. My CF200X took in a whole lotta water from a failed zipper over a number of dives doing some initial tech classes and fun dives two weeks ago. The Thinsulate 200 underwear kept me quite comfortable, though it eventually started chafing. It wouldn't be so comfortable with 40F-50F water, which comprises a fair portion of our dive season here.

That's why I'm praying that someone will post a way to get the inner seal method to work on the Fusion, otherwise I'll be doing like my tech guru and licking the o-rings on my SiTech system before every dive - his gloves never take in water!

Phil

P.S. What's particularly distressing about all this is the LDS where I teach just started selling DC. I used to keep mine hidden! Now, I may have to hide my SiTechs...

 

[TSandM]

I use the Viking bayonet ring system with my Fusion. Installs easily and works great.

 

[LG Diver]

Yes, it's possible to get DC rings onto the latex seal on a Fusion and preserve the wrist seal. It's not as easy as on other suits, but it's definitely possible. Once on, the outer neoprene flap acts like a cover to protect the o-rings, so you don't need the 'gaters' that come with the DC rings.

The best way I found to install them was to detach the outer skin and pull it up the arm out of the way. Then roll the neoprene flap up to expose the latex seal and install the ring as you would on a 'normal' suit. Once the ring is on you can then reattach the skin. Let me know if you need pics of the finished product (sorry, but I'm not about to take them apart to take pictures of how to put them on

 

[gravitron]

Hey LG,

From what you're saying, the only thing I can see I did differently is to position the ring inside the seal too close to the suit material (the "body bag", as we affectionately refer to it). I was never able to unroll the material enough to see the velcro, but I was at most an inch short.

Can you give me an idea how much "loose" seal you have between the ring and the suit? Without disassembling, of course!

Pics would be nice, but not mandatory.

Thanks!!!

Phil

 

[LG Diver]

That was the tricky part, and it took a few tries on each sleeve to get the correct position of the ring. Because the seal is tapered, it will try to push the ring toward the suit side as you're installing the first o-ring. If it's too close to the suit, when you turn the sleeve right side out you won't have enough seal to install the second o-ring, or it will prevent you from being able to fully unroll the sleeve, as you said. I have very little "loose" seal between the ring and suit- only enough to install the second o-ring. It takes a bit of trial and error but with some luck you'll get it.

 

[gravitron]

Thanks for the help, LG! It just needed about 1/2" of slack between the ring and suit. It's still a bear to install, even with Seal Saver to ease the process.

I'll try it out on Sunday and hope that all the ring insertions, removals and twisting didn't stretch anything beyong the breaking point. Thank goodness you can stretch latex so much.

Phil