Wetsuit stitching coming undone

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jbd

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Is there anything special I need to know about restitching small sections of the seams? Do I need a specific type of thread? Is there a particular type of stitch that should be used?
 
I used nylon thread and attempted a "blind stitch". That is you don't want to go all the way through the neoprene. And, of course the wet suit rubber cement. And then whe I finished and saw how sloppy it looked, cemented a nylon patch over the repair. It's held for a year in my .5 mm.
 
If you didn't dive in water so cold that it freezes the stitching maybe it would last longer....just kidding.

Chad
 
Awap--what would you do differently if you were to do another repair? Would you try a different stitch?
 
Providing the stitching is not in a high stress area, snip off the loose ends & coat the surviving stitching with wetsuit cement & don't worry about it.
If it's at the end of a sleeve or leg, (someplace that gets a lot of stretching), go with the nylon tape or seam tape (if you can find it).
Trying to restitch in those areas will just wind up weakening the area.
 
Have you read Joewr's guide to stitching neoprene in this thread? I'd like to learn how to do this, but I need to find some neoprene to practise on. Cutting open my wetsuit so I can stitch it back together doesn't seem like a good idea!

Z
 
I'd do the same thing with even less attention to neatness. I was quite satisfied with the results.
 

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