Dry suit and Aquasure

[DameDykker]

Hi board members

I like some help on a small matter. I'm sure one of you knowledgeable guys know an answer:

My dry suit had a slightly leaking wrist seal this summer. I coudn't get a new seal right away so It was recommended to apply Aquasure to the area where the seal is glued onto the dry suit (trilam). I did that and it worked fine. However, now I want to put on the new seal. The question is that I can't get the Aquasure and seal off! ;-0 Do you know of a way to dissolve the aquasure without dissolving the suit? Or can you freeze :cold: the suit, and would that make the Aquasure brittle enough for removement? And what would that do to the rest of the glues used in the suit?

As you see lots of questions.

 

[turnerjd]

DameDykker

How's the visa card at the moment?

The simple solution is to take the suit (and new seals if you have already bought them) to somewhere like DykkerCentret and get them to do it. UK price for two wrist seals fitted is about £15 (150FF, 45DM, don't know DKR though). Let them wory about removing the old seals and fitting the new ones.

If you want to do it yourself then it is a little bit more tricky, I suspect carefull work with a scalpel and then sandpaper might do the trick, but without a suit to play with, I can't tell you what solvents will work.

HTH

Jon T

 

[DameDykker]

Hi Jon

Yes I could. But.. being an engineer I love to do things my self. And I changed out the first seal without problems. It's been tested to 24 m - no problems. So I ought to be able to do the other one my self.

DSAO

 

[turnerjd]

OK, I would do the same.

So, it's a membrane suit. Is the seal glued onto the inside or outside of the sleave?

I assume they are overlapping, where exactly is the aquasure?

If they are butt jointed, are they taped both sides?

I suggest that the first stage is to cut off the old seal just before the suit material.

Now, you have a multi layer of old seal and suit. You now have to work off the old seal - probably in the same way as you did the other seal. If you can seperate the seal from the suit, then the overlying aquasure should come off as well, upto the point where they no longer overlap.

It the tri-lam is strong enough, a bit of manipulation with someting very sharp (scalpel works very well) should seperate everything.

Can't really suggest any more without seaing the suit.

HTH

Jon T

 

[DameDykker]

¨Hello Jon

The seal is glued on and the Aquasure covers the seal area and a little beyond on the tri-lam suit. So I guess that the scalpel might be the solution. Though I flinch of idea of bring sharp objects into contact with my dry suit. :mean:

DSAO

 

[turnerjd]

DameDykker,

Surely, if the glue mostly covers the seal, then the operation is exactly the same as for the other side, except where the aquasure is on the tri-lam?

One possible solution is to remove the seal in the same way as the other side, replace the seal, and leave the aquasure on the tri lam material itself. If you don't try to remove it , you can't damage the suit.

How did you remove the other seal?

Jon T

 

[DameDykker]

Hi Jon

I just turned it inside out and peeled it off - no problem. However, the bonding of glue + Aquasure is good enough for that to be impossible on this seal. If I could peel it of I suspect that the Aquasure could also be peeled off from the edge created by the now removed seal. The question is only to get that far in the first place!

Pia

 

[turnerjd]

Pia,

OK. now I fully understand. Have done this before. What it takes is a little determination, and perseverence.

1. Cut away old seal.

2. Now work your way round the edge tying to find a place where the bond is less strong. use a blunt knife to tease the bits apart.

3. Once you have it started, you should be able, with a blunt instrument to gradually work the seal and suit apart.

4. you will probably find that there are areas you can seperate, and those you can't. you will have to resort to less delicate (sharper means) at this point.

5. If you have the correct flexible glue, you can get propper seam tape, so if you do damage the suit, you can glue the seal over it, and then if necessary tape round the edges where the suit / seal meet, and over the damage if necessary.

BTW, I suspect if the other seal just pulled off that easily, it is worth checking all the seams in the suit, as that sounds like it came off too easily.

HTH

Jon T

 

[DameDykker]

Thanks Jon

Sounds like the way to go!

All other seams in the suit are taped inside and out. I had a leak in the crouch from the start. When they fixed it at the factory the taped all seams additional on the outside. This means that the suit can't leak - even if it wanted to! (Except the seals of cource)

Pia

 

[DameDykker]

Hi Jon

Your way with the blunt instrument worked. No there's only some patches of leftover Aquasure on the suit. So the rest is history - an ellbow grease.

Pia