Wetsuit stitching coming undone

[jbd]

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?

 

[redacted]

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.

 

[ckharlan66]

If you didn't dive in water so cold that it freezes the stitching maybe it would last longer....just kidding.

Chad

 

[jbd]

Awap--what would you do differently if you were to do another repair? Would you try a different stitch?

 

[Bob3]

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.

 

[Zept]

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

 

[redacted]

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