How to repair ScubaPro wetsuit TPR knee pads?

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hi_alx

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Hi!

I have a ScubaPro S-Tek 7mm full wet suit. It has what SP calls "advanced TPR" knee pads. ? Thermo-Plastic-Rubber - feels quite different from the usual pads on other suits.

Anyways it is a very nice suit but some Zebra mussels in Brockville have made some shallow cuts in one of the pads. The cuts don't seem to be getting larger but I would like to patch / repair the damage. I have tried a silcone based sealant and some 2-component "5-minute" epoxy but neither seems to stick to the TPR surface. Any advice?

Thanks

Alx

BTW - one of the local charter captains (and diver too) taught me to use the 5-min epoxy for wetsuit repair. It works very well so long as you don't mind having some clear / shiny plastic spots on your suit.
 
Bad idea. Many epoxies are relatively stiff and brittle, and don't have enough stretch to match the stretch characteristics of wetsuit neoprene, and will eventually work loose. There's also huge differences in quality between different epoxies with the consumer-grade 5 minute epoxies being the worst - so it's a good idea never to use 5 minute epoxy unless you really need its fast-curing properties.

BTW once you've used silicone you may have trouble getting anything else to stick. Clean with MEK and buff well with sandpaper before you try Plan C. Some people have had good luck fixing harder plastics and knee pads with tool dip compound. Comes in colors too.


hi_alx:
BTW - one of the local charter captains (and diver too) taught me to use the 5-min epoxy for wetsuit repair. It works very well so long as you don't mind having some clear / shiny plastic spots on your suit.
 

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