A question for Bob3

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Dytis

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Hi Bob

Could you advise me what tools are required to replace neck & cuff seals as well as a zipper on dry suits?

Thanks
 
You can get by with some pretty basic stuff, a sharp scissors, razor knife/blades, sandpaper, some brushes, glue, thinner, masking tape, and a roller. Need a piece of chalk for marking the hood so it lines up properly.
Hit the hardware store and get a "wallpaper seam roller", it'll cost a fraction of a "regular" roller & work just as well.
A pair of pliers might be in order to help strip off some of the old seam tape, and a mandrel of some type. 2 litre soda bottles work remarkably well for replacing cuffs.

I did a slide show on cuff replacement, you can download it from:

http://comdive.com/cuffs.zip

Neck seal & hoods use the same gluing & surface prep techniques as cuffs, but it's going to be "experiment time" to nail down a proper form or mandrel for doing them. Depending on the type of suit, a 5 gallon bucket may work, tho some folks can work them flat.
Don't skimp on the surface prep, it's critical in getting a secure glue job.

Zippers can be done 1 of 2 ways; strip out the old zipper, or just cut out the teeth & stops on the old one.

good luck & have fun. :wink:
 
I'm not looking for new cuffs or anything yet, but I did enjoy the slide show. This is something I think I can do when the time comes!

Thanks Bob!!!!
 
A Canadian lad bought an old ebay suit that needed work, he claimed that his cuff job was better looking than the factory's, and he didn't even glue his hands together. :wink:

Pockets are very easy to install as well, there's a series of pics from the Northern Diver website: http://www.diveshop.co.uk/pages/repairs/pocket/html/pocket_1.html

The glue pictured is Bostik 2402 (made in the USA)
 
Viking Xtream? Not that I have a NEED right now for pockets, as I have several in my BC. But if I went to a backplate and wings, a couple pockets might come in handy....
 
Yep, pockets are available from Viking for the Xtreme. They are, however, pretty expensive. I used to advise folks to grab one of the aftermarket pockets from 5thD or EE at about $35 & just glue the critters on. Finishing the edges with some seam tape & you have a job BETTER than factory.
I'm in the process of having my own line of BCs/wings made & another project will be to have the factory make some pockets.
I've got a box of demo BCs sitting in the front office right now that I haven't even looked at yet.
 
Thanks Bob. Not an e-bay special, mere curiosity. Can you explain what a mandrel is? Thanks.
 
Main Entry: man·drel
Variant(s): also man·dril /'man-dr&l/

1 a : a usually tapered or cylindrical axle, spindle, or arbor inserted into a hole in a piece of work to support it during machining b : a metal bar that serves as a core around which material (as metal) may be cast, molded, forged, bent, or otherwise shaped

Gotta love some of the stuff ya find on the web, like the Merriam-Webster dictionary: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

:D
 
..a large West African monkey which has a red and blue face!

Thanks Bob. I couldn't find the word listed in the Cambridge International Dictionary of English :(
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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