Drysuit Repair Question

[Ouvea]

Hello All:

The Aquaseal or sealant agent applied to the seam of my drysuit has failed. The sealant is delaminating/detaching from the fabric. I suspect improper material preperation, as it has failed after about may be 10 dives and is about 1.5 years old. I would like to try to repair this before I send it out. To do the job correctly, I would need to remove the entire layer of sealant, clean the fabric and then apply a new layer of sealant. Does Cotol 240, which contains Tuolene, disolve the hardened sealant? Does it assist in breaking the bond between the sealant and fabric?



How would you takle this job? Appreciate the help.

O.

 

[Zef]

Cotol (toluene) is very dangerous if not handled carefully, it has potential neurological damaging effects. If you do this job yourself, please do yourself the favor of obtaining proper PPE for handling and using this chemical.

You might find that using a heat gun on low setting or a hair dryer may help soften the sealant and glue....try to remove as much as you can mechanically first by pulling or gentle scraping/sanding without damaging the underlying material. Atfter removing the majority of the sealant, then use chemicals to finish the prep work.

Give DRIS a call, they do lots of drysuit repairs and sell repair materials on their site and in their store....I know others who have received good advice from them.

-Z

 

[lexvil]

I’m not seeing the problem in the picture, maybe an arrow or something. Is it all of the seams or just one spot or area?

 

[Ouvea]

I’m not seeing the problem in the picture, maybe an arrow or something. Is it all of the seams or just one spot or area?

Lex:

It's the AquaSeal application. It has lots of voids consistent with delamination of the glue from the fabric. That work is about 1.5-1.7 years old maybe with the suit having but a handful of dives, less than 20 and maybe 15. Also, it's the seam between the boot and the lower part of the leg. There is no wear or friction in this area, unlike what you have at the arm pits or at the crotch from the BWP harness.



Photo on the left shows what it should look like from my buddy's suit that is about three years old. Photo on the right is from my suit.

O.

 

[lexvil]

Lex:

It's the AquaSeal application. It has lots of voids consistent with delamination of the glue from the fabric. That work is about 1.5-1.7 years old maybe with the suit having but a handful of dives, less than 20 and maybe 15. Also, it's the seam between the boot and the lower part of the leg. There is no wear or friction in this area, unlike what you have at the arm pits or at the crotch from the BWP harness.

View attachment 603305 View attachment 603306

Photo on the left shows what it should look like from my buddy's suit that is about three years old. Photo on the right is from my suit.

O.

That is weird, no leaks yet? If it were me and not leaking (maybe even if leaking) I would try brushing a thin coat over all of the bad looking spots. We can get toluene here in Ca. (At least I can’t find it up here in the hills and it’s still the 1980’s up here) I have done ok with acetone but there is a blend called something like “professional solvent” that works a little better for thinning aquaseal, you can get the small bottles in the package of sealer but you have to have a good plan of attack before starting.

This is all assuming the tape doesn’t pull off easily, and actually has a mostly good bond.

 

[Ouvea]

Hi Lex:

The suit definitely leaks around that area. My right foot is always wet and my left is damp. I managed to remove all of the sealant from one leg. My finger tips are raw and my wrists are pretty sore. Managed to remove the sealant fromt the fabric but I don't believe it will come off the neoprene boots. I will most likely need to clean and scuff the surface of the old seam sealer and apply over it. I should have the sealant removed from the other leg in a few days.

The rubber tape that runs the length of the inseam has pulled off a bit. I will need to fix this before applying a fresh layer of AquaSeal/SeamGrip. Going to stuff the leg full of shipping peanuts and tie off the leg so that I have a good smooth suface. I have plenty of acetone to clean the fabric. Am I better off using AquaSeal/Seam Grip wtihout the accelerator?

O.

 

[Zef]

Hi Lex:

The suit definitely leaks around that area. My right foot is always wet and my left is damp. I managed to remove all of the sealant from one leg. My finger tips are raw and my wrists are pretty sore. Managed to remove the sealant fromt the fabric but I don't believe it will come off the neoprene boots. I will most likely need to clean and scuff the surface of the old seam sealer and apply over it. I should have the sealant removed from the other leg in a few days.

The rubber tape that runs the length of the inseam has pulled off a bit. I will need to fix this before applying a fresh layer of AquaSeal/SeamGrip. Going to stuff the leg full of shipping peanuts and tie off the leg so that I have a good smooth suface. I have plenty of acetone to clean the fabric. Am I better off using AquaSeal/Seam Grip wtihout the accelerator?

O.

Perhaps a dremel with a sanding drum can help remove the sealant from the neoprene boots.

-Z

 

[lexvil]

Hi Lex:

The suit definitely leaks around that area. My right foot is always wet and my left is damp. I managed to remove all of the sealant from one leg. My finger tips are raw and my wrists are pretty sore. Managed to remove the sealant fromt the fabric but I don't believe it will come off the neoprene boots. I will most likely need to clean and scuff the surface of the old seam sealer and apply over it. I should have the sealant removed from the other leg in a few days.

The rubber tape that runs the length of the inseam has pulled off a bit. I will need to fix this before applying a fresh layer of AquaSeal/SeamGrip. Going to stuff the leg full of shipping peanuts and tie off the leg so that I have a good smooth suface. I have plenty of acetone to clean the fabric. Am I better off using AquaSeal/Seam Grip wtihout the accelerator?

O.

If you have enough aquaseal to not thin it that usually works well, just know it will run as it cures, slowly but will seek it own level, I have laid fabric over it to help hole it in place and bolsters the area a bit, a little like wire in concrete.

Surface Prep is the answer to a good bond, I don’t know if it’s enough surface area to need power tools over light scuffing by hand but follow up with a good cleaning with acetone just before the sealer.