Drysuit zipper lube

[ScubaSteve2000]

My DC user's manual recommends using a liquid zipper lube. I was running low on the stuff and went to my fav dive shop to see if they had any before ordering a bottle online. One of the instructors said that baby shampoo works as well as the liquid lube. I use baby shampoo as a defogger for my mask but hadn't considered it for my drysuit zipper. Has anybody used it on their zipper?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Are you sure he was not BS'ing you. Baby shampoo would seem to wash off after a few minutes. What lube came with the suit? I got a stick of zipper wax with mine and when that ran out I bought a block of pharmaceutical grade beeswax. The white stuff, not the yellow. The yellow can have bits of bee in it. The white stuff works great, does not gob up, and seems to not attract alot of junk. A 1lb block was like 8 bucks at a craft store but I have enough zipper wax now for the rest of my life and with some left over for friends who run out.

 

[muddiver]

I second the bees wax. It is what most manufacturers reccomend. I have a block from Viking and a block from Bob3 from here on ScubaBoard. It also is what is reccomended for any zipper that tends to stick, like the old brass blue jean zippers.

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

Thanks for the input. I don't think the instructor was trying to BS me. When I asked my question he was explaining to someone that you didn't need to use viton o-rings with nitrox. (okayyyy) I think he was serious about that too. But that's for another thread.

The liquid zipper lube DC recommends is McNett Zipper Lube. I also have a stick of bee's wax so I'm good. I just wanted to run this past the Board to see if it had any merrit.

Steve.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I don't think the instructor was trying to BS me. When I asked my question he was explaining to someone that you didn't need to use viton o-rings with nitrox. (okayyyy) I think he was serious about that too. But that's for another thread.

What exactly did the instructor say regarding Viton o-rings?

Several different o-ring materials are oxygen-compatible. EPDM is what I use. There are others, but for scuba application, EPDM and Viton are most commonly used. Furthermore, most reg manufacturers would say that regs assembled with regular nitrile o-rings and silicone lube (not prepped specifically for oxygen-compatibility) are perfectly usable for nitrox mixes up to 40%. For mixes higher than 40%, O2-compatible o-rings and lube (Viton or EPDM o-rings + Christolube or Tribolube) should be used.

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

What exactly did the instructor say regarding Viton o-rings?

Several different o-ring materials are oxygen-compatible. EPDM is what I use. There are others, but for scuba application, EPDM and Viton are most commonly used. Furthermore, most reg manufacturers would say that regs assembled with regular nitrile o-rings and silicone lube (not prepped specifically for oxygen-compatibility) are perfectly usable for nitrox mixes up to 40%. For mixes higher than 40%, O2-compatible o-rings and lube (Viton or EPDM o-rings + Christolube or Tribolube) should be used.

I don't recall him mentioning any other materials. I've been told by others that Viton was the only option but now that I think about it EPDM would work too.

But I don't think I'll be using baby shampoo to lube my zipper. (somehow that sounds dirty)

 

[mikerault]

Berts bees wax..works great and can get it anywhere.