Avic7
Contributor
Hey, I gotta wax my zippers on my drysuit. My LDS said inside, and my instructor said outside. Which side of the zipper do I wax?
Drysuit zipper wax
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Don Burke
Contributor
The drysuit fixers I have talked to tell me the stuff is a lubricant and not a sealant.Avic7:
It goes on the outside to make the zipper slide easier.
jlyle
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Yes, like Don said, outside.
Dryglove
Contributor
There is a liquid version that can be used on the inside of the zipper. The bottle comes with a brush to help apply it. I use hard wax on the outside and liquid wax on the inside of my DC HD zipper.
Outside. Among other reasons, because the manufacturer from YKK showed me the technique at DEMA, which is a dive industry trade show where many manufacturers show/sell equipment to dive shops and those in the industry.
Avic7:
It's not that there is much that is special about it. The thing that the guy basically said was that you don't need to put very much on compared to the way most people do: Most people put way too much on. You are just trying to get a light coating, just enough to make the zipper move easier.
You basically take the wax stick, and you put it on the side of the zipper when it is open (when it is closed, it is usually too hard to get the wax against the outside edge of the teeth). Then, you drag the stick up or down the zipper a bit while also moving the stick as if it were a knife that you are trying to use to cut through the zipper. Only move the knifing action from the side of the teeth toward the seal (not from the seal edge side outward to avoid getting a bunch of wax in the sealing edge). It is not sawing back and forth, it is pulling half of a complete cycle and then also sliding up or down the zipper. You don't need to push hard.
Just so it gives a clearer idea, for every pull of the half inch wax tip across the zipper, slide the wax tip about an inch up or down the zipper.
Hope this helps.
Jason B:
I don't know what that is. So, I can't say. If it is a wax based product, it is probably okay but don't go by what I say without knowing for sure.
I have been told that bee's wax or the other commercial dive zipper wax products are both fine.
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