Painting a Wetsuit??

[RockPile]

Fellas,

I've got an old "junk" wetsuit that is still pretty serviceable. I want to do a camo job on it, if possible.

Can I paint it, and if so, what kind of paint will do the job?
Can I dye it, and if so, what kind of dye should be used?

One of my buddies suggested patching different colors of 1mm neoprene all over it, but frankly, I don't know where I'd get the neoprene in different colors cheaply.


What say you guy? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
JB

 

[RockPile]

Nothing? Really? You guys usually jump all over stuff like this.

JB

 

[do it easy]

Use non-toxic water based paint.

 

[Damselfish]

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=64845

 

[RockPile]

Thanks, damselfish. I don't know why it didn't come up in my searches...

What a great thread.

Thanks,
JB

 

[Damselfish]

I remembered reading that once, with a lame search feature it's a lot easier to find things when you know exactly what you're looking for!

 

[sea_dragon]

I remembered reading that once, with a lame search feature it's a lot easier to find things when you know exactly what you're looking for!

it sure is easier... i am still getting use to it....i am a new diver with lots of questions and need lots of answers....

 

[ScubaToneDog]

Have you thought about dyeing it? You could probably do a tye dye type thing. If your suit is bleached out from sun and pool use, start out with a light color....say sand....dye it then wrap plastic cling wrap with an overlay of duct tape and do green....go over the green with the wrap and tape....leaving the original tape on from the first dye job....then do black....take the tape off and TA-DA....whole process will take about 3 hours or so.

Last summer I dyed my Pool shorty I use for classes. Get a bottle of the liquid DITZ dye at the grocery store or a fabric store and ignore the directions...you cant boil your suit or it will destroy the neoprene, and the washing machine on hot aint good either. I used a rubbermaid container filled with water hot enough for me to keep my hand in there comfortably, around 110 degrees farenheit, and poured the whole bottle in. I put my suit in weighted down with balloons filled with sand and let it sit for an hour, turning it every 15 minutes so the balloons wouldnt make goofy spots. I rinsed heavily and let it dry. Came out great. Ive had it in the water several times and there is no staining of my skin...of course I did have it in a pool recently where they had just shocked the pool and I had some minor fading, but it is my pool suit...

Oh one more thing....WEAR GLOVES....those thick yellow rubber gauntlet cleaning ones are nice....if you dont you will look like Bud from the Abyss for a week....

This is an edit of my post.... I just thought of this...I wonder if you could use the Dye straight out of the bottle like a paint? You might need to dilute it with water
to do a whole suit, but you would be able to control the pattern better...like a Tiger Stripe or Woodland pattern....If you do do it post some pics...

 

[RockPile]

This is an edit of my post.... I just thought of this...I wonder if you could use the Dye straight out of the bottle like a paint? You might need to dilute it with water
to do a whole suit, but you would be able to control the pattern better...like a Tiger Stripe or Woodland pattern....If you do do it post some pics...

I like that idea. When I give it a go (probably not until summer), I'll definitely post up the result (unless they are embarassing).

Thanks,
JB

 

[BilgeRat57]

I found a youtube video of a guy named freediver4life or just type in DIY cammo wetsuit, and he uses craft paints, acrylic, from the craft store with fabric medium painting directly on the neoprene. I followed his directions and added one thing because as a lefty and also an artist, I had to be me and had a few theories. I also added 5-8 drops of flow enhancer to the mix. NOt only did this improve the paint application, but made it so the paint applied, did not crack but helped the neoprene absorb the paint so it looked as if the suit was made that way.
I painted my suit a camouflage color to mimic the reefs around my state in CA along with added touches of old and new growth kelp. Using a large 6 inch brush with a sponge to blend, the suit came out great. I used it on a 60 foot 48 minute dive and also rubbed my arms and legs while under to see if the paint would come off. It was solid! If you do paint, wait at least 8 hours for each layer to dry and then when done, wait around 5 days before jumping into the sea. The directions on the fabric medium instruct you to "Heat Seal" the paint with an iron. Do not do that! I just put my wetsuit inside my pick up on a hot day draped over the steering wheel for two hours and presto! Me got bad ass looking camo wetsuit. Got good reviews at the beach and one guy commented on how the paint looks all factory prepared.. lol