Wondering about the old Farmer Johns

[duckbill]

Farmer johns don't have beaver tails. Beaver tails are on the jacket that goes over the farmer john.

I always thought of "farmer johns" as being the combination, but I think you may be technically correct.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

When you are glueing in the new neoprene, do you glue edge to edge or do you overlap the material?

I glue edge-to-edge. First, spread glue on both surfaces, and let dry until it is completely dry. Then do this one more time. This builds up a surface for the final coat. The third coat, let dry just a few minutes until it is tacky to the touch (but does not come off on your hand) and press the edges together firmly. Let it dry overnight, and you should have a good seal which will withstand some abuse. If you stretch it too much, it will part, but probably the neoprene itself will tear. You do not have to sew it. This is how the original suits were made, before there was fabric on the neoprene.

Concerning the term "Farmer John," it does pertain to the pants, which look like bib-overalls instead of simply a piece which goes only to the chest. It could be with a regular jacket, or (my favorite) a pull-over jacket with an attached hood. At times in the warmer part of the year, I have worn only the Farmer John pants and a hood (under the shoulder area). This gives complete freedom of motion for my arms, which are restricted by the cut of my (and most) wetsuit.

SeaRat

 

[AnnSul]

Speaking of glueing wetsuits, have you noticed a lack of wetsuit repair materials for sale in shops? I can find neoprene cement, but not yardage, or crushed neoprene, or even rolls of 1" neoprene for seams.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Speaking of glueing wetsuits, have you noticed a lack of wetsuit repair materials for sale in shops? I can find neoprene cement, but not yardage, or crushed neoprene, or even rolls of 1" neoprene for seams.

I never see yardage in shops.
I haven't been diving long enough to remember, but I heard that you could go into a shop, buy a pattern, some zippers if you wanted them, a bottle of glue, and a sheet or two of neoprene and go home and make your own suit.
Now that sounds like the good old days to me!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I never see yardage in shops.
I haven't been diving long enough to remember, but I heard that you could go into a shop, buy a pattern, some zippers if you wanted them, a bottle of glue, and a sheet or two of neoprene and go home and make your own suit.
Now that sounds like the good old days to me!

ZKY,

Actually, I have one LDS that does have neoprene that it sells by the square foot. But it is expensive. I have an old suit from the 1980s that no longer fits, but which I have been waiting on until I loose about 20 pounds. Well, it doesn't look like I will loose that 20 pounds anytime soon, so it may be modified this spring or summer. I have two other suits that I have kept (I never throw away a wet suit) for pieces of neoprene. Some of that suit are in my company's overhead storage area, serving as bump pads against head hazards on high ducts. Other projects have been as a neoprene pad on the sharp edge of coffee tables, and one of those saved my son from a probable serious head injury when he was about 4 years old, and bouncing around over everything and took a header directly into the edge of the coffee table. He bounced up laughing, without a mark. There are many, many uses for scrap neoprene.

Concerning the pattern and making a wet suit yourself, that has not been available since the 1950s. I have a book, discarded by the Corvallis (Oregon) Public Library, that dates from the 1950s. There is no copyright date is on the book, titled Handbook for Skin Divers by George Bronson-Howard, but it is evident by the content, style and age of the book that it is from that era. In it there is a description of just what you talk about--making your own wet suit. I have scanned the chapter that covers this, showing the patterns for the wet suit, and how it is done. It is below.

Enjoy,

SeaRat

 

[tengsr]

Speaking of glueing wetsuits, have you noticed a lack of wetsuit repair materials for sale in shops? I can find neoprene cement, but not yardage, or crushed neoprene, or even rolls of 1" neoprene for seams.

There's a seller on ebay called " cleverbrand " that has - NEOPRENE PLAIN 1/4" THICK X 54" WIDE X 10' LONG for 170$ plus shipping. There's no nylon on it, and it looks like theres different sizes as well.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

ZKY,

Actually, I have one LDS that does have neoprene that it sells by the square foot. But it is expensive. I have an old suit from the 1980s that no longer fits, but which I have been waiting on until I loose about 20 pounds. Well, it doesn't look like I will loose that 20 pounds anytime soon, so it may be modified this spring or summer. I have two other suits that I have kept (I never throw away a wet suit) for pieces of neoprene. Some of that suit are in my company's overhead storage area, serving as bump pads against head hazards on high ducts. Other projects have been as a neoprene pad on the sharp edge of coffee tables, and one of those saved my son from a probable serious head injury when he was about 4 years old, and bouncing around over everything and took a header directly into the edge of the coffee table. He bounced up laughing, without a mark. There are many, many uses for scrap neoprene.

Concerning the pattern and making a wet suit yourself, that has not been available since the 1950s. I have a book, discarded by the Corvallis (Oregon) Public Library, that dates from the 1950s. There is no copyright date is on the book, titled Handbook for Skin Divers by George Bronson-Howard, but it is evident by the content, style and age of the book that it is from that era. In it there is a description of just what you talk about--making your own wet suit. I have scanned the chapter that covers this, showing the patterns for the wet suit, and how it is done. It is below.

Enjoy,

SeaRat

Wow! That's great!
Thanks John.

 

[muddiver]

I tried today, it was great but I had a hell of a time trying to zip it up it just wouldn't go, so I had to zip up the bottom and step through it and wrestle it on

When you leave neoprene in the closet for too long and it dries out, it shrinks.

 

[drbill]

Farmer johns are considered vintage. Oh, my... maybe I can sell mine. Unfortunately it has shrunk over the years and I can't fit into it now.

One of our shops here used them up until recently as rental gear.

 

[AfterDark]

Farmer johns are considered vintage. Oh, my... maybe I can sell mine. Unfortunately it has shrunk over the years and I can't fit into it now.

One of our shops here used them up until recently as rental gear.

Last year I bought brand new Henderson super stretch farmer john pants.
I don’t think the farmer john bottoms are vintage but the jacket with the beavertail is.
The top that goes with the bottoms I bought has long sleeves and shorts. Interesting design. I don’t see beavertail tops new anywhere.