Wetsuit Repair

whynotwhycanti

Hi Guys

Anyone have any advice on repairing a wetsuit. Its one of the neck entry wetsuits, Quiksilver Cypher to be exact. At the front, there is a seam that is held closed by adhesive. There is no stitching, only the glue holding it in place and this glue has come loose. It does not mean that water is leaking into the wetsuit (hard to explain). Nonentheless i'd like to close this seam up so it doesn't get worse. My question is does anyone know if it is safe to simply glue this up with standard super glue? If not, is there some sort of glue you can buy for it?

Thanks

spaceHopper

whynotwhycanti wrote: »

Hi Guys

Anyone have any advice on repairing a wetsuit. Its one of the neck entry wetsuits, Quiksilver Cypher to be exact. At the front, there is a seam that is held closed by adhesive. There is no stitching, only the glue holding it in place and this glue has come loose. It does not mean that water is leaking into the wetsuit (hard to explain). Nonentheless i'd like to close this seam up so it doesn't get worse. My question is does anyone know if it is safe to simply glue this up with standard super glue? If not, is there some sort of glue you can buy for it?

Thanks

Check with the shop you bought it in or any shop that sell QS - it could be covered under guarantee. If you must repair it you need special glue - black with is the best brans ask in a surf shop.

whynotwhycanti

spaceHopper wrote: »

Check with the shop you bought it in or any shop that sell QS - it could be covered under guarantee. If you must repair it you need special glue - black with is the best brans ask in a surf shop.

Thanks man, was onto a surf shop there and they have a special glue so im going to get my hands on it.

dutchgoldtony

First, sew up the cut/gash using waxed dental floss (non-waxed will rot in water). When this is done, use a special neoprene glue to finish the fix (I used "black witch" before and it worked fine).

Obviously, this should only be done if you've exhausted the repair/refund option from the shop or getting someone who knows what they're doing to sort it!

whynotwhycanti

dutchgoldtony wrote: »

First, sew up the cut/gash using waxed dental floss (non-waxed will rot in water). When this is done, use a special neoprene glue to finish the fix (I used "black witch" before and it worked fine).

Obviously, this should only be done if you've exhausted the repair/refund option from the shop or getting someone who knows what they're doing to sort it!

Thanks for that. I got the wetsuit off ebay, from an ebay store. Does anyone have any experience with them and their return policy etc. I'll give them a shout and see.

dutchgoldtony

And one more little bit:
http://www.korduroy.tv/2010/repair-your-wettie-pt-1-seam-repair

loctite

my 2c.....

If going the repair route

If the seam was originally neoprene (like the welded seams on psycho etc) use black witch........

if was just plain glued you can use either Aqua sure, which bonds harder and is more rigid, unlike black witch, which can sometimes stretch and tear (hence why you need a stitch with it) or Bostik drysuit adhesive. Rock solid for gluing seams. It's used for replacing drysuit neck and wrist seals without any stitching.

If the area being glued is exposed to skin, avoid the aquasure as it sets pretty hard so if you have bumps in it, it'll tear the neck off you.

You should get aquasure in any decent surf shop, and the bostik adhesive in any online diveshop. Infact you'll prob get both in an online dive store.

dutchgoldtony

Ok, one last bit...
http://www.korduroy.tv/2010/repair-you-wetty-p-2-con-floss

FlashD

Hi,

Over the years i've had many rips in wetsuits mostly round the knee areas. I have always stiched them back up with strong thread and then sealed the stiching with aquasure glue, you need to leave this overnight to set, when it sets it is tough but flexible enough for movement of the suit.

To be honest I wouldn't be bothered sending the suit back to the manufacturer, I haven't bothered in the past even under warranty, you could be waiting quite a while to get your suit back.

Your own self repair can be done in an evening and ready the next day for the water.

gumbynation

if you attempt to repair it you void the warranty.

depending on how old the suit is and their warranty policy you may just ahve to send it to quiksilver direct.

other than that ive used black witch to fix suits in th past and its worked grand.