I use to live closer to the ocean. We’d go surfing or diving and then make a consecutive trips the following day. Everyone knows the feeling of putting on a cold wetsuit, or had been too lazy after a great dive to wash their wetsuit. Hopefully none of us have been bit by a shark, but unfortunately many of us have ripped a wetsuit or two in our day, for me it was the dryer. I had put the wetsuit in the dryer to give it a quick tap of warmth and it had created a six inch long rip in the knee. I repair the rip and it’s lasted over five years. Here is how:
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I sewed the rip together with strong waxy dental floss that I knew would hold using a big thick needle.
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I then used a can of liquid Aquaseal that comes with a brush. Brush on some Aquaseal on the exterior making sure to paint in between the rip as you tightened the stitching just right not to tight but tight enough to hold together; try to keep the wetsuits form, or it might not fit right later. Let it dry a little before the next step. After drying, flip the wetsuit inside out.
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Apply a thin coat of Aquaseal on and around the rip at the inside of the wetsuit. Then place a single layer of pantyhose over the rip and the additional area that you applied the Aquaseal to. Remember that Aquaseal will make the wetsuit a little stiff where applied. Let it dry. After it dries completely cut away the excess pantyhose.
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After that all dries and the inside it taken care of, go back to the outside of the wetsuit and fill in any additional holes and make sure that it sealed. Should be almost as good as new.
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Materials:
Thickness sewing needle, thimble (maybe)
Dental floss
Aquaseal in a can
Pantyhose
