Wet suit protectant

[Bronze]

I see a lot of dredgers wet suits that appear to have some sort of RTV or sealant that they put over the knees of the suit. It literally looks like it is just smeared on.

What is this stuff? I am getting ready to go through my second set of waders and figured I would give what ever they are doing a shot to try and limit the amount of waders I go through a year.

 

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[NeoTokyo]

Many use Shoe Goo as it forms a good aquaseal.
It is does not react with water and stays flexible to an extent.

It will get harder over time though and eventually will have to be redone as it starts to come apart.

Neoprene Glues (which is the correct glue to use) will actually melt and weld the wetsuit so that holes are perfectly repaired and added layers of wetsuit to knee area's are welded perfectly.

Trident neoprene cement and Aquaseal are two brands that come to mind that are neoprene cements.
Visit your local dive shops too.

4 oz of glue
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Neopren...W942OsL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_

8 oz of glue
http://www.amazon.com/mEssentials-A...=UTF8&qid=1444334788&sr=1-1&keywords=Aquaseal

 

[winners58]

No substitute for a good set of knee pads, I paid $300 for my wetsuit paid $5 for knee pads at goodwill.
I use contact cement (not rubber cement) to fix holes in my wet suit,
on some of my older wetsuits I have bought used one's at goodwill to cut patches out of, works great.
the stuff they use like on the show "bering sea gold" is just bathroom silicone caulk.

 

[Bronze]

Ive tried and tried to use knee pads. The strap on the back always cuts off circulation and if its to loose they just fall off. Ive tried cheap ones, expensive ones and they all just end up in the junk drawer.

 

[Actionman]

I wear a tough pair of pants over the top of my wetsuit. Duluth Firehose work pants actually.

 

[winners58]

kinda of a pain but I wore out the knees on my last wetsuit I've used these two seasons now on my latest wetsuit, knees still look good
McGuire-Nicholas Contractor Knee Pads

 

[mike(swWash)]

I believe they use Marinetex. Expensive, flexible and super tough. If you use it as a glue, you better be sure you don't ever want to remove it....you can't.

Marine Tex, epoxy resin, adhesives, silicone grease, engine treatment, cleaner, repair, bond, fill, seal, fiberglass, aluminum, plastics, Starboard, wood

 

[Hoser John]

I coat all seams with wetsuit glue-many kinds-inside and out- to prevent thread loss/wear. I just check out the suit every week and glue all abrasions and good to go with vigilance. In some places I wear knee pads filled with silicone but problematic for me. All my Haney/Harvey brand wetsuits are ordered with built in knee and elbow pads AND most important is a pee zipper as much work, time and accidents prevented-John

 

[rebel003]

use the marinetex to glue a good set of knee pads to your wet suit, no strap to cut off circulation, never falls off, or gets left some where. just make sure they are in the right place before the glue sets....

 

[Master-Peter]

Just check for a company at your place that offers neoprene repairs or custom made suits. There are heavy duty glue on knee pads available especially for dry suits. They are usually made of rubber, but I have had Kevlar also. A pair should be about 10,-- $. They can be glue on. Better is to glue them on and then sew the corners. A brand I have in mind from the UK is BEAVER. Maybe there is a distributor in the US.

( As a scuba diving instructor I spent most of my time on the knees demonstrating skills or supervising students. A suit without knee protection would wear out in one season. )

 

[Master-Peter]

... by the way, I've also seen people cutting rubber dirt catch mattes or tire inner tubes to size and glue them on for refinforcement ant protection. Dunno how long this lasts.
Make sure to use a flexible adhesive for neoprene is working, compressing, bending, decompressing ... thats what makes many glues break or tear off.

 

[mytimetoshine]

I have what you seek...

I used to inspect house for a living in the Bay area. Almost all 24 inch and smaller crawl spaces. These were the ONLY thing that worked. Not surprisingly they work great for prospecting as well. More $ does not always = better. Give these a try I promise you won't be dissapointed. Heck I'll buy em off you if you are.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/15160132?...73751912&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78766192592&veh=sem

 

[jog]

I cut the knee sections out of my old wetsuit, slip them up over my knees on the outside of my wetsuit and no pinching or moving around. Best knee pads you can find and most comfortable. Going on my 3rd year with the same pair. Put some of the glue you guys are talking about on them and there bullet proof.

 

[ratled]

... by the way, I've also seen people cutting rubber dirt catch mattes or tire inner tubes to size and glue them on for refinforcement ant protection. Dunno how long this lasts.
Make sure to use a flexible adhesive for neoprene is working, compressing, bending, decompressing ... thats what makes many glues break or tear off.

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ratled

 

[Reed Lukens]

I've used "Long Style Softball Knee Guards" forever. I can just jump down onto my knees without worrying about any pain and they stay in place by themselves. Then if you want to get fancy, you can plasi-dip the outside or I usually just duct tape them. They last a season and give you complete leg protection along with mobility. You can fold them in half and slide them down to your boots when not in use and they are an easy on easy off tool that's perfect for gold dredging.
There's lots of brands and I get the largest to easily fit over my suit. You should wear your wet suit in to Sports Authority or wherever the first time to get the right fit. Probably most will use a men's 2xl or larger depending on the suit.

http://www.amazon.com/Adams-USA-Tra..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1C29610NEN746F7RYC0N

 

[emptyhole]

I wear the kids soccer knee- shinguards on my elbows when dredging shallow water and resting on my elbows.They look like the knee guards reed shows except smaller.