1st time repair

Muddy Funkster

New member
I have a Cordura Warmbac that has split right along the arse seam, most of the way around.
Having never attempted to repair one of these before, I wondered how to go about doing this.
Patching I guess, but where can I get patches of the right material from?
Do you glue on a patch or is there some kind of miracle stitch than can survive the rigours of caving?
Maybe it's time to get a new one though?
Any advice given greatly appreciated.
Matt
 

Les W

Active member
I would sew it up then patch it with an offcut of cordura. Perhaps stitch on the patch and then aquasure the stitching and edges of the patch...

Or if you are flush, buying a new one is a lot easier...
 

SamT

Moderator
Another vote for Aquasure - aka seam sealant.  I've repaired a few rips in Warmbac oversuits over the years as well as tacklebags.  Stitch with heavy duty thread, daub stitching in seam sealant.  I've always found that the repairs out last the rest of the suit.

Be warned though - it sticks vehemently to everything, fingers, clothing, carpet and is nigh on impossible to wash off.
 

Les W

Active member
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Aquasure is very resilient. Its a good idea to aquasure prominent seems on new oversuits to protect the stitching from new. Dragon used to do this on the backside seems of their suits
 

Maj

Active member
Yep, Aquasure gets my vote too.
I run a bead of it on the vulnerable seams on new oversuit before I use them for the first time. The protected seams then last an awful lot longer. Tubes once opened soon harden, that is unless you store them in the freezer. I've kept part used tubes in the freezer for more than a year, and once allowed to reach room temperature are then ready to use. I usually buy mine from Magic Seaweed  http://store.magicseaweed.com/McNett-Aquasure/Item/884/. Best to buy the 28g/30ml tubes rather than the 2 x small tube packs.
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Maj.
 

Amy

New member
Make sure to use a non-cotton thread though, cotton thread is weaker and I can't think of the word I'm looking for but basically gets eaten through quick. I use heavy duty poly over poly thread for making all my caveclothes. I've been using shoegoo for seams i'll have to look at this aquaseal though!
 

jarvist

New member
I always now buy 'Gutermann - Topstitch' thread, very high quality German thick 100% polyester thread. A little bit pricey perhaps, but nothing compared to the cost of my time per-metre for hand sewing.

Don't forget to give the suit a good clean before gluing - a nail brush / nylon scrubbing brush and running water seems to work well. Even then, the grit in the fabric makes it bloody difficult to get the stitches through, a sailors palm & beeswax block to wax the needle between stitches is a good help.

Cotton thread rots.
 

Muddy Funkster

New member
Wow, thanks people :)
Some excellent advice here for sure. Going to go for the repair by stitching and aquasure then patching followed by the Aquasure.
Will definately make sure that all seams on any new oversuits have been aquasure'd as well.

Matt
 

estelle

Member
i use a sewing awl for repairing oversuits with the thread that is used for repairing sails - i find that is generally stronger than the oversuit itself! I have also learned that the best preventative treatment for cordura oversuits is to take it caving a few times to take the shine off the newness and make it so the glue sticks better then scrub it really clean and run aquasure down the seams - particularly the arms and back ones. This does seem to make a lot of difference to the longevity of the suit.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Aquasure is extremely good.

Just be aware that it's a high viscosity liquid, so it slowly sags and flows off the repair item, dripping onto carpets etc if you're not careful. Always put newspaper or suchlike underneath a repair job and you may have to do the job in small sections if you can't keep the whole area where the Aquasure is applied absolutely horizontal.

Don't over apply it as thick accumulations can eventually get brittle under certain conditions; the resulting crack in the Aquasure then creates a localised weakspot leading to possible further tearing of the garment. As with any substance of this type, always thoroughly clean the area to be repaired (preferably with an organic chemical solvent). Observe safety precautions as well (as on the tube / solvent containers).

Tubes of Aquasure have a habit of going solid, once opened. I avoid this by only breaking the seal with a narrow pin at first, tightly wrapping the tube in plastic bags (to limit evaporation of the solvent) and keeping the tube at low temperature (in the fridge) once opened. (You do need to allow it to warm to room temperature before use otherwise it's too viscous to get out of the tube.)

There are many generic versions of Aquasure - and similar substances for other jobs such as building up the soles of worn running shoes. In my experience Aquasure is by far the most successful of all the options and well worth paying the extra for.

Good luck!
 

jarvist

New member
Hi estelle,
I always thought an awl was a bit over the top for oversuits, but I guess it's better than snapping leather needles! I must admit I managed to apply sufficient pressure to a cheap thin metal thimble to cause it to fail while I was stitching a repair in my tent on expedition, with the inevitable result that I had the eye + thread of the needle rather forcefully inserted halfway into my thumb.  :confused:
Do you actually sew a full lock stitch with it, or is there something else clever you do?
With the sail thread, do you know whether it's nylon / polyester or something more exotic, and do you use the pre-waxed sort?
 

estelle

Member
the one i use is http://www.bosunslockerchandlery.co.uk/819/Speedy-Stitcher-Sewing-Awl.html and i'm still using the thread that came with it which is definitely waxed. I just followed their instructions for the loop stitch and it seems to work quite quickly once you get used to it. I got fed up with either breaking needles or stabbing them into myself and the sewing awl is so much better for avoidance of both and seems to go through quite a few layers of oversuit, even on the seams!
 

Ed W

Member
I've not sewn a nylon oversuit in years.  I am absolutely crap at sewing and just like Jarvist had my fill of pulling needles out of my thumb!  Instead I rely totally on gluing patches, even for repairing seams that have parted.  I use a high quality impact adhesive on a clean patch and oversuit.  I religiously follow the instructions for the glue, especially hose for length of time to cure before handling.  I use old diving weights to hold the patch in place whilst it is curing.  Once cured I run a bead of adhesive (aquasure or one of its clones seems best) around the edge of the patch.  These patches can survive very well indeed - and will survive years of abuse if done well.  On occasion if the patch starts to lift a quick clean and reglue seems to work well.

The best example I have is a warmbac lightweight suit on which  the leg tore almost completely off after a dispute with some scaffolding.  This was glued back together with a patch of material (cut from a dead nylon oversuit) the best part of a meter long and about 75mm wide.  This has survived dozens of trips over the past 4 years or so.  The only drawback I can see when compared to a sewn patch is that this ends up being a bit stiffer.
 

Burt

New member
I've just repaired about 10 suits with various types of glue and cordura patches.
The first thing is to make sure they are as clean as can be - I took mine to the launderette (they didn't know!) then follow the instructions on the glue to the letter. Make sure the edges get a good layer - if you go over then dont worry - there is a plan.

Put the patch on and press hard for at least 1/2 hour - I put old newspaper over the completed repair, then an old cupboard door, then 2 breeze blocks on top of that! The newspaper stops the overspill of glue sticking to everything else as you can just tear it away.

I've tried:
Bostik 3206E - Makes a very stiff but very strong repair, with lots of curing fumes - I think it's trichlorethane based (if that's how you spell it - like old tippex thinners)
Aquasure - very good but very expensive if youre doing lots of repairs
Evo- stik - cheap and cheerful but messy and not great at prolonged water immersion
Screwfix no nonsense impact glue - even cheaper but no conclusive results yet.

Enjoy the hallucinations after a sticking session!
 

Les W

Active member
Burt said:
I've tried:
Bostik 3206E - Makes a very stiff but very strong repair, with lots of curing fumes - I think it's trichlorethane based (if that's how you spell it - like old tippex thinners)

2402 Bostik is the dogs, it was used to stick hovercraft skirts together at a place I once worked. It is really good stuff for sticking patches, but sewing and aquasuring the seams/stitches/edges as well will give a bomb proof repair...  (y)
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Thanks Les - that's worth knowing as well.

I get through loads of Aquasure. When I walk in Bernie's and ask Andy for "the usual" he automatically reaches for the Aquasure box. So far today I've used Aquasure to seal a leak on the elbow of a neoprene drysuit, to repair a seam on a rucsack, to lock the knot on some nylon string holding a pencil on a dive slate and to stabilise the wear on a scuffed bungy cord knot on my digging harness.

The one pain is that it takes many hours to cure properly - repairs really need to be done the day before you use the item. There is an accelerant liquid which can be mixed with Aquasure, greatly speeding up the curing. Distant memory tells me it's called "Cotol" or something but I've never actually tried this. I suspect it might be a bit messy to use.
 
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