REPAIRING rips in latex

[Ataraxia]

Gord
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Username: Gord

Post Number: 466
Registered: 11-2001


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Posted on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 12:19 am GMT: I had a rip in a suit last year, under the arm, which was part in the seam and part in the sleeve. I considered trying to fix it myself but in the end sent it back to Libidex for an estimate.

They promptly came back and suggested fitting a new sleeve for GBP50. It was the easy option at the time, they did it in a week and the repair has lasted well. As the repair was 25% the cost of a new suit, I sometimes wonder if it was value for money?

Has any one else had professional repairs done? What was the cost/turnaround/percieved value?

Gord. Information isn't everything - but it helps a lot!

Ataraxia
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Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 01:55 am GMT: Crossposted from makinglatexandleatherclothes Yahoo GroupXrev
From: snapbuttons Date:
Tue Oct 16, 2001 8:00 pm
Subject: Re: fixing a tear not on Seam?

Glueing the butted ends of the latex is useless.there's just not enough contact area.

The best way to glue a tear is to take a wide strip of lightly tacking sticky tape (about 3 times the length of the tear and at least 1 cm wider than the tear area), stick the two ends together to create a loop. Then stick one side of the lop onto a flat surface, so that you have a flat stick area. Lower one side of the torn material carefully onto the tape and attach with fingers.Move the other side of the tear as close as you can up against the other side and lower it onto the tape, sothat the material is in its original position and thetaer sides abutt. Smooth the latex onto the tape, then rub the latex with buffer solution to about 1cm around the tear (don't soak it or the tape glue willstart to disolve!!). Cut a patch from the same type latex to the shape of the area you buffered. Clean the matte side with buffer. Paint vulcanizer onto bothsides in the shape of the patch. Actually you willprobably need to make the area on the clothing a littlebigger. Allow to dry for 5 mins. As with glueing seams,lower one end of the patch carefully onto theglue-covered area of the garment (making sure it extendsbeyond the tear by about 1cm) and roll it off (withouttension and making sure not to trap air) with your hand.Pat down with your fingers, then roll with 1"wallpaper seam roller (under high pressure). VERY carefullylift the garment from the tape and rollagain.

The original tear will hardly be visible and thepatch on the inside will not be very noticeable, unlessyou've managed to get air bubbles trapped.

Liquid Latex is unsuitable fortears, because it does not vulcanize the sheet materialit is poured onto and will just peel off again. Hasanyone discovered a way to make it hold. I need to knowbecause I want to silkscreen liquid latex onto sheetlatex.
snaps

[Ataraxia]

Gord
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Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:59 am GMT: I wonder if RubberpairGB have a view on Ripplesmooth?

Sounds very disappointing. Sealwear is a reputable supplier, as is Coccoon, Libidex and Kastley.

Anyone else had problems with Ripplesmooth? Information is everything

Deerubber
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Registered: 06-2002
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Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:51 am GMT: hi gord,
thanks for the welcome.
the suit is by ripplesmooth.the suit split by bottom of the spine soon after purchase.sinsee then it has had several small splits.the seams are uneven & joines are frayed at the edges.its thin latex(not what we ordered) & the crotch is 6 inch lower than it should be,maybe a mistake on my part.the suit is jst over a year old
i think i'll stick to sealwear, thanks,

Gord
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Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 01:35 pm GMT: Hi Deerubber,

Welcome to IAR!

That sound like a good fix. Another option is to use a piece of scrap latex (if you have any) as you can make the patch whatever size you want, plus that material might be a little more stretchy that the bike repair patch.

Keep an eye on it, you might find the tough new patch won't stretch enough and will tear again at the edge of the repair.

You say your old Sealwear catsuit was a good 'un - what is the make of your new one, and how do you think it is inferior?

Cheers, Gord. Information is everything

Deerubber
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Username: Deerubber

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Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 01:21 pm GMT: hi,
my catsuit got a little split at the elbow,i fixed t by osing a commercial bike repair it.the best one is the patches with tappered edges as itblends in better & is less likly to rip off.
b the way,the suit in question is'nt as good as my last one by a diffrent maker (sealwear)

Shinymagic
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Username: Shinymagic

Post Number: 52
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Posted on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 10:11 pm GMT: Two options:
a) chop the end of the glove off (where the rip is)
b) or patch the tear.

Option (a) will be better in the long run because it looks better than a patch plus it will be stronger. Also, it is the easiest option. (b) will be a relatively easy repair, but won't look as good and could be the source for further problems.

If you can deal with the gauntlet being an inch or two shorter than before, I'd go with option (a).

Monotype
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Username: Monotype

Post Number: 8
Registered: 12-2002
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Posted on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 07:29 pm GMT: I have small rip, about 1", in a shoulder length gauntlet right around where you insert your arm, can anybody give me any recommendations as to how to repair it myself?

[Ataraxia]

CROSS POSTED from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/making...leatherclothes

146 From: <snapbuttons>
Date: Tue Oct 16, 2001 8:00pm
Subject: Re: fixing a tear not on Seam?

Glueing the butted ends of the latex is useless. there's just not enough contact area.

The best way to glue a tear is to take a wide strip of lightly tacking sticky tape (about 3 times the length of the tear and at least 1 cm wider than the tear area), stick the two ends together to create a loop. Then stick one side of the lop onto a flat surface, so that you have a flat stick area. Lower one side of the torn material carefully onto the tape and attach with fingers. Move the other side of the tear as close as you can up against the other side and lower it onto the tape, so that the material is in its original position and the taer sides abutt. Smooth the latex onto the tape, then rub the latex with buffer solution to about 1cm around the tear (don't soak it or the tape glue will start to disolve!!). Cut a patch from the same type latex to the shape of the area you buffered. Clean the matte side with buffer. Paint vulcanizer onto both sides in the shape of the patch. Actually you will probably need to make the area on the clothing a little bigger. Allow to dry for 5 mins. As with glueing seams, lower one end of the patch carefully onto the glue-covered area of the garment (making sure it extends beyond the tear by about 1cm) and roll it off (without tension and making sure not to trap air) with your hand. Pat down with your fingers, then roll with 1" wallpaper seam roller (under high pressure). VERY carefully lift the garment from the tape and roll again.

The original tear will hardly be visible and the patch on the inside will not be very noticeable, unless you've managed to get air bubbles trapped.

Liquid Latex is unsuitable for tears, because it does not vulcanize the sheet material it is poured onto and will just peel off again. Has anyone discovered a way to make it hold. I need to know because I want to silkscreen liquid latex onto sheet latex.

[niknok]

Hello there ,
I am a fairly new member and i have never "posted" a message before, so excuse any bungling of Etiquite but i need to know firstly how to prepare my rubber for gluing ,and also what kind/brand of glue or cement to use. I have a catsuit made by Libidex which has a small tear on the foot ,c/o a Rubber clad Lady at a TG do who was practicing her stilleto skills on the dance floor ! However she can be forgiven as she was very sweet and bought me a beer in recompence, and has also given me the excuse to make a contact to All the people in this comunity who have a Huge thing for this FANTASTIC ,wonderful,Shiny,Tight,Aromatic ,Squeeky,slick,Divinely sensual and incredibly Erotic material...YUUMMMMMMY I love it ,all of it ,the only trouble is finding people who feel the same way...phew got that one off my soap box...and i seem to have digressed er hem. All replies will be greatfully recieved and reponded to ASAP
thanx in advance NIKNOK

[Wired]

Greetz Niknok,

Wot a bummer, and those suits dont come cheap !
To prepare the latex for glueing you'll need some masking tape (low tack) to keep the glue line nice and neat and you'll also need to roughen the shiny side of the latex with fine sandpaper or you can use those green pan scourers,this provides a good bond with the matt side. As for glue, Copydex is the most widely available in the UK and provides an excellent bond with ample strength for most applications. I dont know how you intend to make the repair?
You could perhaps glue a small piece of scrap latex behind the tear and reinforce the surface with a thin strip of latex,although this may interupt the fine finish of the foot. If you dont have any scrap latex let me know I may be able to provide you with some.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Wired.

[Ataraxia]

Niknok- You will find a basic primer on how to glue latex here: http://www.rubberist.net/forums/showthread.php?t=577

(Note that I have merged your thread into this already well established thread.)

[gian23]

Hello you all,
I'm not sure I understood. For a very small hole in my catsuit, shall I use a bike repairing patch and his glue without damaging the latx itself?

Tks
gian23

[Wired]

Thats right gian23,

The adhesive contained in cycle repair kits should not harm your latex. Be sure to roughen the area to be repaired before you apply the glue and patch, this will give you a stronger and longer lasting bond.
hth

Regards,
Wired.

[Hmonster]

A small hole in a pair of my shorts was repaired using a bicycle repair kit and the repair is holding up well.

This was my first attempt at latex repair and all went smoothly, so rest assured that small rips/tears/holes can quickly, easily and cheaply be repaired using a standard bicycle tube repair kit.

Cheers,

"H"