New Musto HPX dryuits

[richardjawilson]

Hi there, I have 2 new HPX drysuits. Someone told me instead of cutting the rubber wrist seals to fit I should stretch them instead, using a couple of coke cans.

1) Has anyone else heard of this?

2) Is it sensible?

Thanks Richard

[nitrox]

cut small amounts off the wrist seal until thy are comvy, trying to expand them with a ball or cans will just go back as thy where neal

[Chris]

Originally Posted by richardjawilson

1) Has anyone else heard of this?
2) Is it sensible?

Thanks Richard

Mine had a number of cut lines around the cuffs of the wrists and the neck as well. I just carefully cut along these lines taking off a section at a time until I got a comfortable fit.

[Andy_Hoff]

Hi

Whenever I do my seals, I make sure that plenty of powder is used when their dry (to prevent rotting), then just grin and bear it. Otherwise by cutting it after a time the seal will be too loose and it will need to be replaced.

[richardjawilson]

Thanks, I had oringinally thought of cutting them as I did with my previous suits, but a friend of mine suggested the strech approach. I like you would have thought that the seal would just go back to its original size.

thanks richard

[CJL]

Many dinghy sailors advocate cutting but it is common place amongst divers to put a football in the neck or a tennis ball/coke can/baseball etc in the arms. Works well but takes time.

If you are cutting make sure you get a very smooth cut with no nicks in it.

My suggestion try stretching and if it fails then try cutting.

Chris

[Richard Selman]

Don't cut the seal down until it is comfy in one go. There is a real tendency to over do it due to the combined effects of future stretching and possibly being in a nice warm room. I normally cut just enough off to allow enough air/blood to flow to prevent blackout and then give it a try in the water before removing any more. It may seem tight in the living room when you are concentrating on it but once you are doing something more interesting you soon forget about it.

I have about 4 suits on the go at the moment. I tend to keep my diving suit seals a little tighter since I don't have to keep it on for as long as when I am dinghy-catamaran sailing or ribbing (might be all day).

Richard

[chewy]

Originally Posted by nitrox

trying to expand them with a ball or cans will just go back as thy where neal

Thats bollocks, stretching it will work, lemonade bottles work for cuffs and a rugby ball for neck seals.
I'd leave them in a week at a time and see how you get on.
I don't like cutting seals as it can leave them prone to tearing.

[paul holder]

do not cut the seals what keeps the water out when you are in the water is the seales .
the seal relies on the surfase area of the laytex to do this .to ease the seals use plenty of talc and a object like a 1lt pop bottle for the wrists and a small foot ball or tuplewair bowl for then neck seal

[Terence]

i agree entirely , i use two coke tins in my wrists. and a builders hard hat ( cos thats what i have to hand ) in the neck and i wear my suit pretty much four or five times a week.

plenty of talc, most of the divers i know all seem to use french chalk or talc, the boss uses Vets lube on his .

my seals seem to have found their ideal size .

HTH

[chewy]

Originally Posted by Terence

i agree entirely , i use two coke tins in my wrists. and a builders hard hat ( cos thats what i have to hand ) in the neck and i wear my suit pretty much four or five times a week.
HTH

I left a hard hat in my neck seal for six weeks and it was fine when I got back, hadn't over stretched and was a nice fit.
I know someone left a wooden plug which we use for glueing seals, on for a week and the seal was shot as the seal was left bunched up and not spread even.

[richardjawilson]

cool thanks for that, so my friend was right re stretching the seals.

Thanks for all the help.

Richard

[chewy]

Originally Posted by richardjawilson

cool thanks for that, so my friend was right re stretching the seals.

Yup.