Had a weird reaction to a new drysuit sealant last week

I was patching a small leak on my neck seal with a tube of AquaSeal FD. Mixed it up like always, applied it, and let it cure for the full 24 hours. Next dive was a harbor inspection in Seattle, about 45 feet down. After an hour, the patch area got super stiff and cracked wide open, letting in a cold rush. Had to cut the dive short. I think the problem was the water temp, it was 48 degrees, and that specific formula just doesn't flex right when it's that cold. Learned my lesson about checking the temp range on the product sheet. Anyone have a go-to flexible sealant for cold water work?

4 comments

4 Comments

jessica1302mo ago

Cold shock for the glue" is the perfect way to put it, that stuff just turns into a potato chip. I made a similar mistake once and ended up with a chest seal that felt like a plastic dinner plate, super embarrassing. @seth_singh20, that freezing test video sounds like something I need to watch before I mess anything else up. I'm definitely checking the fine print on temperature from now on, lesson learned the hard and wet way.

spencer_park262mo ago

Oh man, that's rough. I was reading a gear maintenance thread last week where someone said the exact same thing about AquaSeal FD in cold water. They called it "cold shock" for the glue, which seems right. It gets brittle and just fails. For my drysuit, I've switched over to Black Witch neoprene cement for any seal repairs. It stays flexible in the cold, like actually stays rubbery. It's a different process, you don't mix it, but it's held up for me through two winters now.

seth_singh202mo ago

Yeah, that cold shock thing makes total sense. I saw a video where a guy tested a bunch of glues by freezing them and then bending the material, and AquaSeal FD just cracked right off. @spencer_park26, you're right about the Black Witch staying rubbery, it's like a totally different kind of stuff. That test showed it still flexing like nothing happened even after being in ice water. Makes me wonder why more people don't talk about temperature ratings for this kind of gear repair.

the_tyler1mo ago

Wait you let it cure for a full 24 hours and it still failed like that? That's wild, I would have assumed a full day was more than enough. Makes it seem like the cold just completely overpowers the cure, which is kinda scary. I'd be so mad surfacing early from a harbor dive over some glue.