stretch
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- jatakasawa
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dry suit
I have a 17 1/2 inch neck. I put the neck gasket around a basketball for a week and doused in 303 aerospace protectorant. Talcum powder on my own unshaven neck before putting it on. It's great.
Big Al
Big Al
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cut it! my understanding is that they are designed to be trimmed to fit, not stretched to fit. But experience has taught me they do stretch, so I stretch it a little first.
Seems like stretching it a bunch would not be a good thing. But what do i know, i usually only get a year and a half out of a neck gasket.
Seems like stretching it a bunch would not be a good thing. But what do i know, i usually only get a year and a half out of a neck gasket.
Larry
When I bought my last drytop, a Stohlquist Goretex, the neck gasket was much thicker than previous gaskets I'd dealt with on Kokatat tops. The older gaskets had stretched adequately over several weeks when put over a 3 liter plastic soda bottle. The Stohlquist took much longer, and if it hadn't been the off season, I would have given up and trimmed it. Trimming is the fastest solution, but then why did the Stohlquist come with no trim rings on the wrist gaskets? They even said not to trim.
I've heard it argued that such controlled stretching permanently damages a gasket, but probably the real damage comes when donning and doffing the drytop over our fat, lumpy heads.
For stretching, if you can steal a plastic traffic cone, it provides a wide range of stretch.
I've heard it argued that such controlled stretching permanently damages a gasket, but probably the real damage comes when donning and doffing the drytop over our fat, lumpy heads.
For stretching, if you can steal a plastic traffic cone, it provides a wide range of stretch.
- Smurfwarrior
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- Mike W.
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Elgotto, I stretch the neck gasket around a can of mold wax. I guess a can of car wax is probably the same size. Make sure the rings are on the outside. Spin the gasket & can as far as you are able in the opposite direction that you'll spin it for the cut. Think of it as winding it up. That makes spinning it as you cut easier & you're less likely to have to lift the blade during the cut. Then cut as Smurfwarrior posted.
If you are replacing the gasket it's easier to cut before you glue it to the suit.
If you are replacing the gasket it's easier to cut before you glue it to the suit.
Cut it
I had a gasket slowly split on me a couple of years ago, and it taught me that the neck didn't have to be nearly as tight as I though to seal. I now cut gaskets with high quality scissors, one ring at a time, and make sure they are comfortable without having to stretch them very much.
- ice-breaker
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