I have used a technique to waterproof tents made from very lightweight nylon in the past that may sound a bit ridiculous but it works well. You can dissolve 100% silicon caulking (the cheapest brand of clear bathroom caulking) in coleman camp fuel, also known as white gas. This solution can then be "painted" onto nylon or in your case neoprene. You then let the fuel evaporate and all that remains is a think coating of silicon. I would guess this would work a bit better than the spray version b/c you can control the viscosity of the silicon. Just a thought to possibly keep some stuff out of landfills!
I suppose it goes without saying that this job should be done outside with gloves on! On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 12:53 PM, Dr. Erika Iyengar <[email protected]>wrote: > Hello! I am hoping someone can recommend a way to waterproof leaking hip > boots. > > I bought a number of pairs of crushed neoprene Proline hip boots for stream > work for my classes. After two years of infrequent use (and good storage), > the crushed neoprene is leaking. It is not the result of cracked seams or > holes--all of the boots are leaking from everywhere the crushed neoprene > exists. I have tried to use regular hiking boot waterproofing spray, but > it was useless. Anyone else have a suggestion? I can't bring myself to > throw out 12 pairs of (expensive) boots, but if they leak, they are > useless. (Funny, my student object to using leaky boots in February in > Pennsylvania streams. I don't know why. . .). > > I also wanted to give others a heads up about these boots--I would not > recommend them to anyone. Here, the cheaper boots would have been better > (and are what I now have). I called Forestry Suppliers about them, but the > warranty is one year, and they had no suggestions for ways to fix the > problem. They said it sounded like faulty crushing of the neoprene--but > that does me no good. So much for "deluxe, insulated, with thinsulate." > > Thanks for any suggestions, > > Erika Iyengar > [email protected] > Biology Dept, Muhlenberg College >
