Natural Wetsuit Lube?

[fogish]

Alright, I went out and did some experimenting. I have gained some girth so my suit now requires a little bit of lubrication to put on without possibly tearing it so this was a good time to test (just starting an exercise regimen, so bye bye fat).

I had 4 bowls of water with me, 2 freshwater and 2 extremely salty (not sure how salty, 1 cup salt to 3 cups water). I tried the salt water first to mix my lubricant with, it worked well and I was able to get into the suit, clean up was easy and quick as well. I then tried freshwater, it was slightly more slippery, and took a little bit longer to clean up.

I tried freshwater and salt water to clean up with, the salt water was slightly faster to clean up with, but it just took a little bit extra rubbing of the hands with the freshwater. I would have no problem using this at the ocean or a lake, or any place with water. It lubricates very well initially, so it is simple to get into the suit, clean up just takes rubbing your hands in some water. I have not tried diving for several hours and then seeing if there is any lubrication left, but it is not as hard for me to get out of the suit as it is for me to get in.


You can just pour a little powder onto the suit or your hand, splash some water on it (the suit), rub your hands all over to get it lubricated, rub your hands in the body of water (so they are no longer lubricated) and slip into the suit. Or you can mix up a batch prior, but I think it would be easiest to keep it in powder form and make the batch right there. It takes very little and is amazingly slippery.

 

[DiverTodd]

Hmmmm, J-Lube sounds like it might be a real possibility! And $9 for that cannister is pretty cheap, for how much it makes!

Todd

 

[wes]

I got some cornstarch and tried it the last two times at the pool. It didn't seem to help much at all. I put dry cornstarch in my hand and then rubbed it on my wet (from the shower) skin. It seemed a bit slippery on my skin though putting on the suit was about the same as just with water. I am scared to use only water as my Oceaneer Yamomoto 45 neopreme is very very delicate. Any suggestions on using the cornstarch. Do you mix it with water first? or what?

Thanks and Cheers Wes

 

[cigarlung]

Cornstarch straight on inside of suit and on your body just like talcum powder no water at all should not need that much less than a 1/4 cup my suit is opencell 7mm with nylon out no tearing has occured from cornstarch however hate to here your ripped your suit perhaps you can try at home before your commited to the dive in case it does not slide on. Good luck Wes

 

[speargearshop]

This is a topic that a few old time members addressed a while back and it led me to bring out what I've been using for several years and now produce and market.

SuitSlip is made and sold by speargearshop, www.speargearshop and is the ONLY wetsuit specific lubricant made. Not a hair care or skin care product watered down and repackaged, not a food additive nor a petroleum or harsh chemical base, it has no fragrance, is both fresh and salt water soluble and comes in it's own sprayer for easy application. testing with Yamamoto, Haiwa and Rubatex neoprenes has resulted in marked improvements in flexibility and seam health. SuitSlip reamins on the suit after a short spell on the boat or beach and can be reactivated with water or reapplied as necessary. The white miky color shows where it's going on and a couple sprays in each arm, leg and torso is all most divers need.

It is being sold both online and at the stores you'll see on the site and there are several DB members that have been converts to it's use from hair conditioners and powders which are ineffective once the suit is wet.

I invite all DB members to contact me with any questions.

 

[trux]

Not that I'd want to put the product in any doubts. I am sure it does what it claims perfectly. I'd just like to tell that it is not "the ONLY wetsuit specific lubrificant made". There are at least two others I am aware of, and likely you could find more of them. I have those two listed in my Apnea Media Base here: lube @ APNEA.cz If you wish, you can add yours too.

 

[speargearshop]

Feel free to add SuitSlip to your listing.

In it's development it became clear through evaluation, testing and outright inquiry that the several lubes out there, not just the two you note were primarily formulated for other uses such as hair and skin care and even automotive maintenance and then found to be useful, albeit with some negatives, for use in putting on a wetsuit. SuitSlip is not a relabeled product but a stand alone formulation for that one purpose.

Thanks.

 

[cdavis]

The stuff (suitslip) really is good, by far the best I've tried. I love the lack of odor and my wife even likes it. Says it makes my skin feel good after diving. Go figure.

Connor

 

[sross]

I think corn starch works well and is priced to sell

Heh, heh,

That brings back memories. I learned to dive so I could get a job back when I was an undergrad student. We had so little money that a lot of us were making our own suits out of neoprene sheets, and some of us had hand-me-downs and garage sale items that predated the invention of nylon lining.

We had never heard of the idea of using conditioner or special lubes. Our instructors all had the latest lined scuba suits (I'm dating myself here) and told us that in "the old days" people used to use cornstarch.

We brought a can of cornstarch along to every dive, and all the people who had unlined suits puffed clouds of the stuff through them, coughing a little before sliding in

I started making pretty good money diving, and got a cool nylon-lined scuba suit fairly quickly, but how things come around again, eh?

"Unlined" suits are referred to as smoothskin, and are de rigeur for the cool divers . . . plus ca change

 

[Fondueset]

Got an ingredient list - by chance? It looks good to me and I wanna be just like Connor when I grow up so I might gets some

 

[cdavis]

Whats the matter Fondueset, your , green, organic la de da conditioner no longer good enough for you? That stuff worked pretty good, specially at full strength, and smelled less bad than most of the stuff I've tried.

I'd really hate to see you grow up, but you will like the suitslip.

Connor

 

[Fondueset]

Normally I try to gratuitously kill a bunch of carp during the spring when they are spawning and harvest their sperm, but it can start to smell pretty bad - particularly if we have a warm February. I don't mind but my wife won't let me in the house. I thought about bottling it and selling it but you know what wusses most people are.

 

[cdavis]

There you go, another brilliant idea. Now freedivers can save the Great Lakes ecosystem by exterminating the carp. All for the pleasure of slathering up with carp sperm, the premier wet suit lube. I'm assuming it takes a whole lot of carp sperm to make sufficient quantities of lube for the global market. Think of it, save the ecology and get rich at the same time. But wait, given the aroma, where will the next generation of freedivers come from? Maybe we persuade our ladies to get slicked up with us? hmmm, that might be quite a trick.

Connor

 

[Fondueset]

whoah! This is getting dark and twisted!!:inlove

 

[laminar]

My girlfriend says this is keeping her up at night and I can't say that I'm complaining.

One question though: what happens when you absorb carp sperm through your skin?

 

[Fondueset]

Special powers; of course.

 

[speargearshop]

This may very well tie in with my best use for carp solution- fertlizer. In the meantime and while you guys are wiping off your chins... Fondue, send me a PM and I'll describe the SuitSlip some more and if you want, and this goes to all DB types, order abottle and I'll cover the tax.

 

[Fondueset]

Yo Sven,
Finally ordered some of your stuff - the email on your site doesn't seem to be working - I'll try it out with my brand new freedown suit from elios!!

 

[speargearshop]

just go to the website and order it, it'll come up on the paypal thing or sven@speargearshop.com or better yet call me at the number there and I'll get ya taken care of.

 

[Fondueset]

Already done