Gluing Gortex

[TeeDee]

My Carinthia observer bivvi bag requires a repair.

Its made fully of Gortex but two of the materials that I assume were glued or adhered to each other have come away from each other.

Whats the best product to fix it with? As its on a curved arc of the front of the bag ( near the observer section ) I think I will need to glue in small sections and hold together with small clamps until cured.

 

[Stew]

I have no definite idea and just skimming past but I wonder if drysuit repair tape would work. My dry suit is not breathable but I know people who have breathable versions. I expect the tape is the same for both.

 

[Foogs]

Perhaps Stew's tape on the outside of the join and Seamgrip on the inside?

 

[TLM]

That is something I have never studied but I know that the problem is retaining the porosity of Goretex, that means a special adhesive or just spots here and there.

 

[Pattree]

How large is the repair?
What do you lose if the repair area isn’t breathable but the rest remains so?

Can you sew and proof a repair?

 

[nigelp]

You could use silicon sealer/adhesive to hold together and also add some stitches to hold and seal hole/thread with sealant. I have used silicon to attach tapes seams to waterproof jackets before.

You can also buy tenacious tape which will stick to any waterproof or silicon surface and fixed front and rear should hold. Again uses to repair tent flys, jackets and the like.

 

[TeeDee]

How large is the repair?
What do you lose if the repair area isn’t breathable but the rest remains so?

Can you sew and proof a repair?

Its around the main frontal drop down section and currently its hanging and creating an uncontrollable gape.
I need to get it repaired as opposed to moderating my expectations and living with it.

If I can't glue it I will resort to sewing it - not ideal but better than a kick in the mamm glands.

 

[TeeDee]

You could use silicon sealer/adhesive to hold together and also add some stitches to hold and seal hole/thread with sealant. I have used silicon to attach tapes seams to waterproof jackets before.

You can also buy tenacious tape which will stick to any waterproof or silicon surface and fixed front and rear should hold. Again uses to repair tent flys, jackets and the like.

Nice one - Thanks Nigel.

 

[TLM]

The original lamination is apparently often done with thermoplastic PUs, short AI search brought several alternatives to repairing delamination, I guess it is mostly a question of local availability.

 

[Toddy]

I confess I have very little success glueing goretex. In the factory they use heat on the tape, etc., to do so.

What has worked is
a) figuring out why it failed
b) being practical instead of wanting perfect renewal
c) sewing and then glueing, or using an iron very carefully to seal the seam/repair. I do a lot of crafts, I have tiny little irons meant for heating individual rhinestones to adhere them...
like this....it's temperature controlled so you don't melt the beads or the tape or the fabric. Available for under twenty pounds if you look around. Ideal for seam sealing though