On January 21, 2024, while wearing my vibrant green catsuit from The Kink On, one of the shoulder seams fell apart. I was devastated because I love my green suit. I had just gotten it working again after the zipper got stuck in the rubber flap on the back, and I had been excited to start wearing it often again.
But, seeing as it fell apart at the seam and wasn’t ripped or otherwise damaged, I figured I’d be able to repair it. But, having never attempted rubber repairs myself, I was intimidated by it.
In this blog post, I’ll share how I repaired the seam of my rubber suit and what the process was like for a first-timer.
Materials for rubber repairs
First, let’s start with the materials I needed to complete the repairs.
Rubber cement or glue
Obviously, you’ll need some sort of rubber cement or glue to actually make the repair. I already had some rubber tire cement from Napa Auto Parts, which some fetishists also use to repair their rubber. So, I didn’t need to buy any rubber cement.
A FetLife thread in the Making Latex Clothing group has some great tips for which products to use. Many kinksters recommend using Best-Test Rubber Cement (thinned 50/50) or an inner tube repair cement. Many shops use a Bostik 3581 glue. Comments wrote to avoid the product Pres-Tite.
The Napa tire cement ended up working just fine. That said, I’ve only worn the suit once since repairing it because the zipper got stuck again. Replacing the zipper will have to be my next repair.
Solvent/thinner
You’ll also need a solvent or thinner to thin the rubber cement and clean the old glue off the rubber. Almost everyone recommends Bestine Solvent and Thinner for Rubber Cement (a heptane product). I also purchased this product, and it worked just fine.
Many recommend not using mineral spirits or paint thinner on rubber because it can cause damage.
Roller
For seam work, you want to have a roller to gently press down on the seams. Many say you can use a drywall roller or other craft tools available at stores like Michaels. I purchased a four-inch Rubber Brayer Roller from Amazon.
Gloves
You shouldn’t be touching rubber cement or heptane solvents. I used nitrile gloves since they have more chemical protection than standard disposable latex gloves.
Repairing the suit
Here’s how I repaired the suit, and I’ll follow that up with some advice from those with more experience than me.
I cleaned the suit with soap and water and applied a thin coat of Vivishine so it wouldn’t stick together. I then used a gentle microfiber cloth to clean the area around the seam with the Bestine Solvent. This required some work to wipe away the factory glue, but it eventually came clean.
Once the area was clean and glue-free, I applied the Napa tire cement. I made a mess on my first attempt and had to wipe excess cement off the suit where it dripped from the brush.
I then placed the seams atop each other and rolled them with the rubber roller until I was satisfied.
My work isn't perfect. I had trouble lining the seams up as they were before, so there’s a spot where it folded up, and there’s a tiny gap. This means some air gets in when I wear the suit, but it’s fine. I can probably seal the small gap easily enough, especially if I were to reinforce the seams from the inside with another piece of rubber.
I then let the suit dry. The longer you let it dry, the better it will hold up. Well, I didn’t want to chance anything, so I put it away. I ended up not wearing it for months. You don’t need to let it dry for that long.
Tips from experts online
While my repairs worked well enough, there are those more experienced. Many say to apply a thin coat of rubber cement to each surface and let it dry a bit before aligning the pieces. I didn’t do that.
You’ll want to stay away from paper towels or cotton swabs, as these can leave pieces of cotton and fibers in the cement.
You’ll also want to work in a well-ventilated area. You don’t want to breathe in a lot of heptane. I’d wear a mask or a gas mask.
Some people use masking tape to prevent the rubber from curling. I haven’t tried this, so I can’t say for sure.
Conclusion
All in all, I think my first-ever attempt at repairing rubber went well. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a great first experience at doing so. Now I’ll feel more confident when I need to make a repair in the future.
Have you ever repaired rubber? What are your tips? Let me know, and maybe I’ll share your insights here.
If this is your first time visiting my site, hello! I’m LatexRocker/Rubberium. You can check out some of my other articles to learn more about my experiences with latex and rubber and learn more about the fetish/kink community.
Thanks for reading.
