Re: Where is the best place to get Cabrinha bladders?
Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:49 am
Urethane glues ( aquaseal and similar ) can be used with a very generously over-lapping patch, but it all needs to be pretty flat. The problem I've often had with a glued patch is leak testing. You want to pump the bladder up pretty firm to find pinholes, and that's when the glued patch starts to peel.
If the deformed material extends over an edge seam, rarely will TearAid seal well along or over a factory edge seam. Best solution for bladder damage / deformation near an edge seam is to cut out all the deformed material and weld in a patch of new TPU ( thermoplastic polyurathane ).
Welding bladder film is hit or miss, unless you have the right equipment and tooling. Either spend the time to figure it out, or send it to one of the handful of repair centres that offer bladder welding ( Jonnie Eisler in the UK, Dr Tuba in Europe, Jim Haddox / kitebladder.com in the US, Comox Kite Repair in Canada ).
If the deformed material extends over an edge seam, rarely will TearAid seal well along or over a factory edge seam. Best solution for bladder damage / deformation near an edge seam is to cut out all the deformed material and weld in a patch of new TPU ( thermoplastic polyurathane ).
Welding bladder film is hit or miss, unless you have the right equipment and tooling. Either spend the time to figure it out, or send it to one of the handful of repair centres that offer bladder welding ( Jonnie Eisler in the UK, Dr Tuba in Europe, Jim Haddox / kitebladder.com in the US, Comox Kite Repair in Canada ).