has anyone figured out a permanent fix for holes worn in boot bellows?

[bauerb]

so my scarpas have a hole worn in the bellow about the size of a dime. as you can see in the pic, my "fix" is applying duct tape, which lasts 1-2 max. I was thinking about getting some Flex Seal, or gasket repair goop. seems like anything short of an aluminum patch bonded on will just wear through very quickly. has anyone found a solution? I saw that Crispi makes a "bellows protector plate"....

[connyro]

Yes.
https://sugru.com/about

[bauerb]

looks like the right sort of composite. how does it hold up to ski tip rub?

[connyro]

looks like the right sort of composite. how does it hold up to ski tip rub?

I've used it on ski tips where the edges were worn or chopped up and it works ok. There's probably better products out there for that use though. What's nice about sugru is that it's moldable and flexible while it still holds tight like glue. If you look online you can find recipes for homemade sugru but it's not quite as good as the real thing but for most uses it's good enough.

[fisheater]

Very cool stuff ! Thanks for posting Conny.

[Stephen]

Some plastics are “low surface energy” and are difficult to bond. There are ways to improve bond. One way is flame treatment.
https://www.masterbond.com/resources/su ... n-plastics
FWIW...
That Sugra stuff looks awesome. Could be many uses for that.

[fgd135]

*Sugru does not bond to oily plastics like polypropylene, polyethylene or Teflon™."

Scarpa's are, I think, made from PU and PeBax. Unless someone here has tried it with good results on ski boots, I'd sure want to find out if Sugru will reliably adhere to those materials.

[connyro]

*Sugru does not bond to oily plastics like polypropylene, polyethylene or Teflon™."

Scarpa's are, I think, made from PU and PeBax. Unless someone here has tried it with good results on ski boots, I'd sure want to find out if Sugru will reliably adhere to those materials.

I've used sugru on the bellow of my old garmont synergy's where I chopped it with my ski and it held for an entire season.

[satsuma]

I haven't actually performed the repair, but I am a retired chemical engineer with some experience with urethanes. Urethane adhesives are generally capable of chemical reaction with residual groups on the surface of solid urethanes or Nylon, which should make them adhere better at least. Keep in mind, this is theory, I have not demonstrated.

I would suggest trying several layers of fabric (cotton or nylon), combined with a flexible, 2 part urethane adhesive such as #M DP604NS or DP640 (an Amazon reference below) , which are dispensed via a syringe kit. The adhesives have a one hour work time, so one can apply several layers at once.

Dry the surface before applying with a hair dryer or heat gun, as moisture will also react with the urethane. If you can, tape the inside of the hole first.

[bauerb]

I like the direction this thread is going. we may end up with a solution. I was thinking of getting some JB Weld