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Posted by Betsy on May 10, 2009, 11:53 am
Joy Beeson wrote:
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> My original post wasn't clear. My correspondent wants to know which
> elastic fibers are least vulnerable to chlorine: "What kind (fiber)
> elastic do you recommend with good recovery and with good resistance
> to chlorine? polyester? nylon? latex? spandex? "
I am still a little unclear about whether you are just asking about the
elastic for the edges of the suit or whether you are also interested in
the fabric itself. I may not have as much knowledge as you need, but
here is a stab at it.
There are many elastic choices available now that work well in
swimsuits. For very lightweight elastic in the edges of a suit, my
current first choice is 100% polyurethane. If I need something a bit
heavier, I choose polyester covered elastomer. (I know this is way too
general.) These may not be the same choices that a swimsuit manufacturer
who has more purchasing options would choose. Many swimsuit elastics
include cotton. I avoid them because I feel that the slower drying
properties of cotton are hard on the swimsuit fabric.
As far as the fabric goes, different people have different tastes. The
thin stretchy swimsuit fabrics that last the longest are now 100%
polyester. They are a combination of more traditional polyester and
PBT(Polybutylene terephthalate).
The next longest lasting of the thin stretchy swimsuit fabrics are made
of polyester and spandex. Some people find poly/spandex suits a bit
more comfortable than the poly/PBT suits.
Nylon and spandex(or elastane depending on where you live) is still a
very popular option. It has a silky feel and shine, but won't last
nearly as long as the other fabrics.
Within these three fabric choices, there is a wide variation in
percentages of the polyester, PBT, spandex and nylon which affect the
stretch and durability.
In my personal sewing, my choice of swimsuit fabrics is generally
affected by price. I buy any decent swimsuit fabric I can get if it is
$2.00 US/yard or less and I have been lucky enough to develop a varied
stash in this price range.
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>
> Is there another elastic fiber besides rubber and elastane? There
> surely must be by now.
>
> Polyester, back when I was interested in climbing rope, was noted for
> having no stretch at all. Stretchy fabrics can be made of it by
> exploiting its tendency to resume its original shape, but as far as I
> know, it's used only for the covers of elastics. Still, the
> chlorine-resistance of the cover is important.
>
There is now PBT which is made of polyester, but is stretchy. It does
loose some of its ability to resume its original shape with lots of use.
I haven't seen any sign of it being used in elastic, just fabric.
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> Nylon was noted for making very stretchy climbing ropes, leading to
> the cautionary story of the fellow who ended up dangling fifty feet
> off the ground with two broken legs after an unintentional bungee
> jump. But the only nylon thread I've noticed much stretch in is wooly
> nylon, which gets stretch the same way polyester does. I haven't
> noticed elastics with nylon covers.
>
> Elastics used to be covered with rayon, because it is shiny. (Has
> elastic ever been covered with silk?) But "rayon" is about as
> specific as "synthetic"; there are a zillion kinds with wildly varying
> properties.
>
> Rubber: I was much surprised to learn that it's still around.
> Presumably new manufacturing methods keep it from going sticky and
> brittle.
>
Unfortunately, while rubber is often the elastic option of choice, a
suit that is left to sit may have its rubber elastic fail.
--Betsy
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> elastic fibers are least vulnerable to chlorine: "What kind (fiber)
> elastic do you recommend with good recovery and with good resistance
> to chlorine? polyester? nylon? latex? spandex? "