For those of you who like to DIY, you may find yourself working with neoprene from time to time whether you are making your own spray skirt or kayak seat, or patching up some of your gear. However, you can’t always expect the neoprene you cut yourself to be as clean as the pieces coming out of the wetsuit factory. There are several outfits that cut neoprene industrially. The methods they use are usually better suited for mass production, and include die cutting, laser cutting, and even water jet cutting. Die cutting, for example, requires a blade shaped specifically to cut the shape of the part – this means it’s not worth it to die cut a single part, but can be very efficient for high volume production. Laser and water jet cutting require expensive equipment that no one in their right mind would purchase for a low volume job.

If you are cutting neoprene for a DIY job or a prototype, you have a number of options available:

Scissors – This is your first option because it’s very likely that you already have a pair lying around. But cutting neoprene is not like cutting paper or cloth, so you have to make sure your scissors are particularly sharp. If you have a sharpener, it will be worth it to sharpen up those blades before cutting rather than gnawing through the neoprene with a dull pair. You may also find that there’s a limit to the thickness of the neoprene that you can effectively cut with scissors.

Razor blade – If you only need to cut the neoprene in straight lines, this is a good way to do it. Lay the neoprene sheet flat on a cutting board, line up a metal edged ruler with the cut line, and slice slowly and steadily with the razor blade, bearing lightly against the ruler. This also works with very sharp knives, such as X-acto knives. It is possible, of course, to cut curves with a blade, but it may take some more practice to do it cleanly.

Rotary cutter and mat – A rotary cutter has a circular blade and a handle, and resembles a small pizza cutter. You can use one of these in conjunction with a cutting mat to cut more complex shapes out of neoprene. Lay the neoprene sheet flat on the cutting board. Trace the pattern first using chalk, then roll over it with the cutting wheel. Not that many people have one of these just lying around the house, but they are not too expensive if you think you will be cutting more in the future.

When cutting neoprene, be careful not to stretch it, or your final shape may be deformed. This is another reason why the cutting wheel often works better than scissors.

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