Chlorine-resistant elastic?

I was at a fabric shop today looking for all purpose elastic and saw some that said it was suitable for swimwear. I couldn't read the info as it was in really small print. The elastic felt much softer than the all purpose stuff I bought - and it was more than twice the price.

elastic, I don't ask

Here's one I found in a google search

I used to use "swimsuit elastic" but in the last few years I have switched to clear elastic because I prefer having less bulk.

good option is Polyester Elastic. Polyester is also a great fiber for swimsuit fabric. Polyester/spandex suits last much longer than nylon/spandex suits.

--Betsy

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? "

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.

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.

From Wikipedia:

It goes on to say that Invista will be very cross with me if I say "Lycra" and don't mean their product. It also says that spandex is made in different ways, but doesn't go into the results of the different methods.

Joy Beeson

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.

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.

Unfortunately, while rubber is often the elastic option of choice, a suit that is left to sit may have its rubber elastic fail.

--Betsy

Thank you.

I've copied all the responses and forwarded them to my correspondent.