What's eating my hammock?

[jbo_c]

I have(had) a brand new DIY hammock. Wasn't even finished yet. Took it out yesterday to measure for the bugnet and I have an area of tiny pinholes in the fabric - of course, right in the center.

I'm sick. I'm new to sewing and had a lot of time invested in this one, not to mention that it was my first build with "real" fabric, so I had more money than usual in it.

I know this material did not have the pinholes before I put it away. The only place it has been is the back seat of my truck.

What eats or is caustic to nylon and would cause the holes?

Jbo

[Dutch]

I can't think of an insect taht would eat nylon. Maybe Deet?

[gargoyle]

If your a smoker, cigarette ashes may have blown around and melted them, since it was in your backseat or behind your seat.

Are they frayed holes or do they look melted and smooth around perimeter of holes?

Can't think of anything that would eat the fabric, it would have to be very caustic, like an acid of some kind.

It may be the Hammock Killer, he has been known to use an icepick to mutliate his victims.

[Ramblinrev]

Nothing living eats nylon except possibly cockroaches. (They'll eat anything.) But there are other possibilities. Is there a pattern to the holes? When you say "pinholes" how big are they? Did you rip out stitches at any point that might have encroached on that space?

Maybe some pics would help.

ps.. I wouldn't worry about it strength-wise. Some of us have laid in hammocks with major holes and not had probelms. If they are tine and/or fused and not fraying they should not be a problem.

[Dutch]

Come to think of it Cannibal probably eats hammocks.

[jbo_c]

Not a smoker. Haven't transported any smokers.

Holes are irregular shaped, but very small - maybe a little bigger than a pencil point to triple that size. The fabric is OD Brown, but around the holes, the fabric is discolored to an almost purple color.

I laid down in it for a few minutes and several of them tore or ran together. I'll retire this hammock and cut out the bad spots and the good fabric to make some other gear.

I have a theory now. I had two rings that were galvanized that I used on another hammock for testing until I could get some made of a more stable material. They got wet and corroded in a bag that also held my tree huggers. If some of the corrosion material(whatever it's called) was on the tree huggers and fell onto my fabric when I put the tree huggers in the bag, I think that could have caused my problem. I've seen metal corrosion "eat" all kinds of things.

What do you think?

Jbo

My consolation is that at least it wasn't a retail $150 plus hammock.

[Ramblinrev]

sounds like corrosion could do that. It is not heat related if it is not fused.

[Dutch]

Either that or Cannibal.

[Cannibal]

Come to think of it Cannibal probably eats hammocks.

Only if it's between me and a funnel cake.
Don't have any cats do you jbo_c? I caught one of mine gnawing on a piece of scrap nylon ripstop. I could see their nails causing pinholes.

[gargoyle]

Do a test on your now ruined hammock (sorry about your loss, where do we send flowers) and set it up under the same conditions to see if your galvanized metal theory is on track. It would be a nice piece of info to know in the future. If galvanized metal juice is toxic to fabrics like nylon, sil, polyester, we should all stay away from it. Again, sorry about all your hard work going down the drain, I know when I loose my first hammock, I'll be upset, too.

Think of it as donating your hammock to science, and a good cause, for saving other little baby hammocks all around the world.