Silnyl, real of not

**sodastat** · 11-22-2009, 14:13

Hi,
I found what might be a supplier of Sylnyl close to home, at least it looks like sylnyl, and the let me take a small sample to test. I got about a credit card sized piece but how do I test it to make sure. I brought along a small bottle of water and tested it there and for a minute anyway no water leaked through. Anything else I can do?
Thanks
Dave

**sclittlefield** · 11-22-2009, 16:47

Its easy to mistake very slick DWR ripstop for silnylon. Your best bet is to get a sample of actual, for sure, silnylon. It is quite distinct from slick dwr, but until you get a feel for both it can be difficult.

For your water testing, if it helps I suspended a pool of water over a bowl with the Ultrasil I use in my tarps. Over 100 hours later nothing had gotten through (only reason I stopped then is because most of it had evaporated). There are different grades of sil, but for at least an overnight test you shouldn't have any get through. With DWR, much, if not all, will bleed through overnight - especially if you run your finger along the cloth with the water in it.

I do find it strange that a supplier that gives out samples doesn't know what they're offering - unless it's Walmart or Joann's, they tend not to have a clue when it comes to this sort of material.

**sodastat** · 11-22-2009, 17:20

Thanks for the tip, and this supplier is a fabrics discount outlet that sells anything that comes in and they said they never know what comes in, just seems to be rendom. But if it is Sylnyl, its something like four bucks a yard.

**sclittlefield** · 11-22-2009, 17:28

You can beat that price at Noah Lamport - $3.00/yd for sil seconds (very good 2nds, I used some for prototypes in the past and never had an issue with its quality). With shipping you're still looking at just under $4.00/yd. And this way you know what you're getting. (Note: you have to call Noah Lamport to find out about their silnylon)

Another option you may want to consider is getting a fabric swatch card from OWFinc.com. Doesn't cost much, and you'll have lots of examples of fabric to give you a good idea of what is what.