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  1. #1
    Senior Member Peg-Leg's Avatar
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    Close-up of seam sealing job?

    Anyone have pics of their tarp's sealed seems? I feel like I'm being way too messy with what I've tried.

    Thanks!
    If God had meant for us to sleep on the ground,
    He wouldn't have created trees....

    “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul.” - John Muir

  2. #2
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    I don't have any pics handy, but you will have some discoloration as the silicone your adding dries. As long as it doesn't leak...who cares.

    Try to dab it on the seams only, and lightly around the edges of the hem. If your getting alot of run-off, thicken your mix (if your doing the homemade sil/thinner) or put it on a paper plate and use a small craft paintbrush to apply. Those disposable acid brushes work good too. Old toothbrush works as well.

    I string mine up TIGHT, indoors, with the seams at chest heigth, apply sil/seamsealer, let it hang to dry for a day or two inside. I have a ridgeline seam, so I put a coat on that first, then deploy the sides out a little a do a coat around the perimeter. I do the insides of the ridgeline seam at his time, also. Keeping everything tight helps. (while it dries, take a nap under your indoor tarp, dream.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  3. #3
    Senior Member DougTheElder's Avatar
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    Several have posted about different ways to do it, but I have had good results using silicone sealer from Lowes or SilNet, diluting it with odorless mineral spirits, and painting it on with one of those 1" wide foam brushes. You have to add a fair amount of the mineral spirits and stir well to get the proper consistency, but after that it's just a matter of painting it on. I've not been able to paint a straight, neat, well-groomed line, but the results have nevertheless been good. I think doing it is just like a lot of the other things some of us agonize over- it just ain't that big of a deal.
    Sometimes even a Blind Hog finds an Acorn

  4. #4
    Senior Member Peg-Leg's Avatar
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    sealing tarp

    Thanks guys.

    Doug,

    I bet the Sipsey is awesome right now with all the frozen waterfalls!
    If God had meant for us to sleep on the ground,
    He wouldn't have created trees....

    “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul.” - John Muir

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    how often do you have to seal a tarp?

  6. #6
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cooldays View Post
    how often do you have to seal a tarp?
    Once, provided you get a good coat the first time.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  7. #7
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Before it starts leaking...hopefully. Seams I do once a year, springtime usually. Respray the entire tarp with sillicone spray, too. I want to try the bucket-method and dunk my tarp. Next spring, I'll give that a whirl.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  8. #8
    Senior Member TinaLouise's Avatar
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    my seam sealing isn't the prettiest but as long as it doesn't leak, I don't care. About a month ago I was camping with my scouts and it rained buckets the first night. All of the scouts tents leaked!! And ... I woke up around 3am because I thought I felt water on the side of my head!! Laid there just listening to the rain beat on my tarp (rain can sure make a loud noise when it's raining buckets) and was just before dozing back off when I felt another drop of water hit me in the face!!! Well it was raining buckets and the leak was very slow so there wasn't much point of me getting out and getting soaked, so I covered my face and went back to sleep. When the sun finally came up I was able to inspect my tarp and by looking from the inside out, I could see 1 (that's ONE) tiny hole made by a sewing needle in the seam that I'd missed with the sealer (how I missed it but still managed to spread sealer all over the place is beyond me). My hammock was only a little damp as most of the drips landed on my head. When I got home, I hung the tarp outside and resealed the ridgeline seam where the leak was. Thing is, I've tested my tarp at home in the rain to make sure I had it sealed and it never leaked. The real test I've found is to be able to not leak in a really bad rain storm. And you just don't get those every day.
    I reseal about once a year and I try to keep a watch on my gear for any problems before they show up at inoppertune times.

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