make your own sil.

**Tedinski** · 01-17-2010, 23:44

Originally Posted by TOB9595

Tedinski, What was your process of soaking and wiping? if any?
Tom

Silicone to Coleman fuel: 1:5
Apply with a big paint brush
squeegie off with a rubber blade (I used a $1.50 glass squeegie from Big Lots)

It took a lot of silicone to properly coat a tarp... maybe 3/4 of a caulking tube. These were heavy-duty canvas tarps, and soaked up the mix like a sponge. I've never used the mineral spirits for cutting silicone, but I would expect white gas to dry much more quickly.

My friend tried copying the technique using regular unleaded gasoline, but the result was less than spectacular, and the scent of gasoline stayed with the tarp for a LoOoOnG time!

I wonder if you could use a small air sprayer to apply the solution evenly and thinly to 1.1 nylon? You could mix the EXACT amount of silicone you wish to use (by weight) with enough solvent to coat the whole piece of fabric, then go at it! A standard HVLP sprayer should be safe to use IF NO IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT! I would worry even about an electric air compressor... perhaps use a large can of compressed air?

As stated above, however, you can buy SilNylon without much difficulty! Personally I'd only consider coating my own if I found a specific pattern/print that wasn't available pre-coated...

**GaHammockGuy** · 02-05-2010, 14:47

Okay...

I am by no means a chemist and don't like to mix things I know nothing about. Now I will experiment with spices and I will add butter to just about anything..... and of you can grill it I AM IN!!! If I could grill a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I would do it in a heartbeat, but I suspect the jelly would oooooze out all over the place and make a big ol' mess.

So... I was trying to avoid the mixing of the silicone and mineral spirits and found an option that might work. RainEX puts out a product that you can spray onto your automobile's windshields to help the water "bead off" which is (at Autozone) $7-8 for a about 8-10 oz. That would be an expensive process to test it on a 10x10 tarp.

They also make a product that you pour into your vehicle's windshield washer container that works about the same way. It is $3 for a gallon jug. This is more cost-appropriate so I gave it a shot.

The short version is that it failed. miserably.

To see the long version check out my YouTube video and watch.

So It looks like I will be peaking out side of my comfort zone and will try the silicone and mineral spirits method this weekend. I will test a small splotch of fabric like in the above example so if I ruin it, it would not be my home-made tarp that I am sooooo proud of.

**canoebie** · 02-05-2010, 15:23

Originally Posted by GorploafChalupa

I went thru all 14 pages in this thread, and didn't see anything about using "Brick & Tile Silicone Sealer". It's used for sealing porous tile or brick for exterior use.

The stuff comes in gallons. I could imagine dumping it into a bucket, stuffing in the finished tarp, and letting it sit overnight. Next day, hang the tarp up to dry, and pour the excess sealer back into the original container.

Anybody tried this?

GC

This stuff looks interesting: http://www.frogskin.net/index.html

**franksb255** · 02-06-2010, 02:08

Hey check out my video about this, I've tried silicone and gasoline and it worked. Coffee grounds remove the bad smells. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzR9-HASSIA

**JohnSawyer** · 02-06-2010, 02:14

Originally Posted by canoebie

This stuff looks interesting: http://www.frogskin.net/index.html

Ugh!

Sorry, not available in the following states:
California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island.

That's IT! I'm leaving California... It's getting so bad, I can't even walk down a sidewalk without some restriction, or safety warning.... Next thing you know, I'll get a ticket in my yard for not wearing proper closed-toed shoes on the "dangerous grass." I yearn for the days when you could just go buy a gallon of some nasty solvent without some jackass politician trying to regulate it because I might hurt myself... Not that I'd use VOC's for anything other than experimenting with making SIL

... <off soapbox> BTW: The "greener" mineral spirits from home depot (lower VOC's) dissolve silicone fairly well....

It's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for!!!! -- Will Rogers (always trust a cowboy!)

**turnerminator** · 02-06-2010, 07:45

I just searched through this thread and noticed that water based silicone sealant has not been mentioned(not the acrylic stuff called silicon). Would it not be a lot easier for you guys, as it means not getting smelly VOC's everywhere and replacing rollers/brushes for every coat and being dead easy to thin down...........just a thought.......

**MacEntyre** · 02-06-2010, 08:04

Originally Posted by turnerminator

...water based silicone sealant ...

Interesting idea!
Brand name?
Source?
Link?

**turnerminator** · 02-06-2010, 08:08

http://www.gib.co.nz/gib-aquaseal/

Not sure if this brand is stateside, but someone should be supplying.

**oldgringo** · 02-06-2010, 08:08

Originally Posted by MacEntyre

Interesting idea!
Brand name?
Source?
Link?

A search turned up just one, made in NZ.

**turnerminator** · 02-06-2010, 08:30

ELCH make one too. ELCH used to be known as Rhodia-they invented silicon sealant. I will eat my hammock if you cant get this water based stuff in the states.