I don't think that'll be enough. I used 1/2 of a 10-oz tube and a quart of thinner on my 8x10 tarp, and it soaked it all up...
I don't think that'll be enough. I used 1/2 of a 10-oz tube and a quart of thinner on my 8x10 tarp, and it soaked it all up...
"Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda
just finished my first diy tarp(will post pic soon) and will be doing sil treatment next, but I'm afraid to mess it up if it turns out blotchy too. I'm thinking if I just foam brushed the back side and leave the front side untreated. it doesn't matter if the back side turns out blotchy since it wont be seen by others anyway. Now the question is will it perform just as well?
Last edited by StrawHat; 09-03-2011 at 11:40.
I ended up using an entire tube, but wasted a bunch of it. I mixed small batches in a bottle with pennies in it and a bunch of shaking. when the stuff started to set up, I just got another bottle, re-mixed the gunk, and threw the old stuff away. I did this in Yuma Az. last month in about 115 degree heat, so you won't likely have serious issues with the gunk setting up quickly like I did unless you live in the Sonoran desert too.
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Well I finally did it. Here is my DYI Black Cat Tarp I made a few weeks ago. I followed the instruction on this thread with the 5 to 1 silicone to mineral spirits mix, dunked it, and then hung it up to dry. The waterproofing seemed to go quickly and it looks like it worked just fine. Now I need it to dry so I can test it with the sprinklers and then it will be ready to use. I did get the weight the tarp before treatment and I will weigh it when it dries to get a good comparison. I am real happy how it turned out. The way I am going by the time I am done I will have a complete DYI hammock setup before long. Thanks all for a great thread.
TheXringHunt
---- EDIT ----
Ok after drying all day it is done.
Weight Before Treatment 17.35 oz or 1.08 lbs
Weight After Treatment 24.45 oz or 1.52 lbs
Not bad.....
Last edited by TheXringHunt; 09-04-2011 at 00:11.
In February of this year I made a 10X12 Camo tarp from DIY gear supply camo 1.1 oz ripstop and then sil'd it myself using about a 4:1 ratio. I have used it quite a few times, and through some rains with great results. This past weekend I was in a rain that started about 8pm and rained hard and steady all night long (with pretty good wind too). The tarp did great at holding the rain out on the body of the tarp, but about the middle of the night I woke up with water dripping on me! The ridgeline seam was pulled pretty tight and the ends were higher than the middle (side tieouts pull the center down). Either my ridgeline was leaking (I didnt seal it seperately just did it with the same mixture I sil'd the rest of the tarp with) or water was running down the underside of my ridgeline seam to the low point in the middle and dripping. The entire length of the ridgeline seam was wet on the underside. So I either need to seal my seam with a thicker (3:1) mixture or put some kind of drip cords on my ends. I have to do some testing during the day when I can see it better. Anyone else have similar problems?
Finally got tarp made and used the dunk method. Used 1 tube clear 100% silicone with 3//4 gallon of odor-less mineral spirits. Mixed it up good. Dunked tarp in bucket for about 5 minutes. Tied tarp and let it dry 24 hours.
Tarp did not pass the hose test. It beaded real good, but with any pressure the water came out on the other side.
Had about 1/2 solution left over - most of it seemed to be silicone.
Going to coat a second time.
What should I do different?
Mixture thicker
More time dunked in solution
Use foam brush to coat tarp with remaining solution.
Use something besides odor-less mineral spirits.
All of the above
Thanks
Knotty
"Don't speak unless it improves the silence." -proverb
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