make your own sil.

[GaHammockGuy]

okay guys... here is what I really think.

Sure the tarp is more than likely NOT waterproof 100% but what I was trying to demonstrate is the following:

All tests being the same here are the results:

non-treated nylon held water for about a second...

nylon treated with one coat of Scotch Guard held water for a few seconds longer

nylon treated with two coat of Scotch Guard on the front and one on the back held water a minute or so.

nylon treated with method of of dissolving silicone caulk into mineral spirits held water OVER NIGHT....

I mean come on..... compared t othe initial test........ it's WATERPROOF.

all in all I am happy with the tests....

once I treat my 10X10 and set it up, I will give it a more realistic test with the sprinkler or a bucket or something....

Even if it is not 100% waterproof, i am still happy with the results of simply dissolving silicone caulk into mineral spirits and then soaking the fabric in the mixture..... I learned something new this week so its a good week...

oh by the way..... the video is up

[TZBrown]

this is excellent news- I have a venerable pack (Yak-pak; anybody remember those?) that has lost it's internal PU coating- and I was leery of taking naked cordura out where it might get rained on.
Yea, new project !
KM

I think it might be adviseable to turn the pack inside out for this procedure- then stuff it full of shipping peants or the like..and finally, hang in Garage to dry/cure.

Probably should pre test the reaction of the packing peanuts to the solvent first. If using white gas It WILL create a mess, mineral spirits may be OK. Possibly use a large plastic bag inside the pack and then fill with the peanuts before coating.

I have used this method on food bags and it works well, soak the bags in the mix, stuff in the filler bag and hang, wipe off excess.

[sclittlefield]

Another good test that shows the speed of water seepage through the fabric is to take a yard and fill it with a gallon+ of water, then suspend the bag o' liquid (I do this in the tub). The weight of that gallon+ gives adequate water pressure over a sustained time frame to show how waterproof the fabric really is. If it holds to your satisfaction on that test, you should be good to go on a tarp. That said, a garden hose / shower head test is also great - I'd recommend doing both.

[stoikurt]

Watched the video. There's no way you can put that kind of pressure on a hanging tarp to squeegee out as much extra moisture as needed. I suggest saving up newspapers to have enough for several layers this and cover your driveway or some other concrete pad large enough to open up your whole tarp. Then you should be able to get on it to squeegee with pressure.

[jeffjenn]

After watching your video, I have to wonder if you wiped too much away. I understand it worked for your testing so far, but how much silicone really got to stay on/in the fabric? You really gave it a good wipedown. Is this the "common practice" for wiping off the excess? Really glad to see videos on this by the way! Thanks!!

[GaHammockGuy]

Watched the video. There's no way you can put that kind of pressure on a hanging tarp to squeegee out as much extra moisture as needed. I suggest saving up newspapers to have enough for several layers this and cover your driveway or some other concrete pad large enough to open up your whole tarp. Then you should be able to get on it to squeegee with pressure.

Well actually I wasnt going to hang it and then squeegee it I was going to squeze it out as I transfered the tarp from one bucket into the next and then onto a pile of paper and just squeeze it and over and over.....

But I like the squeegee idea. Maybe I can get enough paper from neighbours and such...

Now to AutoZone to get a squeegee

[GaHammockGuy]

After watching your video, I have to wonder if you wiped too much away. I understand it worked for your testing so far, but how much silicone really got to stay on/in the fabric? You really gave it a good wipedown. Is this the "common practice" for wiping off the excess? Really glad to see videos on this by the way! Thanks!!

I was a virgin at the time. It was my first shot. I put a lot of pressure in hopes of PUSHING the silicone into the fabric and to wipe off any excess that my glob up and be unsightly... I didnt take into concideration that I may be removing some... perhaps with my full-size tarp, I may gently wipe off the excess and let the rest dry into the fabric.

[warbonnetguy]

Another good test that shows the speed of water seepage through the fabric is to take a yard and fill it with a gallon+ of water, then suspend the bag o' liquid (I do this in the tub). The weight of that gallon+ gives adequate water pressure over a sustained time frame to show how waterproof the fabric really is. If it holds to your satisfaction on that test, you should be good to go on a tarp. That said, a garden hose / shower head test is also great - I'd recommend doing both.

good point, with enough water weight, it will have enough pressure behind it.

[stoikurt]

May have missed it earlier, but what kind of feel and weight increase is their with DIY Sil?
I know real Sil has a slick wax papery feel and is .1 to .2 ounces heavier for 1.1 ounce nylon. When I seam sealed my tarp it has a rubbery feel and it's best to rub powder on it after it dries. Of course that may be from using a thicker solution.

[GaHammockGuy]

May have missed it earlier, but what kind of feel and weight increase is their with DIY Sil?
I know real Sil has a slick wax papery feel and is .1 to .2 ounces heavier for 1.1 ounce nylon. When I seam sealed my tarp it has a rubbery feel and it's best to rub powder on it after it dries. Of course that may be from using a thicker solution.

I did not weigh the test fabric, but I plan on weighing the tarp. I have it in a stuff sac and have scales that can measure down to the 1/8oz so we should get some accurate weight changes.

It is snowing bigt ime here (in ATL GA) which is very odd. we are under 3-4 inches now and have lost power twice. so the tarp will have to wait till it warms up and drys up a bit. maybe next week.

i have a new camera JVC and am having issues with transferring the video to my camera in a format that I can use Windows movie maker.

if anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them. otherwise I will take this issue to another thread.