First DIY, No sew SPINN Tarp

**Black Wolf** · 04-08-2012, 17:27

I use spinn all the time .. go get the waterproof spray from WW ,,bright orange lid .. set up your tarp and soak it with the spray .. they say one coat is good.. you'll have enough for two coats on that size tarp .. use the whole can ..
what I question is your RL tie-outs .. not sure what the peel strength is on the 3M .. in the sun or under high wind stress .. you might have a tear-out in the area .. it sure is a sweet looking tarp though ..
Fronkey .. kite builder has a ton of cool colors .. but as you know..once ya go to Cuben.. you'll never go back ..

**G.L.P.** · 04-08-2012, 17:33

sounds like the Spinn is not waterproof ... i had the same problem with a Batch i got not too long ago it's so hard to find waterproof spinn
the spray will work BUT it will work it's way off over time and use and will need to put a fresh coat on every so often
pretty much all spray on waterproofing will wear off over time
you can try to mix silicon and mineral oil but it will add a lot of weight to the tarp

I would try it in the yard under a light storm and see how it holds up
if anything it will be ok to use in the winter ,snow should slide off it so it's not a total loss

**dukedante** · 04-08-2012, 20:57

Originally Posted by nothermark

You can get some condensation on the inside from cold water in the hose cooling the material below the dew point so I would not regard a bit of damp a problem with the hose test. One has to be careful of the difference between leaks and condensation. ;-)

I'd say yes to this, except that its been about 8% humidity here lately so there's no water in the air to condense. Dry heat indeed.

**BER** · 04-08-2012, 21:42

Just curious if you weighed the Spinn before starting. Reason I ask is that sailcloth seem to traditionally be labeled as 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5 etc, but in reality often have a broad (often overlapping) range of weights, in part because they traditionally refer to sail maker's yards (28.5"x36"), and in part because they refer to the weight of the fabric before coating.

One of the guys on BPL who (I believe based on his comments) is a sail maker by trade mentioned using a product called Holmenkol on the Spinn fabrics to enhance water repellency. I have no experience with this product. Reference: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...hread_id=32368. I'm not sure which Holmenkol product he was referring to though.

I bought some Polymax Z-42 Spinn from Kitebuilder a while back. Haven't gotten around to making anything, but sent a sample to BrianWillan, and it apparently failed his waterproof testing. I had high hopes as it was only $3.50/yd...

**bcw** · 04-09-2012, 13:32

I think I will give the waterproof spray a try. Just to see if all the work doesnt go to waste. I didn't weight it before but I have about 2 full yards left will weigh that just to see.