Rainfly Painting

[coolhndlke]

can GE II silicone be dyed? That's what I used for my repair and it sticks great. You could certainly put sparkles in it...

Found this on another site. I keep turning up empty, but thanks all for the great ideas!

"My main concern with a silicon coating would be whether it prevents the dye from reaching the nylon, causing uneven dyeing. The silicon coating is intended to repel rainwater, after all. It is probably impossible to get a smooth single color with dye, as long as the silicon coating is intact. "

[Brute1100]

I can say this if the main reason you want to do it is for reflectivity... I keep some 3m reflective strips in my pack, they were scavenged from a neon green/blaze orange workers vest that construction and road crew workers wear...

It is actually a fabric with that coating, why not strip that stuff into 1/2 inch strips and sew it onto the seam... I usually just hang a piece off one end of my tarp suspension and you can see it from several hundred yards in the day assuming you have line of sight...

[bodhran4me]

What if you made a DIY bed sheet tarp http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=46704 using paintable silicon ?

[FBG]

I know it might not be reflective, but how about colored silicone caulk? I did a quick search and the first link was 130 Colors of Caulk! Thin out your caulk of choice with mineral spirits and add glitter maybe?

[gargoyle]

I know it might not be reflective, but how about colored silicone caulk? I did a quick search and the first link was 130 Colors of Caulk! Thin out your caulk of choice with mineral spirits and add glitter maybe?

Tried it, no luck.
The diluted colored caulk does leave a temporary "stain", but nothing I would call a quality result. Over time it too faded and wore off.
I used white caulk on black fabric and vice versa, played with different ratios of min. spirits/caulk, etc. At best it looked like a bad finger-painting. The silnylon caused the mixture to bead up, similar to writing on a steamed up mirror after a shower. No way to get bold, distinct lines.

The actual nylon is dyed at high heat during the construction phase, so getting any colorant into the finished fabric is basically impossible.

The silicone treatment on the fabric only complicates the "trying to paint it" process.
Any paint is just setting on top and will chip and wear in a short time.
Paint pens, acid dyes, mulberries (the local birds tried to paint my tarp) etc., will yeild poor results as well. Its just the nature of the beast. The fabric was designed to not absorb water, or any liquid, for that matter.

Coolhandluke,
your best inexpensive choice is to paint your design onto an untreated canvas tarp. The canvas should be pre-washed in hot water and dried to eliminate shrinkage after painting. That will leave you with the best results. The cotton will absorb the paint. It wont be waterproof, or last in the elements. This will also chip/peel after repeated foldings or packings. But it is the best option, unless you silkscreen your design onto the canvas, and that would involve expensive artwork /designwork from the silkscreener.

Possibly sewing a silnylon backer to your finished, painted tarp would work?

I'm assuming your looking for a lightweight fabric that will accept dyes and paints, and to my knowledge they dont exist. Billboard fabric is a heavy vinyl, but it is an option. Or check with your local billboard/banner companies to see what they have to offer?

[FLRider]

Not for nothing, but why does it have to be painted on the tarp? Why not simply sew a piece of fabric with this already printed/woven on/into it to the tarp? I mean, if it's only a foot square or so...that fabric wouldn't have to be waterproof; you'd just have to seam seal it pretty well.

Just a thought...

[FBG]

How about you just cut your design out of another piece of ripstop or silnylon, stitch it to your tarp and seal the whole dang thing. In essence, you're making a flag, its just a big one you happen to hammock under.

[Markusforreal]

What about dying some nylon and doing you're own silicon impregnation (may have just made up a word)

[OldRagFreeze]

I think you need to just sew something onto the tarp. Plenty of materials to choose from. Personally though, I'd just make a cool flag with that symbol and take that to fly in camp as I pleased... That way I can decide which trips I really need it.

[nothermark]

I wonder if you made up some silicone mix used to waterproof a nylon tarp and then loaded it with powdered pigment before painting it over the existing silicone...