Has anyone made a tarp out of RBTR's Membrane PU4000? I was reading THIS on their site after buying some and was wondering about the reinforcements. I'm thinking about attempting this tonight.
Has anyone made a tarp out of RBTR's Membrane PU4000? I was reading THIS on their site after buying some and was wondering about the reinforcements. I'm thinking about attempting this tonight.
I am in the process of making one now and I glued on the reinforcements versus sewing them. Made the patches out of the same material and glued shiny side to shiny side using SeamGrip. Followed the directions on the SeamGrip packaging and cleaned all mating surfaces with isopropyl alcohol first and let that dry. Then applied a generous amount of SeamGrip to the patch. This was easiest to do directly from the tube, no brushes, etc. Then placed the patch on the tarp (carefully, they are difficult to move once placed) and squeegeed out the bubbles / excess glue with an old credit card. Covered with wax paper and some weight and let it cure overnight. So far I am really happy with this process and the reinforcements seem secure. I made an extra from scrap and I cannot peel the layers apart. Will see how it holds up over time but initial impressions are very good.
The key to the whole process is adding sufficient glue to the joint. If you don't add enough it cannot "flow" and it will be difficult to remove all the bubbles. If you have enough it will be super easy to squeegee out and makes a perfectly smooth and flat bond every time.
I finished one about a month ago and have used it six times so far. I didn't glue on the reinforcements nor did I use the radial reinforcements, but I did sew multiple lines across the reinforcements to ensure a solid join. So far, so good. I haven't seen any defects yet.
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