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hey guys-awhile back i bought 18yds of coated sil at Walmart for like 25bucks and i put it out of sight and just rediscovered it, so...i'm thinking of what to do with it and am thinking about some hammock chairs ,gear hammock and tarps.now for the questions---what type of thread are you guys sewing with for tarps etc and how do you do your seams to keep them leakproof,my wife thinks she needs to french seam everything but is there not some other ways with sealers? any info much appreciated-thx
for me, the french seam I used on my tarp was for strength since it gets yanked on in every direction. I still seam sealed it (2x actually)Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertramp
guttermans poly thread and a #9 needle.
Get Busy!! :cool:
Exactly what AC said. You'll be pulling that tarp really taught, and the French seam prevents the stitching from stretching holes in the tarp. You can seam seal it with some silicone caulk/paint thinner mixture brushed onto the finished seam.
I use the french seam to keep the edges from unravelling- if I sew it down flat I thought it was a felled seam; Flat felled (as on jeans) or run and fell (for french seams).
Second the Guttermans, or metrosene if you can find it- but 100% polyester either way- no blends, no cotton wrapped!
HTH ,KM
A French seam???
I use a Flat Felled Seam, which when completed the seam is completely flat. If you look at the tarps and tents that are manufactured they commonly use this seam. It also minimizes the waterproofness loss during the sewing process.
I believe this seam is also stronger than the French since the material is sewn back on to itself during the folding part of the process.
The French seam intentions is to conceal the cut edge of the material.
I also use Guttermans 100% Polyester thread.
Yeah, actually, I use a flat seam on tarps too, not a French seam.
holy cow, I can't believe I'm gonna 'discuss' sewing techniques ;)
anyhow, I use the french seam as described here from Thru Hiker
I think they are the same thing...but I wouldn't bet anything on it :rolleyes:
after a referee review, I now know the difference...see here for a difference of the two...
and FWIW, I also did a flat-felled seam (and didn't even know it!)
The Flat Felled is slightly different. Thru-hiker describes the Flat Felled here
You could actually turn a french into a flat variation by sewing the conceal seam back to the main part of the material.
Thru hiker instruction for the Flat Felled instructs you to have longer seam allowance on one peice of the material. Doing this is more setup time and I just allow for a longer seam for both pieces and fold the seam allowance under and sew allong the fold. It gives you the same end result and it seem to take less time this way.
Sorry I got sooo technical... :) that's what I do for a living. ;)
wow! thx everyone for the responses-i think i'll start small and work my way up to a winter frenzy if my wife lets me play with her machine and surger
Oooh, serger. Lucky dog, you.
American & Efird, Mt. Holly, NC, 100% Polyester thread, waxed & UV Resistant. For Molly Mac Packs, I use thread size 92 and needle size 18.
- MacEntyre
Ive had excellent results with the flat felled seam, with a lite coat of seam sealer over the top -----------if youre using sil nylon, you can use pure silicon like you buy at a hardware store in a tube-----just smear it over the seam and it wont leak.
are you saying just the actual seam or the stitching also-i have never had to seam seal before so...Quote:
Originally Posted by stevebo
p.s-been watching Rev's videos and am learning lots-thx Rev
Bingo! That's the one - for tarps anyway. Just a french seam would be a really bad idea for a tarp ridgeline and will fail, eventually. But, just a flat-felled seam is not quite as good as the french seam turned into a flat felled seam. That's the best of both worlds.Quote:
Originally Posted by BOB1520
This is actually how Ed Speer describes his flat-felled seam for his DIY tarp kits.
For stuff sacks and other items that don't see that kind of stress, just a french seam works fine.
Oh - and yes, seam sealing is necessary on stitching. It will leak otherwise.
I just use one of those paint sponges for trim painting... a small one, maybe an inch across. I'll "paint" the entire area of the seam/folded fabric, including the stitching. You can control how viscous the silicon is by varying the amount of paint thinner in your mix.
You might also play with a few different needles sizes and stitch lengths.
Sometimes if your stitch length is too tight you'll turn your garment into a connect-the-dots perforated piece of gear that will tear at the seam. The felled seam will help, but it can't hurt when your single stitch is just the right size.
As for the needles, I've found a new set that I really like. They are by Schmetz and are labeled "Microtex Sharp Needle". I use a #8 which might be too small for your silnylon but they also come in #9 and #10 sizes. What's different is the needle point has been flattened out giving it less of a profile as it punctures the fabric. I've noticed that since using the "sharp needles" the stitch holes are much smaller on average which I feel is a good thing.
As for thread, I'd give another bump for Gutterman 100% polyester plus a good coating of seam sealer or seam tape.
I want to thank MacEntyre for his specificity. I found this post looking for comment on threads from one of the largest maker in the world, American & Efird. I was surprised, especially since they are based in North Carolina, that this is the only hit when I search the DIY forum on Efird.Quote:
Originally Posted by MacEntyre
Different threads for different folks, to be sure -- and this happens to be, among other things, a very heavy thread -- but the differences within brands are greater than the differences between. Specifying a maker alone, as most often happens, does not account for success or failure in making gear.
You are entyrely welcome!
- MacEntyre
The flat felled seam and the fold french seam are second cousins. One is not really better than other in practical terms. A regular french seam is for sealing the edges to prevent raveling and make a pretty finish, But once folded and sewn flat it is the equivalent in use and practicality of a flat felled seam.
BTW a serger is a different beast altogether. She may balk at letting you use that one. There is a thread in there which you need to be a contortionist to rethread if it breaks. I always manage to do that on my wife's serger so be prepared to fork out some "I'm sorry dear" money. If you are lucky you'll get away with an ice cream cone. Me.... not so much.
Timely thread and a great discovery for me as I begin my career as a TIO (thread injector operator) on the $10.00 garage sale Singer 600E Mrs. Moment brought home a few weeks ago. Didn't work, but it was an easy fix.
Wanted to figure out what kind of a seam I wanted for my new Fronkey style bug net I plan to make this week.
I raced sailboats for a lot of years and always had an admiration for folks like Gordie Bowers and the guys from North Sails making those projects. Quite the art.