I got a blow dryer or a 1500* heat gun, point me at the stuff and I'm ready.
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I got a blow dryer or a 1500* heat gun, point me at the stuff and I'm ready.
Huh. Looking at it, this line caught my eye:
"Chemically inert; highly resistant to water, weak acids and bases, polar solvents and a wide variety of chemicals."
Emphasis mine. Does this mean I should be careful about dripping any of my stove fuel on it? I mean, denatured alcohol is a non-polar solvent... :scared:
Just wanted to report on a small experiment. I used paraffin and silicone 1:1 and about 5 parts Naphtha (coleman camp fuel). I shaved the parraffin into a big glass peanut butter jar. It didn't completely emulsify, but that may be because it's cold. It formed a bit of a slurry. Then the silicone. I just shook it to mix and wiped it on with a rag. I'm really happy with the result. Certainly flammable as all hell.
I'd recommend less paraffin than I used. Maybe 1/3 of the silicone. My tarp feels waxy.
I don't understand the purpose of the paraffin wax. Silicone doesn't play well with other things so why add a non-compatible item to the mix? Also, please do not use highly flammable solvents like Coleman camp fuel or gasoline. It's extremely dangerous and offers no benefit.
Sorry to come down on you but the idea of people reading these posts and trying things like gasoline or camp fuel is terrifying.
Naphtha and mineral spirits, are both highly flammable petroleum distillates. I don't see a huge difference between the two as far as safety precautions that need to be taken. Maybe some chemist here can correct me, but Naphtha contains a good bit of soluble paraffin in it already, and it's a good solvent for silicone calk, so I don't think I took a huge leap. Naphtha, in the form of Coleman white gas is much cheaper for me.
In digging into the tech sheets on the dowcorning site, there was a mention of a paraffin / silicone mix so I decided to try it.
It stays flexible. I spilled a little on the table I was working on outdoors, after 5 days it's still soft. It beads and repels water like mad. The tarp feels a little waxy, but it remains flexible. I think naphtha gave me a longer working time than folks seemed to have with mineral spirits.
edit- I have no doubt that the end result is much more flammable than silicone alone.
Odorless mineral spirits has a lower flammability rating and a much higher flash point then Coleman fuel making it the safer solvent to use.
Information provided below is to educate, not to be argumentative. I have a relative who was burned using gasoline to clean bicycle parts.
Wikipedia: Though Coleman fuel has an octane rating of 50 to 55 and a flammability similar to gasoline, it has none of the additives found in modern gasoline and cannot be used as a substitute for gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel in modern engines.
Coleman Fuel MSDS:
FLASH POINT: <0°F (<-18°C) Tag Closed Cup
Mineral Spirits MSDS:
Flash Pt: > 107.00 F Method Used: TAG Closed Cup
The information and concern is appreciated. Clearly it's more volatile than mineral spirits.
I was curious and interested in a waxed cotton sort of texture. I'm not saying this is a better method, just it was interesting to me. The result seems very hydrophobic.
For informational purposes, modelers seem to really like the naphtha silicone mix for making masks, molds, and sculptures:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...HCI0G4I#t=527s
I guess that would be one way to stay warm on a frigid night.
I'd prefer to go without the blistered skin though!