Adhesive vs Stitching

[restlesss]

OK you guys have done great in guiding me in creating a hammock and soon to create my own DIY Tarp. Question. I was at Joannes today and found polypro Webbing. I still need to get netting for the bugs. question for you now is has anyone used the adhesive hem? it is basically two sided tape that you would put between the ripstop that you need to stitch (hem) and you iron it. the package said it is super strong but of course didn't know if anyone has tried it vs stitching the hem I know any tieouts will need to be stitched for extra strength. I am just talking about the hem around the hammock itself and around the tarp.

[Ramblinrev]

In my experience with fusible adhesives they are best suited for non-stressed very static applications. In other words they work great for applying decorative patches to garments. They work great for stabilizing plackets (buttons gizmos) where the adhesived area is much larger than the working stress points. But if you try to apply decorations to a flag which is supposed to flap in the breeze or to areas where stress, particularly shear stress is applied, they will fail quite quickly. I would not expect an adhesive hem to hold up under load as well as a stitched hem. That having been said, I really don't know the practical limitations under load. So whether the failure risk would offset the easy applications I can not say. I do know that many of the adhesives have very narrow temperature/pressure needs in order to establish a solid bond. IMO if I am going go through the hassle of making a tarp I want to know for sure that my seams and hems are bomb proof. YMMV

[jeffjenn]

They also tend to gum up your needle if you sew through them.

[Trout]

I'm working on my 12' tarp now and had no problems not using any of that stuff. Lots of pins, take your time, no problem.