Is my tarp a loss? HELP

[Knotty]

Please do not use gasoline to make your sil solution. Far too dangerous.

Mineral spirits and 100% silicone caulk will work when THOROUGHLY mixed in the right proportions. IMHO the dunk and squeeze method is best because it forces the solution through the fabric, saturating every thread.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...8&postcount=38

Partial text from above link:
Waterproofed it tonight by dunking it in a mix of GE 100% clear silicone and odorless mineral spirits. The contents of one tube is 300g so I mixed it with 900g of spirits. Used a bent rod in a drill to mix the solution. Dipped and kneaded the tarp in the solution until it was all soaked. Hung one end of rigeline tie out to my hammock stand and then slid hands down the tarp as it came out of the bucket, squeezing out the solution. It's hanging out to dry. Will provide update tomorrow.

[bountyhunter]

Please do not use gasoline to make your sil solution. Far too dangerous.

Mineral spirits and 100% silicone caulk will work when THOROUGHLY mixed in the right proportions. IMHO the dunk and squeeze method is best because it forces the solution through the fabric, saturating every thread.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...8&postcount=38

Partial text from above link:
Waterproofed it tonight by dunking it in a mix of GE 100% clear silicone and odorless mineral spirits. The contents of one tube is 300g so I mixed it with 900g of spirits. Used a bent rod in a drill to mix the solution. Dipped and kneaded the tarp in the solution until it was all soaked. Hung one end of rigeline tie out to my hammock stand and then slid hands down the tarp as it came out of the bucket, squeezing out the solution. It's hanging out to dry. Will provide update tomorrow.

yes well i dont have any fabric to make a tarp with right now. I couldnt find any that was light enough. I just couldnt buy heavy ripstop at joanns. So im just gonna use the tarp that i have now and try to patch up the siliconeless spots then get some sil in a couple of weeks. Unless i find some really cheap fabric some where that will work.

[bountyhunter]

LOL i really thought heavily about buying some polyester at joanns yesterday and waterproofing it.... I mean its light and fairly strong, esp once i get some silicone on it... but then i laughed and said NO.

[Ramblinrev]

If you can get it at a reasonable price compared to sil I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[G.L.P.]

also quest has 2nds for $6.75 a yard......

it doesn't pay to go cheap sometimes ......

[canoeski]

First off, that silicone+mineral spirits(aka, paint thinner) recipe is only (AFIK) for sylnylon, not ripstop which comes as uncoated or urethane coated.

Second, it is intended for sealing the seams, not the whole fabric (as a practical matter).

Third, NEVER, NEVER substitute gasoline for paint thinner!!! (just ask my cousin who blew up his house and wound up with 70% burns, almost dying several times while spending 8 months in a burn unit)

It's probably worth starting over, or buying one already made. Silnylon from the factory has impregnated threads with silicon, not coated.

I have seamed sealed 3 silnylon tarps over the last 8 years with straight GE silicone caulk, rubbed in thinly with a finger. Wish I has known about thinning it then, but they are still holding up. Flowable auto windshield silicone is supposed to work, and is what I will use next time.

[Knotty]

canoeski - The silicone+mineral spirits method is being used by a number of us to turn uncoated ripstop nylon into silnylon.

[WV]

... I have a big trip on wednesday and i REALLY need a tarp. ... Please help!

Sounds like a job for a Gorilla Tarp.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=Gorilla+Tarp

[canoeski]

canoeski - The silicone+mineral spirits method is being used by a number of us to turn uncoated ripstop nylon into silnylon.

Hmmm, can you get it thin enough to be lightweight and flexible? Better than urethane coated nylon? I'm interested in anything new that works.

As I understand it, sylnylon is a weave of silicone impregnated thread. I don't know if that impregnation occurs before or after weaving.

Do you use a squeegee to force it in, or just thin it down to a light liquid and let it soak in?

[Mundele]

If I read your post right, your original tarp was a non-silnylon tarp (probably polyeurethane coated nylon). silicone, and thinned silicone will not stick to polyurethane. that's why it's peeling off. You can silicone impregnate uncoated nylon, but it won't stick to the polyurethanted nylon, at least not well. That's why McNett sells two formulas of their seam sealer stuff, one for silnylon, and one for other normal tent fabrics.

There's a good chance that the places the sil is sticking to are the places that the polyurethane wore off. Try placing your tarp on a concrete surface and spraying it with water. maybe you'll be able to see the places that leak. That's just a thought.

--Matt