make your own sil.

**JohnSawyer** · 07-12-2011, 18:15

my 8x10 tarp absorbed everything, so I spent some time squishing, rolling, and re rolling it up to ensure even coverage. It dried kind of blotchy, and after 24 hours, it was really dry. (it's been hot, with low humidity)

I took a hose to it, and sprayed it full-force. After a minute or so I checked, and not a drop of water was on the inside of the tarp.

This process added about 3-4 oz to the tarp, according to my scale.

If I had to do this again, I'd use some patterned (read: CAMO) fabric, as it did turn out blotchy. The rolled hem around the perimiter really darkened up, and you can see the trapped fabric edge now. -- not a big deal anyway...

John

**Skeetrock** · 08-04-2011, 01:01

I accidentally got the white silicone instead of clear silicone. My fabric is a light grey color (dull). Will the silicone flake because of the white in it (dont know if that makes any sense or not) or will it just make it look white-ish? The silicone is 100% silicone, just white instead of clear.

**JohnSawyer** · 08-04-2011, 02:03

An earlier video indicated that you wouldn't like the results.... I have a feeling it's more about the uneven nature of the process that would leave your tarp with an odd pattern, but having NOT tried it...

My tarp is a sharkskin gray. Post-Sil, it's a mottled, darker gray...

**Skeetrock** · 08-04-2011, 10:23

As long as it doesn't flake off I don't mind the white silicone hindering my grey tarp color. The guy in the video was using a camo tarp. The white might've been pretty undesirable for that, hopefully thats all there is to it...

**JohnSawyer** · 08-04-2011, 11:29

Originally Posted by Flatbill

As long as it doesn't flake off I don't mind the white silicone hindering my grey tarp color. The guy in the video was using a camo tarp. The white might've been pretty undesirable for that, hopefully thats all there is to it...

PM him and ask...

**gargoyle** · 08-04-2011, 15:21

Originally Posted by Flatbill

I accidentally got the white silicone instead of clear silicone. My fabric is a light grey color (dull). Will the silicone flake because of the white in it (dont know if that makes any sense or not) or will it just make it look white-ish? The silicone is 100% silicone, just white instead of clear.

It'll be a light color/tint (milky) white and will dry as such. No flaking if your dilluted correctly. Grey is fine too. I havent played with black yet.
Clear is the best choice.

**kitesurfer** · 08-22-2011, 07:48

i finally got around to testing my 10x10 this weekend. i'vbe had it made and sil'ed for a while now but never tested. with a thunder buster approaching, i strung it up. i hit it good with the hose an no apparent leaks. water beaded and ran off like rain-x. never rained eihter

still having not used it camping, i'm still concerned. anyone ever made one aind si'l'd correctly only to find that it didn't work later?

**Lonely Raven** · 08-25-2011, 08:03

Originally Posted by kitesurfer

i finally got around to testing my 10x10 this weekend. i'vbe had it made and sil'ed for a while now but never tested. with a thunder buster approaching, i strung it up. i hit it good with the hose an no apparent leaks. water beaded and ran off like rain-x. never rained eihter

still having not used it camping, i'm still concerned. anyone ever made one aind si'l'd correctly only to find that it didn't work later?

Sounds like it should work fine in the field. Those hose test is pretty good if you hit the material pretty hard, especially the ridgeline seam.

Do you have photos? How much did the weight go up after the sil application?

**stinkypete** · 08-31-2011, 01:12

I hope this works for people long term. I build skin on frame kayaks. The fabric is a ballistic nylon. In all the experiments I've seen the silicone always sluffs off when it gets really wet. Perhaps you folks are getting better saturation. I'd like to see the long term results with this diy

**StrawHat** · 09-02-2011, 12:18

Hey guys, I picked up a 2.8oz (83ml) tube 100% Silicone (clear), will it be enough to cover a 13x10 tarp or do I need more? And did anyone tried the Ziploc bag idea? I'm thinking of using this method to minimize the stinging smell since I'm just using ordinary paint thinner as the solvent. Odorless mineral spirits is expensive, around $4-$5 for 75ml so it's out of the option.