Nylon Ripstop and Heat Sealing

[hdbint]

Going far back into the Gear Discussion, I saw talk of heat sealing nylon material after cutting or using a soldering iron to cut and seal in the same shot.

I've got some 1.9oz ripstop that I'm going to make a hammock with. My question is, does the nylon have to be heat sealed before roll hemming?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[GrizzlyAdams]

I made a number of hammocks from 1.9 oz ripstop where I cut the fabric with a roller cutter, and then did roll hems.

What the hot gun does is ensure that you don't get fraying at the edges. The degree to which fraying was a problem depended on the fabric. In my experience 1.1 oz nylone is more prone to fray than 1.9 nylon, as is taffeta.

Whether I use the heat gun or roller cutter depends now on the fabric, and whether what I'm doing is aided by cutting through multiple layers at once (e.g., cutting a straight edge across the full width of a roll). I've not tried using the hot gun on multiple layers, my assumption is that edges of the layers would fuse together and have to be pulled apart. I suppose I should try it sometime to see....

Grizz

[NCPatrick]

You can also use scissors to cut and seal it with the heat from a candle or lighter. You don't have to use the hot gun. As Grizzly said, the sealing helps keep the material from fraying, and imo makes it easier to hem. (No loose ends clogging up your sewing machine).

[Kanguru]

I've not tried using the hot gun on multiple layers, my assumption is that edges of the layers would fuse together and have to be pulled apart. Grizz

That is correct...cutting multiple layers with hot knife will tend to seal them together and when you separate the layers can cause frayed edges.