I purchased some fabric of unknown origin from Hancocks probably back in 2012 because it looked like it might shed water. I first tested it by gathering it up into a ball and filling with water; no leaks. I then squeezed it and forced leaks, but I figured rain wouldn't be that forceful. The next test was stretching the material out and standing underneath the valley of my roof where the rain pours down during a pretty heavy rain; no leaks.
I really liked the idea of using this material because it was so lightweight. This past Monday I finished up a hex tarp with a 12' ridge and about 10' wide. With 6 D rings and grosgrain attachments it comes in just under 13 oz. I did an impromptu hang in the yard to test it because it was raining that afternoon. The rain wasn't really heavy, but constant throughout the afternoon. After several hours I went out to see if there were any leaks and I found a couple of places along the ridge where some water had formed droplets. I don't have a ridge seam, I did one seam on each side so that I wouldn't have to seal the ridge, so that's not the culprit.
Now I'm trying to figure out what would be the best way to reinforce the waterproofness of the ridge. I'm pretty sure I'm not dealing with silnylon. I'd like to coat about a 6-8" strip down the middle of the ridge as the rest of the tarp seemed to shed or bead up the rain very well. Obviously I could go the silicon mineral spirits route, but I was hoping for something less messy. Also, since I'm not wanting to do the whole tarp, it wouldn't be worth the materials. Anyone have any opinions on sprays that might be worthwhile? Not knowing the type of material, I'm not sure what will stick and soak in vs. what will just flake off. I don't want to spend a lot to find out it doesn't work.
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