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Of course I saved the poles. That remark about bird netting was prescient - my daughter has laid claim to them for her garden.
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Happy National Pickle Day! 🥒
Of course I saved the poles. That remark about bird netting was prescient - my daughter has laid claim to them for her garden.
Just look for "tire talc" or "talc powder" and you'll find it.....
Best regards to all,
Lance
G
Guest
Guest
Good to know. One of the first vendors when I Googled that was Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, the company someone (Glenn?) suggested as a source for peel ply in narrow rolls. I do like having release treated peel ply in roll fashion, it is the perfect complement to working with fiberglass tape.
Now if I could just find Dynel fabric in narrow (2 to 4”) rolls.
I still have plenty of imported English talcum powder leftover. For sealing the seams it was superfluous; if I mixed the odorless mineral spirits and Silicone caulk properly the resulting DIY seam sealer was not sticky once hung to dry for an hour or two, and I stopped dusting the seams.
If you are making a whole-of-tent sized batch, or even just a seam sealant sized batch of that DIY mix, a Zip-tie stirring rod and a drill is a big help.
P6230942 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrMore on the DIY seam seal process here. Making a long platform and stretching the fabric seams clamped at each end seemed to help with sealant penetration on the stitching.
https://www.canoetripping.net/forums...as-seam-sealer
Since I make all my outdoor gear now, seam sealing tarps is routine part of each build process. The general consensus over on the Hammock forums site is that seam sealing should be done with the piece set up ... a tarp or fly gets installed stretched tight and then you proceed to do the seam sealing, leaving for 24 hours to cure after application.
The little holes get stretched the "right" way in the setup configuration and the sealant gets to penetrate in the right places that way.
For tents and such it may also be easier o apply if the unit is setup, rather than try doing it indoors with clamps and trying to find areas big enough to fit the piece.
Just a few thoughts that may be useful.
Brian
The little holes get stretched the "right" way in the setup configuration and the sealant gets to penetrate in the right places that way.
For tents and such it may also be easier o apply if the unit is setup, rather than try doing it indoors with clamps and trying to find areas big enough to fit the piece.
Just a few thoughts that may be useful.
Brian
And it helps to be sure which side gets sealed depends on the material. sil-nylon and sil-poly seams get sealed from the outside.....
G
Guest
Guest
Brian, I seam sealed some of the tents set up outdoors, mostly because there was no way to flat stretch the convoluted fabric configurations on something this tent or fly.
P6110876 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrBut I stretched and clamped the flatter tent and tarp seams on table/plank extensions, with each seam clamped stretchily re-oriented on the platform. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be reaching overhead, pressing a small foam brush against a seam that was wofting in the breeze while dripping silicone/spirits on my head.
How do you seam seal a tarp when it is set up? Working from below, I presume, not suspended from a trapeze or levitating from above ;-)
In hindsight I guess I could have set the tarps up with the ridgeline and oriented the various seam lines each folded \\ closer to chest level, and painted the sealant that way. Live and learn, but I’m still not sure how I’m reaching across a 16x16 tarp or wing to seam seal the middle.
On some of the tarps I needed to use an 8’ work table, with 10’ planks set off each side, and even that 28’ length was a bit short on the diagonal seam of the larger tarps. I have 30 feet up the center of the shop; it got a little tight.
P6090852 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThat “in-house” work was also because I (lazily) prefer working in the shop, with materials and supplies staged, readily available on the benches, not walking in and out “Oh crap, I needed a. . . .” and “Dammit, I need to make more . . . .”
Same, well worse, when working on some household project two floors and three doors away. Walk back and forth a mile in my shoes just to fix some simple cabinet hinge or door knob. AARRHHHH!
On some of the older coated-nylon tent floors the seam-tape had released into an unattached ribbon of foot entanglement snare, so I removed it completely and sealed both sides. I don’t know if that both-sides was advisable or not, but those old tents, seam sealed in that fashion, don’t leak, even at the always-suspect corner seams on the bathtub floors.
Despite using “No odor” mineral spirits (perhaps it is the addition of the silicone) there are some fumes from the sealant mix, and clambering around inside a set up tent to seal the interior floor seemed like a ticket to Stonedville. I have my own preferred ways to arrive at that destination, so I just turned the tents inside out to seal the interior floor after sealing the seams on the exterior.
I had not heard of that DIY sealant mix before and, whatever application method, the important thing, once I saw how well it worked, was to (re)seal all of the seams on our older gear. And, except the very newest tent, I did so with every tent and tarp we own. Kinda like my preference for doing “production runs” of other DIYs, once I had the stretching platform assembled, zip-tie stirrer made, brush and jar, mineral spirits and silicone and clamps and etc out on the bench it was easy to keep going.
That DIY mix dried sufficiently in short order that I could flip the piece over (or, tent body, turn inside out), do the other side, hang it to fully dry and move on to the next piece.
The really important thing (to me) with that mineral spirits/silicone DIY seam sealant was the cost. Cleaning this pervious statement up a bit:
A 10oz caulk tube of 100% silicone runs $8 and no-odor mineral spirits $7 a quart, and I always have mineral spirits in the shop.
That will make (at least) 20 ounces of DIY sealant, even in a too-thick 50/50 mix in small batches. Probably closer to 30oz. For comparison GearAid Sil-Net seam sealer runs $7 for an ounce and a half.
The thought of frugal-me buying a hundred dollars worth of seam seal is funny to even think about.
The tarps can be setup a little lower than usually and it is pretty easy to reach with the brush, if it is flapping, I just use the other hand to steady it during application. I use a bit thicker consistancy and bypass the talc step as I haven't had the stickyness issue (knock on wood) yet. And BTW, using a small foam brush is hands down the best way to apply the silicone ...
It always creates a debate as to whether it is inside or outside or both that gets sealed .... with so many dissenting opinions I have started to think that sometimes folks forget that if it works, it works. I do outside, but I would just as easily do both and not think much about it ... I just want it watertight.
Brian
It always creates a debate as to whether it is inside or outside or both that gets sealed .... with so many dissenting opinions I have started to think that sometimes folks forget that if it works, it works. I do outside, but I would just as easily do both and not think much about it ... I just want it watertight.
Brian
I have 16' and 20' Kelty Noah's Tarps and have only used the 20' one for a very rainy week in the mountains of VA where we got 8" of rain in four days. It had no leaks but that's not remarkable as it was it's maiden voyage.
Out of curiosity, I reached out to Kelty to see what should be used to re-treat Noah's Tarps and got this response:
We recommend using Revivex waterproofing spray if you think it needs more DWR. You can purchase it at REI: https://www.rei.com/product/793105/r...ent-spray-5-oz
Other suppliers have bigger containers at more reasonable prices but even then it still seems pretty spendy for what you get. If I get a chance I'll see if I can find out what is in it and if there is a more reasonably priced alternative.
I also note that some reviewers say it didn't work for them but they applied it straight onto a dry garment without washing it first. Due to hair and skin oils it is always a good idea to pre-wash garments before re-treating them. The best method for fabric seems to be to wash the item to be treated if it is dirty and to wet it in any case and apply the ReviveX to it while wet More damp like it just came from the spin cycle...) and then either dry the item by the manufacturers directions or air dry it. My guess is that the water on the item helps wick the new finish into the fibers.
Best regards to all,
Lance
Out of curiosity, I reached out to Kelty to see what should be used to re-treat Noah's Tarps and got this response:
We recommend using Revivex waterproofing spray if you think it needs more DWR. You can purchase it at REI: https://www.rei.com/product/793105/r...ent-spray-5-oz
Other suppliers have bigger containers at more reasonable prices but even then it still seems pretty spendy for what you get. If I get a chance I'll see if I can find out what is in it and if there is a more reasonably priced alternative.
I also note that some reviewers say it didn't work for them but they applied it straight onto a dry garment without washing it first. Due to hair and skin oils it is always a good idea to pre-wash garments before re-treating them. The best method for fabric seems to be to wash the item to be treated if it is dirty and to wet it in any case and apply the ReviveX to it while wet More damp like it just came from the spin cycle...) and then either dry the item by the manufacturers directions or air dry it. My guess is that the water on the item helps wick the new finish into the fibers.
Best regards to all,
Lance
G
Guest
Guest
The talc proved superfluous for sealing seams. My initial concern was that, once seam sealed, even dried, the tent or tarp seams would want to stick together after some time stuffed or rolled in their bags. I stopped dusting talc on the seams and that hasn’t happened.
I have not tried that DIY mix to coat an entire tent floor, and that might be a talc application. Perhaps so the no-see-um netting doesn’t stick to the sealant, or you don’t wake up stuck to the tent floor.
I did find a use for the talc. We have a couple older Sea to Summit compression stuff sacks with some waterproof coating on the inside. That inner coating was always kinda “sticky” and made stuffing a sleeping bag a chore. I dusted the inside of those water-resistant compression bags with talc and the sleeping bags now stuff much more easily.
Another tool in the kit is iron on seam sealing tape. Quest has it along with a number of other goodies for gear maintenance and repair including peel and stick sil-nylon patches etc.
https://www.questoutfitters.com/Miscellaneous_Products.htm#SEAM SEALING TAPE
Best regards,
Lance
https://www.questoutfitters.com/Miscellaneous_Products.htm#SEAM SEALING TAPE
Best regards,
Lance
