Re-waterproofing

[miyanc]

I tried looking but can't find what I am looking for. I need to redo some waterproofing on 2 tents. Yes I will actually be using tents for a good reason. Me and my son will be going to philmont in 2019. So not only do I need a tent for that, but I need to spend some time getting used to sleeping on the ground. At this point I would rather spend my money on a pad and other things. I have a rei tent I bought at a garage sale and it was cheap, like 15$. It is otherwise in great shape, but the waterproofing has separated from the underside of the rain fly. I actually got a black diamond tent with the same issues. My son uses the black diamond from time to time and the rei tent has been a emergency back up tent for kids in scouts that had issues.

So I remember reading about people that made something with mineral oil and silicone or something like that. I have plenty of time and patients to give it a go, but I don't have a ton of money to buy a new ul tent. I figure if this works I will do both tents.

Thanks in advance.

Btw I would rather do a full silicone job then just respray some kind of dwr. I believe the plan would be to either soak the hole thing or paint the outside. But I am not against painting the inside, spraying the Dwr outside and i will also probably do the seems a bit thicker.

[sunsetkayaker]

Is the waterproofing flaking off the underside? I have used pure silicone (in a caulk tube) with whatever thinner it calls for, for waterproofing seams. It works well, but it dries fast so use small batches. Also, use pure mineral spirits if possible not made with mineral spirits stuff. I am not sure if painting the flaking side would be better or painting the top side, but you really want to powder it after it dries so that it doesn't stick together. That ends up looking horrible so if it is on the under side that would be better.

No matter what side you paint, it will soak through the material (unless the existing waterproofing stops it). I would not use both a spray and paint on silicone. That sounds like it might react in a bad way.

[IRONFISH45]

There is a thread someplace on HF in regard to re waterproofing your seams, how to remove the old seam seal and apply new. However whole tent, is a big project. If your tent is delaminating, I am not sure you could rewaterproof. I washed my two woman tent with high quality water repellent wash in stuff. It worked fine. I would not trust it on a long trip but it has worked for short 3-4 night trips. I cleaned up the seam seal and redid the seams on my Go Lite Shangrala 4 person tent, not a professional job but it is okay and works.

[Five Tango]

Pictures of the delamination?

[miyanc]

Eureka tents has a thing on there site for doing this. They don't diy much on the rewaterproof part, just refer you to the products info. I have read and seen videos from this section where people have used a bucket, filled with a heavily mixed silicone mineral oil. Sometimes they put the tarp in and let it soak. Other times they strung up the tarp and painted it on several coats.

[miyanc]

Yes, looks like a peeling glazed donut. Seems and everywhere else. Sticky. I will wash it with woolite a few times to remove and then make some sil nylon. Just looking for the recipe.

[P-Dub]

search for DIY silnylon, here and especially on utube

DON'T mix with mineral oil, you'll have a mess. use mineral SPIRITS

[Rain Man]

You have to know if it's sil-nylon or if it's polyurethane coated. If the latter, I don't know if that can be repaired. If it's the first, then it's a relatively easy job for any DIYer. Mix clear silicone caulk in glass jar with clear mineral spirits in roughly a 3-to-1 to 5-to-1 ratio of mineral spirits to silicone. (By weight or by volume, doesn't matter as they're close to each other.) Takes a while to get them to mix thoroughly. Use "real" mineral spirits (I found that I had purchased some "new and improved" natural, safe version that was milky white. Didn't work well IMHO.) Use gloves when handling.

Wipe firmly on a small area at a time (at most, I do about 2'x2'). You want to force it into the threads of the fabric, so use pressure. Then before it dries, wipe off the excess, so that there's no "goop" left to dry on as a thick layer on top of the fabric. That's heavy and will peel off. I find myself using lots of old rags (cut up t-shirts, mostly). Let dry thoroughly for several hours or an entire day as necessary, then do the reverse side (at least, I do and definitely on the seams). Let dry very thoroughly.

If you leave too much of the goop on the fabric, or don't let it dry thoroughly, it'll stick to itself in your pack.

I do this every two or three years to my rainflies.

[dscotthep]

This is the thread you're looking for. Rain Man is correct. GE 100% clear silicone caulk and mineral spirits (odorless or low odor also works). I made two tarps using that recipe and can say that it works as advertised AS LONG AS you're thorough (not the same as generous) in your application of the silicone mixture.

And don't wear *latex* gloves. Mineral spirits will eat through them in seconds. (ask me how I know ) Nitrile is what you want.

[Joaniek]

On the second night of a month-long canoe trip, we discovered that my friend's rain fly was no longer waterproof. For the rest of the trip we pitched the tent with our cheap and light tarp between tent and fly. It was quick, easy, and odor-free. And kept the abundant rain away.
This solution wasn't as nice as a waterproof rain fly, but it sure was easy.