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  1. #1
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    make your own sil.

    i decided to see if i could make my own sil nylon out of breathable 1.1.

    i decide to soak it on, thinking i could get a much more consistent coating than with a brush, and also thinking i could make it alot thinner and it might soak in to the interior fibers better making it more like impregnated than coated, and that maybe it wouldn't wear off like a coating might.

    i mixed mineral spirits and silicone to get something thin enough to soak the fabric in, soaked one, thinned further, soaked another, thinned again, soaked a third.

    i gave all three the shower head test, the first one, the thickest mix (#1) seemed the best, it was also apparent that any excess should have been wiped off before it dried, seems like it will not drip off unless it's too thin.

    the first test was done with 6" squares, so then i cut out an exact sq. yd, weighed it at 1.1/32g, i eyeballed a larger mix that looked like the first one, soaked, wrung out, and wiped both sides as dry as i could and let it dry over night.

    results are good, weighs exactly 1.3/38g, and seems to do about as well or at least close to sil on the shower head test, i'm thinking if it would have been a tarp, i would have set it up tight, to fully stretch it, then wipe it down, this may allow mix to penetrate deeper and better into the inside of the fabric better, worked suprisingly well the way i did it though.

    can't say about durability, did seem like i got most of the sil off the surface already though by wiping it down.

    don't know when i'll make a whole tarp, i just wondered about it awhile ago, and i happened to have the silicone out yesterday, sorry i don't have any exact mix ratios, i couldn't find anything to measure with but my kitchen stuff, so i just eyeballed it all. it was runny, but still had a little thickness left, and was pretty cloudy looking at an inch deep, but pretty clear at a half inch or so.(as i remember it)

    i know sil is hard to find in many colors, so this may be an option, especially if you want exact color matches.

    don't know about tear strength, sil has a higher tear strength than breathable 1.9, so i don't know about this stuff.

    i also don't know how factory impregnation is done or if this is similar or not, i just know impregnation is present on the interior of the fabric as this seems to be as well.

    maybe somebody has already tried this and knows more about long term use.

    Brandon

  2. #2
    slowhike's Avatar
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    good test. it would be great if you could come up w/ some kind of double roller, about 6' wide to run it through or pull it through & squeeze the excess away.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  3. #3
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    yeah, that would be better than wringing it out, wiping it down with a dry sponge or something would still probably be necessary though, depending on how well the rollers worked i guess.

    maybe once you get it strung up tight and wet, you could use a squeegee.


    Quote Originally Posted by slowhike View Post
    good test. it would be great if you could come up w/ some kind of double roller, about 6' wide to run it through or pull it through & squeeze the excess away.

  4. #4
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    another way to impregnate is to use vaccume...I impregnate some of the woods I use in my turkey calls and have had some "fun" with different items...such as marshmellows...ever seen one the size of a coffee can? LOL....anyway...you could do the same thing with the fabric...this would insure even and thourough impregnation. I also would suggest the tight pull and rag/sponge for removal of excess.
    Alex Williams
    Acts 10:13 "Arise Peter, Kill and Eat."
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    Williams Custom Calls

  5. #5
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    cool, a vaccume, maybe that's how they do a factory impregnation. what did you impregnate the wood with?


    Quote Originally Posted by alex30808 View Post
    another way to impregnate is to use vaccume...I impregnate some of the woods I use in my turkey calls and have had some "fun" with different items...such as marshmellows...ever seen one the size of a coffee can? LOL....anyway...you could do the same thing with the fabric...this would insure even and thourough impregnation. I also would suggest the tight pull and rag/sponge for removal of excess.

  6. #6
    Senior Member GREEN THERAPY's Avatar
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    Warbonnet

    Did you use the clear silicone sealer that comes in tubes from a building suppy? I have been thinking of trying it but have not gotten around to it yet.
    What I lack in knowledge I MORE than make up for with opinions.
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  7. #7
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    yeah, 100% clear silicone.

    Quote Originally Posted by GREEN THERAPY View Post
    Warbonnet

    Did you use the clear silicone sealer that comes in tubes from a building suppy? I have been thinking of trying it but have not gotten around to it yet.

  8. #8
    Senior Member GREEN THERAPY's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by warbonnetguy View Post
    yeah, 100% clear silicone.
    I was thinking of trying tolulene as a thinner due to my theory that being very volitle it would evaporate off quickly and just leave the silicone film on the fabric. The fumes would not be good to breath in I admit, so well ventilated would be a must and no sparks or open flames to be sure.
    What I lack in knowledge I MORE than make up for with opinions.
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  9. #9
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    ok, careful with that, the min spirits dried overnite.

    it didn't mix as easily as i thought it would though, i only mixed a couple cups, but it took alot of stirring and swirling to get a consistent mix. did eventually get consistent though. maybe some thinners work better at this. i can see trying dissolve a whole tube being a PITA though.


    Quote Originally Posted by GREEN THERAPY View Post
    I was thinking of trying tolulene as a thinner due to my theory that being very volitle it would evaporate off quickly and just leave the silicone film on the fabric. The fumes would not be good to breath in I admit, so well ventilated would be a must and no sparks or open flames to be sure.

  10. #10
    Senior Member pure_mahem's Avatar
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    If you knew the proportions of the mix you could buy an empty paint can at home depot mix the stuff in the parking lot and have them shake it for like 15 minutes that would probably mix it pretty well

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