Attaching Pull outs with Silnet

[Boston]

I finished a tarp the other day, and decided to try this out to attach panel pull's. It worked very well, and I'm very happy with the result. I ended up using a lot of excess silicone to make spreading it evenly a lot easier, but because of this I ended up having to wipe up a lot of excess, and it left a slight residue that's visible on the tarp (maybe I could market these area's as "extra waterproof"). I think next time I will try applying the silicone to the patch first, then putting it onto the tarp.

Also, FWIW, I picked up a new tube of GE Silicone II at Walmart for this. They had 2 versions: a red tube for interior/sink/shower use and a blue tube for exterior/window/door use. The blue tube was marketed as "sun/cold proof". Probably this is just marketing, and they're the same product, but for the same price I grabbed the blue tube just in case it has better UV properties.

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[jharbison]

I have seen a few companies that sell pull out patches separate from the tarp and describe them being attached with SilNet or another seam sealer.

Anybody have any experience with this and how well it works? I have heard that sewing pullouts onto a tarp is a royal pain so this sparked my interest.

Also, if I did this I would most likely be using shock cord for the cord on the pull outs with the hope that it wouldn't apply too much pressure to the patches.

Help Please. I have been searching and looking for a vendor for these patches. I know they would be super easy to make, however I don't have access to a sewing machine & might need 20 or so. I guess I can prototype one by hand & find someone around here to make the rest. It should be fairly cheap here in Mexico. Thanks