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Post by bamaman on May 5, 2009 13:52:08 GMT -5
Hey guys,
I recently purchased a Sunforger Diamond Shelter. I really love the shelter and I got a 16'x16' so I have tons of room under it. I took it camping for the first time this past weekend and it leaked like a sieve. Before taking it out a friend of mine told me that I needed to coat it with Thompson water seal to make it "waterproof". I did that before taking it out.
I'm just wondering what's the best way to make it waterproof? I had thought about using seam sealer and silicon spray, which is what I do for modern tents. Is this the best solution for canvas?
Thanks for the insight.
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Post by beaudro on May 5, 2009 14:50:05 GMT -5
One easy answer to that, make oilcloth out of it. I've been using a deck sealer you can buy at walmart and it's working out great. It's a linseed oil based deck stain. I take mine and lay it over an old table, then roll the paint on with a roller since it goes faster than brushing. After that I hang the fabric up and let it sit in the sun for several days. A decent breeze helps keep it from getting too stiff and light coats of paint work best. Historically oilcloth was done in many different colors, some were multi colored. Most people are using a black or shades of brown. I've made ground cloths, pack covers, gun cases, and several shelter tarps and don't regret staying dry on several trips.
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Post by oregondoc on Jul 19, 2009 12:50:46 GMT -5
Hey Beaudro, that sounds like what I have been looking for as well. Can you get me the Brand name or other info of the stuff you are using? I just priced oilcloth this morning from Panther as well and Crazy Crow, and it would break me. I want a new trekking shelter, but not for that kind of money! Thanks, Jon
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Post by beaudro on Jul 19, 2009 18:30:14 GMT -5
Oregon, I'm glad your not going to buy that commercial grade oilcloth as the name is a misnomer in my opinion. It's much better to use the real thing, and you can't get better if you make your own. I had a picture of the gallon can of deck stain that I buy, but I don't seem to have it around now, Shady Bill may have picture , or remember the name of the brand. But if you'll look in the deck stains at walmart and read the ingredients there is one that is a linseed oil based , you can buy it in a base tone and have them color it or you can buy it already colored. Hope you can find it easy enough, it took awhile for me to discover it. A good oilcloth is a valuable thing, but one word of warning here: you can't make good oilcloth with cheap canvas. The tighter the weave the better. This is why so many want a high thread count. This doesn't mean a cheap cloth won't help, it's still good to have, but don't expect it to seal 100%. I prefer to put on the first coat and let it dry for a day, then apply another coat. Something I do is lay the canvas out on a piece of plywood and roll the oil on it , brushing takes forever. After it's painted I leave mine hanging for a few days in good sunlight, it will be stiff for the first few times you use it , but after a few times it' becomes softer and much easier to use. The smell goes away quicker if your using this as a shelter, i think it's the smoke from a good campfire that masks the smell of linseed oil. I've got some that still have a distinct linseed oil smell, these cover my bed roll and don't get smoked up at all. Hope this helps, maybe Billy has the name of the stuff.
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Jul 20, 2009 0:18:58 GMT -5
the stuff i got has linseed oil in it. it is written on the side label in the ingrediants. i had to look hard for this stuff.
the stuff i got is called McCLOSKEY STORM COAT. PENETRATING OIL.SEMI TRANSPARENT DECK AND SIDING STAIN CLEAR TINT BASE 7940.
that is everything written on the front label. it is in a maroon and gold can. like i said before read the side label for the ingredients, it will show that it has linseed oil, that is the main stuff that makes everything work.
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Post by beaudro on Jul 20, 2009 4:58:43 GMT -5
Thank you Billy, thats the name of it. McCloskey , if your walmart doesn't have it you can try to find Olympic deck stain just read the ingredients and find the linseed oil based.
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Post by caretaker on Jul 20, 2009 11:56:00 GMT -5
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Post by oregondoc on Jul 20, 2009 18:54:03 GMT -5
Many thanks! I tell ya, a fella's got to love this forum!
Jon
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Jul 20, 2009 19:27:26 GMT -5
yup i think its a good one.
i read some where to make oil cloth was to mix linseed and paint thinner together in a bucket and dump your fabric in the bucket to soak up the stuff. well i tried that a couple of years ago. i wasted some paint thinner and linseed oil and ruined a good brain bucket. the oil cloth worked for me as it is water proof but it is still very much sticky and gritty from use. and i hung it to dry for three months the way beaudro describes to do it is by far the best, in my opinion
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Post by beaudro on Jul 20, 2009 19:57:25 GMT -5
Yep, i've thrown out a few oilcloths that I tried with linseed oil and paint thinners,, but i've had a few that worked ok too. Either it wasn't the right amounts of each, or the wrong thinners to begin with. This mccloskey's was the cheapest I have found and was colored good so I couldn't pass it up. The driers used in it seem to be better than any recipe I have ever used, so it makes it easier on me just to buy it ready made. I'll let you know that it smells like linseed oil, just like the originals, some people don't like it. That stuff crazy crow sells wont have a smell to it, i think thats their selling point , I might be wrong but I think thats a latex paint used on that canvas. It takes time , but use it often and it loses the smell and gets softer. If it starts to leak, paint it again. A cloth shelter is a primitive thing, in history much of it leaked anyway and was accepted, and thats for a serious reenactor, but otherwise a guy can trick the situation and get a good cloth sealed up and stay dry for at least a weekend. You might try painting a coat on a canvas gun case, using a piece to cover firewood in a rain, ground cloths, bags, just about anything you can think of. it's much better than a plastic tarp for a ground cloth in your tent, that distinct crinkle noise a plastic tarp makes just lets your neighbors know your cheating.
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Post by oregondoc on Jul 20, 2009 21:48:08 GMT -5
Many thanks again and I agree with you on trying to be correct. I will do without fire if I cant make it, sleep by the fire if I get cold . I found a Walmart store and since I am off on Tues this week, I will head over in the morning. Its about 40 miles away, but its a nice drive. 2 lane the whole way.
Jon
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Post by two bit on Jul 26, 2009 18:48:34 GMT -5
yea listen to them
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