diluting silicone for sealing

[zammy]

Is Turpentine good for diluting silicone for sealing tents?
It says "Mineral turpnetine" on the bottle.

[c.coyle]

Is Turpentine good for diluting silicone for sealing tents?
It says "Mineral turpnetine" on the bottle.

Mineral spirits and turpentine are two different things. Make sure the can says "mineral spirits".

I don't know whether turpentine would work for thinning silicone, but why risk making a mess or not getting a good seal? I've sealed my Cloudburst with mineral spirit diluted silicone, and it worked like a champ.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea....Turps. I've worked in oils and used terps and MS's as a solvent for years. Everthing that MS's can do, good clear Terpentine can do better, so if MS works as a solvent with Silicone(I never tried that), then probably Terps will also. Can you buy liquid Silicone? or some kind of seam-sealer that dosn't require mixing? KZ@

[flyfisher]

Is Turpentine good for diluting silicone for sealing tents?
It says "Mineral turpnetine" on the bottle.

I used paint thinner (mineral spirits) because that is what Ray Jardine recommended. It works, though it takes a while to disolve the clear silicone in the thinner.

I later read, in Hammock Camping, that Ed Speer recommended Coleman Fuel as the dilutant. I tried this. The silicone disolves faster and dries faster on the material. This is now my preferred method.

Of course, I am very careful with flame near the tarp and the solution until it has dried completely.

[zammy]

I used paint thinner (mineral spirits) because that is what Ray Jardine recommended. It works, though it takes a while to disolve the clear silicone in the thinner.

I later read, in Hammock Camping, that Ed Speer recommended Coleman Fuel as the dilutant. I tried this. The silicone disolves faster and dries faster on the material. This is now my preferred method.

Of course, I am very careful with flame near the tarp and the solution until it has dried completely.
WOW
many thanks for load of technical info.