View Full Version : Re-treating Sillnylon for Water Repellancy
Can I use regular outdoor gear silicon spray for my sillnylon single wall tent to restore the water-beading properties? I don't want it to rub off, or destroy the existing coating because of the propellants or solvents used in the spray. Have others used a product that can restore the beading properties of sillnylon?
Thanks,
Cosmo
Yes.
See my video on that :
http://www.youtube.com/user/francodarioli?feature=mhum#p/a/u/2/GBnkGIz9cco
Franco
I didn't know silnylon was treated for water to bead. Hell, it's not even treated to be waterproof, it just is...mostly.
Rain Man
03-24-2011, 19:57
I didn't know silnylon was treated for water to bead. Hell, it's not even treated to be waterproof, it just is...mostly.
The "sil" in silnylon is the silicone treatment. Otherwise, it's just nylon (often ripstop nylon).
Rain:sunMan
.
Rocketman
03-24-2011, 20:56
I'm wondering if the Franco approach to reviving the silnylon with silicone spray isn't possibly the basis for Ray Jardine's claim to having found a special treatment that improves the water shedding ability of his silnylon materials.
Sounds reasonable, and there is likely to be a cheap industrialized process for application in bulk - bypassing the use of small expensive pressurized cans that consumers can buy.
The "sil" in silnylon is the silicone treatment. Otherwise, it's just nylon (often ripstop nylon).
Rain:sunMan
.
I know. The silicone is just there to make the fabric stronger for its intended usage. It just happens that us crazy long distance hikers highjacked silnylon and found it to be good enough for our tarps, ponchos, packs and other assorted gear. Many cottage industry companies would be ecstatic if a fabric manufacturer made a special version of 1.1 silnylon that was more waterproof. As it is, silnylon is getting less and less waterproof, especially American-made silnylon.
Rocketman
me too...
There is a liquid form available over there from Atsko. I gallon for $33.
http://www.atsko.com/shop/home.php?cat=269 (http://www.atsko.com/shop/home.php?cat=269)
There is about 1.5oz of silicone in a can , not sure how much of that 1 gallon is silicone but it should be a lot cheaper than the can.( for multiple uses...)
You just wipe it on with a cloth and let it dry.
Franco
mark schofield
03-25-2011, 06:33
Wallys sells the Atsko brand silicone water shield for $4.98/10 oz can.
I know. The silicone is just there to make the fabric stronger for its intended usage. It just happens that us crazy long distance hikers highjacked silnylon and found it to be good enough for our tarps, ponchos, packs and other assorted gear. Many cottage industry companies would be ecstatic if a fabric manufacturer made a special version of 1.1 silnylon that was more waterproof. As it is, silnylon is getting less and less waterproof, especially American-made silnylon.
A silicone-based coating (or impregnation) was used to plug the gaps between threads in the spinnakers on racing sailboats to catch as much air as possible (and to glue the threads together, making it stronger). The water resistant (nearly waterproof) properties and strength were desirable attributes to cottage industry gear manufacturers who adopted it as the standard ultralight waterproof fabric for backpacking gear. Spinnaker cloth is basically the same, only a little lighter.