repairing sil-nylon

I have a small 1/2 inch tear on my Outdoor Research Nighthaven shelter that i am going to be repairing. The Nighthaven is made from sil-nylon. What is the best way to go about this? I am thinking that i should place a piece of tape on the inside and just coat the outside with McNett silicon sealer and remove the tape when it dries. The hole is actualy a knife slice from the store where i bought it, nice and clean and straight (got it for $50.00 because of this). Any ideas?

Use the tape McNett sells that's clear on a white backing, I do not know the name, but it repairs clear. Use on the underside, use SeamSeal, then leave the tape on until it decides to part with the fabric would be my recommendation. Also, you want to make the patch tape oval without corners to lift and ruin your repair. I have repairs made this way that are over ten years old because I did not use square edges on the tape IMO.

Thanks! That sounds like a plan to me.

If you are sure it's silnylon, you can make a patch for it.
Find some matching cloth (if it matters) and cut a piece that overlaps the cut 1/2" on all sides. Clean/degrease the area with acetone and don't touch it with your fingers. Using clear GE Silicone II mix 1:1 with paint thinner (i use camp gas too but paint thinner is probably safer). Mix really well! Apply with a paint brush to the cut area , and apply the patch. Once it's set, you can re-apply the thinned silicone again to the top and bottom of the patched area. The edges will be sealed and you should be good to go. You can seal all the seams with this stuff and it dries in a nice clear film, almost unnoticeable. I've gone 2:1 thinner to silicone too, with really good results.

Make sure your repaired place doesn't touch anything else on the shelter until cured ...it's a permanent bond! Dust some talcum powder on it after it's all cured.

Now that's a proper post Paul <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />