Using Silnet

Ok before I go and ruin my new tent by seam sealing using Silnet, someone that's had some experience using this stuff would you please give me some tips or lessons learned. I've read the general instructions and howtos but I'd like to hear some real world experiences. A couple of questions that I have are...

1. I assume I pitch the tent right and not leave it just laying on the ground while I apply the sealer?

2. Do I apply just on the seam itself, or do I go a little wider than the seam?

3. Do I do the inside the tent seam, outside seam, or both?

4. I've read about applying talcum powder to the sealant after it dries to keep it from sticking to itself. Necessary?

Anyway, just trying to be cautious. I paid a lot of money for this tent and I don't want to ruin it right off the bat!

Thanks for any pointers.

To cover your behind, why not ask the manufacturer or retailer, but:

"1. I assume I pitch the tent right and not leave it just laying on the ground while I apply the sealer?

2. Do I apply just on the seam itself, or do I go a little wider than the seam?

3. Do I do the inside the tent seam, outside seam, or both?

4. I've read about applying talcum powder to the sealant after it dries to keep it from sticking to itself. Necessary?"



1. Pitch it works best for me for any sealing.

2. I apply it with a foam brush, which covers a width more than the seams. Plus the sealer wicks out past the seam.

3. I apply both in and out on the top and just inside on the floor (the floor was just to make it less slick). The recipe I use with GE II Silicone that Henry Shires suggests for Tarp Tents permeates so much that I doubt it matters. The GE II is much less expensive per volume than the product you have.

4. Haven't used the powder and haven't noticed it sticking to itself.

I have run across several similar recipes and methods posted on the internet.

Again, might as well ask the manufacturer in case it melts on contact.

In my experience, Silnet straight of the tube is too thick and nasty to apply with the little included brush. Silnet will thin quite well with mineral spirits--stir the mixture to about the viscosity of olive oil--and then it's easy to apply under pressure with a foam brush or even the rolled up end of a paper towel. Thinning it will make your life much easier and the solution will also flow more effectively into the seam holes. Set the shelter up and get it all stretched out so that you open the seam holes before you apply the silicone.

Have fun!

-H

You didn't say what kind of tent it is. I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but make sure the tent is made of silnylon. Silnet won't work on regular PU coated nylon...use Seam Grip or similar for that.

I'd pitch it, thin the sealer with mineral spirits, apply with foam brush a little beyond the seams. If you do it out in the sun, it won't take long to dry. I've never had to use the talc, but there are some variables, so you might. I'd seal on the outside of silnylon. I've never done a silnylon floor...maybe inside would be better there. It probably doesn't matter too much.

If you have a scrap of silnylon, you could mix a small amount of sealer and practice, at the same time getting a feel for the right sealer-to-thinner ratio.

For urethane coated nylon, though, seal on the coated side, which is usually the inside. No need to thin Seam Grip, although you could thin it with toluene (avoid breathing the vapors.)

The only time I've had to use talc is when using some thinned silicone caulk that had been sitting around for a few months in a sealed jar. Now I only use freshly mixed caulk. Live and learn.

I get a syringe applicator at Frys Electronics (I have no idea why Frys would carry syringes). The tip is plastic with an end that is just about right for this. Fill with Silnet, get the sealer exactly where you want it, no extra.

I would pick a day that has low humidity. The fabric will be tighter.

I pitched mine in the garage on top of a blue nylon tarp ( i feared the acids in the concrete). i used duct tape and string for anchors - did not want to leave sticky duct tape adhesive on my webbing tie outs. Then I applied the sealer on the inside - presumably where it would be protected and last longer. Two days later I took it outside and pitched it in the (dry) yard on a sunny day and let it warm/sit for a couple of hours. Then I set up inside the garage another two days.

Then I used it a couple of times and sold it.

All excellent advice! Be sure, as billk says, that you've matched the type of sealant to the waterproofing of what you're sealing--silicone sealant (Silnet or diluted GE Silicon II) for silicon-coated and the other type for polyurethane coated.

I discovered the hard way that it's not a good idea to seal a tent on a hot day; the mineral spirits evaporate too fast and you have to redilute the solution every few minutes. The garage (if open while you're doing it) might be a better idea if it's warm, assuming you don't mind leaving your car outside overnight.

You don't need to coat the floor except to seal a seam if it has one. You need to be sure you don't pitch your tent in a place that will become a pond in a cloudburst no matter what kind of floor it has or what you use (if anything) underneath it. However, if your floor is silnylon, it's a good idea to paint some broad stripes of the sealant on the inside to prevent your pad from skidding on the slippery floor. You may want also to paint a few stripes on the bottom of your pad. I discovered this the hard-way during a 3-week car-camping trip which was also a "shakedown cruise" of my lightweight gear. Every night I chased my Thermarest all over the tent every time I turned over. My dog got so disgusted with this nightly exercise that he resorted to curling up at the very foot of the tent, which is where he's slept ever since. He makes a great foot-warmer down there, but there are easier ways to train a dog!

I have discovered that rubberized shelf liner works great for keeping the Thermarest from sliding around. (You know, the kind used to line shelves in motor homes and trailers to keep the dishes from slipping and sliding all over the place? )

Howie

Here's my take:

1. Pitch or don't pitch, whatever works for you. Henry beat me to it, but in my opinion I think you should pitch it because it stretches everything out and allows you to get the Silnet into all the holes in the seams. I have put on seam sealer without pitching before, and that works fine too. Especially on other items like tarps or pack covers. In general though I would pitch it and seam seal it in the morning, and leave it up all day to dry. Try and pitch in a shaded area if it is hot cause that stuff will coagulate really fast in the sun.

2. The first tent or two I did I tried to stay right on the seam without getting the seam sealer all over. Now I just slap it on with a foam brush from Lowes. It doesn't matter if you get a wide swathe of it on your tent (except it adds weight <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />).

3. I would say that one side is probably sufficient, but I am really particular and I always do both sides. This usually makes it bomb proof where I don't have to do it again.

4. I never have. After a couple times out it gets crapped up with enough dirt and stuff so that it doesn't stick anymore. Just make sure you let is dry sufficiently before you take the tent down after applying it.

As others mentioned, if you mix the Silnet with mineral spirits that makes a world of difference in the application. Just make sure you get the ordorless mineral spirits. I used normal mineral spirits, and my tent smelled like a gas station until it wore off.

Diagonal stripes (wide foam brush) definitely helped my BA pad on my Silnylon floor. I also ran some down the top of the tubes of my BA pad to give my sleeping bag some grip, the bottom was not needed.

I found diluting silicone was a pain, and since the mineral spirits are volatile, it evaporated quickly, and left me some chunky goop left. 100% Silnet right out of the tube (punch a small hole) worked MUCH better for me. Also, make sure you thoroughly dry, or the first time you camp in sand, you will have a nice sandpaper surface. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />