Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#105330 - 10/24/08 04:57 AM welding fabric
chiefcrazytalk Offline


Registered: 10/24/08
Posts: 2
i know this is a long shot, but does anyone know a good low budget way to weld fabric? maybe i'm just crazy, but thread and seam seal just seems way too heavy. i can get a strong (but ugly) seam with an iron and some aluminum foil, but it weakens the fabric next to the seam which then rips under stress. any ideas?

Top
#105331 - 10/24/08 06:22 AM Re: welding fabric [Re: chiefcrazytalk]
chaz Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Tennessee
What kind of fabric are you trying to weld? Heat will, in most cases do exactly what you have experienced. Stitching and seam sealing is usually the most effective way of joining. I have had luck with using a product called Goop. It can be had at stores like lowe's or Home depot in the adhesives section. I wouldn't use it where stress is involved but could be used for mending a rain fly but not to build something as a eg. chair seam where weight would pull it apart. I used it to glue hook and loop onto the edge of my hammock to attach a removeable bug net. I would do a test on a small piece of fabric in question and give it the stress test to see if it will fail.
_________________________
Enjoy your next trip...

Top
#105332 - 10/24/08 08:15 AM Re: welding fabric [Re: chiefcrazytalk]
Spock Offline
member

Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
Heat and sonic welding always weaken the fabric. A wide variety of glues work much better than welding. However, conventional stitching is still the strongest method for conventional woven or knit fabric.

Low budget welding? Not that I have ever seen. The commercial rigs start at about $20,000.

Top
#105333 - 10/24/08 08:57 AM Re: welding fabric [Re: chiefcrazytalk]
finallyME Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 2710
Loc: Utah
It depends on fabric, method used, and end use. You really haven't given us any of those.
_________________________
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.

Top
#105334 - 10/26/08 08:13 AM Re: welding fabric [Re: chiefcrazytalk]
pennys Offline


Registered: 12/31/01
Posts: 2842
Loc: Washington
you can get SewFree, the same adhesive the big guys use. I'm not sure who is carrying it right now. It will take some monkeying around with jerry rigged irons to get the same results. Keep in that the big guys do a lot of die cutting with templates, to get such clean cuts to meld. It's cool stuff, but I wil tell you this. If you make something with welded seams, you pretty much eliminate the ability to repair or alter it. That stuff simply cannot be undone cleanly.

anyway, here's some links
http://www.bemisworldwide.com/applications/apparel/apparel1.html
_________________________
tips for making gear

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
MSR Recall
by balzaccom
02/24/24 11:13 AM
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Yosemite Winter Rangers
by balzaccom
12/21/23 09:35 AM
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 56 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum