thank you finally somebody that puts it up there with the ingredients in the description and gets right to the point doesn't goof off and take a half an hour showin me 🤮 Great job thank you for sharing please keep up the excellent work!!
I've noticed that most seem to put the silicone first - would it not make sense to instead have some mineral spirits already in your container and then squeeze in the silicone? This way the silicone shouldn't start solidifying as quickly.
Ratio doesn't matter much. The mineral spirits will evaporate leaving behind the silicon. Think of it this way, your dissolving the silicon to make it spreadable, it's only the vehicle to deposit the silicon. Some brevity and public speaking practice would make this go by better.
RATIO MATTERS....THE SILICONE WILL STIFFEN THE FABRIC MORE AS MORE SILICONE IS ADDED TO YOUR MIXTURE....USE LESS SILICONE TO AVOID CRACKING TEARS WHENEVER FOLDING & UNFOLDING OR PACKAGING AND UNPACKING IS THE PLANNED PROCEDURE....GOOD LUCK OR EXPERIMENT FIRST....
Consistency is the real guide to proper ratio. As @paulcrocker818 said, too much silicone and a thick layer will deposit which can crack, as well as not key into the fibres. If too much solvent is added only a thin layer will deposit which may be too fragile and possibly result in tiny holes where the silicone content was not enough to bridge gaps between warp and weft. The slight viscosity shown in the video would overcome both problems and is easy to achieve by adjusting as you go until you see and feel it's right.
My brother did quite a lot of this about 40 years ago. He mixed it just like in this video but shot it thru a paint gun. I think that paint gun would would give a lot more even coverage. I think mixing that in any kind of beverage bottle could be a MAJOR safety no no. Especially an unlabeled beverage bottle.
I don't know if you'll see this, but I have a question: so I know that using oil to waterproof things increases the risk of fire. Does silicone have that problem?
It would have an issue until the mineral spirits gasses off that was used as a carrier for the silicone. After that I would say (not an expert in this) that it wouldn't be any more flammable than regular canvas. I believe silicone in of itself to be flame resistant... Though I don't think this reduces the chance of the canvas catching fire... Hope this helps! I have reached these opinions from talk to people and general info on silicone.
Creative application! I don't know if it would work as it might not be able to soak in well enough. If you want to give it a try, you will need to dilute it with mineral spirits until its supper thin and watery. You would also need to do multiple coats... I have never tried this, so I am only guessing. If you give it a try, I would test it on a spare pot first. Let us know how it goes!
@@wamindustries Thanks for replying..😊 Well I can try it applying a thin layer first to get the watery base get absorbed more, and then, as you suggested, multiple of thicker layers.. Wish me good luck, ha ha.. And, I will post whatever the outcome be!!😉
Best way is to test on a scrap piece of the material. One way I have dealt with that myself is to Google the specific fiber and see if mineral spirits damages it.
In theory it should work, you probably would need a higher concentration of silicon in the mixture and may need to do multiple coats. Once you did this, the fabric would have a rubbery feel. I have not attempted this, but as i said earlier it should work in theory. The seams will have a higher chance of leaking so pay attention to them especially. If you give this a try, please let us all know how it works!
@@chemawatersa377 I have not :( Thank you for reminding me, though -- I have some sewing-type projects planned as part of my garden this year (boy, does that look weird when I type it out), so maybe I can work it in then.
It probably would work, but it may affect the color and texture of the fabric. You will want to test it on a small part of the fabric first that can't be seen. Depending on the fabric and how much waterproofing you apply it may make it feel rubbery. If you go the opposite direction and apply to thin of a coating there will be sections that leak. Semi porous fabrics would work better than a really tight weave (too loose of a weave and it will take to much waterproofing to work, that's why a canvas like material works so well) . If your not careful when mixing and applying it could result in splotches. Because of all the seams you might want to do a thinner mixture and apply multiple coats. Hope this helps.
USE THE SILICONE UNDILUTED, PRESSED BETWEEN TWO FABRIC LAYERS, once cured,PROVIDES A PERMANENT CONNECTION....USE PINS ,if necessary TO HOLD LAYERS TOGETHER UNTILL SILICONE IS SET INTO CURE...PULL PINS BEFORE CURE IS TOTALLY COMPLETE....
What sort of texture does the resulting fabric have? Does it work on stretchier fabrics? I’m trying to replicate a leathery dragon wing for a costume and am curious if this is a good option. Thanks!
It will have a sort of rubbery texture if you have a higher silicone content, otherwise, it will feel slightly oily but have almost the same texture as before. It may have some stretch with the fabric but I’ve never tried this.
Silicone flexes but has minimal stretch. If you want to cover stretchy fabric liquid latex is probably your best option, though a bit more expensive. It is used a lot in theater and film for props, including masks and costumes.
I'm not sure... It depends really on how you take care of it... I cut it's life short when I got bleach on it. I would expect it to last longer than many of the wax related waterproofing options or the waterproofing in the standard options at most box stores
@wamindustries thank you. Looking at alternative ways to cover a shelterlogic & came across this technique. Either way helpful to know for camping purposes!
Interesting question, I've never tried that. Depending on how hot, my guess it might do fine as it's silicone that's left on/in the fabric... Only suggestion is to try a sample piece. If you give it a try please let us know the results!
In theory that should work, but you would need extra coats. The mixture will also destroy whatever you use to apply it as it will be covered with silicone as well. In short, I wouldn’t try it with an expensive brush as paint will not adhere to the brush for an application in future.
I would say it's still flammable as a fabric. To the best of my knowledge, it will gas off until it's just silicone and canvas. While the silicone may not be flammable, the canvas is. Until it fully gases off, it will be quite flammable.
I have a question. Could I use this in a Hudson pump sprayer and apply on the shingles on my roof. Not looking for a long time solution but something for this rain season as I do have multiple leaks and can’t afford to replace the roof this year.
You should be using silicone water guard, which still allows the material to breathe, that's the downside of using is silicone, because it makes it to where the material can't breathe.
That's a really good question, unfortunately I do not know the answer. I just did it in small batches until the project was done. Doing a large batch would probably make things easier and faster.
Good question!!! I don't have first hand experience using ipa with silicone caulk, but it looks like it actually weakens the silicone and keeps it from curing. Based on my research I would say don't use it... If you test it, let us know how it works out.
Hi Rey, good question. Your best option is oderless mineral spirits. Almost every hardware store sells it whether it's a Do It Best, ACE, or True Value. Home depot, Lowe's, and Manards sell it as well. You are right there are other products which will thin silicone, but you need to consider their own unique strengths and weaknesses. As always, test your mixture first on an unimportant test piece of material. Some thinners will breakdown different fibers or will produces a really strong oder. I can't suggest other thinners as i have only used mineral spirits. If you give some new mixture a try, please let all of use know how it went.
@@itsjustme5022 Take gasoline if you do not mind some smell its the same class of molecules. Otherwise, ethanol should work but you will need more of it than gasoline due to it being partially polar.
I don't know how nylon will hold up to mineral spirits... will want to give that a try on a sample piece first. If you give it a try, let us know the results!
I have not tried this. Probably will not work right as the paint will be damaged by the mineral spirits. You should at least try it on a sample of painted canvas... just not on anything important ;-).
You probably could, though it would depend on the material your shoes are made of. I don't think it would work well on a leather or fake leather surface, but should work for a canvas shoe. Your shoe will not be very breathable after waterproofing as this waterproofing does not breath well
Mine just smells like dirt fabric as I have gotten dirt and stuff on it over the yrs. The mineral spirits do eventually all gas off given the opportunity.
Do you have the ratio information for the two chemicals? "Making it runny" is one thing, and will be affected by the weather, but what is the rough ratio?
About two to one... mineral spirits to silicon. It should be the consistency of maple syrup. The mineral spirits just thins the silicone enough to apply it and then evaporates after application.
Have you ever gotten Mineral Spirits on your skin? I did the Boiled Linseed Oil experiment. Smelled! And burned my skin even after being dry... Added weight to the garment too... Next trick, Coleman Fuel plus silicon, has Naptha situation. Complete evaporation...
The mineral spirits should evaporate given enough time. The mineral spirits is not providing the waterproofing but just thins the silicone so it can be applied. As a result once a silicone is in place you could rinse off it to remove mineral spirits residue. I haven't had to do this for my application, but I think in theory that should work.
Thanks for asking Lesley! It might, but it would be very thick and would not spread well or get absorbed into the fabric. In short it won't work as well. You could experiment with different ratios to create a thicker consistency if that's what you are looking for. Have fun!
Yes it does. I accidentally discovered this. I use silicone caulk for work and one day, after I tooled it with my finger, I did not have a rag with me to wipe the excess on. So I wiped into my pant leg, spreading it out to keep it from lumping. To my surprise, after multiple washings, it's still there and still waterproof. It's basically infused into the fabric of my pants, and it shows no signs of coming off. The problem with doing a large area would be doing it FAST, because un-thinned silicone caulk skins over within a minute or so.
This mixture wouldn’t work on several surfaces !… For example on some paints after evaporation of the solvent the silicones are easily removed by peeling since it’s well known that they don’t glue on any material !…
This is a great video. What you are doing here leads the imagination to interesting places. Why do you think out the silicone caulk with mineral spirits? Is it that difficult to spread into a thin layer with the squeegee?
Thanks! The silicone needs to be thinned with mineral spirits so that it soaks into the material.... otherwise the Silicon would just sit on the surface. Just a tip, it is generally better to put more than less in your fabric. The only problem with putting more on is that it can feel rubbery. To get the right balance I went through Test Section first.
The mineral spirits acts sort of like a carrier. It thins the silicone so it can be applied and most of it evaporates over time. This method is not designed to be fire proof... And I have not conducted any tests regarding fire with it.
I have not tried it on concrete... only suggestion is to try it on a sacrificial piece of concrete. Let us know the results and it might helps someone else.
USE A THICKLY HAIRED PAINT ROLLER AND DON'T DRINK OR SWIM IN THE GOO WITHOUT A LICENSED, CA APPROVED LIFE GUARD....DON'T BREATH IN A OPEN FLAME....OR, NOTICE THAT PETROLEUM DISTILLATES ARE ALWAYS FLAMMABLE.....
It really depends on a lot of factors so it would be hard to give an accurate guess. Some factors which would affect the life span include method of application, type and composition of the fabric, and the exposure to outside elements. Unfortunately I am unable to give a better answer.
That is the question of the century (unfortunately I didn't think to measure a ratio as I was just going by eye)... The ratio is dependent on your fabric. The tighter the weave the thinner the mixture For the canvas I was using, I was aiming for consistency similar to maple syrup.
That I have never tried. I would say most likely no... It would probably require a thick coating of silicone... Though this is a guess on my part. If you do any experiment, please let us know in the comments your results... We would love to know!!!!
It's very hard to get both a waterproof substance that ALSO makes something fireproof. For DIY it's a multistep process. For instance, this method looks MORE fireproof than using paraffin wax base with linseed oil, but to truly fireproof it you'll want to soak it in a borax-boric acid solution (1 cup of borax + 1 cup of boric acid + 1 gallon of water) Wash it in this to help fireproof it BEFORE you coat the fibers of the cloth in a waterproofing agent. THEN waterproof it so even if the flame gets past your waterproofing agent, it has nothing to burn because you've got an extra layer of protection.
Good question! I have not tried it, but I have thought some about it. I think it would work given the right amount of coats and getting enough silicone soaked into the canvas. You could test on a small scale first and let us know here if it works! Best of luck!
Isn’t there a Mineral Spirits to Silicone ratio that can be measured instead of tedious ‘winging it’ ? After all - All mineral spirits is mineral spirits & 100% silicone is 100 % silicone.
On could create a ratio, though the ratio would need to reflect how tight the weave of the fabric is and the material it's made out of. More silicone is needed for looser weaves. The mineral spirits evaporates over time... It's just acting as the carrier of the silicone.
I have not tried it on denim... It will have a slight oily feel. I would try it on some scrap material first to see if you like the feel, especially if your hoping to use it on clothing. If you just worried about repelling water, this should work great.
So I just used a hand pump sprayer to do this. So yeah it didn't "spray" but rather more like a stream. The first batch was a bit too thick and the 2nd batch sprayed a bit more but was a bit too thin. So much for using that pump sprayer as my camp shower. haha. But I'm trying to cover up this nasty PVC toxic fumes off gassing from a China tent.
Great question! Because there are so many things that could affect the life span of waterproofing, I really could not give an accurate estimate. General things that could harm this waterproofing include excess exposure to sunlight, harsh chemicals and detergents, and abrasion. All of these will also shorten the life span of conventional waterproofing as well.
I haven't... I know a few people have commented about they were going to try it. I think if you use it in a sprayer or spay bottle it may ruin it if you don't find a way to clean it out well as the silicone may restrict or fill the small holes in the sprayer.
Mix Ratio missing. Done by eye, which means every batch will be different and slow to make. Save yourself 7 minutes as this most essential info is absent.
@Money Man the problem is that your veins will bulge and it will not want to go back in, unless you want to have bulging veins all over your body at anytime