Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

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Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Tortoise » Mon 30 Dec, 2019 4:33 pm

I'm resurrecting my old 1990s Salewa Sierra Leone tent for a friend. I'm hopeless at technical stuff, but I think the fly is PU-coated. Not SIL nylon, at least. I'm wanting to work out what to use to reseal the fly, as the tape has come off. What can I use for that?
Thanks a bunch for any info.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Aardvark » Mon 30 Dec, 2019 7:25 pm

No, That tent is NOT Sil nylon. It's a strong fabric and made to last a while.
Seam grip is probably the most flexible and long lasting option for your purpose. There are other cheaper options (sometimes water based) which can also be easier to apply but i personally would go with seam grip for longevity.
It's critical though that you make sure all traces of any previous glues or sealers are removed completely. It needs to be clean and dry. Pays to tape alongside where you want to put the sealer. Do a section at a time so you don't get it stuck against any other part. When it is no longer tacky and it's dry , put a little talc on the sealer to prevent it gripping against fabric when rolled and in storage.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Tortoise » Mon 30 Dec, 2019 7:46 pm

Thanks, Aardvark. What would you recommend to remove the old glue? I actually wondered re sealing the fly on the outside, having cleaned it with something, to avoid the problem of a lot of old glue.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Aardvark » Mon 30 Dec, 2019 8:26 pm

I've never seen anyone seam seal a fly on the outside but i believe that only to be because of it maybe appearing unsightly. That shouldn't matter really.
It certainly saves on the hassle of removing the old glue. It's usually all fractured and takes a long time to pick it all off. Scraping it off risks damage or adds to wear. Using a solvent could also compromise the fabric's PU coating. Even picking it off doesn't necessarily guarantee it's clean enough to ensure maximum adherance of the new seam sealing.
I myself would seriously consider doing it on the outside . Keep in mind that if kept set up in the hot sun over a long period it might shorten the life of the seam sealing but probably only marginally.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Moondog55 » Tue 31 Dec, 2019 9:47 am

The only reason I could ever see for seam sealing on the inside is cosmetic, it just looks like snail tracks.
In my experience diluted silicon sticks as well as the proprietary tubes and is much cheaper. See if you can find Francos video on how he makes his. I use the same stuff for reproofing old tents too, 4 out of 5 success rate so far.
Caveat is that once mixed it needs to be used almost immediately as it goes off in the bottle. Neutral cure silicon caulking mixed with low odour turpentine or Shellite or 50/50 mix of both solvents
Ve are too soon old und too late schmart
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Franco » Tue 31 Dec, 2019 10:53 am

I would use this for that tent :
https://www.gearaid.com/products/seam-g ... 8044147153
If you want to do it on the inside, Gear Aid had a video on how to scrape off the old tape and prepare the fabric but I can't see it now.
(use isopropyl alcohol to clean the surface , top or bottom)
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Tortoise » Tue 31 Dec, 2019 2:13 pm

Thanks very much, one and all.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby ribuck » Tue 31 Dec, 2019 2:59 pm

I had a Salewa Sierra Leone. Great tent, although too heavy for me nowadays. Eventually it deteriorated, not just the tape but the fabric pulled slightly out-of-shape which opened up the weave and caused water to seep through.

For this reason I would consider a spray-on water repellent e.g. Nikwax Tent/Gear waterproofer:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikwax-Tent-So ... 003DI6ZTQ/
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Franco » Wed 01 Jan, 2020 7:30 pm

[quote="Aardvark"]No, That tent is NOT Sil nylon. It's a strong fabric and made to last a while.
I was wondering what was meant by that
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Moondog55 » Thu 02 Jan, 2020 8:23 am

Nikwax Solarproof is a good UV barrier and DWR but it won't fix micro holes in a PU coating unfortunately.
For that I have simply used the diluted neutral silicon. If the water based acid cure silicon worked it would be more environmentally friendly but it doesn't seem to work at all for reproofing.
Ve are too soon old und too late schmart
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Petew » Sat 04 Jan, 2020 7:07 am

I would check to see if the fabric is still waterproof before doing any repair work. I have had a few Salewa tents and the pu does due over time. Seam sealing from the outside is much easier.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Franco » Sat 04 Jan, 2020 8:02 am

Franco wrote:
Aardvark wrote:No, That tent is NOT Sil nylon. It's a strong fabric and made to last a while.
I was wondering what was meant by that


I guess I'll never find out.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Aardvark » Tue 07 Jan, 2020 3:56 pm

Franco wrote:
Franco wrote:
Aardvark wrote:No, That tent is NOT Sil nylon. It's a strong fabric and made to last a while.
I was wondering what was meant by that


I guess I'll never find out.


Look, this is social media. Inadequate to say the least. It's not like a normal person to person conversation where you get to see expressions etc and gain more insight into what a person means when they say something. You can try to read all sorts of things into what people write.
My comment was about the fabric the tent has. Not some derision toward siliconised nylon. Look at in context to the original question.

On the subject of siliconised nylon now. It usually focuses on producing a lighter weight end product and the thickness of the fabric (or denier if you prefer) is generally as minimal as possible. I've used products (including tents) with siliconised nylon and it has always been compromised by stretching or wear (abrasion) sooner than i would have liked.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Franco » Tue 07 Jan, 2020 7:36 pm

That is what I read in you comment.
For one, Hilleberg does not agree with your findings (Kerlon is silnylon...)
Have a read of this (shortish) document about fire retardants.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2406767/flame-resistant-tents-carcinogens-cancer

Amongst some interesting comments about the effect of fire retardants applied to PU coated tents it has this :

There’s another benefit to ditching flame retardants: better tents.

Tents are made of nylon and treated with silicone on one side and polyurethane mixed with flame retardants on the other. Ditching flame retardants allows manufacturers to apply silicone on both sides, which gives the tents higher tear strength and longer-lasting water repellency, says Devon Lambert, manager of Mountain Hardwear’s equipment product line. They may even be slightly lighter weight and have a silkier feel.


Have a look.
BTW, in general PU coated 70D nylon is much cheaper than 30D silnylon and that is why it used to be so popular with tent makers.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby Petew » Tue 07 Jan, 2020 8:29 pm

If my foggy memory serves me correctly, the Salewa Sierra Leone tents had a polyester fly. Earlier ones had a silver coating on the inside.
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Re: Seam sealing 1990s Sierra Leone

Postby ribuck » Wed 08 Jan, 2020 7:03 pm

Petew wrote:earlier ones had a silver coating on the inside.

I'm surprised more tents don't have silverised outers. It made the tent warmer in winter, cooler in the sunshine, and darker inside on a bright moonlit night or with an early sunrise.
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