I've got a silnylon tarp that I need to seam seal. Never done any seam sealing before.

A few questions:

1. I remember previously reading that Sil Net and similar seam sealers work best when mixed with mineral spirits. What ratio or seam sealer to mineral spirits is best?

2. How thickly should the seam sealer mix be applied? I assume you just smear a thin layer on, but figure it's worth asking.

3. Do you seal the top or the bottom side of the seam (i.e. top or bottom of the tarp)?

4. Similarly, when sealing rain mitts, should the seam sealer be applied to the outside or the inside of the mitt?

Thanks for the help.

Dave

I never seal my silnylon tent seams and haven't noticed any leakage

I've used GE silicone diluted with 10 parts mineral spirits

Permatex Flowable Sealant from the auto store is supposed to work good - normally thin enough you don't need to thin it. http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/adhesives_sealants/sealants/Permatex_Flowable_Silicone_Windshield_and_Glass_Sealer.htm

sil net will work fine on it's own, just take your time- if you want to mix it ~ 50:50 should be fine, if you don't have silnet already- the silicone stuff they sell for automotive window repairs works pretty well (flows easier than silnet)

thin layer is all you need

top of the seam (outside of seam)

I'd think it would be the same on mitts, but I'll defer to someone whose actually done it

Here is a link for sealing your mitts.

http://smackpacker.com/2010/04/11/mld-event-rain-mitts-quick-review/

I dilute 100% silicone to a runny honey sort of mix. This changes a bit with the humidity level so I don't measure it , I just add the mineral spirits and mix till it looks OK to me.
See the start of this clip :
http://www.youtube.com/user/francodarioli?feature=mhee#p/u/29/mYjOkxR4sgc
BTW, I have just finished doing a Scarp 1 and used less than 1oz of silicone.

For the mitts I would suggest doing the outside. I tried doing the inside and that did not work for me.
Keep in mind that the idea is to fill the needle holes, so you want it to penetrate not coat.
(that is why I never used undiluted silicone...)
Franco