Chemical boffin needed

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Hi since testing the silicon on various fabrics http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144731 I'm wondering a further question.

is there a way of making the silicon less shiny?

Because it's clear, silicon would theoretically go un-noticed on most fabrics IF it wasn't shiny.

In the past I've managed to turn "gloss" into make "matt" paint by mixing gloss with Matt, I'm guessing on a microscopic level the surface is rough.

The same must be possible with silicon, the surface when wet and dry is very shiney like gloss paint. if White spirit/turps breaks up silicon (waters it down) then if something can probably be added to break up the surface enough to give a rougher "matt" finish.

some of the other silicon you can buy white, and brown is not as shiny but what is the difference?

I've seen sand and other elements to paint to give a rough finish, I've considered sand, but most elements would not soak into the fabric and would stay on the outside, when dry it would act like sandpaper!

so what I'm after is: A chemical I can add to the mixture that will break down the surface of silicon but won't effect the overall use.

As silicon has acid(vinegar smell) as an active ingredient, perhaps mixing a neutral or an alkali chemical to the mixture material would have the desired effect?

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

OK I've added some waterbased waterproof paint to the Silicon/turps mix it's the waterproof stuff you'd paint on fences.

It's dried super fast, I've painted a thick layer onto the thicker ALICE and PLCE Cordura material and seems at present to have soaked in and seems to be a matt and stable finish!

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

correction, the water based paint did not stay on the fabric, the silicon is still intact though.

 

[rickwhite]

Hi Rappleby
Adding a non solvent soluble powder, like a pigment, should give you a matt finish. In gloss paints, its the resin part that will give you the glossiness.
In your case, the silicon is basically behaving like a resin, which is soluble in the solvent your using.
Adding something like a transparent pigment that is insoluble in the solvent (but compatible with it) shoudl give you some matt effect, though you may need quite a lot to get a very matt result which may mean you lose the clarity.
If my memory services me correctly, from my days of working in the ink industry, titanium dioxide can be obtained in a transparent form (smaller particle sizes can give greater transparency) and if you can get the balance right, you might get the opacity without losing the clarity.
Maybe try something like talc or similar to start with? Put it in the solvent first, keep it mixing whist you add the silicone to avoid it going lumpy.

 

[rickwhite]

Oh and try to avoid water based products as the silicon is not compatible, hence why you need the white sprit / turps to dissolve the silicon.

 

[Robson Valley]

As the silicone molecules link together/polymerize, I think that the acetic acid is a reaction product, not a substrate.
Doesn't smell for long and is completely natural, anyway.

Next time you're in the hardware store, see if they stock any of the High Temperature silicone. Rated to 450C.
I use it as the sealant between sections of the stainless steel, insulated exhaust pipe from my wood pellet stove.
It is not shiny, certainly satin, if not matt.

I buy a full tube, use maybe 3-4 tablespoons of it once a year after a tear-down.
Then the whole dang thing polymerizes and it was the most expensive tube on the shelf.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Try talcum powder