Heat Sealing Plastic "Tarp" - Help Please

[Zodiak]

We ran into more problems with out "MegaTarp" this weekend and I need to make some repairs.:sadwavey:

It is very similar to those blue plastic sheets that you buy from B&Q but a bit bigger. www.tarpaflex.com (see army tarps)

The existing seams appear to be made by folding the edge over and somehow sealing them I guess this is heat sealing.

Does anybody know how I could do this at home please?

 

[Longstrider]

My initial reaction is to say forget geat sealing without the right kit and use some glue.
If you are determined to have a crack at heat sealing it back together I guess you could try using a domestic iron. You might want to invest in an "El Cheapo" iron specifically for the job in case you get molten plastic all over the thing. Try running the iron along the bit you need to seal with the iron set on a low heat. If no effect, try again with it a little hotter etc etc until you find that you are indeed melting the layers together. I wouldn't keep the iron very still for long though

 

[Ogri the trog]

Maybe something more like a soldering iron, run along a straight edge would do the job. Our machinery in work welds plastic film together at a temperature of about 160 to 190 degrees Celsius - though how you could measure that at home I'm not sure.

Good luck

Ogri the trog

 

[ilan]

would a hot glue gun do the trick ?

 

[w00dsmoke]

Stick it together with double sided tape and fold the edge over stitch it with a sewing maching and then seal it with silicone...

 

[spamel]

If you do go for the iron option, put a tea towel over the pastic and run the edge of the iron over that, plastic won't stick to the iron then. We use a similar trick to seal the green plasticy rubbery bags issued to us for use in the field, they seal perfectly and can be reused over and over again.