re-coating a tarp?!

[forrestdweller]

i haven't done an overnighter in years (at least not a proper one), but nonetheless i'm regularly checking (and maintaining) my gear to keep it in good shape and ready. today i checked my trusty "tatonka" tarp which i've since 2002 and which saw action wherever i went... it spent the last six months in a storage box in a friends shed and as i recently brought it back to where i'm currently staying today was time (and opportunity) for a check... .it does not smell bad in any way BUT there's patches of discolouring and one line a along a fold where light shines through. my guess is the coating is being affected by age and jungle climate. does anyone know if there's a treatment one can "inflict" at home and without sophisticated equipment?! (==like a spray... i've no idea what the original coating was/ is and given my location it will take some time to find something, so additional questions in future are not impossible. fortunately i'm not planning to use my tarp soon so i've some time to solve the issue )

thanks!

 

[Corso]

It will depend what it's made of

do you know?

 

[Mesquite]

If it's a poly cotton tantonka tarp then it ought to respond well to being treated with Fabsil or an equivelant.

Just a word about storing your tarp it pays to refold it slightly differently each time to stop building weaknesses in the folds

 

[forrestdweller]

tatonka's website doesn't work over here for some reason and there's no label or anything on the tarp or bag... a quick search shows only a poly cotton version BUT i'm 100% sure mine is a 100% synthetic version...i last visited the shop i bought it over 16years ago (as it's on the other side of the earth disk) -- it's a long shot but i'm going to email their customer service, maybe someone knows...
thanks for Mesquite's tip with folding differently each time

 

[chas brookes]

if its the polycotton one, Nikwax Cotton Proof worked well on mine

 

[forrestdweller]

update: i received an email today from the shop where i bought it. there seems to be a communication issue -- while i told them my tarp was stored in a box they somehow understood i left it set up outside the whole time and it's (therefore) UV damage (and my tarp done and garbage and i've to buy a new one -- which currently wouldn't be an option anyway )... however i'm 100% sure that's not the case as UV light won't be able to get through the roof of a building, the lid of a storage box and the bag of the tarp without damaging the latter two...

according to the email the tarp should be polyester/polyamide...

 

[The Lord Poncho]

if its a coating that you are seeking (rather than simply rejuvenating the water repellency), then painting on a very dilute (with White Spirit) solution of silicone sealant might do the trick.

 

[Great egret]

if the holes are very small you can use seam sealer to weatherproof the seam.

 

[Hammock_man]

I have used White Sprit and clear silicone bathroom sealant to good effect on a very old DD tarp. One and two pounds respectively from the Poundshop. 3 quid for a "new" tarp, sorted.

 

[forrestdweller]

if its a coating that you are seeking (rather than simply rejuvenating the water repellency), then painting on a very dilute (with White Spirit) solution of silicone sealant might do the trick.

thanks for everyone's reply!
rejuvenating water repellency sounds a bit easier to achieve, so i'll try that one first -- it will take a while to do so as there's no camping/ outdoor shop around here so i've to ask some friends to get it for me from san jose... i do have some seam sealant in case that proves necessary
i've also a well-used poncho who's not entirely up to keeping me dry anymore, so i might use that as a "guinea pig " for the silicone/ white spirit method before "tackling" my tarp.(to be on the absolute safe side my first step will be some small bags made out of old umbrellas) bathroom silicone is available from hardware stores here, hopefully one has white spirit, too (none of the hardware stores here has boiled linseed oil so i might be in for another 'surprise')! according to google there's several types and grades -- does the exact variety matter?!

Mesquite's post about storage brought me to the idea of making a larger storage bag and store the tarp rolled around a piece of cardboard tube to avoid sharp folds, hopefully that idea works...

 

[forrestdweller]

I have used White Sprit and clear silicone bathroom sealant to good effect on a very old DD tarp. One and two pounds respectively from the Poundshop. 3 quid for a "new" tarp, sorted.

how did you do that exactly -- just mixing them until you got a liquid and then paint it on?! how long did it take to dry?!

 

[Mesquite]

Mesquite's post about storage brought me to the idea of making a larger storage bag and store the tarp rolled around a piece of cardboard tube to avoid sharp folds, hopefully that idea works...

Just shove it loosely in the larger stuff bag without folding it in any way whilst storing it. That way it's stored differently every time you store it after use.

 

[Wander]

If it's not taken UV damage then it's got to be worth checking whether it's still water repellent or not before embarking on repairing damage that doesn't exist.
Holes can be fixed with a little bit of Tenacious Tape inside and out.
Then I'd be inclined to rig it up and get out a watering can and see if it does need re-coating.

 

[forrestdweller]

If it's not taken UV damage then it's got to be worth checking whether it's still water repellent or not before embarking on repairing damage that doesn't exist.
Holes can be fixed with a little bit of Tenacious Tape inside and out.
Then I'd be inclined to rig it up and get out a watering can and see if it does need re-coating.

indeed a valid point about "don't fix it if it isn't broken"; no need for a watering can: rainy season has started here so i just have to wait for the next tropical downpour (and make sure it's REALLY dry before packing it away ) i do know that my poncho needs treatment and now i know how to achieve it