Help! Seam Seal question

[michihunt]

All,

I seam sealed my Luxe octopeak on Sunday. I used mineral spirits to dilute the seam sealer they sent with the tent so i could easily apply it. The temperature was roughly 50F and partly cloudy. I left it up last night and all day today (sunny and 55F) and it is still slighty oily/tacky. What do i do? I have never done this before but would have thought it would be dry by now... I dont want to take it down but the forecast doesnt look any better than it was the last two days. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance

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[MuleyFever]

Did they instruct to dilute it? Usually if they send seam sealer it is ready to go, in my experience.

 

[michihunt]

Did they instruct to dilute it? Usually if they send seam sealer it is ready to go, in my experience.

The instructions did not but the product was 100% silicone. In my research here and YouTube university, it seamed like diluting it is pretty common practice.

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[MuleyFever]

If they just sent silicone then yes. I have always stuffed my tent away after it isn't wet. When I use it the first time after sealing it is a little stuck together.

 

[Stid2677]

In the 50s seems on the cold side for curing, I would hang it in the garage and let a fan run on it. Could maybe use some baby powder to keep it from sticking if you just had to pack it still sticky.

 

[Kevin Dill]

What little I know on this:

I've sealed a couple larger Kifaru shelters using 100% clear silicone sealant, such as is sold in any good hardware store. I was able to dilute it with mineral spirits and brush- apply it easily. It dried nicely on an 80+ degree day and there was no leftover tackiness.

My friend tried the same process on a new shelter but used Sil-Net (which is now renamed Seam Grip SIL) and things didn't go so well. Adding mineral spirits to the Sil-Net didn't result in much more than a clumpy gelatinous mess which he found impossible to spread with a brush. After trying it a couple times and ways, he said screw it and did a straight-from-the-tube application using his finger to smooth out the work. The results weren't as smooth as the diluted silicone method I've used, and I'm sure he worked harder to get it done. After 24 hours he bagged the tipi. When he pulled it out several weeks later the sealant hadn't cured completely and was tacked to the fabric rather aggressively. Everything worked fine with no leaks, so credit his good work.

If I ever need to seal another shelter I'm going to use the diluted silicone (not Sil-Net) in all likelihood. Whatever I go with, I'm going to do a test first and be sure of no surprises.

 

[FlyGuy]

Call them, but I would leave it up until it felt dry.

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[cmeadors13]

Good info

 

[turley]

The Tarptent website has instructions and they dilute. 100% silicone is thick and coats the top surface of the thread....when it is diluted it is thinner and able to impregnate the thread and seal the thread hole made during the stitching process.
After it is completely dry if it is still a bit tacky take a small amount of baby powder over the seems (it’ll keep it from sticking together when folded/stuffed)

 

[USMC2602]

I used the 100% silicone, thinned with mineral spirits, brushed on. Only took a couple hours on my SO 8 man, dried quickly in sunny, mid 60's weather. Very pleased with the results. I have no first hand knowledge of your situation, but as already covered above, I'd either leave it out to cure for a while or try the baby powder method. Would not feel comfortable packing it away if the sealer was still tacky.

 

[Tod osier]

All,

I seam sealed my Luxe octopeak on Sunday. I used mineral spirits to dilute the seam sealer they sent with the tent so i could easily apply it. The temperature was roughly 50F and partly cloudy. I left it up last night and all day today (sunny and 55F) and it is still slighty oily/tacky. What do i do? I have never done this before but would have thought it would be dry by now... I dont want to take it down but the forecast doesnt look any better than it was the last two days. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance

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What is the date on the silicone tube? Silicone does get old and will not cure (or cures very slowly).

I love the diluted silicone trick for application, it does a beautiful job compared to globbing on thick stuff.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I had a bad batch of silicone do that once. I had to wipe it all off with straight mineral spirits and start over. Don't use paint thinner, it's not the same.

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[Tod osier]

I had a bad batch of silicone do that once. I had to wipe it all off with straight mineral spirits and start over. Don't use paint thinner, it's not the same.

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After having a bad batch of silicone in the past, I now on any project I'm using it, I always squeeze a dollop out and wait 5 minutes to see if it starts to skin over.