I recently repaired a cut in a dry bag with the high quality GE silicone sold at Home Depot. I also used it to seal the stitching on a home made tunnel attached to dry pants. The stuff sticks like crazy to almost anything and is very flexible and durable. However, I've never seen anyone on pnet talk of using high quality silicone for sealing repairs. Why is that? Is it because a lot of the old-schoolers did not have it as an option until recently or am I missing something?
limited side-by-side test on dry pants Two years ago I used aqua seal on my dry pants tunnel and it started to peel after a few months. I then coated it with silicone. In my limited side by side, the silicone is sticking better than aqua seal. I did not have thinner for the aqua seal so maybe that’s why it started to peel.
GE silicone 4 years ago I designed and built an ultralight tent/tarp shelter out of silnylon. I used GE silicone caulking to seal the seems. It still works great, no leaks and no adhesion problems. Since I am in the construction trade this seemed like a good idea at the time and has proven to be. Aqua seal works but is very expensive in comparison to a tube of caulk.
Did you use the Window & Door… GE SiliconeII 100% Silicone Sealant? I just bought a tube to recaulk a bulkhead. Haven’t used it yet… might buy something else…
I"ll try for a useful post save $$$ For those who want to stick to aquaseal, buy a larger tube, and put it in a ziplock in the freezer. Quick thaw with the ziplock in warm water. reduces cost/repair
Avoid silicone sealers Compared to other types, silicone sealer forms a weaker bond and is not as durable. It also leaves a silicone residue on surfaces that’s difficult to remove and prevents other products from bonding until it’s completely cleaned off. While dry bag repairs aren’t all that critical, I would NEVER use silicone for installing or sealing bulkheads. Lexel, GOOP, Sikaflex, 3M 5200/4200 and others are much better for structural work.
That’s what I used If you need to paint it, make sure you got the paintable variety. I made that mistake once and will never make it again. If it does not say “paintable” it’s not.
Swedge I have heard of owners of sil-nylon tarps using silicone caulk cut with Coleman fuel at a 1:4 ratio. I imagine that the mixture penetrates the stitching more readily, and then the naptha evaporates off leaving the thread well sealed. But personally, I have been using REI Seam Lock on my stuff.