Silnylon; anybody work with it?

“Anyone have any experience working with silnylon (sewing it, problems with stretching, water resistance, etc)? I was looking at buying a "screen shelter" then making a rainfly for it out of the stuff. Cost would be about $100 total (not including my labor), a lot cheaper than buying both the shelter and fly separately. Also would be about 3.5 lbs, self-supporting, and very sturdy.”

“phydeux, search some of the past threads. There are several people that have made some really cool silnylon things and I am sure they will post to this thread soon.”

“I've done a lot of work with Silnylon. As far as sewing it's one of the most difficult materials to sew. It's difficult because the silicone is so darned slippery. WHen I sew a seam with Silnylon I ususally hold the piece on both sides of the foot, keeping the piece taunt, and help "pull" the work through. Other then getting used to the slipperyness of the material it's like sewing anything else. Just use a small needle, and preferably hot cut the piece. Keeps the Silnylon from fraying once it's cut.”

“I made several things from silnylon and pretty much just sew it like Deore DX described. Some people use an even feed foot on their machine and claim it helps make it easier. I never bothered to get one since I was pleased with the results I had without it. Thru-hiker.com website and forums has some hints and tips about sewing. If you buy seconds he has a satisfaction guarantee is case you don't like what you get. I don't buy seconds, but for those who do being able to return it if you don't like it might be a good idea.”

“what”

“A neat lonk all the way around with some paterns and Thread , etc.

http://www.thru-hiker.com/MaterialDetail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=MG103&subcat=Waterproof+Ripstop”

“Songbyrd has sewn with it. Hopefully she will chime in.”

“Glue the edges together with some thinned Silnet or other silicone sealer, wait for it to cure, then sew it. That's what skullcap does.”
bitpusher
1:36:44 PM
3/15/04


This is from:
http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/29754,-1.php”

“I'd like to make a pack cover out of sil, any suggestions. I still need the material but have been thinking about this for some time.”

“For a simple cover just measure the area you want to cover, cut out a piece of silnylon and hem the edges to form a small tube with some drawcord around the perimeter.”

“Thanks for the input. I've got a sewing machine with plenty of attachments I inherited from dear departed mom and have figured out how to sew most other types of fabrics. The only thing left to do is get some silnylon and work with it a while.”

“Practice with some scraps first and make sure you have the tension set correctly on your machine.”

“and use the tiniest needle you can find. Once you get used to the slipperyness of the material, its not bad to work with.”

“thanks richb and roam.”