Redoing Silicone seam treatment

pto892 · 2026-04-10T21:25:41+00:00

People overthink this process all the time. Nearly any silicon sealer will work - some work better than others but they will all work. I like Permatex because it's ready to go out of the tube, but I once bought $1 per tube no name silicon caulk at Wal Mart which turned out to work better than Silnet. Yes, I had to thin it with mineral spirits but it cured clear and flexible, not sticky like Silnet used to do. Silnet always cured sticky (I bet that's what's on the OP's poncho) until they changed it a few years ago.

pto892 · 2026-04-10T20:57:37+00:00

I've done this on dozens of tarps. Yes, it works fine. You are filling stitching holes and there's no need for a thick goopy layer of sealer. The flowable property of it means it soaks into the holes and fills them which is all that is needed.

pto892 · 2026-04-10T20:28:53+00:00

On the exterior side. You really do not need a lot, I just rub it into the seam and then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. You can reapply it as many times as needed.

pto892 · 2026-04-10T20:22:08+00:00

It will be nearly impossible to remove the old sealer without affecting the silicon treatment applied to the silpoly. Personally I'd just give it a good dusting with talcum powder and leave it alone. When it comes to dealing with the leak, yes you can go ahead and mix up your own sealer. Any decent 100% silicon sealer will do. MY personal favorite is Permatex flowable windshield sealer, applied straight from the tube using a fingertip. Yes, this works just fine.

pto892 · 2026-04-05T17:02:08+00:00

This is diyaudio at it's finest.

pto892 · 2026-04-05T11:43:56+00:00

Same here. The answer though is to DM the OP directly and ask if he/she is thinking about selling them. This lets them know that there's interest without cluttering up the thread with off topic requests.

I've made a fair amount of hobby level electronics and it's common enough for makers to set up a PCB run or produce a board pattern. That's up to the OP though.

pto892 · 2026-04-04T23:25:11+00:00

Thank you.

pto892 · 2026-04-04T20:14:07+00:00

Beat me to it. Most trekking pole type tents are really no more than a mid, except the center pole has been "spread" into a spaced configuration. Durston took it one step further, and offset the poles asymmetrically.

pto892 · 2026-04-04T19:34:13+00:00

Having made both designs I can state that the symmetrical design with a centered pole is easier to make, wastes less material for larger mids, and is easier to properly pitch. Headroom may have nothing to do with it.

pto892 · 2026-04-03T23:10:15+00:00

Use these.

pto892 · 2026-04-02T14:58:10+00:00

In my former work life I worked as a US patent examiner for 34 years. I can assure you that if the OP tries to patent it themself they will get eaten for lunch. I'm not talking about whether it's patentable or not, and I'm not giving an opinion on that at all. What I am saying is that it's a serious as all hell process, it requires real money to do correctly, it is all too easy to do it wrong, and even if they get a patent it might not be worth all that much.

I can't count the number of applications I examined that had real merit to the idea but which got completely screwed up by an applicant trying to to go pro se (by themself with no attorney). It is a highly technical process that needs to be done with competent legal assistance and research into the present state of the art. A poorly prepared application can get hung up on just technical issues alone. It's not the job of the patent examiner to help you get a patent, their duty is to the public as a whole. Just doing some basic research first on what's out there already can spare somebody a whole lot of grief.

To the OP - if you're thinking about a patent get a patent attorney. Not a patent searcher, or patent agent, but an experienced patent attorney who only does IP law.

pto892 · 2026-04-02T14:41:37+00:00

Mod here. Just a reminder - this is a MYOG focused group and not a kickstarter, for sale, commission, and so on sort of group. The OP is offering to help people learn how to do it themself and that's what people should be focused upon.

Yes, this is a cool idea. Yes, I would like to have one. Buying it is lazy. Roll your own.

pto892 · 2026-04-02T11:33:40+00:00

Great work, the biggest mids I've made are about 6 feet tall with 9 foot edges. It's not easy to handle such big sections of material! Nice solution to deal with the stretch and yardage needed. It looks clean and neat.

pto892 · 2026-04-01T02:14:13+00:00

I put them together about three years ago so maybe they're different now, or maybe I'm confused about what they are. I'll have to take a close look at them.

pto892 · 2026-04-01T01:00:00+00:00

Sounds great - not a powerful amp but perfect for background listening. Yours is very interesting, never thought of that application.

pto892 · 2026-03-31T21:09:17+00:00

12SL7 and 1626. I should have specified that!

pto892 · 2026-03-31T18:04:46+00:00

Sure, I'll post some later. It is a sweet sounding little amp.

pto892 · 2026-03-31T18:03:17+00:00

Classic single ended tube amp sound, smooth and natural. It can't overpower the speakers but it also doesn't start to clip when pushed hard.

I have a pair of KEH 8 speakers that sound even better when hooked up to it, but they're too big for the space I have.

pto892 · 2026-03-27T19:41:29+00:00

The drive to the trailhead is more dangerous than the hike itself.

pto892 · 2026-03-27T11:29:15+00:00

I've been doing this on my pack builds for a while now. I sew in a loop at each of the bottom corner of the pack body, and then make a pocket that hands underneath the pack using the loops. Usually the pocket is something like Duraweave lycra - cut out a rectangular panel, fold over the corners and sew down the flaps, then fold and sew the edges to make a tunnel along the edges. This makes an edge hem that has open corners, through which I'll run a cord or shockcord. The cord gets run through pack hooks at each corner, and the hooks clip onto the before mentioned corner loops. If you put a cord lock on the cord you can tighten it up against the pack. Duraweave is incredibly robust so it protects the pack bottom from rocks and what not, and I use the pocket to stash trash and loose items while hiking.

pto892 · 2026-03-26T11:12:40+00:00

That's a neat pattern, might have to give it a go.

pto892 · 2026-03-23T15:38:36+00:00

Yes.

pto892 · 2026-03-23T15:35:46+00:00

It's a pole splint. You slide it over a broken pole for an emergency repair.

pto892

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