Drop Cloth tent

[BadgeBunny]

Yea , light weight, waterproof/resistant.

I bet BB's right , some of those double stitch, maybe a hem stitch, heck them new machines have all kind of stitches.
Wouldnt want to ..oversew it , might be a weak point.

I pondered this last night after I went to bed -- insomnia and OCD sucks -- and remembered something I learned a long time ago ... whatever stitch you use and whatever thread you use, make sure that your seam is not stronger than the fabric you use. If you are unsure, that 2 8-10 inch squares, sew them together with the stitch and thread you are wanting to use and then stress the seam. It the threads in the fabric pull away from the seam and you have little holes from, then your seam is stronger than your fabric and in wind (or the washing machine) the seam will hold, but the fabric will fail ... What happens is a thread that is stronger than the threads that make up the fabric actually cut through the individual threads creating tiny holes ... that eventually turn into big holes ...

The strongest seams are the ones that match the fabrics in strength. So, yeah ... you are right ... that could wind up being a weak point if you have wind, rain, etc. and the thread doesn't match the fabric in strength.

Ideally, what you want is for the seam to fail, not the fabric. That way you can always restitch the seam ... torn fabric is much harder to repair. Additionally, it will always be much, much weaker at that point moving forward.

 

[twoguns?]

Agree, not to keep you up .. ,,but what stitch?
My Wife has one of those fancy embroidry..ala do everything sewing machines, might get it out and try some.
Besides, I have a canvas boat cover that needs...well, lets say ,Mending
Thanks All for the ideas.

Now on to waterproofing?....

 

[OkieShooter]

http://instructables.com/id/Tincloth/?ALLSTEPS

Saw this and thought it might fit what you were trying to make.

 

[Lurker66]

Now thats something to consider. Thanks. Wonder if ya could treat a drop cloth? It should work right?

 

[clock152]

I will dig around my YouTube videos that I have seen. This guy use PVC for the frame and had sewn drop cloth to fit... kinda looked like wall tent. He did the same thing with tarps.

 

[OkieShooter]

Thinking should be able to treat any type of cotton/canvas type cloth into the tin cloth.

 

[Super Dave]

I know I'm a little late chiming in here, but here is what I can tell you:

We have two wall tents. One is 10 oz duck and one is 12 oz. In fact, I just got back from my 2nd weekend of Wood Badge with the big one. What makes them water repellent is actually being wet. The fibers swell when they are wet, and if the fabric is under tension, shed water. When you treat them, it is much harder for the fibers to get wet, and after several foldings, they leak. The fibers can't swell and hold out the water.

Anyway, not yet knowing that in the beginning, I went out and bought myself a big painter's tarp from Home Depot to make a front porch fly. After performing tests with the garden hose (it didn't hold water) I tried a ton of sealant. Also unsuccessful.

My two cents? If you want a canvas baker set up, buy a quality duck canvas tarp, unless you are happy with a blue tarp!

 

[HiredHand]

What about using Tyvek?

 

[BadgeBunny]

Agree, not to keep you up .. ,,but what stitch?
My Wife has one of those fancy embroidry..ala do everything sewing machines, might get it out and try some.
Besides, I have a canvas boat cover that needs...well, lets say ,Mending
Thanks All for the ideas.

Now on to waterproofing?....

\

Oh ... opps, dunno how I missed this. I'd say a double row of straight stitch, kinda like the side seams on those Levi's ... that way your seams would stay neat, too.

 

[Lurker66]

Well I got the stuff. If anyone wants to volunteer to sew lol. I doubt I ever camp in a heavy rain....I'll roll out n get a room. Just wanted to build something for a heavy dew n shelter from bugs n sun.

Something for a rondevous or quick bug out. Easy to pack n store.