The main reason not to reproof is that by repoofing you destroy the natural waterproof in the canvas - as canvas gets wet, the fibres expands and forms a wateright seal, the advantage of this is that the canvas can breath when it is dry. When you use chemicals to waterproof canavas, you create an impermiable barrier which will not breath as well as untreated canvas.
Canavas which is well looked after will last many years, I do not believe that by using Fabsil etc you will extend the life of your tent
Maybe it is just me.... however, getting the tent out on a dry day, adding Fabsil to the pressure wash, spraying the entire tent and awning, brushing sealant into the seams, ensuring the no sealant goes on the windows - This does not sound like a trivial job, in fact it sounds extremely time consuming and expensive and will need doing year after year. Much better to look after your canvas and never waterproof it
Sorry - but this is simply not true.
*All* tent canvas (and canvas used on boats, clothing, etc) is chemically waterproofed from new.
Try some raw untreated canvas in the rain, and see how long it repells water....
Yes, the canvas swells up when wet - but the weave threads still have to be waterproofed.
Using fabsil does not 'block' the 'pores' of the canvas, nor make it 'unbreathable'.
Nor (and I have no idea how this old wive's tale got started!) does re-proofed canvas need redoing year after year!
Anyway (shrug) people must do whatever they want to - I couldn't care less, it's not my canvas.
I gave honest advice based on owning canvas tents since I was a lad in the mid Sixties - if people want to heed it, that's great. If not - well, that's great too - and I promise not to lose any sleep over it.
Can I add my twopennyworth in although I may get rubbished for it. We had some mildew staining on the combi camp and after many online investigations and asking Isabella and Combi & Conway for advise this is the various conclusions and some may disagree;
water solution with salt with lemon in a water 1/10 mix and well rinsed afterwards.
White vinegar solution with water
Milton with water.
Isabella suggest their own cleaner and reproof with Aquatex (similar to Storm/Fabsil), Combi suggest Fabsil/Storm once the canvas starts to show signs of thinning/age or seam leaks.
But on no account use things like Dettol Mildew remover or bleach it weakens the canvas.
I opened my Pathfinder this weekend after our Brittany trip. It was a very wet holiday but we made absolutely sure everything was dray and clean before packing away. To my amazment I found some very small black markes on the one side of the roof. Now I can't say for sure that these aren't old marks or not and we did have a seagull attack as well. So I bought a bottle of Milton, a new bucket, mop and cleaning sponge. I made up a solution of Milton and mopped the roof panels with it. It seems to have cleaned up the marks and seagull attack but not without a certain amount of bleaching of the colour. I accept this as all beeing part of the natural wear and tear of a tent/camper and as it's on the roof panel, not too noticeable. I kept a close eye on any leaking through the canvas while I was treating the roof but with no evidence of any. So I am feeling better about it now and glad that I did it. At the end of the day I suspose that try as you may you will never keep canvas like new and use the camper as intended.
regards to all
F
------------- No matter where you go....there you are
I suppose I may be guilty of accepting what I have been advised rather than looking into it in too much detail. I am certain that the majority of tents that have been re-proofed have been done because the canvas has already been damaged, whereas Oldfodder is taking the approach of re-proofing as preventative maintenance - which may well be appropriate.
My personal experience was gained 20 years ago, when I had a very nice American Canvas Tent, one summer it leaked a little so I thought that it just needed a bit of waterproofing - as a result, the tent became as waterproof as a seive.
Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 24/7/2012
Cheer up Oldfolder we love you really
from a lad that has owned canvas tents from the late 40's and never reproofed. (this is a bit like Top Trumps)
Luckily, I love myself more than enough to compensate for any lack of affection here ;)
As for your 70 year camping history - pah!, you had a *tent* in the late 1940's?!
What needless and wasteful luxury! - my mother and father (I wasn't around until a few years later) used to camp under sheets of The Daily Telegraph carefully placed over a convenient hedge.
I can still remember my mother's peals of laughter when she recounted how she'd wake up in the morning to find her face smeared with black ink after a rainy night.
A 'tent'! - you obviously didn't know that you were born!
!'ll wager that you didn't have to trap, kill, and skin your breakfast either?
Quote: Originally posted by mattsurf on 25/7/2012
The Daily Telegraph! Upper class campers
posh gits ,me mum and dad used to use the wrapping paper from the chippy probably daily mirror or news of the world ,they reckon the grease kept them dry
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Mould on canvas
