Fix a rippppped tarp

[Nuts]

Rip Stop they say??

:

Iv'e been working my way to this one, any ideas for a neat repair here?

Screen Shot 2016-05-04 at 5.54.45 PM.png (620.28 KiB) Viewed 3920 times

Iv'e done many small rips with a tape backing and sealant filler, not really needed to stitch many but this is something of a scale iv'e not seen anyone manage before.. maybe a z/zag stitch?

Any idea's? I'm a bit dubious about such a large flat glue/taped seam..

[andrewa]

Zig zag stitch will bunch it up. I'd prob use double sided tape and a patch repair , taping the inside first, then sewing around the edges of rip with normal straight stitch, and then tape patching the outside. You can get double sided tape for silinylon, if that's what it's made from, or Cuban tape from Tiergear. If you don't have fabric to match, consider cutting 3 cm off the length of the tarp to use as the patch, and re hem the edge and reset the tie outs. The last alternative depends on the position and direction of the rip, but that is to just extend it to the edges, and make a new flat felled seam.

A

[Nuts]

Thanks Andrew, some interesting alternatives, it may be best to just finish the cut through to the other side and sew it all back together?, a few cm's shorter, Unfortunately it's not in the best place for this even, running right to the edges of the support tie patches. Other stitch methods would likely bunch up as you say.. and probably be weak points (or hard to seal). Iv'e not used sinylon tape, is it going to stay stuck?

Anyhow, not in a hurry, relegated too hard till i ponder options an get some time/ run out of other chores.

[Moondog55]

Neat no; but strong yes
Repair tape on one side turn over and add a length of LW webbing Sew along each side of the rip though the tape and LW webbing

[neilmny]

Maybe cut and seal the edges of couple of patches somewhat longer than the split and about 50mm wide.
Glue them over the split one each side of the material then run your sewing machine around near the sealed edge (5mm?) of the patches
then another run of sewing around 10 or 12mm from the split right around again.
I have no idea if this is standard practice or the way it should be done.
I hope this lot makes sense Nuts.

[andrewa]

Nuts, silinylon tape sticks like the proverbial. It takes a lot longer for the bond to form that with cuban double sided tape though. I personally wouldn't put webbing (even grossgrain) on a repair like this - whilst it would make it more bombproof, I don't think it would look that good, and it would change the way the tarp drapes. You can also get sail repair tapes, but I'm not sure how well they would stick to silinylon, and of course you're not going to match the colour. Neil's suggestion was sort of what I was trying to convey, although I would only sew once around the edge of the rip, about 3mm from it, and sew the inside patch only. The outside patch would be glued only. The issue is whether you're trying to make an "invisible" repair or not - hence my idea of " stealing" some fabric by cutting off the end of the tarp. I don't think that extending the rip to the edge would cause an issue with adjacent support ties - a seam finished off properly with a rolled seam on the edge of the tarp ( as the tarp will have been made) should be plenty strong enough. Didn't you make a cuben tent years ago? - if so, you obviously have the skills required to repair the tarp!

A

[Nuts]

Iv'e not used nylon tapes or done a lot of sewing. Coated fabrics tend to get repaired with duck extreme, and then that becomes 'good enough'.. not exactly invisible, gawdy fluro, but if it sticks, it holds very well. Sounds very similar, roll it and rub it to warm the glue, once it grabs or 'sets', it's staying.

I think i'll give the nylon tape a try first, not so much fussed about the look, but it's joining both the tie out patches (photo), would need to sew / add material/ glue and sew a seam passing under the patches.