# Tipi with a surplus parachute?



## brittthomas (Feb 18, 2014)

Anyone ever heard of this? Seems like it would work. I ran across one topic on some other website, but, it didn't have a lot of detail to it.

What would be the best type of parachute to use?


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## T-N-T (Feb 18, 2014)

Should be big enough.  But I dont know anything of water resistance and parachutes...  Sounds like a decent idea to me.


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## Beartrkkr (Feb 23, 2014)

Should be able to treat it with silicone to make it waterproof.  Do a search for "homemade silnylon" for the recipe.  I believe you use 100% silicone and mineral spirits of other solvent to get the silicone to impregnate the nylon.  Hammock forums would be a good choice to look as well.  Lots of folks making their own waterproof tarps to cover hammocks for camping.


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## brittthomas (Feb 28, 2014)

Beartrkkr said:


> Should be able to treat it with silicone to make it waterproof.  Do a search for "homemade silnylon" for the recipe.  I believe you use 100% silicone and mineral spirits of other solvent to get the silicone to impregnate the nylon.  Hammock forums would be a good choice to look as well.  Lots of folks making their own waterproof tarps to cover hammocks for camping.



That would probably be the best bet for low cost. Surplus chutes are pretty cheap. Guess I'll start pricing some waterproofing materials.


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## elfiii (Feb 28, 2014)

Beartrkkr said:


> Should be able to treat it with silicone to make it waterproof.  Do a search for "homemade silnylon" for the recipe.  I believe you use 100% silicone and mineral spirits of other solvent to get the silicone to impregnate the nylon.  Hammock forums would be a good choice to look as well.  Lots of folks making their own waterproof tarps to cover hammocks for camping.



Hmmm. I don't know about the solvents. Parachutes are made out of nylon. VOC's are death to nylon.


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## Beartrkkr (Mar 2, 2014)

elfiii said:


> Hmmm. I don't know about the solvents. Parachutes are made out of nylon. VOC's are death to nylon.



I'm pretty sure they are mixing mineral spirits with silicone and using ripstop nylon materials.  Looks like they might be using a 3:1 mineral spirits to silicone.

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html#Description


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## Artfuldodger (Mar 2, 2014)

Beartrkkr said:


> I'm pretty sure they are mixing mineral spirits with silicone and using ripstop nylon materials.  Looks like they might be using a 3:1 mineral spirits to silicone.
> 
> http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html#Description



Sounds like it melts it a little bit to make it rubbery. That's one of the characteristics they were trying to gain plus the water resistance. I'm sure there are water based silicones too. I don't know if they would be an advantage.
I used to spray Thompsons Water Seal on the canvas of our Pop Up camper. Canvas is different from nylon though.
I would be nice if you could spray something on vs a slurry mixture.


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## Artfuldodger (Mar 2, 2014)

What will you use for poles? Will you build a fire in it?


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## Beartrkkr (Mar 4, 2014)

Artfuldodger said:


> Sounds like it melts it a little bit to make it rubbery. That's one of the characteristics they were trying to gain plus the water resistance. I'm sure there are water based silicones too. I don't know if they would be an advantage.
> I used to spray Thompsons Water Seal on the canvas of our Pop Up camper. Canvas is different from nylon though.
> I would be nice if you could spray something on vs a slurry mixture.





No it doesn't melt, but even factory made silnylon has a different feel to it.  That's the silicone that is impregnated into the fabric.  The solvent only helps to serve as a means to get the dissolved silicone into the fabric, then evaporates, leaving a siliconized fabric behind.  It's not as efficient as factory made, but appears to work.  I don't know if you've ever priced a true silnylon tarp, but they are very pricey.

Here's a couple of DIY stabs at it.  Some have used gasoline instead of mineral spirits (or coleman fuel), but there's no way I would personally do that.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Mar 4, 2014)

TopherAndTick said:


> Should be big enough.  But I dont know anything of water resistance and parachutes...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## 660griz (Mar 4, 2014)

Knowing how to do it is nice. I would just buy a tent. About the same cost.


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