How to make a 100% waterproof tarp from a bedsheet!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Make your own waterproof tarp out of a king-size bed sheet or any type of cloth easily at home. this is great for survival and bushcraft or just camping. practical use as a survival tarp or bushcraft tarp
This video was inspired by nighthawkinlight. he did a video on this subject and I just had to try it out. I want to give full credit for his experiment and link to his video here • Recycled Bedsheets Mak... I have tried for years with little success to make a tarp like this using other means and products but this is the best I have seen.
Check out my Amazon influencer page www.amazon.com/shop/speiroutdoors
Hey thanks for the shoutout! Looks like it worked great.
Thanks for the amazing idea. This will help many survivalist and bushcrafters!
@@SpeirOutdoors How many did you wind up making? I'm thinking of making several, and putting them together. Sort of like those tents that have a couple compartments, for kids, gear, potty room etc. Thanks for reminding me. I'd already seen NHL's video on this and wanted to try it out
I made 2 sheets and 2 pillow cases for dry bags
@@SpeirOutdoors Where can I get it?
🤔 A small bush craft dingy, or short canoe. I like it!
I am a subscriber of NightHawkLight and got curious when this video came up in my feed. What I really appreciated was that you started to give credit to NightHawkLight at the very beginning so you earned my respect and in addition a new subscriber.
Thank you. I appreciate the comment. I tried this experiment out for myself and naturally wanted to give credit to him.
Compared to other videos on this waterproof bedsheet, this one seems the simplest of all. Looking forward to the long term test.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow
@@SpeirOutdoors, did you make a video of this tarp in the rain, and a long-term review of it ???
Keep up the great work !!!
@@random269The information is in the words😮.
Exactly
Made a couple of "sheet" tarps and they came out fine. I then used the same solution to waterproof several old and dried out topo maps, worked like a charm. I was able to fold or roll the maps up with no problems.
I’d didn’t eat the ink?
I'm going to try this on an umbrella ..thanks for this tip
I LOVE simple ideas that are brilliant that any one can do .
Me too
Awesome as always. Never seen this technique. Well done my friend.
Thank you. It's very useful
This seems super easy, barely an inconvenience!
It is very easy and will save nearly 200 bucks
I don’t know if you know this or not, but he came out with another formula. That’s a little more fire resistant. And uses no Naphtha; It might be something you might enjoy checking out.
Did you give the thread count on the sheet? It seems to me there’s something about it needing to be 500 count or grader, but I’m hoping you’ll know about that.
This may be crazy, but I want to make a boat out of this haha
Plz let me know how it turned out
It is not crazy, it is interestingly cool
It's not crazy if it works.
If you have any issues with a regular kitchen tall trash bag try using a trash compactor plastic bag. Roughly the same size but thicker plastic.
How long dose it last? Dose the silicone start st separate and flake away eventually?
I just used the bucket with out the plastic bag. I keep the bucket just for waterproofing. 👍
Awesome. I use that bucket for everything lol
I used a painters drop cloth. Works great.
so much effort. goood job
God Bless you Brother
Thank you! And you as well!
If is has completely dried, is it safe for kids and pets? I would guess yes but just asking to be sure. I would use it as a cover for our big beanbag (against spilling). Hope to hear from you. Thanks.
Yes indeed
I might do this to my new wrangler pants...
I was thinking of tryin it on a hoodie and pants/ jeans
I would do it with a used one first
Please be careful when hanging that tarp out to dry. The huge increase in surface area plus the flammable solvent could create a dangerous amount of vapor if not in a well ventilated area.
Good instructional. If you were to weigh that tarp, how much would it be in grams or ounces? I'm tossing up spending on a light weight tarp for hiking or doing this instead. Need something that's light but want to save money.
835 grams and 29.45 ounces. Remember it’s a king size bed sheet
Great tip!
Great video, thank you
Your welcome
thanks for this really informative video clip.
Is the water drinkable if gathered from the tarp??
Great video.
Thanks.
I would use it
I would think all of the solvent would evaporatevand there's silicone around every one of your kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
I really like the idea. Q: How flammable is the fabric after it dries?
silicon is really inert, it practically doesn't burn
That's a good question.
But it also makes you wonder how long these would last when made?
The naphtha whatever stuff is pretty flammable... so I guess it depends on if the chemical reaction fully takes that out when it evaporates? Naptha is supposedly 'extremely volatile'. I suppose if someone were worried about that they could thoroughly clean the end product tarp with a wet rag to make sure to get rid of any residue leftovers of the naphtha.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 I can seal my lawn chairs!!
Is there enough material to do more than 1 sheet, or a larger sheet using the recipe amounts you stated?
Also, I'm guessing that if you had folds in the sheet before it finished drying that it would ruin the end product?
Would this end product be too toxic to use the waterproof made sheet to use as a water catch, rain catch device to collect water?
You could get food grade silicone, but I don't know if there is a food grade alternative to the solvent
Buy some green and brown dye, and tie dye some leaves and sticks onto the sheet.. dry it.. then do waterproofing
Curious, how flammable is it after it dries? Would, say, a spark or ember from a campfire ignite it more than a conventional tarp?
What happens if you more than one silicone?
How many sheets or extrs stuff can you get out of one mixture ?
That mixture did one king size sheet and a pillow case
😮😊looks good😊
It is
I'm currently doing the mineral oil/paraffin method.. but am thinking of switching out the paraffin for the citronella infused type.. Will that matter? Will it make the tarp (or clothes) mosquito repellent? Or does that stuff have to 'burn' to be effective?
dont bother with the wax method. just do the silicone and Naptha(white gas) method. its much better than the wax method.
Other then the fumes during the process any worry about fumes or off-gassing if using this method to waterproof a camping tent?
Is 100% cotton better, or the polyester combined with cotton stronger???
The reason cotton is used is to demonstrate how cotton absorbs water and the actual water proofing
@@SpeirOutdoors So I should look for all cotton sheets?
Good video thanks. Maybe you have already answered this, but I'd be interested to know how much it weighs? Thanks!
835 grams
Did you wash your sheet first? New sheets have sizing or something similar than can make them resist liquid right at first. Might be easier to saturate faster if you didn’t.
BTW, is Naphtha still available for sale?
It was brand new. I did purchase naptha at the local Home Depot.
Good luck finding Naptha. I can't find it anywhere near me - not Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, Target. Amazon has it for $20/qt.
@@daviddeane3163tractor suppy Co. carries it ! Bought a gallon yesterday .
I've seen a very similar video where they use mineral spirits.
Great video! Does the dried sheet have an odor?
A very minimal odor
may god bless ya too
Thank you!
THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video Mr...thanks for sharing! This is what I was looking for. I wonder on what kind of fabric is the sheet (polyester?, cotton-polyester mix?) ...
It was a cotton poly blend
@@SpeirOutdoors thank you Very much Mr. ... Bleesings for you and your channel!
Hey there. Thank you for your short but very informative video. You got a new subscriber from germany. 😅
Have you made a long term test? How is it holding up?
Wissen Sie wie Naphta in Deutschland heißt?
@@anuschcka1 Ich habe es leider immer noch nicht getestet, aber Naphta ist meiner Meinung nach Wasch- bzw. Reinigungsbenzin. Falls Sie es eher testen, würde ich mich über eine kurze Info freuen wie es geklappt hat. LG
Did you wash the sheet 1st before soaking in the Sil/Naphtha solution?
I did not. It does not matter
What happens when an ember from the fire falls on it? Not being funny as this is very nice way to do it. Hope you or someone can answer.
I plan on answering that with a video soon as the burn ban is lifted in mississippi. No open fires right now. But this question is asked a lot on tiktok for this video
@@SpeirOutdoors If I had to guess I would think the silicone is just highly soluble in naphtha and the naphtha evaporates completely out of the sheet. If that's the case is would only be as flammable as silicone and bedsheet so not really and kinda respectively.
@@SpeirOutdoors Is that right? I don't really know lol
It will burn A whole just like other Tarps Or like another car seat or a carpet for a final boat seat.
The vinyl Was cracking And letting water into the seat on my Lawn mower I tore all The vinyl off And saturated the foam that was dry rotting on the surface causing it to shed kinda like sanding dust. Well I'd never seen or heard it done just in my head had the thought. It worked awesome and 2 years out in the sun still holding up no water Sucks into it Just brush it off From the low spots. Without seats for a $100 . I didn't know how it would turn out so I used the cheapest caulk could find and that was at the Dollar Tree It was a silicone I haven't seen it since. They have some other brand. I used a brush just let it soak up till it was solid but saturated completely in the bucket would probably work way better anyways it worked for me I'm gonna be trying it with these tarps I think the quality of the sheet would be very Important for them to hold up. I know you wouldn't wanna leave it laying around in the sun I'm fixing subscribe And check out more your videos
is there a way to substitute the naphtha? it's practically impossible to get it in my country.
Try mineral spirits. Naphtha is more volatile than mineral spirits. Assume m.s. will work ok?
Hey white spirit (also known as ‘turpentine’) might work here. The naphtha is simply being used as a solvent to get the silicone to penetrate the fabric and then evaporate away leaving behind the silicone. White spirit should also do the job, but you may need to test which ratio you need (ideally just enough to dissolve all the silicone before you then impregnate the fabric) reply here with any updates :D
Like your video ....straight to the point, cut & dry ✓
Were there any solvent left from soaking a king size bed sheet using one and a half quarts and one tube of silicone ?, were there any left extra to do a smaller sheet ?
None was left. I did a pillow case with it as well the cotton absorbs all the liquid
It only takes two steps:
Step 1. Obtain bedsheet.
Step 2. Make it waterproof.
Enjoy.
Like. Well done.
Thank you very much!
No, God bless You sir
Thank you!
Can you use this method for zippered bags, like small backpacks and small duffel bags?
Sure. As long as the material absorbs the liquid your good to go
Pants, backpacks. Truck seat covers
Has anyone ever tried urethane instead of silicone? It has similar properties but adheres better than silicone. Auto parts stores like NAPA sell it in standard caulk tubes as “windshield adhesive”
Nope but will the naptha desolve it?
Good video, thanks! What about the weight?
Naphtha now being banned. Turpentine should still work with silicone. Have seen others do linseed oil and melted beeswax. Use a good quality high thread count sheet. This waterproof sheet will also work for patio shelter, over lawn swings etc. Some folks have saved big dog food bags and duct tape for a big tarp not waterproof though.
On Townsends they demonstrated linseed oil and wax but the resulting tarp is EXTREMELY flammable.
coleman fuel is basically naptha
Flammable?
the sheet was already flammable.....
Fantastic. Now what is namptha normally used for?? Is that what makes it waterproof or is it the silicone you think?! Very cool!!
It is a solvent like mineral spirits. It dissolves the silicone quicker. Yes, the silicone infuses with the fabric and makes it waterproof
Would this work on cheap tarps you get from amazon that are supposed to be waterproof and are not?
As long as the liquid can penetrate the fabric it should work. Another option would be to “paint it” onto the fabric.
@SpeirOutdoors It's been a yr now how's that sheet doing with age??
Where is test video?
Can it be use on cotton cloth to make waterproof?
Absolutely
That's cool
Yes it is!
Looks interesting
It really works
Great video. Hating on the annoying background music.
WIll this solution work through a garden sprayer?
It should. It will have to be cleaned very well with a LOT of mineral spirits afterwards or it will be ruined
How well does it do against steam
I could not tell you. I don't have an answer for that
I was wondering about steam. I want to try it but worried if the solution of spirits and silicone would make toxic fumes
when heated.
Whoo so cool
Can this be used for water collection in a pinch? Or could pouches be made or would it be dangerous for that?
I was wondering that too..
It would be great as a water collector.
I would use it
I made a waterproof bag from A pillow case
@@SpeirOutdoors thanks 👍
is this more flamable now? could it catch fire easily?
No actually it’s less flammable
Gros idea for tarp. Will not work as well with elastic fabric though.
Did you attach any tie out points or grommets?
I did a whole video on making tie outs with an acorn on this sheet/tarp
Can this be used for an RV tarp?
How long will it last being outside 24/7? Or used underground as water trench?
I have had one up in the woods as a tarp since I made this video and still repels water.
I've got an older tarp covering up my boat I was wondering if it would be possible to make that waterproof again if I painted it on instead of soaking it in it because I don't want to take it off if possible.
Coat it heavy I guess.
Any chance you've tested this for flammability?
It burns...
Interesting, I ended up slathering up my popup camper's canvas with this, after doing a couple of tests where I soaked some canvas and let it cure for at least 40 hours in the sun, and then attempted to light it up, it's obvs. not fireproof, but I did find after the solution cured it didn't seem to be any worse off than the plain canvas that the camper uses.
I used 100%silicone and Naptha as my solvent.
Thanks for the response! @@susanp.collins7834
how long does it last before the water leak again?
thnx did the sheet become sticky whed it was drying out?
Didn't do it cos I'm imagining the smell of this is going to be quite gasoline/ petrol like and that will keep me up all night thinking about how my fire's going to leap onto my tarp
There is no smell once it dries
do you know how long this last in the summer sun, say in phoenix, arizona? i would like to make one for a sunshade for my van. the plastic tarps that people use usually disintegrates within a couple years in phoenix
I couldn’t tell you. This one has been hanging in the woods since I made this video and still good to go
Could you brush this on a Carhartt type coat? Soaking a garment 100% like a canvas shirt/jacket may not be the best for the skin. Thanks
I’ve done clothing and it wasn’t real comfortable. Like wearing a wetsuit.
So the bees wax would be the way to go?
but a tarp needs at least 4 loops, 6 are better, otherwise you can't attach it to a paracord ridgeline.
Not true. Watch this video. Used it with this tarp. th-cam.com/video/5VrKhPUeI7Y/w-d-xo.html
Nah, just place a marble/ round stone in the corner and wrap a half hitch around
That and snug it up
@@rickscaggs3089 well, that's genius! thx lol
Thanks for the video, i also watched NH video on this camp hack... Im wondering could this be done on a tent, ive seen videos where ppl just redo the seams n i wonder why just seams and not the whole tent
It should work. May have to double the recipe
@@SpeirOutdoors thankyou for your reply, I received a 2nd hand tent not used for a few years wud like to do this n make it new. I'll give it a go 🙂
What's the dry weight of the tarp? No tie-outs? I'm thinking of adding some light weight tie-outs to the perimeter and maybe 5 in the center section to make tarp origami easier.
It's just as light as the sheet as far as the tie outs....just use an acorn or small stick with a slipknot. It's more secure
How long will that last in the weather?
This one has hung up in the woods for a year now and still don’t leak
That naphtha is paint thinner or what? I can't find naphtha in my country.
its "White gas", it is commonly called "Camp Fuel" that you would use in your Coleman camp stove.
If I done it twice to the same sheet, would it make it more water proof or no???
Not sure. I never done it twice
👍❣
Do I need 100% silicone? Found a cheap “advanced siliconized sealant” that I’m gonna give a go
Has to be 100% silicone
Can it make only 1 sheet per that ratio?
It should be able to make more than one. The truck is to make sure it’s completely saturated and wringing it out
1:28
What is naphtha ?
Good job
I wondered that too
Hey could i just hang it over a rope like you have it there as a shelter, and then just use a thick fence stain paintbrush and brush it all over the outside of the sheet, let it dry, turn it over snd beush on the other side??
I guess you could but the idea is to saturate it and infuse the silicone into the fabric
How long does the sheet last or stay waterproof in the sun?
I’m not sure. One I made has been in the woods since this video was filmed and still holding up
Cotton bed sheets?
Yep
Where is parts 2
How's the smell???
No smell once it dries
Where do i get nafta
Does anyone happen to know if there’s a substitute for Naphta that would work? Nobody carries it where I live.
Mineral spirits will work it just takes longer to dissolve the silicone
@@SpeirOutdoors Looks like mineral spirits are a lot cheaper. Naphtha is about 60 bucks a quart now and I'd need two. At least that's the price on Amazon. How much longer would the mineral spirts take do you think?
@@amandalhamilton1998
I cannot answer the question on how long it needs, but the longer evaporation time means that you will have to turn the tarp during that time in regular intervals (like 4-8h, the shorter the better). Otherwise the cloth won´t be saturated evenly, as the mixture will follow gravity ;)
Until all the silicone is dissolved but the process is the same
Been 2 years how is it holding up?
Yes it’s still going! I need to do a video on it
I'd just coat a sheet with about 10 layers of Scotchgard. Waterproof!
Yeah, I suppose if you really want to use a few dozen cans of Scotchguard and let it dry between every single spray.
@@rviolinfiddle55 I'm retired.
No problem! I get to do whatever I want now! 👍
Only thing im concerned about is the weight. Looks heavier than a normal tarp.
It’s ultra light!
@@SpeirOutdoors do you know the weight exactly?
@user-td8co9tz3y it is exactly 1 lbs 10.5 oz
@@SpeirOutdoors that's perfect! Thanks for replying so fast, you're awesome. Also great video, this will help me a lot!
@@user-td8co9tz3y your welcome
This for a sheet .. HOW ABOUT A SOCKS ????? I HOPE YOU'LL ADVICE ME PLEASE
I don’t believe because the socks are loosely woven the sheet is a tighter weave
All my sheets are stained