What sticks to tarps besides playa dust?

[Journeyman]

Does anyone have any info regarding permanently layering poly tarp material to reinforce stress areas? Is there a strong glue that will stick to poly tarps, or better yet, a tape that is suitable? I need to install ropes in nylon-webbing channels onto the tarp for tensioning it into shape. The tarp size prohibits flat sewing on my sewing machine except on or near the edges. I need to reinforce the center of a 50'x50' poly tarp, and the tension rope channels radiate from that center. I've talked to the tarp-tape people and they tell me their tape is only good for temporary tarp repairs. Heat-welding is not an economically viable option for me. Any advice will be appreciated.

[Isotopia]

You'd be looking for barge cement.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/cinemasuppl ... hgron.html

[kilngod]

This is beyond my ken but an interesting problem. I found that gooogling "sail making batten" yields some worthy solutions. What do you do with a drunken sailor, anyway.

[Journeyman]

Isotopia, thanks for the reference site. I was a leather worker at one time and used Barge Cement extensively in making belts and sandals, and for basting hems on garments prior to lacing them. Have you actually used Barge on poly tarp material successfully? If so, what was the purpose of the project, and will it stand up to playa stresses?

[mdmf007]

We had the same problem and found an easy solution.

step one is to locate the center of the tarp and cut a 12" circle out.

It will now fit in your machine, sew velcro 2 inches wide all the way around the hole you cut after backsewing it, and make an appropriate sized patch with the mating velcro around the edge.

We couldnt think of any other way than to cut it either. it works well, and the patch also makes a good vent on our dome.

later

[spectabillis]

napalm

[Journeyman]

Gorilla Tape does the trick. I tried some on a brand new tarp, and when I tried to peel it off, it took part of the plastic from the tarp surface with it. I've decided on polypropylene strapping (plastic shipping strapping) for the tension lines, taped to both sides of the tarp. It's rated at 500 lbs. of tensile strength, comparable to the woven web strap I had originally planned on, but thinner and lighter, and only around 37 bucks for 7200 feet of it. The strapping will take all the tension, and the tarp should not stress at all. All tiedowns, peak and bottom, and an inner tensioner, will be made with bungees to provide a relatively constant stress on the structure and reduce the snapping stress of solid rope ties in the winds. The whole structure will float about 4 feet above the playa in calm weather, then when the wind comes up the structure will easily lower onto the playa and door flaps can be closed to provide a well-sheltered area.
Velcro? I will put an opening in the center top, where the tension line strapping will double back onto the inner side of the tarp, providing loops for D-rings to mount on that will connect to short bungees that in turn connect to a fixed flange on the centerpole of the structure. Likewise at the bottom, and the strapping will meet and form another loop to carry D-rings on the inside of the structure about halfway up to carry the tension loop that makes the whole architechtural shape work.
All electical lines and outlets for lighting, etc. will be imbedded with Gorilla Tape around the perimeter of the tarp, so all I have to do is lay out the stake pattern on the playa, attach the bottom corners, attach the top of the centerpole, and add the centerpole sections to raise the structure to its 20-24 foot height, place the eight entry poles, then tension it, plug all the stuff in, and we're good. Look for a six-foot fiberoptic display at the peak of a white faceted teepee/pyramid tent that has triangular entrances all around it. The entrance peaks will have fiberoptic lamps over them also. The structure will provide a 38 foot diameter chunk of shade.

[brillig]

Not exactly a layer, but what I've done is folded an edge back twice (about 2 inches each fold) , so I have 3 layers of tarp 2" wide. With a grommet kit, I put in one of the larger size grommets.

This did work on our structure the last few years, including the incredible winds in 2004 (our structure is 300 lb of steel pipe - and one day the whole thing moved about a foot! I've learned that even a heavy mf needs to be staked down)

[amyhobbs]

$$$$Sikaflex$$$ or something similar.