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Adohrn
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PostThu Jul 26, 2018 2:33 pm 
Need to seam seal a silynylon tarp, and needing to buy new mineral spirits. It appears they have come out with new formulas that make the mineral spirits more eco friendly, but not good for sealing. So how do I know which one I’am buying?

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PostThu Jul 26, 2018 5:10 pm 
paint store.

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DIYSteve
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PostThu Jul 26, 2018 6:30 pm 
GE Silicone II cut with Klean-Strip brand mineral spirits from Home Depot has worked well for me. Where did you read or hear that mineral spirits formula has changed?

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Adohrn
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PostThu Jul 26, 2018 8:31 pm 
Good question Bigsteve. Variety of sources one was backpacking light. Went to the hardware store, and the mystery was not very mysterious. They were selling the original blue can of Kleen, and right next to it was a green can of mineral spirits that said eco friendly. I guess places like California by state law now only sell the eco friendly version. That version does not work for our purposes. Thinking I might grab a few more cans of the original as it might be being phased out. Thanks for the the replies.

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Malachai Constant
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PostThu Jul 26, 2018 8:42 pm 
Yes, I got a bottle of the new stuff by accident. It is a white emulsion quite unlike actual mineral spirits and has a lemon scent. Will not work as a no polar thinner as it has water in the formulation.

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hbb
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PostTue Jul 31, 2018 12:41 pm 
DIYSteve wrote:
Where did you read or hear that mineral spirits formula has changed?
Volatile Organic Compounds ("VOC's") are subject to some pretty strict limits in some states, resulting in some manufacturers and retailers producing/carrying primarily low VOC products as a cost-saving measure. As an analogy, it's like a car manufacturer designing vehicles to be compliant with CA emissions standards, even though the vehicles will be sold in markets with less stringent standards. One source: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/beware-voc-compliant-solvents In Washington it's normally not hard to find the high VOC products, even though low VOC versions are typically available as alternatives.

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PostTue Jul 31, 2018 1:57 pm 
Adohrn wrote:
That version does not work for our purposes.
How do you know the ECO version doesn't work?

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PostWed Aug 01, 2018 11:07 am 
Personally I don’t, but have read warnings by others that have tried that it does not work. Don’t remember the full details, but had to do with mixture not really mixing. From Malachai Constants description it sounds like it’s impossible to mix the 2 up, and I did not know that when I first posted. (Much appreciate that description Malachai) Chemistry major I am not, but there lots of talk about high and low VOC like Hbb brought up. From The article it sounds like they are still calling it mineral spirits, but the ingredients are not remotely the same.

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Navy salad
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PostThu Aug 02, 2018 10:33 am 
hbb wrote:
One source: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/beware-voc-compliant-solvents
Looking at the formula for the product shown in this link, it contains acetone which is a powerful, water soluble, solvent that I've read does dissolve silicone. It also dissolves liquid polyesters, but not cured polyester, like cloth. I'm pretty sure that nylon is unaffected by acetone. Regardless, whenever you use acetone, I recommend doing a test first to ensure it doesn't harm whatever you're using on (acetone does dissolve some plastics).

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DIYSteve
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PostThu Aug 02, 2018 10:54 am 
Navy salad wrote:
acetone which is a powerful, water soluble, solvent that I've read does dissolve silicone.
If that's true -- I don't know -- it might be the wrong stuff to cut GE Silicone II for seam sealing purposes. Silicone diluted in (traditional) mineral spirits creates a suspension. The mineral spirit evaporates off, leaving the silicone as a sealant. That might not happen if the silicone is dissolved (i.e., in solution).

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Navy salad
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PostThu Aug 02, 2018 12:35 pm 
Well, as I mentioned, I'd definitely recommend doing a test on scraps first. My guess is that regardless of whether this is a true solution or a suspension, once the acetone and any other additives evaporate, the silicone should adhere to the fabric.

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PostFri Aug 03, 2018 2:33 pm 
Navy salad wrote:
hbb wrote:
One source: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/beware-voc-compliant-solvents
Looking at the formula for the product shown in this link, it contains acetone which is a powerful, water soluble, solvent that I've read does dissolve silicone. It also dissolves liquid polyesters, but not cured polyester, like cloth. I'm pretty sure that nylon is unaffected by acetone. Regardless, whenever you use acetone, I recommend doing a test first to ensure it doesn't harm whatever you're using on (acetone does dissolve some plastics).
To be clear, that link was intended to provide some context regarding low VOC versions of certain solvents. I certainly wasn't suggesting the specific product mentioned in that article was appropriate for seam sealing applications.

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Navy salad
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PostFri Aug 03, 2018 9:45 pm 
Didn't think you were "recommending" it -- I was just commenting on the viability of it. It could actually be fine on a nylon or even polyester tent. But you remind me of one more probably obvious point: This stuff would NOT be good for silnylon!

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PostTue Aug 14, 2018 1:01 pm 
This is the stuff to buy (Home Depot) http://www.kleanstrip.com/product/paint-thinner It's a straight solvent naphtha.

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PostMon Aug 27, 2018 3:20 pm 
DIYSteve wrote:
GE Silicone II cut with Klean-Strip brand mineral spirits from Home Depot has worked well for me.
I forget the proper ratio. Is it 1:1? Thanks!

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