White Spirits Vs. Methylated Spirits?

LTightarseDaily on 03/11/2019 - 23:32

Hello hello!
I want to seam seal/waterproof my nylon camping tent. Did a little research online and all the yanks rave on and on about mixing Silicone and White Spirits (which they call 'Mineral Spirits) and paint the mixture onto the seams of the tent, dry it overnight and voila. I have a bottle of Methylated Spirits sitting in the garage, so my questions are:

  1. Will I get the same result (ie. a waterproof tent) mixing Silicone with Methylated Spirits?
  2. Is it safe for the tent?
  3. Is it safe for me?

Please educate me since I can't find any answers online (and yep I tried).
Thank you!

Sports & Outdoors

Comments

    • TightarseDaily on 04/11/2019 - 00:08

      Thanks! That's a great seam sealer!
      But I was hoping to do this little DIY project on the cheap with stuff I already have on hands.
      Cheers though :)

  • RockyRaccoon on 04/11/2019 - 02:05
    +4

    White spirits and metho arent the same.

    White spirit is derived from paraffin, a by-product of crude oil processing
    Metho is Alcohol from grain etc

    So spend big and buy some white spirits about $9 at Bunnings

    • TightarseDaily on 04/11/2019 - 02:18

      Cheers, mate!

    • apsilon on 04/11/2019 - 06:47
      +4

      Growing up mineral spirits and turpentine were used interchangeably to refer to the same thing so someone in the US referring to mineral spirits may be referring to turpentine. White spirits are different again.

      I'd suggest looking for a local source that's already done what you're thinking of (I've heard of the same thing BTW but never done it) or do an experiment on scrap first to see how/if it sets.

      • HighAndDry on 04/11/2019 - 09:21
        +2

        Second this, mineral spirits sound like mineral turp to me too.

        Edit: apparently it's all the same, from wiki:

        White spirit or mineral spirits, also known as mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha, Varsol, Stoddard solvent, or, generically, "paint thinner", is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting.

        • dasher86 on 04/11/2019 - 22:49

          Baby oil and liquid paraffin

      • TightarseDaily on 04/11/2019 - 14:14

        Ah I see. Can’t find any local source unfortunately. Ah well, will suck it up and get some proper seam sealer at the camping shop I spose. Even on my cheapo tent, thought it’d make a fun little project.

      • TightarseDaily on 07/11/2019 - 22:27

        Thought I'd share! I bit the bullet and made a trip to Bunnings. Got a tube of Parfix 40g Clear All Purpose Silicone $4.85 (only because I can't be bothered with the builder stuff or a caulking gun or the leftovers) and a bottle of Mineral Turp $3.70. Eyeballed them in a tin and went all over the seams of my tent. Dried everything in shade for 24 hours, and now the tent has been set up and sitting in the backyard the last 24 hours in the rain. Not bad at all so far. I'll leave it out for another day or so and we'll see. Hoping the smell will lessen as it goes.

  • myusername on 04/11/2019 - 08:51
    +4

    can't taste the difference sorry

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