The Armour Archive

What type of fabric shold be used for tents and does one go about sealling it so it is water proof.
Thanks again
LS

I just noticed that blue poly tarps come in sizes up to 40' x 60'. That's huge! And, they're cheap. Around $100. That's less than $0.62 a yard.

Of course, then you have to paint it, but you were going to do that anyway, weren't you?

No Plastic, Fabric for a Viking style tent or a pavillion.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by toweyb:
<B>I just noticed that blue poly tarps come in sizes up to 40' x 60'. ...
Of course, then you have to paint it, but you were going to do that anyway, weren't you?</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Please don't go the way of the blue poly tent. They are ugly as sin, don't sound right in the wind, and make your encampment and the surrounding area look like a roadside flea market.

There is a 400+ member, period encampment discussion board on yahoogroups that can't come to an agreement on that. Many of the commercial period pavilion makers use Sunforger. You propbable want a "cotton-rich" cotton/poly blend canvas or duck cloth. You can the use a multi-purpose waterproofer. Ace hardware has such a product at under $9.00 a gallon. DO NOT USE Thompsons water-seal. It is a petroleum based product and will waterproof the tent-but also turn it into a torch!
Check out Dragonwing tentakers. He has an extesive list af articles he has written on tent construction and design.
Here is a lik to a site of tent making links. http://www.teleport.com/~tguptill/tentlinks2.htm

good luck!


------------------
Guy

[This message has been edited by Guy Dawkins (edited 03-12-2001).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Lost Scott:
<B>What type of fabric shold be used for tents and does one go about sealling it so it is water proof.
Thanks again
LS</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lost Scott:

If you wish to purchase tent canvas, you want at least 10 ounce Army Cotton Duck Canvas, or Sunforger canvas. I recommend Sunforger canvas (lighter, and not as prone to mildew). It should be CPAI-84 approved for flame retardance.

If you must use Army Cotton Duck, Thompson's Water Seal will be invaluable as a waterproofing agent. However, you will want to leave the tent set up to air out for about three weeks before you ever camp in it.
The fumes from Thompson's Water Seal are very toxic.

For more information, you'll want to subscribe to the <A HREF="http://www.egroups.com/community/MedievalEncampments" TARGET=_blank>
Medieval Camping Mailing List,</A> or visit
the Medieval Pavilions Resources Page.

Hope this helps,



------------------
Robert Coleman, Jr.

The Noble Companie and Order of St. Maurice

Those who beat their swords into plowshares end up plowing for those who don't.

Thompson's Water Seal would be VERY dangerous to use; it is highly flammable, don't use it!

Use a good fabric like Sunforger, and get it with flame-retardant. It will cost more, but well worth it. Blue tarps will be very uncomfortable, they keep the heat in and you will swelter. Don't use surplus parachutes either (which some older SCA publications recommend), as the nylon ones are also very flammable (you won't find old silk ones, most likely).

------------------
Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

First Question - How much do you have alloted for the fabric for the tent?

(Will also need cash for ties, and lumber for the tent as well as a bit of rope and spikes)

How much time do you want to spend on this tent?

How many people are you camping in this tent? One, two, armour in tent or not?

I build my current A-frame (which is 7'high X 8' wide X 10' long) out of 4 oz. canvas drop cloths. 4oz. is able to be sewn by most good heavy machines (Mine is an old singer 1940's). If you go much heavier than this you will need a industrial machine to sew it.

Unless handsewing is your plan, which means increased time.

If you are purchasing, I would say get the best fabric you can afford, it will make your life more comfortable and also keep the resale value up.

On the subject of A-frame vs. pavillion. Pavillion will give you the most useful area for your money. I like my A-frame, but that's what is period for me, I am willing to take the hit to haul the extra lumber necessary to do this. If you don't own a large vehicle, pavillions are generally easier to haul.

As for sealing, I didn't seal mine. I run a waterproof rubber tarp under my canvas. Guaranteed to not leak, and doubles as something to cover my stuff in the truck with.

Brandr hinn Rusli

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Guy Dawkins:
<B>Many of the commercial period pavilion makers use Sunforger.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yup...I did a lot of research before I built my 14' yurt and I decided to go with Sunforger CPAI. Fantastic stuff! Needs no waterproofing to speak of...just use seam sealant on the seams, and you're good to go.

I ordered mine from here: http://www.hamiltondrygoods.com/canvas.html

...really nice people, good service - I'd recommend them without any hesitation. I emailed them with a few questions while I was still trying to figure out what canvas to use, and they mailed me some samples to experiment with.

My yurt survived last pennsic, all 2 weeks of it without a single raindrop making it inside. Unless you count the time I fell asleep with the cover off of the smokehole [img]http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Deacon

I used cotton canvas for my viking tent. Then i waterproof it with a liquid waterseal used for convertible car tops. I have used it for 2 seasons and it
has never had any leakage. The wood is pine and 20x200 mm (3/4"x8"), the overall is about 9x13ft 6,5" high. Inside i have a rope bed, and a chest.

[This message has been edited by OlafR (edited 03-14-2001).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Lost Scott:
What type of fabric shold be used for tents and does one go about sealling it so it is water proof.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


If you make your tent out of a good strong cotton canvas, you should not have any leakage unless there is a strong wind or a very heavy rain. Cotton swells when wet and seals itself. Just don't let anything touch the canvas during the rain.

If you decide to use plastic or the plastic-backed canvases, your tent will be waterproof, but it will be very hot!. Plastic doesn't breathe. Canvas does.

If you decide to waterproof your canvas, you'll have better waterproofing than the plain canvas, but less breathability, too.

So, is it hot? Or does it rain? Which is the prevalant weather in your area?

Or, you could do what the Vikings might (or might not) have done--wool twill with horse fat worked into it.

Good luck!

- Anarra/Terry

You could consider using heavy-weight canvas dropcloths for your fabric. I have used them for tent walls & ground cloth---but never for the canopy. I don't know how well they would shed water as a canopy, but it doesn't take much for a wall to shed water. Anyway, they used to be fairly economical to buy. It's conceivable that you could get one large enough to make a Viking-type tent and have very little sewing to do.

They are sometimes available at hardware stores, and commonly found at professional painter's supply stores.

However, for the best durability, Sunforger or some other commercial tent fabric will probably perform better and last longer. Awning canvas or boat canvas would also probably be good---but perhaps expensive.

WARNING!!!
Sewing tents is a tricky business. Before you get in too deep, I suggest only buying a sample of the canvas and see if your sewing machine will handle the load.

------------------
Henri le Brassey
(mka: Timothy Finkas)



[This message has been edited by Le Brassey (edited 03-13-2001).]

OlafR awsome tent what type of wood did you use for the fram.
Everyone can rest assured I will be using clothe not plastic, probally oak or another hard wood for the fram, the tent will probally have 12' a frame and be 16 feet long or so I have a family of 4 plus armour, gear and all that good atuff. I have an idea for the first 6' of it to open on the sides to provide a covered open area and the back 10" to be the sleeping area. Unfoutanetly heat rain and cold are a concern, so venting the top is an option and a liner will help for the cold.

I think I will build an all wood small version for my dogs dog house some time in the next month.

LS - I posted on the other thread as well, but just to be sure - avoid oak like the plague for your tent frame (oak tends to be brittle and has a tendency to splinter/crack). Try ash, instead (good hardwood, durable and tough).

Jim

I did some figuring bases on the sunforger fabric, it will run $180 to $240 for fabric, around $50 to $100 for wood and $50 for sewing there's a quilter local with an industrial setup for large items so I will probally get her to do it. But after spending a hundres on a nylon modern tent that leeks like a siff and see the period pavillions hold up well and stay dry in terenchal down pours I think it is the way to go. And the viking style is easier than a pavillian and will work with my early period persona.