Patching Canvas, and waterproofing?

[meganey]

Okay, so I bought my first PU today, and paid only $150 (yes, i need to brag
It needs quite a bit of cleaning up, but structurally is quite sound as far as I know (dont want to jinx myself).  There are a few tears and one mouse hole in the canvas that i'd like to try to patch rather than replacing the whole thing (a bit too expensive for me right now.. still under the poor college student status)
Also i'm concerned with the waterproof-ness since its so old (1978).  



Any suggestions for patch kits? where can I get them?

What would you clean your canvas with? I dont want to use something that will take any waterproofing stuff that it still has off.  


One more:  Can you buy like a can of spray to waterproof the canvas?  Like I said, i'm a total newbie so I know these are probably easy questions.

Thanks!!
Megan
1978 Starcraft Starflite YAY!!

[garym053]

Congrats on the camper, Megan!

There are a number of patch kits sold, including one in the PUT store, see link at top of Arveeclub page. I haven't used the one sold by PUT, but have used another brand which worked very well. I will reply later with the name of it.

There are spray on waterproofers, Kiwi (the shoe polish people) makje one, 3M Scotchgard makes one for Outdoor fabrics, etc. I've used both. I liked a product called Canvak the best though it wasn't spray on. I got it in a one gallon container and used a paint brush to apply. Never had any leakage after using it. Try Campmor, REI, or other camping suppliers.

Any cleaning is a pretty sure bet to remove any waterproofing that is left. What you should be careful of is products that will weaken the canvas. I switched from using products with bleach to using Woolite because I believe the Bleach containing products weakened the canvas as well as causing the bed slide rails to corrode.

Again, Congrats on your find. I just bought a 2006 Starcraft to replace one that was destroyrd when I was rearended. I hope they continue to be made well enough to last 28 years!

[lwbfl]

We got ours used too and washed the canvas with woolite.  I bought a yard of canvas at the art store, and used "Tear Mender" to apply.  I used Canvak to waterproof, it's much better than trying to spray the whole thing.  I keep some tent waterproofing (spray can) in the camper for touchups after I notice an area that begins to weep through.  We have been through may storms since then, and everything is holding up well.

[meganey]

Okay I'm glad ive been reading all these posts about using woolite instead of clorox.. i had been planning on using  a clorox mix, but i think i'll stick to the woolite.  The canvas is someone brittle already, so I dont know how its going to go, but i'm going to attempt cleaning it up and fixing it before spending the $800+ to replace the whole canvas.  

Wish me luck! we're going to tackle that part sometime this week.


Also, there is mold on the cabinets and stuff inside, can woolite be used on wood or laminate? That is one thing I was concerned with using some of the stronger stuff because I dont want it to eat through whatever is left.


Thanks!!

[meganey]

okay, just to clarify because I would be the one to guess the wrong thing,

the woolite we're talking about is regular laundry stuff right? or is there a different woolite product that you're refering to?



haha, like I said, just want to make sure.. newbie here.

Thanks again!

[lwbfl]

okay, just to clarify because I would be the one to guess the wrong thing,

the woolite we're talking about is regular laundry stuff right? or is there a different woolite product that you're refering to?



haha, like I said, just want to make sure.. newbie here.

Thanks again!

Yep, regualr woolite from the laundry detergent section.  I'd feel safe using a fairly weak bleach solution on the laminate and other inside surfaces.

[meganey]

thanks!