freeamfva: SEWING WATERPROOF SEAMS: SEALANT OR SEAL TAPE?

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SEWING WATERPROOF SEAMS: SEALANT OR SEAL TAPE?


Why do you need to seal stitch lines and seams?
Waterproofing seams and stitch lines ensures your handmade waterproof jacket is just that: waterproof.To get more news about Seam Sealing Tape, you can visit senpinghz.com official website.

Sewing two pieces together creates tiny little gaps where the pieces are connected by the stitching. If you’e adding pockets and fastenings to your garment every time your needle punctures the surface of your waterproof or water resistant fabric it leaves a little hole. Even when plugged with polyester thread, it’s an easy way for the water to creep in.I’ve made and owned water resistant gear in the past that doesn’t have sealed seams, and they work … well, ok. In light showers, for short walks, the water is repelled. But for longer journeys and wetter conditions you’ll want some certainty that you will stay snug and dry. In this case you’ll want to seal the seams as you sew your garment using iron-on tape, or brush-on sealant from the tube.

5m of light grey iron-on sealer tape, 20mm wide, set me back £10 on eBay. I don’t recall seeing colour options so I grabbed the grey roll. Later on I spotted a few different monochromatic shades. I probably would have purchased the darker grey or black for this garment if I’d taken the time to look around.

After each piece of fabric is stitched together the seam allowance is pressed flat and the tape is ironed to the inside. The tape has two sides, a textured top side and thin sealer underside. As the tape heats up the sealant melts and becomes tacky. In its melted state it adheres to the seam, and as it cools and hardens it cements the bond. This finishes the seams and neatly seals the gaps created by contraction.

Tips for using sealant tape
1. Watch your heat

Pay attention the heat of the iron to find a sweat spot that’s warm enough to melt the tape but not distort the fabric. I did a bunch of test pieces and noted the best iron setting. You’re only a hasty iron press away from melting your pieces, so it pays to take it slow.

2. Turning corners

You can apply the tape around a light curve. Or cut the tape and step around a tighter corner.

3. Conserve your tape

The sealant tape instructions said to leave a bit of hanging over the edge of the seam, and then trim. But I wasn’t too keen to bulk out the seam allowance and waste my precious tape. So I worked by pressing the tape straight from the roll, so I could trim it to length accurately. I tucked the roll in my pocket to keep it from rolling away. With one roll of tape I was able to seal the one entire jacket.
How seam sealant liquid works
Sealant liquid is the consistency of glue, you squeeze it out and scrape it flat with a little scratchy brush. The liquid sealant took about 30 mins to dry enough so it wasn’t too tacky to keep working on the project.

Straight away the strong chemical odour and messy runny mixture put me off. Fiddling about removing the lid and putting on the spout did not fill me with joy. It’s tricky to manage the amount of sealant applied. The instructions say to apply the sealant and then brush it into the seam with the little scratchy brush. This worked ok when I got the knack, but I noticed that the liquid and the bushing action did cause the edges of the pieces to curl up.