Waterproofing Beachwood Canvas?

[saddamsnightmare]

September 18th, 2009.

Anyone found a way to make Beachwood OD cab paulin canvas (new) watertight enough to survive six days of rain outside??? My 1963 S.404.114 Unimog Swiss Cargo carrier has just had a new canvas top made out of the WWII/Korean War color canvas, and the spray waterproofer like Scotchguard, couldn't go the grade. Some days its almost bone dry with a coupla drips, other days it lets a mist in (like my 1961 M422A1 Mighty Mite with the Korean War M38A top would), otherdays its damn near a deluge. I have tried to conn GMA into doing tops for these beasts because their tops are so good and sooooo many S404.114 Swiss's are going to be needing tops. I drive the truck daily, and as my garage has a 8' height door and the Unimog stands almost 10' plus, it ain't gonna fit (SIZE is Important!!!)????? Texas is hell on women, oxen, horses, and Unimogs, what with months of heat and drought followed by torrential rains. The deuce is "Saddam's Nightmare" , the Unimog oughta be "Noah's Ark"!

Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

Any points from you all who've been there would be greatly appreciated.

 

[papercu]

Waterproofing the canvas won't help much, the UV from the sunlight will still kill the canvas in short order.
Best thing would be to build a taller shed or maybe a portable RV storage shelter.
Here is one company but there are many on google.
RV & Campers- RV Garages, Camper Covers, Portable Garage Kits
If you need the waterproofing anyway, check with a company that makes sails. Wayne

 

[Boatcarpenter]

Try Canvak
Canvak : Cabela's
Cabela's Canvak Customer Ratings & Reviews - Top & Best Rated Products
BC

 

[EZFEED]

I am a civil war reenactor and heres how we waterproof it. Normally we paint the convas a certain color first so if you need to touch up the color then brush or spray on several light coats of whatever paint you wish. If no paint desired then buy yourself some boiled linseed oil and apply several thin coats of linseed oil to the canvas. Do not just glob it on or it will take too long to dry and stink, brush on several coats light but enough to sufficiently saturate the material then let dry. Do this with the top on and fitted tightly because it will want to draw up on you if you dont. After 3 or 4 coats the top should be extremley water resistant.

 

[Chief_919]

I sell a line of military grade US made canvas tarps in my store, and asked the experts at the factory this question some time ago.

They were adamant that the best solution available to the general public is Thompsons Water Seal. They said to hang the tarp straight up and down, on a nice sunny day, with the side to be treated facing the sun. Let it get good and warm then brush or spray the Thompsons Water Seal on.

From what they said the EPA mandated that all the good stuff be pulled from the retail market (he said the amount of red tape they have to have to use it at the factory was almost enough to run them out of the canavs business) and any canavs treatments out there now were either rebadged Thompsons or something that was not as good.

He also said it was possible to mix dye or paint with it to refresh the OD color, but I have not tried that.

 

[Carter]

I have used Thompsons Clear Multi-Surface Waterproofer on my M37's cab top and cargo canvas for years with no problems, staining or color change and had good results but remove the canvas from the vehicle and hang vertically in the sun before applying, as stated above by Chief-919

 

[Armada]

I hope Thompsons protects longer on canvas than it does on wood....
BLO (boiled linseed oil) is what was (is) used on vintage military gunstocks for repelling water. Good stuff. It would take alot of it to do a canvas top, though.
I've used the Canvak before and it works ok. I would give it more than one coat initially, and reapply at least once a year, maybe more in your severe conditions.

 

[Boatcarpenter]

"I hope Thompsons protects longer on canvas than it does on wood.... "
Agree with you on that Paul. Looks and works great when you first put it on , but doesn't last long.
BC

 

[saddamsnightmare]

September 19th, 2009.

Thanks for the input guys. The canvas has had a time this week, what with all the rain. One day it would resist downpours, other days it wouldn't resist mists and light rains, other days it soak through on either. Unlike most military collector vehicles this is an every day runner truck, but I wanted to approximate the appearance of the original Swiss top, which just wore out after 46 years.
Given my job situation here in Texas, I'm not going to be able to spend money on a barn, until I get back into the Federal service someplace else. The German cab covers and cargo covers for the Unimog S404.114 were $2700.00 US two years ago, and they were for the Deutsche Bundeswehr version, not the Swiss. The Swiss army built their own cab tops, and rear cargo beds and covers to avoid paying the Germans more Marks, and even their military archives have neither a set of patterns, blueprints, suppliers or anything else.
So I did what with was available here in the US. Now I know you guys with MB,GPA's,M38, M38As and M37 and M715 can't stay out of the rain always, so I guess we have to use something.
It does make me appreciate the GMA cab and cargo cover on my M35A2 more..... they do really go work for really fair prices. I may attemp the canvak or the Thompson's, but spray on quatities don't seem to work when you're in a frog drownder. Thanks Again,


Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[cranetruck]

I use Gillespie on my bikini tops and it is holding up very well, no leaks, no dew on the inside whatsoever even in the places where the canvas is sagging and collects some water.

Thomson's water seal doesn't last very long on wood, must be reapplied every couple of years where the sun bakes it in particular. Penetrating oil stains work much better...

 

[EZFEED]

My big tents have been leak free for more than 6 years and thats just plain white canvas with linseed oil.

 

[T. Highway]

I use Gillespie on my bikini tops and it is holding up very well, no leaks, no dew on the inside whatsoever even in the places where the canvas is sagging and collects some water.

Thomson's water seal doesn't last very long on wood, must be reapplied every couple of years where the sun bakes it in particular. Penetrating oil stains work much better...

What product number or vendor did you get the Gillespie canvas waterproofing product from?

 

[cranetruck]

No special water proofing paint, just the regular stuff and I used #30118 "field-drab" brushed on for good coverage.

To reflect the sun and keep the cab cool, I also added a layer of white latex paint, here shown on the deuce (same for the 8x.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

September 25th, 2009.

Gents:

I recieved a gallon of "Canvak" yesterday and really applied it with the brush to the UNimog top (see original post above), so far the truck seems to be sheding water like a duck's back, and it even smells like the top on my old M422A1 Mighty Mite of yore, with it's 25 year old bleached out top. The proof of the pudding will be in the next Texas torrential downpour (yes, they do get them here now and then in the Monsoon season).
It just started spinkling when I was finished, and the top does seem to behave better. With the spray water repellant, one day it'd work, next day not, 6th day I think it was pretty much gone. Canvak is made by the Buckeye Fabric Treatment Company of Coshockton,OH, and it does smell a bit like some of the distaillate off of a coke battery, but it doesn't stain the canvas or change it's color (you can't use it on sythetics though) and CAbellas got it to me in about two days....!

Cheers,
And Thanks Again,

Sincerely,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[saddamsnightmare]

October 9th, 2009.

CANVAK does the job! I'm in the middle of a frog drownder, and the canvas sealed perfectly and it just as dry as my GMA cab cover on the deuce.... if not better. Best $25.00 spent at CAbella's on my account. The smell was gone in a day or two, and man does it ever seal the top. The only leak I had was from the bottom back button in window seal flap, and it closed up too. Life is good when you're dry, especially as the Unimog had a factory cab heater (the deuce, no such thing.... gotta get one)!!!!!


Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[EZFEED]

Great to hear bub!!!!