Softshell 'proofing' - it is just watered down PVA glue, isn't it?

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Softshell 'proofing' - it is just watered down PVA glue, isn't it?

28 posts & 23 voices | Started 2 years ago by no_eyed_deer | Latest reply from no_eyed_deer

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no_eyed_deer - Member

Proofing my plethora of waterproof shells today I noticed an unmistakeablely familiar smell, from school days of yore. Sticking bits of paper together to make colourful displays, all the while in a haze of that evocative smelling, water based PVA glue.

It is, isn't it?

I feel like the wool has been pulled out from over my eyes. For 10 pounds a pop you can buy a pissy-weak bottle of what is effectively watered down PVA glue from Nikwax or Grangers that will treat 1 garment for - oh - all of 4 washes or so. What. A. Bargain. Thanks guys.

I may begin to experiment with some waterproof PVA wood glue, what have I got to lose? It's 18 pounds for about 5 litres on eBay. I can water it down to say 1:100 strength, or maybe even 1:1000, drift my various shells about in a bucket of it for a bit and see if it has the same effect.

I'm pretty sure it will though, there's no mistaking that smell...

Posted 2 years ago #
scu98rkr - Member

Im pretty sure this is a wind up but just in case you really are a bit dappy.

Surely what you can smell is the solvent ?

Ie they both use the same solvent, whats dissolved in the solvent is different (probably).

Posted 2 years ago #
PePPeR - Member

Probably find that you're right! PVA glue gets used for everything else.

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Isn't PVA water soluble

Posted 2 years ago #
aracer - Member

what have I got to lose?

Dunno - how much did you pay for all the shells you're planning on treating?

Posted 2 years ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

...erm, I'm pretty sure the 'solvent' is, erm... water. Hence why the stuff dissolves in H2O quite happily, but dries to form a waterproof glue / seal / thin film. I'm also pretty sure that if I test out my theory on some really old kit, or even some bits of nylon fabric beforehand it'll be alright.

If I am right, just imagine the sort of profit these companies must be running at for these products..

Posted 2 years ago #
Midnighthour - Member

A friend of mine used to make her own shower curtains very successfully by painting any cotton fabric she fancied with PVA glue. Obviously this was not breathable or the fabric would have rotted. I dont think she watered it down beforehand though.

Posted 2 years ago #
nickc - Member

Sounds like an excellent expiriment at this time of year for a chap bored of all the festivities. Good luck. Be sure to report back. Ghetto proofing... I like it

Posted 2 years ago #
piedi di formaggio - Member

'What's that unsightly, dubious looking stain on your shorts?'

'Oh, that's my homemade waterproofing'

'Of course it is. Children, quick, come here, we're leaving'

Posted 2 years ago #
nosherduke996 - Member

You might find Wickes or B and q cheaper as builders use it as a waterproofing agent for concreting,rendering ect.

Posted 2 years ago #
PePPeR - Member

nosherdukes right, builders use it every day as a waterproofing agent, its used for sealing walls before painting and as a moisture barrier.

Like you say try it on some old cloth and let us know the results, it may turn out that you've found these waterproofing companies secret and then we can all cash in.

Posted 2 years ago #
swisstony - Member

I like it, good experiment, will probably affect breathability though

Posted 2 years ago #
BadlyWiredDog - Member

Be careful mate, it once occurred to me that Lidl bargain ketchup smelled suspiciously similar to Tesco own brand four star. Convinced I'd rumbled tha bastards' evil, profit-making scam, I topped up the Bentley with 40 litres of budget tomato sauce. Turned out that the Lidl stuff wasn't high enough octane and I ended up holing a piston and burning out 16 inlet valves while doing 140mph on the A57 Snake Pass.

I guess what I'm saying is that this may not be as straightforward as just following your nose...

Posted 2 years ago #
jim the saint - Member

To be fair to no-eyed-dear he's not just using his nose. He's noticed that a cheap product that is used for it's ability to bond to materials and form a water repellent barrier has a similar smell to an expensive product that bonds to material to form a water repellent barrier.

If I had some ancient goretex knocking about I'd give it a go myself.

Posted 2 years ago #
tf - Member

You could indeed coat your clothes in PVA glue (or whale fat, for that matter), making something waterproof is not hard. Making something water proof and still retain some breathability, that's a different story, which is why Nikwax can charge you a bit more than your local B'Q does for PVA glue (incidentally, Nikwax is not PVA based, sometimes just following one's nose might not be enough ).

Posted 2 years ago #
avdave2 - Member

Make sure you use exterior PVA rather than interior.

Sits back and waits for "help I can't take my jacket off post"

Posted 2 years ago #
Thurman Merman - Member

Sits back and waits for "help I can't take my jacket off post"

LOL! yes, I had visions of him inextricably 'becoming one' with his jacket. Or at least the insides of the jacket bonding together. Nice idea, tho. Would Thomson's Water Seal (for brickwork etc) have the same effect? Can't imagine it'd smell very nice, tho. Oil-based, that one. Maybe go the whole hog and try creosote?

I've been known to reactivate non-grippy rubber leg-grippers on shorts using Copydex glue. Works an absolute treat.

Posted 2 years ago #
steve_b77 - Member

How's about wrapping your extremities in PTFE tape, it's light, flexible and waterproof

Posted 2 years ago #
TheLittlestHobo - Member

At least you will have fun peeling it off your skin. I used to cover my hands in the stuff and wait till it dried. My skin felt all clean after

Posted 2 years ago #
Dales_rider - Member

If you ever want to find out whats in a product just google
<product name> safety data sheet.
You will find that the common product in PVA and EVA is Acetic acid.
Nickwax

Posted 2 years ago #
cookeaa - Member

PVA not that different from EVA surely, both seem to have similar general applications...

Give it a try what is there to loose? I'm always in favor of a good experiment..

Posted 2 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

Are you lot ****ing us?

PVA dries solid, would crack, not breathe etc....1/10!

Posted 2 years ago #
epicyclo - Member

I once re-waterproofed a paratroopers smock with tyre paint. It was totally waterproof (on my motorbike), but smelled so vile that there would always be a space on either side of me any time I ventured on to public transport.

Posted 2 years ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

...ok so, Nikwax softshell proofing is a solution of:

1) Zirconium acetate
2) Propolyne glycol (antifreeze)
3) Acetic acid (non-brewed condiment vinegar)

Hurrah! I was awesomely wrong! Although I'm sure the chemistry is in a similar-ish ball park - there's an 'acetate' in there for a start.

Now if I knew WTF zirconium acetate was I could make my own and sell it off cheap by the bucketful, like

Posted 2 years ago #
wysiwyg - Member

Flame retardant

Posted 2 years ago #
nickc - Member

Paint a old jacket in PVA anyway, just for shits and giggles

Posted 2 years ago #
bananaworld - Member

I'm with Nick: you've started this thing, Dear, now we all need a report, with pics, of you soaking your waterproof y-fronts in a bucket of glue.

Posted 2 years ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

I will... just give me a few months! I'm off backpacking back to the UK tommorrow, via NZ and SE Asia... Happy daze.

Posted 2 years ago #

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