WURTY Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 whats the secret??? It's in the washer now on gentle. There was too much sheep dip on it. what else ????
notacop Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 Read the instruction, get the Nickwax stuff. Got mine at REI on sale. Do the 2 times rinse and then the water proofing treatment. When it's dry hang it up in the garage and spray the crap out of a couple cans of Camp Dry on it. Ive done that and so far It's successfully kept measureable precipitaion from happening in California. Andy Golfine's responsible for the drought in a sideways manner.
WURTY Posted October 21, 2007 Author Posted October 21, 2007 can I put it in the dryer after the cleaning
blackyam Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 can I put it in the dryer after the cleaning Yes, but I suggest no heat. Also, although I have used NikWax in the wash, I usually use Heavy Duty Scotch Guard after drying to recondition my suit.
Todd_Z1 Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 Wurty, I have tried the NikWax product three times including this weekend. I called the 800 number for this product and confirmed with their support that I was following the directions correctly. I have to say this product just does not work. I washed the suit using TechWash in a front loader washer. I then ran the suit through an additional wash cycle with just plain water. I then dried the suit and then put it in the washer at low water level and used a full 10 ounce bottle of Nikwax. I took the suit out after thoroughly soaking it in the Nikwax solution and let it drip dry. It rained this weekend and the suit was absorbing water. I can only conclude that this product does not work. The very best result you will get is the suit will repel some water for a short period of time. Cheers!
elkroeger Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 I wash mine on the regular warm cycle. Then drip dry. It's likely to go well in the dryer, but I've wrecked too many things in there, and the drip dry program goes pretty fast. There shouldn't be any mystery to it - it's just nylon and gore-tex. Don't forget to pull the pads out. I use a couple of cans of scotchguard and soak the stuff in really good.
Stan Walker Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 If you read the can label it says it's for gore-tex type materials. No where does it say that it will make nylon waterproof. Most things that will make nylon shed water like a duck will block all air passage through the nylon. You need that air passage to allow water vapor to exit through the gore tex and through the nylon. Stan
Bernie Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 I wash the suit with Nik Wax Tech Wash and then rinse it once. Then I wash the suit with Nik Wax waterproofing, During the wash I will turn the washer off and let it soak for 15 minutes then let it finish the cycle and hang it up over night in the garage. That is it and I do not get wet. Maybe my suit is to old? Water proofed for 100K.
WURTY Posted October 21, 2007 Author Posted October 21, 2007 so now that it is as clean as it gets I am supposed to spray Scotch gaurd all over it right ??????
Bernie Posted October 22, 2007 Posted October 22, 2007 If you are going to use 3M Scotch Guard spray, you must let it dry first. Then spray it with overlapping motion and you may consider a second layer, especially for the seems. I have used both the Spray and the wash in waterproofing stuff. More details on AeroStitch website.
JR356 Posted October 22, 2007 Posted October 22, 2007 Hi Wurty, Get the Scotchguard for outdoor fabrics,if you can find it. JR356
Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs Posted October 22, 2007 Posted October 22, 2007 I have tried the NikWax product three times including this weekend. I called the 800 number for this product and confirmed with their support that I was following the directions correctly. I have to say this product just does not work. I washed the suit using TechWash in a front loader washer. I then ran the suit through an additional wash cycle with just plain water. I then dried the suit and then put it in the washer at low water level and used a full 10 ounce bottle of Nikwax. I took the suit out after thoroughly soaking it in the Nikwax solution and let it drip dry. It rained this weekend and the suit was absorbing water. I can only conclude that this product does not work. The very best result you will get is the suit will repel some water for a short period of time. I don't do it that way...have had now two Stitchs in 8 years of Seattle weather commuting 365 days (and falling in an occasional mud puddle) and always use Nikwax Wash-In water repellent. First, I wash the suit using a powdered detergent - not liquid - becasue it rinses out better. This was instructed when I bought my first suit. Then I rinse it a second time...not a full wash, although that's not a big deal, just uses more water. When it's still soaking wet I pour in two 10 oz bottles of the Wash-In solution, let it tumble for 5 minutes to get the fabric coated with the solution, THEN I stop the washer and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Finish the wash, including the rinse cycle and toss the entire thing into the drier on the regular heat setting. (You did take out the pads first, right?) Reinstall the pads and I'm good for another 6 months. Even now, when I'm commuting and the outer layer is holding the water (it's been 8 months since re-waterproofing and I've washed it twice in-between to clean it), I'm still dry underneath. The water doesn't get to the inside. The right side outer chest pocket is NOT waterproof, though. Here are a few notes from the Aerostitch website. Repellents: Wash-in or spray-on? We generally encourage Nikwax (or Tectron wash-in) over ScotchGard spray-on. Nikwax is easier. It is one less thing to do, since it goes in while the suit is being washed. With ScotchGard the suit needs to be hung up somewhere and sprayed. It takes a while to do this correctly because a good job involves flipping open the various flaps and spraying into the underarm zippers and around all the folds and hidden places. Nikwax goes everywhere during the wash. Few people take the time to hand seal the knit zipper tapes and stitching where water can enter in the lap area, and that it is easy to overlook getting ScotchGard into and around these areas. Nikwax saturates all the zipper tapes and helps prevent leaks in these areas. Nikwax is not as durable as hand seam sealing with a urethane seam sealant, but it still makes a noticeable difference in how much water will wick through a zipper's knit tape. Even a little drip leaves a big wet spot. Maintaining Breathable Fabric After the manufacturing process that bonds the breathable/waterproof membrane to the Cordura fabric, a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) chemical treatment is applied that prevents water from being absorbed into the Cordura's fibers. Water should bead and run off the outer surface of your suit's fabric so moisture vapor from the inside can pass through the membrane. If the outer Cordura fibers become saturated in wet conditions, the water layer forms a barrier that causes vapor to condense on the inside surfaces of the garment so you become wet, even though no water is passing into the garment through the membrane. Over time and after extended wear, this original DWR treatment wears away and must be renewed. By periodically laundering your suit with a wash-in treatment like Nikwax TX Direct� (see below), or by applying a post-wash water repellent product like Scotchgard�, Revivex� or Tectron�, you can insure that water will bead and run off the fabric, and that vapor will always be able to pass through, even in wet conditions. Maintaining the DWR also helps your suit dry faster after being in rain. WASH-IN WATER REPELLENTS & WASHING GEAR IN GENERAL I don't think there is a 'best' wash-in water repellent, but that doesn't mean there isn't. The Gore-Tex® company has laboratories with rows of washing machines and dryers (looking like a high tech Laundromat...) and all kinds of test apparatuses. They can probably determine which of the wash-in products was the best.... and similarly each of the manufacturers of these products must also have their own laboratories. All these labs are probably able to provide comparisons that would be useful to determining a 'best'. We don't have that capability. I use the Nikwax products, more out of habit than anything else. I've used these products for about the last ten years. Before that I used spray-on Heavy Duty Scotchguard for a water repellent treatment, and Tide powder for laundering. My friend Henry S. Winkour recently asked about re-waterproofing midway through a season, and I told him this is a 'Mr. Subjective' question. I re-waterproof every time I wash my gear, but I do not wash my gear too often. Washing gear is hard on it in terms of the ultimate life of the fabric, stitching and taping (washing a vehicle too frequently is the same...). This does not mean it doesn't feel good to have a clean bike or a clean riding suit. It does. But I have not washed my current darien pants in over a year. They are filthy and could sure use a wash. When I do it next, I'll use Nikwax for water repellent to boost the water repellent that was in the fibers of the Cordura when the fabric was manufactured. How often you wash and use repellents is subjective. This year I did not wash my bike once. I rode about 10,000 miles, which is average. As winter approached I told myself I really needed to clean it up before putting it away. Fall came. The leaves fell. The ground froze. Turkey was eaten. And now it is 20 degrees and there's snow all around my home and the bike is still unwashed. I did all the oil changes and tire changes and regular maintenance it needed during the summer, and at all the appropriate times, but I never got around to washing it. Now I go down to the garage and look and it's dark and thickly covered with that ugly gray film of road filth that motor vehicles get if you don't wash them for a long time. Plus bugs and brake dust and a crust of oil in a few places around gaskets. It's a dirty, grubby, worn bike - and now I'll have to look at it this way until spring, probably. – Mr. Subjective (November, 2006)
AdventurePoser Posted October 22, 2007 Posted October 22, 2007 All good advice on washing and waterproofing. My only tip to add is to make sure you button all snaps and close zippers before washing. While washing my suit last time a snap at the bottom of the pant leg apparently got caught in the agitator of the washing machine. The pant leg tore near the button, meaning an unplanned send off to Aerostich for repair... Cheers, Steve
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