Staining canvas tents. A report.

[Hibernicus]

I am happy to report that I have found no difference in sunforger canvas stained with the water based wood stain and a section not stained.

I set out two pieces about 24" square, one stained, one not stained. They've been outside since JULY
.. lots of southern California sun, some small amount of rain (we cal it rain!), loads of dew fall

Both resist water equally, resist tearing equally.. I have found no difference, thus no ill effects of staining the canvas!

We are currently completing the staining of our small papiliones.. some needed a 2nd or 3rd coating. We are also seriously contemplating staining the inside. We've been using 2 gallon pump sprayers and are layering on thin washes... two quarts of stain per papilio

Our three larger papiliones are being stained red. They are made of a heavy cotton duck canvas and are taking the colorant beautifully! Nice thing about this regular canvas is that it takes the stain so much easier than sunforger!

(Note: the S Diego Chargers can stay in London.)

[Magnus]

Well that's good. Not to be a dink...but I was waiting to see if yours or rusty's tents suffered dmg before I did mine lol. I'll be doing mine next year...probably around spring.

[Hibernicus]

Dear Papilia,
I am thinking of staining my tent brown like those other fellows. Its SO-O-O cool! Should I just do it or should I wait?
Signed: Dincius


Dear Dinci,
Waiting is cool too! Jumping off the bridge just because everyone else is doing it is NOT cool. Wait to see if they make it back to shore first.

But seriously!
..... Matt, waiting was/is wise. Don't blame ya at all! Something new may have presented itself, a new technique or a problem! But, Imagine how much more spectacular a sea of brown could look at LAFE in 2010!

[Magnus]

It'll be a while before I go back to lafe...lol. Maybe the 10th anniversary or something... :lol:

[M. Demetrius]

Pretty long drive, eh?

[Magnus]

Yeah, about 20 hours or so...lol. It was killer. I lucked out because I hitched a ride with some guys who already had a mini-van. But if I were to rent one, with me and a few others I still think it'd be cost prohibitive.

[rusty myers]

Our Uglo-Papilios that we made take the stain a lot easier than the sunforger does. Not sure why, maybe more absorbent or something...

Also using a House paint sprayer seems to work better than the compressed air one we used at first. and I am mixing my stuff more like 2:1 now rather than 3:1.

Other than that, niot much difference in what we are doing.

[A_Volpe]

Imagine how much more spectacular a sea of brown could look at LAFE in 2010!

sea of brown, eh? Hopefully not from the latrines running over hock:

as our own Clodius Secundus has made famous saying (at Pompeii - Mobile), "No, Centurio, don't make him dig a new Latrine, make him dig the existing one Deeper" :twisted:

[Hibernicus]

Bad Andy!

Move your stool two paces back from the campfire!

Hibernicus

[Mithras]

I've gotta ask, how do you explain your tents to the crowd? Do you tell them the tents are leather? Or that they're canvas painted to look like leather? Or do you not say anything, and hope everyone thinks they're leather but keep your fingers crossed.

NOT a criticism, just a question - you know what a stickler for details some crowds can be ...

[M. Demetrius]

I'd reckon you just tell them that the 300 dollar canvas tents are painted with 40 dollars of paint, to simulate 2000+ dollar leather tents. Most people will understand that. If they look like Greens, you can add that it saves the skins of at least 60 goats. They'll like that. :wink: :roll:

[Magnus]

Yeah, usually the truth works. Even when people ask about things like the armour I always explain how the romans did it and with what kind of materials.

[Lucius Duccius Rufinus]

Well that's good. Not to be a dink...but I was waiting to see if yours or rusty's tents suffered dmg before I did mine lol. I'll be doing mine next year...probably around spring.

I have to admit i think we're the same, we have two canvas tents, and we might ask Hibernicus for some advise on staining these tents. as at the moment they look crap! but its better than nothing i guess!!

[M. Demetrius]

Hey, a decent canvas tent will keep you dry, even in significant rain. Sunforger gets my vote every time. That's pretty important to keep in mind when the clouds are rolling up on the horizon.

Painted or not, they still serve that purpose. They need to be good for what they're made for first, and camp decoration second. We have a wall tent and a papilio or two down here, and we're talking about painting them. Good winter project. If we do, we'll paint them all on the same day. A cheap waterpaint sprayer ought to do the job. I don't think we'll paint the entire insides, but might paint the inside of the door flaps, so if they're flopped open, they'll not spoil the effect.

[Hibernicus]

I've gotta ask, how do you explain your tents to the crowd? Do you tell them the tents are leather? Or that they're canvas painted to look like leather? Or do you not say anything, and hope everyone thinks they're leather but keep your fingers crossed.
Paul Elliott

First they're stained, not painted. The colorant is a water based wood stain that penetrates the canvas. About $20 to do a Panther Primitives "Roman" wall tent.

Explain. We used to have to explain why we looked like an American Civil War camp!

1) We tell folk that we're trying to create a better impression in that a Roman camp was brown not white.

2) we can talk in depth about goatskin. We have herds of goatskin from North Africa in camp!; show them the goatskin papilio for comparison; talk about costs in materials and labor... they then understand the use of canvas !