[Tomi]

Hello,

I vote the 350 or 363. Hope that my laptop display will not fool me 🙂

Generally all three columns from right looks best for me. Left side is not very natural on my screen.

Btw with my blue packraft I found an interesting thing. In digital photos it looks much brighter compared to real world eye view.

[Tomi]

Ok Matt,

I will order materials directly from you for my next packraft. Quite soon, I think.

My extreme textil packaft floats and works but for more serious wilderness use I will make better quality raft. I don’t want count how many hours I struggled with sealing that fabric… The good thing is that now I know the making process, tools etc. Next one will be much better and easier. Life is learning 🙂

Happy New year 2017!

[Tomi]

I have no equipment to measure sealing temperature. See “heat-sealing tools”-thread for description of my setup.

I’m not sure, but I have feeling that for 40den and 210den the melting point seems to be quite same. Could it be possible?

[Tomi]

This is my robust but cheap heat sealing tool setup:

1. bulk 40W soldering iron (“absolutely too hot”, cost 8 eur)
2. light bulb dimmer 0-100% (cost 7 eur)
3. tool tip from copper tube (quite heavy tip for more stable tip temperature)
4. spare soldering iron tips for different shape sealing tips (3 eur, not needed)

Here in Finland the dimmer can bought for example from here:
http://www.biltema.fi/fi/Rakentaminen/Sahko/Ajastimet/Himmennin-2000022447/

Note: do not use dimmer with any “active” electrical equipment. Plain resistive load like filament light bulb or bulk soldering iron are fine.

The dimmer adjusts the power of the iron. That is not exacatly constant temperature device but seems “enough constant”. If power is adjusted it takes some time to stabilze.

For my next packraft I may buy basic solder station wich has active constant temperature control itself. (Exactly I have high quality solder station already but it is for SMD electronic work and I didn’t wan’t to modify that for packraft making… :D)

[Tomi]

Next… 2-person packraft and then spraydeck for current packraft 🙂

Thanks Matt for your work on https://www.diypackraft.com
I think this must be the best outdoor & diy web page of this year!

[Tomi]

Hello All,

I got blue 210den nylon tafetta, transparent TPU-coating, 275g/sqm fabric from
http://www.extremtextil.de for my packraft.

For inflation bag I got 40den nylon, TPU-coated one side, 70g/sqm from same source.

I found that it was challenging (read: also very slow) to make make good bond with 210D fabric. I had same feelings like Chris.

My 40D fabric bond fast, strong and easy, just like in Matt’s great video tutorial. So I think my sealing equipment is fine.

I’m wondering are those difficulties normal with heavier fabric? Or is the quality of extrem textil’s 210D TPU poor or something?

Matt – What fabric you had on the instruction video – was it 40D or 210D?

[Author]

Replies