| Aquaseal Crème & Liquid | Stitch Guard |
| Footwear Cleaner | BlackLeather |
| Seam Seal | Polycoat |
| Map Seal |
Aquaseal Crème & Liquid
Preparation
Always break in new boots on a hike or two and get them partially worn in before attempting to waterproof the leather. This will break down the resinous materials applied to new leathers by the tanneries. These resins restrict sealing by preventing Aquaseal from penetrating the leather. It takes repeated flexing and scuffing of the leather to remove this resinous material. A good scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush several times while you are wearing the boots will help speed up the resin removal process. After the boots are cleaned they are ready for sealing.
Older boots should be thoroughly scrubbed with Aquaseal's "All-Purpose Footwear Cleaner" in order to insure the removal of previous waterproofing products and any potentially abrasive soils in the leather. Aquaseal will give new life to old leather.
If your feet are still getting wet after one application then apply an additional coat. Often this will make all the difference between getting wet and staying dry. However, take care to not over do it. "More" is not necessarily better. Do not pile on a thick layer. Rub in only as much as will easily absorb into the leather without leaving a sticky surface.
On some leathers a whitish film may show up on the surface. If so, go over it quickly with a hair dryer or bristle brush. It will disappear instantly.
Leather Conditioning
Whether you live somewhere that waterproofing is a necessity or not, Aquaseal is one of the world's finest conditioners of leather. In arid country where leather tends to get very thirsty Aquaseal® prevents drying and cracking. Liquid Aquaseal is the product of choice in arid climates since it contains almost twice as much conditioning agent as Aquaseal® Crème. However, Aquaseal® Crème is an excellent leather conditioner too.
On Gore-Tex® Footwear
Both Liquid Aquaseal® and Aquaseal® Crème do a superb job of allowing leather to breathe. Permission was given by W.L.Gore & Associates to include "Safe on Gore-Tex® footwear" on Aquaseal® footwear products. Since the Gore-Tex® is already providing a waterproof-breathable barrier for your feet Aquaseal® can be applied more conservatively. Aquaseal® prevents the leather from getting wet and heavy and also conditions the leather.
Liquid Aquaseal® with "pump" applicator
This product is designed for a quick easy light application. A couple of quick coats and you are on your way. It is more for the person on the go who tends to be in and out of the weather.
STITCH GUARD® for footwear
Seams, especially welt seams, should be sealed with Stitch Guard. This will plug the hole left by the sewing needle and encapsulate the stitches in a tough, flexible compound which will prevent cutting and fraying of the stitches. Always apply Stitch Guard after cleaning and before applying Aquaseal. Stitch Guard comes with a precision point applicator which enables accurate application to stitched seams. The sealant will leave a visible trail. If there is no objection to this Stitch Guard can be applied to many varied leather and fabric products.
FOOTWEAR CLEANER
An occasional or regular cleaning of footwear provides many benefits. Mostly, it greatly improves the appearance and prolongs the life span of footwear.
There are several ways to clean footwear:
Easiest, quickest: Wet a clean rag or paper towel with warm to hot water then rigorously and thoroughly wipe the surface of the footwear.
More thorough: Mix Footwear Cleaner with warm water and scrub with brush. Rinse thoroughly.
Most effective: Soak footwear in tub of warm to hot soapy water. Scrub and rinse thoroughly.
Note: Soap residue encourages water to penetrate the surface of footwear. It is very difficult to waterproof footwear when soap is present. When cleaning footwear with Aquaseal Footwear Cleaner or any soap cleaner it is imperative to thoroughly rinse all soap residue out before applying Aquaseal® waterproofing products.
AQUASEAL BLACK LEATHER
For the big jobs, such as black leather coats, chaps, saddles, saddle bags, etc. we recommend the 8oz size. This will ensure that you have enough product for the job and the 8oz comes with a very large dauber applicator. This large applicator provides easy and quick coverage for large items.
When treating black leather that is heavily faded we recommend applying multiple coats. Let it dry thoroughly between coats. This will help determine whether additional coats are needed. If more than two coats are needed wait several days between the second coat and additional coats.
Seam Seal
When a nylon tent starts leaking there are at least two likely places to look, the factory coated areas and/or the seams. The seams are the most likely simply because water can easily come through unsealed stitching holes. On some tents the seams are tape sealed. Check to see if the tape has lost its seal in one or more places. Other tents are not pre-sealed, but come with a tube or bottle of sealant for you the customer to apply. If the sealant was not supplied with the tent then it must be purchased. Aquaseal® Seam Seal is one of several brands of seam sealant available at local stores which carry hiking and camping supplies.
There are two versions of Aquaseal® Seam Seal. One is solvent based and the other is water based. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. A) The solvent based Seam Seal tends to penetrate better which gives it better adhesion properties. It also dries much quicker. Since it is solvent based it also has a strong odor and requires good ventilation when applying. B) Water based Seam Seal has very little odor therefore ventilation, while still important, is not as much of an issue. Some nylon tents are factory coated with a silicone water repellent film. This makes adhesion more difficult for the water based Seam Seal. The seams must then be prepped first by wiping them with isopropyl alcohol or a safe fabric cleaner. This is actually a good precaution step to take before applying any seam sealant. Once applied and cured, Aquaseal® Seam Seal water based tends to be more durable than our solvent based. Both sealants will get the job done.
Poly Coat
Factory coated areas usually consist of the tent flooring (which can include the first 12"-18" of the wall) and the tent rain fly. With regular use the factory coating may eventually wear thin and begin to leak. A coating or two of Poly Coat will fix this problem and give many more years of "stay dry" tent life.
Do not apply Poly Coat to parts of the tent which were not coated by the factory. Tents are made to have plenty of ventilation. Besides the tent windows much of the tent surface breaths and is not waterproof. This is very important for health and to avoid excess condensation.
Cleaning - If you have done any painting of walls, cabinets, cars, etc., then you already know that the surface must be squeaky clean before you can apply the paint. Why? Because paint will only stick to a clean surface. For cleaning instructions it is best to consult with the manufacturer of the tent. They may have come with the tent or you may be able to find it on their website.
If the factory does not provide cleaning instructions then do the following:
Set up the tent as if you were going to use it. For applying Poly Coat it is only necessary to clean the areas to be coated. Dilute 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of a non-detergent cleaner (a hand cleaner) in 1-2 gallons of warm but NOT hot water. Use a sponge to wipe the areas to be treated. Rinse thoroughly and let dry completely before applying Poly Coat. Do not use a machine dryer to dry the tent.
Applying. It is first very important to determine which side of the tent floor and fly is the factory coated side. For the tent floor, almost without exception, it will be the inside of tent. For the fly it will most likely be the side that faces the tent, the underneath side. The factory coated side will sometimes still look glossy if it has not been exposed too long to the outdoors. We always recommend coating the opposite side of the factory coating.
To apply Poly Coat set up your tent as if you were going to use it. This works especially well with dome tents and other tents that do not require the tent poles to touch the ground. Carefully follow the instructions on the bottle. Generally two coats are recommended. Please note carefully that the timing of the second coat is critical. It must be applied while the first coat is "tacky". If you wait till the first coat has completely dried do not even bother applying the second coat. It will only bead up on the first coat and not stick. The warmer it is where you are doing this the quicker Poly Coat will dry. In very warm weather it may only work to coat 15-20 sq.ft. at a time before applying the second coat. So, if you are coating a large 4-6 person tent, it may work better to apply two coats to one half of the tent floor before moving on to the second half. The same applies to the tent fly.
Once the tent is coated allow a full 72 hours of dry and cure time before packing it up. This will ensure that the tent will not stick to itself. Once packed up store the tent in a dry environment. When using the tent always attempt to pack it up dry. If this is not possible take it out and dry it 100% before storing it again. Sustained moisture will cause mildew which can permanently damage your tent.
When camping, a fitted tarp placed underneath the tent will help to protect the tent and the waterproof coating from wear and tear. Poly Coat will extend the life of your tent for many years of enjoyment.
Map Seal®
Map Seal® is designed to permanently waterproof your maps, nautical charts and many other types of paper products. Various individuals and companies have used Map Seal® to waterproof and preserve blue prints and surveying charts. If there is any doubt try it on a safe part first. Map Seal® is not safe to use on maps or other documents printed on ink jet printers. It will cause the ink to run instantly. When applying Map Seal® to folded maps or maps you intend to fold later, fold and unfold the map first before applying Map Seal®. Now Map Seal® will help preserve the map from tearing on the fold lines. It is always a good idea, however, to minimize folding and unfolding of maps, and to do it carefully when it is necessary.
Two thin coats of Map Seal® tend to work better than one heavy coat. You will actually get more coverage and a more effective seal. For drying coated maps several methods will work such as: hang on a clothes line, pin the top two corners to the side of a table or bench, lay on a dry surface such as a table. If you do it this way lift it ever few minutes to avoid sticking, or lay down wax paper underneath.
The following is a method used by one of our customers:
"I have found that it is much easier for me to use silicone coated parchment paper (the kind used for baking) when I am coating my maps with Map Seal. The maps can be turned over even if tacky and they will not stick to this paper even if the map is allowed to dry while sticking to the parchment. I can lay the map flat and take as much time as I like working the product into the paper."
Maps will be completely dry within thirty minutes. Wait 72 hours before folding, packing or using in the rain. Always store in a breathable container and never store coated maps under pressure when they are wet or in high humidity. Otherwise they may stick together and damage the map. Coated maps can be written on. You may have to experiment to find the best pencil, pen or marker for the job.