To prevent color fading in the sun?

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Sorry if this has been asked...I searched posts and came up nil...

I know SotchGuard can be used (and I'll get some tonight
Also, someone mentioned that you could Scotch Guard your main, too?? Anyone done that?

And this is NOT a continuation of the 'Scotchguard' thread... I'm asking about sun fading...Scotchguard does nothing to help there...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[slotperfect 7]

You may have aleady seen this thread about fading. More info on that general subject.

I do not personally know of anyone using Scotchguard on a canopy. I would strongly recommend against it until you call the manufacturer of your rig to ask this question of them.

Make a mistake Scotchguarding your rig and you have a stained rig . . . make a mistake Scotchguarding your canopy you may affect it's performance and service life.

Arrive Safely

John

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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You may have aleady seen this thread about fading. More info on that general subject.

I do not personally know of anyone using Scotchguard on a canopy. I would strongly recommend against it until you call the manufacturer of your rig to ask this question of them.

Make a mistake Scotchguarding your rig and you have a stained rig . . . make a mistake Scotchguarding your canopy you may affect it's performance and service life.

Yup, I read that thread as well...and it was just about which colors degrade more in UV, not how to prevent it unfortunately....

Someone also mentioned 303 as a marine canvas sealer that also prevents fading? Hmm...

-And I agree with you; I won't mess with the canopy unless the manf. said it was Ok, just wondering if anyone had done it?

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[USPA 0]

Uhmmm.... Maybe Bill Booth would want to comment on this, since he did some extensive tests on sun exposure. But I would worry more about lose on strength because of UV damage than color fading... ?

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Uhmmm.... Maybe Bill Booth would want to comment on this, since he did some extensive tests on sun exposure. But I would worry more about lose on strength because of UV damage than color fading... ?

I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other after all...strength, color, whatever - it shouldn't go THAT far downhill in 5 years, right? That's about how long I'll have it, I expect. IF that long. I would hope that I'll need to buy new gear to downsize within that time frame. Depends on how things play out. We'll see.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Chrisky 0]

To prevent color fading in the sun? Just cover it!!!

Throw an old pullover over it, or some carpet or whatnot... Just cover the damn thing from the nasty UVs...

Why would you want to spray stuff on your canopy?? Do you stain it in mud regularly?
If you look at all canopy cleaning instructions around here, it says rinse with clear water extensively, no soap, rubbing or the like. Then hang to dry in a space not exposed to sun.

It won't just crumble away because it's in the sun for a minute...
Just don't have your stuff lying around in the plain sun long and you'll be fine... (the critical thing is "prolonged exposure", i think)

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[mjosparky 4]

Jaye,
The best way to prevent color fade from the sun is keep it out of the sun.
Seriously.
Nice new icon.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[masterrig 1]

What you said! I agree, keep all gear out of the sun. It'll see enough sunlight and nasty UV-rays when it's jumped. When neon colors first came-out, they faded with just a little exposure to the sun. The colors have since improved, but they will still fade. Also, that sun not only fades, it 'eats-up' Nylon and weakens it.

Chuck

[FrogNog 1]

You can reduce fading due to sunlight by jumping in locations that have less sunlight, and where the sunlight is weaker when it is present. (See my avatar for the conditions I normally jump in to reduce sunlight damage.)

Also, pulling lower would technically reduce the time the main is exposed to the sun, but I wouldn't recommend that. It would be a trivial difference (unless you are normally doing CRW) in sunlight exposure and could lead to death or injury.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Maybe a rigger can look this up and correct me on it....But i was told it took 400 hours of direct sunlight to reduce the container strength in half. I forget what the number was for storing it in a heated place (like your trunk).

Don't forget that if any of the harness or leg straps are bent in half you have reduced their weight tollerance.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

Maybe a rigger can look this up and correct me on it....But i was told it took 400 hours of direct sunlight to reduce the container strength in half. I forget what the number was for storing it in a heated place (like your trunk).

Don't forget that if any of the harness or leg straps are bent in half you have reduced their weight tollerance.

I have nothing to verify this, but I have heard over the years that 24 hrs. of accumulated exposure to sunlight can reduce the strength of nylon by 50%.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Chrisky 0]

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Don't forget that if any of the harness or leg straps are bent in half you have reduced their weight tollerance.

I don't quite understand this.
Could you elaborate please?

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

There are sprays similar to Scotch-Gard that incorporate UV protection (basically sunscreen for fabric) that may help. I used one of these years and years ago on a couch that was in front of a huge window. It worked great. So, I would think they work just as well on a rig.

[darkwing 5]

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There are sprays similar to Scotch-Gard that incorporate UV protection (basically sunscreen for fabric) that may help. I used one of these years and years ago on a couch that was in front of a huge window. It worked great. So, I would think they work just as well on a rig.

The rigger in me is not at all comfortable using any relatively untried spray-on stuff on my reserve container. I would generally advise others to avoid being the test subects.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History