Fabsil Gold vs Starbrite Waterproofing comparison results

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Mark Payne

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I am now convinced of this, I have no axe to grind but have concluded that Starbrite Waterproofing is way better than Fabsil Gold.
Just leaving this here for anyone doing a similar thing to us.

I have an old cockpit tent (20 years) and a newer (5 years old) stray hood on a Najad 380.
Pre this season I had very carefully cleaned both with Astonish mildew cleaner and washed both covers.
I realised that I would have to renew the waterproofing...

I had become frustrated with the price of the Starbrite product at nearly £40 for the 650ml spray bottle (I don't spray it, I used the contents and paint it on).

Arh... an aside the bleep chandleries are ripping us off anyway. Here is the same thing for half the price.. Doh!
I have no association with the shop below. Just an example of the same stuff from a camping outlet:
Starbrite Waterproofing - OUTDOOR SEWING SOLUTIONS
And if you want the bigger bottle thats 6 times the amount for the same money.
Starbrite Waterproofing 3.79Ltr with PTEF Teflon - OUTDOOR SEWING SOLUTIONS

Anyway. I ended up for some reason swapping to Fabsil Gold. I did a 5 litre can of it. Painted it all over the covers three times, liberally .... and it all leaks.
The covers are still porous everywhere.

I type this from St Peter Port on Guernsey. It's wet here and the cockpit was wet ... again.... Argh.
So off I pop to the chandlery (the one by the Fishermans cafe near the ferry port). Pick up two bottles of rip off 650ml Starbrite (£70 down!).
Treat the covers again with just over one of the bottles (say 800ML), pained on.

Woke up this morning. Its pouring it down outside and every thing inside is bone dry.

The Fabsil Gold and Starbrite smell the same and go on the same but something is different here.
Starbrite is just better.

QED.
 
Interesting.

Ordinary Fabsil from camping shops is simply white spirit with silicone sealer type of product mixed in.

I made some using white spirit and cheap silicone sealant and used on a tent and an old coat and as long as one does not add too much silicone (which concludes with an horrible shiny coating) then it works.

Be interested to know why the Fabsil failed?

The addition of PTFE (Gotetex is made from this) and Teflon to the Starbrite sounds like the magic ingredient.

It really is a shame that a chandlery sells the same product for more than a camping shop.

Enjoy the Channel Islands.
 
I have been watching YouTube again and intend to use a mix of wax and mineral oil, heated and stirred not shaken, in future to reproof stuff.

They also suggested using this mix with old sheets rather than plastic tarps.
 
Sandy said:
I have been watching YouTube again and intend to use a mix of wax and mineral oil, heated and stirred not shaken, in future to reproof stuff.

They also suggested using this mix with old sheets rather than plastic tarps.
Click to expand...
I learned the white spirit and silicone sealer mixture on YouTube!

I used it on a cotton / canvas like tent and cotton-like coat, not on a plastic type material or plastic tarp where I would imagine it would simply peel off.

I didn’t know wax would dissolve in mineral oil; sounds interesting. Would the coating be flexible, did the YouTube video inform or show?
 
Cerebus said:
I learned the white spirit and silicone sealer mixture on YouTube!

I used it on a cotton / canvas like tent and cotton-like coat, not on a plastic type material or plastic tarp where I would imagine it would simply peel off.

I didn’t know wax would dissolve in mineral oil; sounds interesting. Would the coating be flexible, did the YouTube video inform or show?
Click to expand...
Well the chap was wearing his sheet like an old fashioned hood and cape!

Perhaps this is the resurgence of the 'Boat Cloak', as seen in the Hornblower books, that I've been looking for.
 
I don’t think Fabsil is based on white spirit.
I’m not a chemist, but I believe the solvent used in Fabsil is far more volatile. On a warm day it can evaporate before you have finished the brush stroke, and a bowl 1/4” full will disappear in less than a minute, just like Acetone or Carbon Tetrachlor etc.
White spirit will sit in an old mug of paintbrushes for days.
 
Dellquay13 said:
I don’t think Fabsil is based on white spirit.
I’m not a chemist, but I believe the solvent used in Fabsil is far more volatile. On a warm day it can evaporate before you have finished the brush stroke, and a bowl 1/4” full will disappear in less than a minute, just like Acetone or Carbon Tetrachlor etc.
White spirit will sit in an old mug of paintbrushes for days.
Click to expand...
I think you are correct.

Google search provided this and white spirit is not mentioned:

https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1536436.pdf

But I don’t know what Butanol is or what chemical name White Spirit goes by.

I do know white spirit and silicone sealer mixed as per YouTube videos waterproofed a tent and coat.

There is a lot of info via Google about the product, but the first poster stated it is not the best product.

Google Search
 
Lightwave395 said:
Can't quite understand the problems noted above, I do my Saab softop roof twice a year with Fabsil and it works very well, last done in March and the water flew off it yesterday in the monsoon level torrential rain on the A34
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I was wondering if the larger tin I had of Amazon/Ebay (cant remember) was not legit but then I coated again with a new tin from Force4 so that’s not it. I had a suspicion about SB being better than FS two seasons ago when I started to use FS … anyway my verdict is in.
 
We use fabsil on the horses rain sheets and outdoor rugs after they have been washed. I wouldn't really put the results much higher than 'better than nothing '.
 
Must admit my canvas tent over the flybridge may not instantly repel water but nor is it letting water through the fabric even though I have not applied any proofing treatment for at least three years. I have spent quite a lot of effort this year cleaning the canvas with several passes and mostly with biological laundry liquid/water mix including dunking the whole canvas in a tin bath and leaving if for a good soak followed by scrubbing. The amount of green algae embedded in the canvas was impressive. I am now happy that it looks much improved . Not perfect but presentable . But still after all that cleaning it doesn't let rainwater pass through the fabric.

After similar cleaning with laundry liquid (but not dunking in a bath) I did recently apply some Fabsil Gold with a brush to part of the cockpit canvas and that has certainly made at least the first drops of rain bead on the surface and it has improved the look of the canvas.

So no complaints about Fabsil Gold.
I can't explain the OPs issues but perhaps the difference is in the cleaning products used.
I am also wondering if there is confusion between Fabsil and Fabsil Gold. The Gold version of the product is more concentrated as is the price.
 
Lightwave395 said:
Can't quite understand the problems noted above, I do my Saab softop roof twice a year with Fabsil and it works very well, last done in March and the water flew off it yesterday in the monsoon level torrential rain on the A34
Click to expand...
Does you Saab softtop get regularly drenched in salt water?
 
Momac said:
Must admit my canvas tent over the flybridge may not instantly repel water but nor is it letting water through the fabric even though I have not applied any proofing treatment for at least three years. I have spent quite a lot of effort this year cleaning the canvas with several passes and mostly with biological laundry liquid/water mix including dunking the whole canvas in a tin bath and leaving if for a good soak followed by scrubbing. The amount of green algae embedded in the canvas was impressive. I am now happy that it looks much improved . Not perfect but presentable . But still after all that cleaning it doesn't let rainwater pass through the fabric.

After similar cleaning with laundry liquid (but not dunking in a bath) I did recently apply some Fabsil Gold with a brush to part of the cockpit canvas and that has certainly made at least the first drops of rain bead on the surface and it has improved the look of the canvas.

So no complaints about Fabsil Gold.
I can't explain the OPs issues but perhaps the difference is in the cleaning products used.
I am also wondering if there is confusion between Fabsil and Fabsil Gold. The Gold version of the product is more concentrated as is the price.
Click to expand...
I was using Gold.
 
Why do people have canvas work thats porous ? Could it be non coated ,for things like boom covers? Does it suddenly start leaking at a certain age ?
My sprayhood is about 16 years old, abused but doesnt leak a drop when it rains.
It does look nice when the water beads off. Ive tried fabseal. Brilliant - for a couple of weeks then its back to how it was. Once coated it with white diesel..repelled water longer than fabseal but at 3 to 4 weeks when the smell finally fades away so does the water repelling properties.
After many winters mines also had a pressure wash blasting to remove the moss and green.
Been restitched where needed twice and on my 3rd clear pvc window.
 
Rappey said:
Why do people have canvas work thats porous ? Could it be non coated ,for things like boom covers? Does it suddenly start leaking at a certain age ?
My sprayhood is about 16 years old, abused but doesnt leak a drop when it rains.
It does look nice when the water beads off. Ive tried fabseal. Brilliant - for a couple of weeks then its back to how it was. Once coated it with white diesel..repelled water longer than fabseal but at 3 to 4 weeks when the smell finally fades away so does the water repelling properties.
After many winters mines also had a pressure wash blasting to remove the moss and green.
Been restitched where needed twice and on my 3rd clear pvc window.
Click to expand...
I use Topgun fabric for all my covers and does not need waterproofing for the life of the fabric.
 
Having nearly got very wet at a campsite in Dorset in 2017 when the tent waterproofing just "gave up" under persistent heavy rain I reproofed it generously with Fabsil when I got home.
All the Fabsil seems to have done is guarantee hot dry weather every time it's been pitched since.
It works for me 🤣

On my coats I used Nikwax spray bought from a friend's outdoor clothing shop. I think it's a water based silicone spray....however that works. It's certainly not white spirit. It does it's job.
The Starbrite certainly sounds more heavy duty
 
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