Winterizing my Ehsan soft top..

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thanx guys..

Thornton.. it was originally the OD green canvas that Ehsan offers.. i've had it on since fall 2007.. it stays outside under the elements 24/7.. i didn't treat it at all when i got it.. within a half a year it became the faded top you see in the pics.. ALSO water soaks thru the canvas much quicker then when the top was new.. if nothing else my top should serve as a prime example of the importance of treating these canvas tops AS SOON AS you get one.. ;)
 
more details..

more about the staining process..

the product i used is a solid color acrylic decking stain.. the color is called "wooded bog".. i went to Lowes with a piece of my soft door fabric that i wanted to match the top with.. and found this to be the best match.. picked up a gallon for $30 and a paint tray and an assortment of those black foam staining brushes in various widths.

i started on the top and worked my way down.. i would put a generous ammount on the foam brush.. not so it was dripping though.. and just start brushing it on.. the stain was like a painty substance rather than an oil based thin liquid.. i would coat the area thoroughly by brushing back and forth on the area until the fibers were good and evenly saturated.. the stain did not leak thru to the under side of the top.

the faster you can work the better.. as long as you keep it moving and don't let it dry and then go over it again, it did really well in not showing lines and brush strokes.. there are a couple areas where i can see a little of those types of lines on mine.. but all in all for a freestyle mission i'm very pleased with the color application i have achieved..
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the whole application took me alone about 2 and a half hours and i used about a half gallon of the stain.. thanx to my dad for letting me use his warm shop to make it all possible..:cheers:

i took a few pics of his '67 NOVA while i was hanging out waiting for the stain to dry.. just thought i'd share.. :cool:
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JohnnyC said:
great info...i bet others will be doing the same.

Did it stiffen your canvas after its dry?

linking your thread to the other canvas thread :)
https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/159334-****canvas-maintenance-****-oem-soft-tops.html
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thanx for the linky JohnnyC.. :)

YES the stain did stiffen the material a bit.. and the feel of it is a bit more coarse than it was.. BUT it did not make it so stiff that any "cracking" should happen when rolling up the sides or folding the top.. AND to be honest my top was getting too soft and flimsy in the faded state it was in.. i like the "tuffness" of the finish.. AND it lets less wind thru.

i would not suggest going back over this now with a second coat.. i believe it would end up leaving a very opaque possibly semi shiny surface on the canvas.. this product seems to be a 1 time application..


ON WATERPROOFING..

UNFORTUNATELY this product has FAILED in the waterproofing department.. which is OK really because in the beginning my plan was to dye it then treat it.. but while applying the product i had high hopes that this product alone may be some miracle product that would do it all in 1.. :hhmm:.. BUT it snowed and rained a bit yesterday and the inside got just as wet as it would have before the staining.. SO i will be sticking with my OG plan to now treat the top with MEGUIAR'S canvas protectant waterproofing spray.. i plan to do the INSIDE and OUTSIDE for maximum protection.. and of course i will keep you posted on the results.. as "winterizing my Ehsan soft top.." continues here in New England where it's 14 degrees outside..
 
does it blead thru to the inside of the rig?
 
JohnnyC said:
does it blead thru to the inside of the rig?
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the product did not blead thru to the inside that i noticed.. i did not however do a super close inspection.. and i wouldn't doubt if it bled thru a tiny bit where the canvas was stretched real thin or in places where a tear might have been forming.. BUT all in all no bleed thru issues..

i was going to mask off stuff but the product was so not messy that i didn't even bother.. just have a damp soft cloth with you to wipe off any drips on the paint or windows.. it comes right off as long as it is wiped off b4 it dries.. i just used a piece of cardboard as masking in tight areas such as the front of the windshield lip..

ON SMELL..

this product smells much like a paint product.. not too strong or fumey.. my truck has a bit of fresh paint smell inside it at the moment.. but nothing overbearing.. it should get better as the days go on.. i only stained it friday.. and unfortunately it got soaked this weekend before it was probably 100% dry.. oh well what can ya do.. :meh: .. now it's a battle of the canvas smells in my rig.. the oily smell of the heavy duty oiled canvas wind jammer against the newly stained top.. JohnnyC you'd be in heaven!:D
 
sorry i just couldn't resist.. i was laughing my arse off when i looked at how the smilies lined up in my last post at the bottom.. anyone else seeing what i'm seeing?!? or is my mind in the gutter?? :lol::o sorry.
 
voyager:01 said:
.. the oily smell of the heavy duty oiled canvas wind jammer against the newly stained top.. JohnnyC you'd be in heaven!:D
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:D I think it would be a nice place to be :D
 
looks great! I hope that it works out for you.

I used the MEGUIAR'S stuff on my top. to be honest, I haven't really gotten the top wet yet besides for when washing the truck. She is a barn queen lately....:rolleyes: Now that the roads have been salted she will be inside until May or so
 
Reviving an old thread but Voyager:01 I was wondering how the stain is holding up after a year and a half. I just put my soft top on for the summer and it is looking pretty faded and was thinking about staining it like you did. Are you happy you did it? Any further reccomendations now that you've had time to let it wear in?

Thanks
 
i'd be interested as well....hows it holding up? pics? :)
 
I pm'd voyager 01 a couple of months ago to ask and my take home message is that he wouldn't do the stain again as it made the canvas too stiff and more brittle. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had any success staining or refurbishing these tops
 
singletrackjunkie said:
I pm'd voyager 01 a couple of months ago to ask and my take home message is that he wouldn't do the stain again as it made the canvas too stiff and more brittle. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had any success staining or refurbishing these tops
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Thanks STJ (and Voyager),

Plan B for me will be a dye type stain which can be added to the waterproofing/mould nuker.

I mention that because it's spoken of in relatively hushed tones on the Dr Lyddy's Dry Seal canvas treatment website - Dry Seal - Joseph Lyddy , Australia

Can be tinted using oil-based dyes or oil-based wood stains to match any colour. Can be applied with paint roller, paint brush or spray gun.
Click to expand...
 
HEY sorry i haven't replied on previous bumps.. musta missed it at the time..


so first of all i did apply the maguires soon after the deck stain.. it helped but it didn't make it waterproof.. i have a jug of canvak i still need to apply.

i believe an oil based stain is the way to go over the acrylic based one that i used.. oil would most likely seep into the material better rather than coating it like mine did. i like the idea of adding stain to canvak and trying that out.

even though i used the wrong product.. the result isn't too shabby and the color has held up GREAT over the last couple yrs. i can still take it off and fold it up easily.. isn't stiff like a board just stiffer.. flaps less in the wind. ;) So all in all i don't consider this a failure, but I am hoping that someone documents a better way soon.. lemme know!:cheers: v1
 
I found some oil based wood stains which should be appropriate to mix in with the Canvak/Dry-Seal

Kaldet Exterior Swatches | ecoMerchant

Green:
Kaldet-Exterior-Green.jpg


Khaki:
Kaldet-Exterior-Pine.jpg


Black:
Kaldet-Exterior-Ebony.jpg


I'll be mixing mine with some canvak/Dry-Seal and applying with a roller for the big sections and with a sponge brush for the fiddly bits. Mixing ratios to be advised after I contact the manufacturer and get some recommendations.

Note that the colours in these swatches are on raw, untreated wood. If the base colour on your canvas is close, then these stains should just darken it a little, which is perfect. I doubt that you'll be able to cover stains and mildew marks with this stuff, unlike Voyager's green acrylic stain.

I don't intend to try it out, but I'm guessing that water-based wood stains should work out OK as well - depends how colour-fast they are when it rains.

I'm glad your acrylic stain is holding up well after all this time Voyager - one thing about painted canvas is that it should definitely increase the wear resistance. Might be just the thing for those who's canvas is getting a little thin.

It's amazing where you can find info lol...

Turns out there are a bunch of Roman Legion reenactors who have done some of the legwork when it comes to painting or staining white or raw canvas tents - According to the link below, the romans used leather tents and because very few can justify the expense of a four man tent made out of leather, they needed a way to stain their canvas to look kinda like leather. With a little more care and prep work, there is no reason why the procedures below couldn't work on a faded canvas OEM 40 soft top - they use water-based stain. The link above also sells waterbased stains in funny colours like green and tan, so they should be reasonably widely available at your local Bunnings or Home Depot.

http://legvi.tripod.com/armamentarium/id310.html
 
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Getting ready for winter

Hi,Guys

I live in Canada, winter can be pretty messy.

I attached industrial velcro around the sides and rear of the tub, on both the inner flap and outer flap.

I had some left over, so I attached the front window frame corners as well.

It is working great really cuts down on the air flow and flapping.

I you didn't want to drill into your tub, it would be a good alt.

The stuff is only a couple of bucks at the building store.

It is very strong, take your time when trying to remove or roll up your windows.

Cheers
 
That's a good idea. The PO of my rig had done the same thing for the dodgy Kayline he had on it (before it died a sudden death), unfortunately though, the hook part of the velcro had deteriorated from UV with the sides rolled up and it had become unusuable long before I took possession of the vehicle. When I removed it from my fibreglass tailgate, it also took the top layer of paint off with it.

I'd suggest that if anyone uses the industrial velcro idea that 1) they get hold of some strips of loop side velcro and cover the hook side when the sides are rolled up or the top is off and 2) don't apply industrial velcro to fibreglass.
 
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