Help From You Experts

[Mojo]

I finished off a large project last week for a customer who ordered 6 awnings. he just contacted me this morning and said he had a problem on his big awning. He took some photos and sent them to me and I haven't a clue as to what the hell is going on with this Recacril. I have never seen or heard of anything like this.

Can you guys and gals look at this and let me know whats going on or if you have ever seen this ? I thought maybe it was the way it rolled on to the roller but you can see a definite cross hatch pattern all through the material.

Miami Mike is going to contact the factory once I get the awning back and find out what is going on. But I was hoping I could get some more information before I meet with the customer on Thursday. The material was fine when I handed it to him and it went straight to the dealer and was installed by them. Even if it was installed improperly I cannot see how this cross hatch pattern would come out. Typically you get big long creases not cross hatch patterns when installed improperly.

Thankfully Miami Corp stands behind their products and will back me on this job. This is where you are grateful for good customer service from your supplier.

I am dumbfounded.

Here are the pics:

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x200/throgmartin/Upholstery%20Projects/?action=view&current=BadReacril-1.jpg

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x200/throgmartin/Upholstery%20Projects/?action=view&current=BadReacril3.jpg

Chris

[Mike8560]

W I've nit used recacril much but I've never seen that with anything sunbrella. Outdura ect
I've seen lighter marks o. Crease li e o. Cadet grey  aquamarine sunbrella. That looks like bumps must be in thebweave.  Did  open thebpackave and it was like that or was it smoothe. He installed it. And then it happened ?

[BigJohn]

I'm certainly not an expert but just an observation here: The thing I noticed in the pictures is that the puckering continues right thru the seam and matches up, this gives me the idea that it's caused by an outside influence since it would be almost impossible to sew two pieces together and have imperfections line up!

[Mojo]

It was perfect when I handed it to him. No puckers, bubbles, etc.

He said he went back and stretched it and installed awnings tension flaps but the cross hatch is till there.

He is wetting it down and allowing it to dry to see what happens.

By the looks of it it seems to be a weave problem. If the pucker in the seam was causing it there would be straight lines and creases I would think.

Chris

[regalman190]

I use Recacril a lot. I've never seen that before. I agree with Big John. Had to be something else after it was installed.
Is there another fabric or protection under or over it when rolled up?

[Mojo]

I use Recacril a lot. I've never seen that before. I agree with Big John. Had to be something else after it was installed.
Is there another fabric or protection under or over it when rolled up?

Not that I am aware of.

I will be inspecting it later this week to see up close what the deal is. It all is just to dang weird.

Chris

[Mike8560]

 he didn't see a problem before he installed it ?
Are you going to inspect in on thenmotorhosme
perhaps regal onto somthing  cashing it when rolled

[Darren Henry]

I haven't a clue as to what the hell is going on with this Recacril.

I've never seen recacil , but if the other 5 are fine and I assume they were cut from the same lot,I'd wonder if they have put something on it while/after installing it that had a chemical reaction to it.

[SHHR]

Is there a paint/body shop at the dealer by chance? I just wonder if some solvent based material was in the air that settled on the awning the rolled up to bake it in?

I let some thinner get on some Top Gun before and it distorted the fabric, just not in that type of pattern before. If it was really hot and some thinner over spray got on it then was immediately rolled up where it couldn't evaporate properly, I could see it doing that to that type of material.

Of course I don't know for sure. Just a suggestion????

Hope it all works out well.
Kyle

[DBR1957]

If you look at the cross weave impression it is heavy then lighter in a
repeating pattern going from the header to the roller. It also looks like
the impressions are finer near the roller which is the first to go on the
roller. My guess is the roller is cross-hatch grooved or raised to grab the
fabric and help it roll up evenly.

To my observation, Recacril has a soft hand. This might allow it to crease
into the grooves of the roller under tension.

If the awnings originally were made of vinyl I'm sure the Recacril is thicker.
If the roller is in an enclosed tube it could be there isn't enough space in
the tube for the thicker Recacril and it's getting compressed.

Could also be the old "warp v. weft". If you had run the seams from the
roller to the header The problem may not have presented itself.

I don't do awnings but I remember doing cockpit covers on boats with the
seams running across the width of the boat. After a while  the covers would
look like big top tents becuase the fabric would stretch. Change the method
to running the seams from front to back and the problem was solved

[Mike8560]

SntISn't thebroller at the outside of thebawning and it roll up with the csnvas to the camper ?

[Mojo]

Recacril has a hard hand. It is a stiff material, fairly thin and a lot like Sunbrella except because of its weave wont stretch like Sunbrella. I had the old awning that came off this roller and it showed no distortions.

The roller is a hollow piece of aluminum with a couple grooves in it to slide the polyrod into. Other then those two grooves it is all smooth.

If the seam I was sewing was causing this then it seems it would leave one horizontal imprint from one side to the other. I cannot sew the seam horizontaly because when it was rolled up ( 9 ft ) it would roll on top of itself and cause a bulge the size of a cantaloupe. It would never fit inside the awning roller tube cover.

I am just at a loss until I see it. Miami Mike is at a loss as well and has never seen this either. I may take some scrap pieces of this material and sprinkle some thinner on it to see how it reacts.

Chris

[Allan]

Chris

Must be that flat felled seam you used  (only joking)

It looks like it has been hit with overspray as Kyle suggests or did the owner treatit with sealer or something?

I have seen this on synthetic materials before and it looks similar

I am surprised it has happened on canvas but it must be attacking the synthetic side of the canvas

Allan

[DBR1957]

Yea, I was only offering possibilities. The Recacril I've felt had a softer hand than Sunbrella.
Maybe I was thinking about an existing top I was looking at and it had softened from use.

I did a search on awning rollers and all I came up with was what you said. Smooth tubes
with some grooves.

Well, I tried.

[Mojo]

I appreciate all your help.

I will be looking at it this Thursday to see if I can tell what happened. In the meantime I am going to take some scrap pieces and do my own little test with different solvents to see if I can get it to do the same thing.

He is being real nice about it thankfully. Some customers can be a real PITA and climb down your throat. He has been pleasant and easy going and agreeable to everything I have suggested so far.

Chris