Working with Hypalon

[Marbles]

Anyone hear have an experience working with Hypalon type fabric? I cannot find a scope and action cover that does what I want, so I'm going to make one. For boats I know it gets glued a lot, should I use glue or sew it, or both? If gluing, I assume the two step glues work better from a bond strength perspective.

Anyone know of a good source for hunting type colors? This is all I can find so far.

Whiskey Two Four Fabric, coated

www.wtfidea.com

Any suggestions on alternate fabric types? I thought about thin neoprene, but I'm not sure about long-term durability. 500D cordura is not waterproof and is a bit more flexible than I want. I've never handled xpack fabric. Only reason for an alternate fabric would be cost (unless someone knows of another reason).

Edit:
Well, I picked up some Hypalon finally. Made myself a nice butt pack for the rifle, but it is not the best choice for a scope and action cover as it does not stretch and forming it to fit the contours would make create lots of things to snag and hinder rapid deployment.

I was thinking I would just add a Hypalon skirt to a neoprene Scopeshield, but I don't think that would turn out great.

Thanks to everyone who shared knowledge.

 

[WoodBow]

Hypalon is not the material i would use personally. But i would sew it if i did. It is heavy and has no stretch. Cordura is pretty much waterproof if it is coated. Almost all of it you can buy online is.

If it were me i would make it out of cordura and incorporate a thin eva type foam into it. Piece of cake.

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[BCoker]

Not sure I would use Hypalon for that, but if you decide to sew it, a walking foot works best. However going old school I found a trick for a non-walking foot machine. If you put blue painters tape on the surface that will contact the Hypalon while sewing (i.e. needle plate or presser foot) it should feed if you work slow.

 

[530Chukar]

I don’t think the hypalon is going to be pliable enough for that application. I think some silpoly, elastic shock cord should do the trick. I built some scope covers out
Of that a couple years ago and they’ve been holding up well.


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[Marbles]

Thanks all. some good food for thought.

I should have stated that the design I have in mind would work well with leather but leather holds a lot of water, even when treated, making it a poor option. This is why I was thinking of going with hypalon.

I should probably do a proof of concept with something cheap before dropping the money on hypalon. Unfortunately the only leather I have on hand is hard rolled horse hide, which is too stiff; and sumac tanned goat leather, which is too expensive.

I'll keep thinking on it and find something to work as a prototype.

 

[WoodBow]

Go to hobby lobby and buy a pack of leather for like $10. It is an excellent value. It isnt high end leather but is awesome for prototyping. The pieces are large. That is what i used when i was designing some mocassins in the early stages of this covid nonsense.

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[Mt Al]

I've never glued hypalon, but been involved in using it in a bunch of places on outdoor gear sewing it. Great material if you want some structure in what you're making, like leather, and "sew it and forget it".

Other than sewing, I've used pop rivets to connect complex curves and pieces of hypalon with very small/thin washers to back up the rivets so they don't pull through the flexible material. I don't necessarily recommend it unless you want to spend the time filing off the tail end, or whatever they call it, of the pop rivet. I used it for a kluged together case closure, using vice grips to hold the edges together before drilling holes so everything lined up well. Worked fine but really need to get a sewing machine! Might be a way to test patterns before sewing.

 

[Blockcaver]

I'd use neoprene. I've got a Cabelas bow cover for the cams and cables and have put it to some harsh use for a couple seasons and it has held up very well. It is stretchy enough to provide a great tight fit over the bow and I coupld see it working for a scope/action cover once you got the pattern perfected.

Also have an 18 yr old old browning neoprene shotgun case that is still going strong...always used for my bird gun a bunch every fall and numerous trips to the range in between.

The factory neoprene covers that come on a Leupold scope also seem durable and i use them, but not a lot since I'm a bowhunter, short of predator hunting and a bit of varmint shooting and range use I did adapt one to fit my Nilon ED50 spotter and it has held up OK in that application.

The neoprene uppers on my hip boots and muck boots has proven fairly durable in very severe duty, and easily patched with Aqua Sole Freesole or Shoe Goo if you run barbwire or a stick into it.

We have built quite a few dog vests for our Vizslas over the years out of neoprene for cold wet weather use. They are tough, but do get holes in them, again easily patched. But a bird dog hunting flat out is tough on anything including their own hide!

My latest Kifaru Gunbearer has a Hypalon lower stock holder. It is durable, tough and farily stiff, but also a bit heavy in my opinion and not what I'd build a scope/action cover from.

Good luck with the project.

 

[firecog]

I love hypalon.

WTF is about the only source I know of for subdued colors, however Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics has any color you want as long as it's black:

CSM Fabrics - OWF

For your needs, the 16oz is plenty heavy and easier to work with. The heavier weights actually have the same substrate fabric, just more rubber coating. That means it's not any stronger than the lighter weights, but will take more abrasion.

No need to glue it.

 

[firecog]

After looking at your original post, I may have to retract my last line.
If it needs to be waterproof, gluing may be a better option.

Anytime you put holes in any material, you need to seal them to make it truly waterproof, so gluing it avoids the need for that. It will probably require modifications to the pattern, but that should be pretty easy to figure out.

In my experience, I wouldn’t trust cordura for waterproof performance.

If you use neoprene, not a bad option, the stitches would need to be sealed and keep in mind that any ‘lining’ fabric that is laminated to it will absorb and hold moisture. You can get it with just one side lined and the bare rubber on the other side, and face it to your preference.

 

[rayporter]

an old leather and harness maker told me that if i could make it out of carboard he could make it out of leather. food for thought to get the pattern.

 

[Marbles]

an old leather and harness maker told me that if i could make it out of carboard he could make it out of leather. food for thought to get the pattern.

I should have though of that, especially as I have used cardboard to make patterns for holsters before.

 

[Marbles]

Well, I picked up some Hypalon finally. Made myself a nice butt pack for the rifle, but it is not the best choice for a scope and action cover as it does not stretch and forming it to fit the contours would make create lots of things to snag and hinder rapid deployment.

I was thinking I would just add a Hypalon skirt to a neoprene Scopeshield, but I don't think that would turn out great.

Thanks to everyone who shared knowledge.