How to patch a tarp?

I've got two holes/tears in a brand new tarp, each approx 4 inch IIRC (was going to take a pic but it's dark so early). Wind was ripping it across the edges of my solar panels and I didn't realize.

What ideas do you have to fix them? TIA.

I've used denim iron on jeans patches to fix boat covers. I would hand sew around the patch edges and the tear with dental floss after ironing.

Canvas tarp, or cheap woven plastic (blue) tarp?

I have nothing useful to add.

The challenge is keeping the rip(a weak spot now) from getting bigger.  A couple of grommets and rope could make a shoelace like arrangement wouild help.

If it's the blue plastic ones, I wonder f a bicycle tire repair kit would do it.  Cut up a tube for the long tears.

It's woven plastic from what I can tell.

Buy a small sized poly tarp of the same type and cut it up for a patch and evidently use JB Weld Polyethylene glue.

Resin-Expert.com: Polyethylene and Polypropylene Glue – How to Bond Thermoplastics

How big are they? Harbor Freight has tarps so cheap, it's not worth the time to repair

They are 12' x 10' I believe. I thought maybe there was a cheap patch kit or something but maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I can just throw some duct tape on both sides of the hole? Or flex seal tape? Has anyone used that?

I could look how much a smaller tarp is and use the jb weld idea, but I may as well just buy another full size tarp in that case... I'm leaning toward tape at this point as it sounds like there isn't a tarp patch kit that anyone knows of.

I like the idea of a bicycle tire repair kit, thx.

This way.

For a tarp that size it's probably going to be cheaper to just buy another one.  If you still want to try fixing it, back in the day a lot of guys used this method for patching tears in dirt bike motorcycle seats: cover the hole with duct tape, and then heat up the tape with a heat gun or a propane torch.  You have to be careful if you use a torch so you don't melt the tarp.  This will 'weld' the tape to the tarp, and it will probably hold up for quite a while as long as the tarp isn't whipping in the wind.  

stuart in mn said:

For a tarp that size it's probably going to be cheaper to just buy another one.  If you still want to try fixing it, back in the day a lot of guys used this method for patching tears in dirt bike motorcycle seats: cover the hole with duct tape, and then heat up the tape with a heat gun or a propane torch.  You have to be careful if you use a torch so you don't melt the tarp.  This will 'weld' the tape to the tarp, and it will probably hold up for quite a while as long as the tarp isn't whipping in the wind.  

 

Gorilla tape is the one to go with using this method. I haven't fixed a tarp with it but I have patched some wheel well liners and with the heat applied and stuck in it has held up well for a month now, we will see what winter brings. I believe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  does this on the underside of his rally cars and that was where I first read about it.

stuart in mn said:

 cover the hole with duct tape, and then heat up the tape with a heat gun or a propane torch........ 

 

Do you only put the Duct Tape on one side ?

When I am patching a car cover hole I try and put the tape on both sides , so near the center of the hole it has a chance for the duct tape glue touching  the other layer glue at some point ,

I never tried the heat gun but will next time.......thanks for the  idea

I think for a tarp, since both sides are accessible I'd put the duct tape on both sides.

Thanks for the tip about heating up gorilla or duct tape, that sounds like a good idea. 

@lotuseven7, thx I had no idea they were that cheap. 

I still want to fix it though, so I don't have a useless tarp. And I think the hot tape trick might be what I try. I do both sides if I do it.

They make permanent Gorilla tape and by accident, I found out the hard way.

Menards.com: Gorilla® 1.88" x 25 yd Black All-Weather Permanent Duct Tape

In reply to VolvoHeretic :

You mean.....  you got it on your hootus?

stuart in mn said:

I think for a tarp, since both sides are accessible I'd put the duct tape on both sides.

It would also reinforce a point where there are known issues.  Like elbow pads on a jacket.