Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

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David V
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Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by David V » Mon Dec 06, 2021 1:02 am

So I bought some half doors from John Worthing - I had sent him a template of the holes in my jeep body to align the buttons but after a heavy storm last week at a rally with the half doors on, I stupidly took them off and of course they have shrunk. I'm about a half inch out now over the top two buttons.

Any ideas to un-shrink ? I did leave them in the bath last night which my wife didn't approve of - I add that she wasn't in the bath at the time...

But this morning there was no difference.

Ideas ? Recipes ?

Cheers David
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Bill H.
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Re: Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by Bill H. » Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:45 am

Soak them in hot water, install them and let dry.
Bill H.

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Re: Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by hopps1945 » Wed Dec 08, 2021 4:26 pm

Sadly once canvas shrinks, next to impossible to get it to expand back. Its cotton, cotton shrinks when wet. That amount of shrinkage will be difficult to stretch. You can start at one corner, attaching to the jeep and try and pull or use mechanical force to pull but be careful, at a certain point it the canvas will tear.

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Re: Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by Hartofoak » Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:27 pm

I obtained an original windscreen cover that I then found to have shrunk. You can see this on the image of my MB taken last year. I'm now tempted to fill a bath with hot water and soak the cover and then fit it wet to the windscreen. Desperation can cause desperate measures!
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Bill H.
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Re: Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by Bill H. » Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:41 am

I had a set on NOS half doors that were a solid inch from fitting. I soaked them and installed them using a few "C" clamps to hold them secure until completely dry. Worked like a charm.
Bill H.

"Each shall seek his own kind, in other words, a bird may love a fish but where would they build a home together?" Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof

1952 Dunbar Kapple M100
1953 Willys M38A1
1962 AMC M422A1
1965 Stevens M416B1 X 2
1967 Kaiser M715

2 Timothy 3:1-5

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Re: Canvas shrinkage problem - help !

Post by JAB » Thu Dec 16, 2021 4:21 am

After soaking some shrunken canvas items I clamped C-clamps on to the opposite ends of the part I needed to stretch the most and then used the clamps as a means to hang a weight. I used a 5 gallon bucket full of water as the weight ad then hung it from my engine hoist overnight. Didn't get it back to the original size, but I was able to install them.
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