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LouB[_2_] LouB[_2_] is offline
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Default Can I use a clothes iron in place of "seam iron" on carpet?

blueman wrote:
DerbyDad03 writes:

On Jun 30, 11:26 am, blueman wrote:
I have a small run of wall-to-wall carpet that I want to join along a seam in a
hallway -- maybe 3 feet across.

I purchased some carpet heat bond tape at the Borg.
Can I use an old clothes iron to activate the teap and make the seam
or do I need to rent a real seaming iron?

If so, how do I use the iron properly?
- What setting?
- How do I heat the tape?

- How much time do I have after heating the tape to position it before
it hardens?

Will this make a big mess and ruin the iron?

How about Hot Glue?

http://www.redtopic.com/seam-repair.html

Lot's of tips for a good seam...

http://www.rlapolymers.com.au/new_po...seam_tips.html


All very good ideas which gave me a couple of ones that worked...
Two in particular:

1. I ended up using my HEAT GUN to melt the tape. Since I didn't want
to burn my house down or melt the carpet I was very careful to
(mostly) use the low setting and to keep the tip very close to the
tape. As a precaution, I also wet the underlying wood floor and the
top of the carpet. I melted about 6-12" of tape at a time, keeping the
carpet clear of the tape and the heat gun. I then use my fingers to
align the seam edges together and a scrap of 2x4 wood to apply
pressure. All in all, this worked quite well.

2. For touch up spots, I used my $5 Radio Shack AA-battery powered
"throwaway" SOLDERING IRON. Its fine tip was just perfect for
fitting in to small cracks to melt the glue in some inaccessible
spots.

Now if I had a long run to do or if I were working on expensive
carpet, I would call in a pro or at least rent a steaming iron. But
for the short run of cheap carpet that we have in our closet hallway,
this way worked just fine -- and all it cost me was the $6 for a roll
of seaming tape.


Thank You for the report!

Lou