The method seems be little known of except by those in the trade...but in reality it has been going on in the sailing industry for 30+ yrs that I know of. It may be true that commercial cleaners don't do repairs or apply finish (I never checked or asked if they can do finish) but they are experts in chemical cleaning and fabric care. I personally think worrying about a commercial dry cleaner ruining sails is a moot point. They deal with fabrics, construction and finishes way more delicate than sailcloth. Anyway, I learned this by asking a long time yacht broker friend of mine down in Ft Lauderdale. At the time we were partnering in spec buying and selling sailboats. He told me the local sail lofts and yacht brokers sent sails there for cleaning. If anyone is concerned about finish they may want to ask their sail cleaning company how they apply it. High pressure is the best way and low pressure the worst and shortest life. Several yrs ago I asked a well known "sail cleaning" company in Ft Lauderdale how they did it. They suspended the sail horizontally, sprayed the finish on and used fans to expedite fast drying...in sales hype their drying is called "curing". bp
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