Pulled loops in soft carpet

[highup]

Any special tricks to reinserting a string of yarn that was pulled loose by a dog collar? The collar or chain caught on the loops and pulled out a 2 inch long row and a smaller one a few rows over.
The carpet has an alternating fat and thin rows. The fat ones are ever so slightly taller than the smaller tight row. It's a very soft loop yarn, not a small, stiff, tight looped commercial. Nice carpet, it just snags easy.
I was just curious how to make a repair invisible if possible, and if the yarns can be pushed back in place, what adhesive and what tools? Tweezers and an awl? If it can be done it will be like surgery.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Pictures would help. Normally I use a glue gun with the Taylor repair tip and awl.
Or you can screw on a basket ball needle on a latex bottle and use latex. That never did work to well for me as I would get a little latex on the tip of my finger and pull the yarn back out when I moved my hand.
Another way is to sew it back in with a curved needle and thread. 2 awls are needed to put in the carpet to raise it off the floor. Then it is a case of working your way back across the carpet and pull the yarn back into place. Kind of a slow process.

Daris

 

[highup]

Pictures would help. Normally I use a glue gun with the Taylor repair tip and awl.
Or you can screw on a basket ball needle on a latex bottle and use latex. That never did work to well for me as I would get a little latex on the tip of my finger and pull the yarn back out when I moved my hand.
Another way is to sew it back in with a curved needle and thread. 2 awls are needed to put in the carpet to raise it off the floor. Then it is a case of working your way back across the carpet and pull the yarn back into place. Kind of a slow process.

Daris

Here's a side view with the primary and secondary backings.
You are saying to start here, part the primary backing material to find the yarn down between the backings, and then pull the loops back into place?

 

[DarisMulkin]

Here's a side view with the primary and secondary backings.
You are saying to start here, part the primary backing material to find the yarn down between the backings, and then pull the loops back into place?

Theoretically your idea works, it just never has for me. You have to find the exact hole it came out of and then pull it up to the right height and move to the next without disturbing the one you just did.
There is another way I didn't mention that I use on berbers alot. Very carefully cut the primary back along side the snag on both sides and remove it. I then cut a row of yarn off another piece and then remove the secondary backing. Then it is just a case of very carefully glue the new piece in, again I use a glue gun. {Love my glue guns.} I have done 3 rows wide doing it this way and a couple feet long. Most times it is just one or two rows and a couple inches long. When done rub hell out of it with handle of trimming shears to make sure it is stuck in.

Daris

 

[Floorist]

I have done that and used a carpet tractor to get it to stick.

 

[highup]

I made a tip for the hot glue gun that would probably fit between the rows.
Rather than cutting, I wonder if the primary backing could be carefully cut/melted away using a flattened/sharpened tip of a soldering iron. The two rows along each side of the missing row could be protected from the heat using a couple of small pieces of sheet metal.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I made a tip for the hot glue gun that would probably fit between the rows.
Rather than cutting, I wonder if the primary backing could be carefully cut/melted away using a flattened/sharpened tip of a soldering iron. The two rows along each side of the missing row could be protected from the heat using a couple of small pieces of sheet metal.

Why? They already make hot knives, both butane and electrical that would do the same job. You are thinking to hard.

Daris

 

[highup]

I already have a gun style soldering iron. Can't imagine a use for a hot knife other than for this project.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I already have a gun style soldering iron. Can't imagine a use for a hot knife other than for this project.

Try it on scrap and see what you come up with. I'm thinking it will be very easy to melt completely through the carpet. You lill have to have a very steady hand.

Daris

 

[Floorist]

Try it on scrap and see what you come up with. I'm thinking it will be very easy to melt completely through the carpet. You lill have to have a very steady hand.

Daris

I think he knows how to mellow.

 

[highup]

Try it on scrap and see what you come up with. I'm thinking it will be very easy to melt completely through the carpet. You lill have to have a very steady hand.

Daris

Can't you tell from my drawing that I have a steady hand?

 

[DarisMulkin]

I was thinking if you held the tip of the soldering gun across the finger of you free hand it would steady it up a bit. At least for a second.

Daris

 

[highup]

I'm rethinking this.
The soldering iron did work, but why remove the primary backing?
If I carefully snip the loose yarn at each end of the damaged area and seal the ends, what is there can't unravel.
By removing the pulled strip of yarn that is trapped between the primary and secondary backings, this will create a void. Now, if I then ever so carefully apply contact cement onto the primary backing, some will penetrate to the secondary backing. If I let that set for 15 minutes, and then by using an awl, gently press down on the primary backing so that it contacts the secondary backing, I will create a depression there.
As was advised, I would then remove the secondary backing from a scrap piece and cut off a repair row. By carefully trimming this repair piece so it stays intact......... I'd encapsulate the bottom of it with contact cement and let it dry for 10 or 15 minutes.
Lowering the repair piece into the void between the rows, I could gently press it down with a dental pick or awl and manipulate each loop to obtain the correct height.
With the right amount (meaning plenty) of contact cement initially placed in the void area, it would remain pliable for a quite a while as I push at the bottom of the loops, settling them each into place. If a loop looks a bit high, I can just press a little harder at the bottom of the loop. Better a tad too low than too high.
The rows I am fixing, are both the shorter rows. One repair is about 2 or 2 1/2" long and the other is about an inch or inch and a half.
Remember there are alternating tall rows and short rows. The tall ones lean into the short ones.
I am thinking contact cement instead of the seam sealer because the seam sealer is thicker and sets too fast. The contact would soak through the primary backing easier.

 

[highup]

I used Powerhold's solvent based seam sealer in the process previously described instead of the contact cement or the D-815. It is thinner than the 815 but slower. The Powerhold was perfect for this 'surgical' repair. It pretty much was just that. I'm glad now that I didn't use the soldering iron, or cut the primary backing. The repair ended up as invisible as invisible gets........ pats self on head.
The rows in this carpet changed. I wasn't paying close attention when I first visited the job for a look-see. They weren't fat rows next to thin rows. They started as taller, fat rows and then would slowly morph into shorter tight rows. .......then back into fat rows again. Not real pattern.