doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Waxed cotton / oil cloth

Damn cool Stan!

I used to use the traditional mix of 1:1:1 BLO/Beeswax/Paraffin with a little turpentine mixed in for for spreadability until I read of the detrimental effects of BLO on cotton fibers(it thins and makes the fabric brittle over time). I also noticed that once I got to the bottom of my mixture, the BLO seemed to leave bits of rubbery yellow "coagulated" (for lack of a better term) substance that would not melt or dissolve. Over time, I've come up with a much simpler method. Now, I just mix Beeswax and Paraffin (it's used in canning and can be purchased at most grocery stores CHEAPLY) in a ratio of 1:1. I heat it in a pot on the stove until its fully fluid and clear, give it a good mix, and then pour into a little crock pot that is used for keeping sauces warm. They are cheap, small, and keep the wax warm enough to remain fully liquefied. I have a natural hair paint brush and apply the liquid wax in quick even strokes. Once I get a significant area of the canvas coated with the wax, I take a heat gun and (with constant motion) melt the wax into the fibers of the fabric. It is very obvious when it is absorbed because it will darken and become solid color. I work my way up and down the chaps or other canvas item(laying flat on a piece of cardboard - prevents your work area from getting wax covered), working in sections and then apply to the back of the item. If you want an ultra-waxed coating, you can apply to the inside of the item as well. I've done this with canvas shirts, jackets, bags, backpacks, hats, canvas gun cases, and pants. My friend and I usually keep a large folded piece of waxed canvas fabric in hunting jackets or fishing bags for when we need to sit on a damp moss covered rock or log and would prefer not to get wet. I thoroughly enjoy waxed canvas and use it a lot for outdoor activities due to its waterproof and toughness qualities. It also extends the wear of canvas items in my opinion. I do most of my waxing in August due to the very hot temperatures and sun which help to 'prep' the fabric before taking the wax. I also let the items hang in the hot sun for a few days after waxing to obtain full impregnation of the fibers. It may sound like a lot of work, but once you have the gear and technique down, it goes very fast.

Anyways, I will say this again, this technique will make the fabric extremely rigid. If you want armor for busting through greenbrier and multiflora rose thickets, this is the ticket. If you are just looking for a vintage way of waterproofing fabric the more traditional 'oil fabric' approach may be better for you. I will say however, the heavy wax technique mentioned above far supersedes the waterproof effectiveness of the Filson or Barbour wax mixtures. I've used all three in different years and the ability of the heavy wax to shed both water and thorn is superior in my humble opinion. If you have concerns about trying this on a $400 Filson jacket, I suggest you do some tests or experiments on scrap pieces of canvas, or a cheap canvas bag, pants, etc.

Rigid! A thin canvas shooting shirt, turned early season brush buster. As you can see, its holding its form even when held sideways.

This is my formula for cloth wax treatment and as far as I can ascertain it is a traditional version using a standard mix with adjustments to improve the overall lasting qualities.
Now I have seen a number of formulas that use normal Linseed oil and boiled Linseed oil, this is not a good idea to do at all because Linseed oil is a drying oil and over time will make the cloth go hard and in doing so cause cloth crease lines to become places of heavy ware to the point of breaking the threads. In some cases, Cotton cloth treated with Linseed oil does have the capacity to spontaneously burst in to flame in the right conditions.
The mix is 6 parts paraffin wax. 2 parts Bees wax use white to reduce the colouring effect. 1 part Liquid Paraffin (Now this is not kerosene it is a highly refined mineral oil used for medical purposes and cosmetics. purchase it at a drug store). Now the last ingredient is Petroleum Jelly from � to 1 part. This is added to stop the cloth from becoming hard in cold weather (Ok I do know that you folks have much colder weather than we have on this side of the pond. But I do feel that it us Brits compensation for living in a damp Maritime climate) The Petroleum Jelly also slows the wax from drying out so reducing the number of times you need to refresh the wax, but the amount added is a trial and error thing to get exactly what you want.

thanks

I love my Barbour jacket. Looks good and blocks the wind and wet. Warm enough with a down vest underneath. Plus, I look really good while wearing it.

It's the correct size, but I always thought it was a little binding in the shoulders. I wore it yesterday in the cold to shoot tower pheasants and wanting to look good, I left my regular camo cold weather coat at home.

I looked splendid, but shot like a doofus. I peered in the mirror this morning before showering and saw why I shot so poorly. There is a baseball size black, blue and purple and red bruise right in the middle of my bicep. I just couldn't shoulder the gun like I usually do; wonder I hit anything!...Geo

Interesting thread!

I have some Filson waxed cotton garments that I just use the Filson wax on. I do have an old Redhead waterfowl jacket, probably from the 50's that was my uncles that I've wanted to treat with some sort of wax.

Thanks for the recipes you guys have provided. I'll give the old Redhead jacket a treatment, using a recipe provided.

On another note, in my youth in the early 70's, working for the USFS, a guy I worked with took a pair of his work jeans and soaked it in bucket of Thompson Water Seal, then hung it up to dry for a couple of days. It was stiff when dry but it provided some serious water proofing to the jeans and through wear the jeans did soften up a bit.

Not sure how long the waterproofing or the jeans lasted, since as typical, the weather turned hot and dry as summer progressed and he switched to wearing other, non treated jeans.

I appreciate all the replies and good tips here guys. Given the ongoing discussion regarding my primary purpose of waterproofing vs. briar proofing, has anybody here had success using any of the various sprays such as CampDry, etc? I once sprayed and entire can on a simple cotton upland vest and did endure a few drizzles but nothing of any significance for a actual verification of my waterproofing technique. My greatest concern about doing this myself, either re-proofing or starting new like Stan did is consistency of thickness of the painted on material.

And this is the quandry.

If you look at photos of English chaps (and ladies) shooting pheasants, it often looks like their coats are too big.

But if you buy a Barbour in the "right" size, you'll look great around town but have trouble shooting an overhead bird.

The solution is to have two.

Perry, it's really easier than it sounds. I just brushed it on and tried to keep it as even as possible. After you are done and it dries in you can touch up any places that look too "thin".

SRH

The only thing I can tell you is if you are going to use one of the previously mentioned Filson/Barbour waxes, use your fingers, go slowly and work it into the material. The key is using heat to impregnate the fibers rather than "painting it on". once you start doing it, you'll understand the process. If you still have concerns, do a small practice session with a spare piece of cloth. This is how I would apply the wax in an attempt to just waterproof the cloth.

For heavy brush busting power, then the paint brushing method is better, but uses a lot more wax.