Weatherproofing Canvas (Cotton)

[Ratdog68]

Stumbled across a recipe when I was searching for retreating oilskin. It's a recipe for canvas waterproofing.

1 Pound of Beeswax
8 oz. Boiled Linseed Oil
8 0z. Turpentine

Today, stopped at a thrift store and bought an old sauce pan/lid and also found some mini cake tins which are 1 Cup each in size. I already had an egg poaching tin for three eggs.

I melted the beeswax on the stove, added in the linseed oil and turpentine, stirred it for a minute or so. I then ladled the concoction into four of those mini cake pans and filled the 3 egg poacher tin with nothing left over in the sauce pan. The tins left to cool outside. I'll seal each tin in ziplock bags to keep it from drying out before being used up.

The cooled paste actually smells a bit like pine scent. The consistency is between that of a boot cream and shoe polish (wax).

I decided to do a test on an old ball cap (cotton). I rubbed it in with my fingers. The seams got a little thicker coating than the field. A sight filmy appearance was achieved overall. I then fired up a regular hair drier and melted it into the fabric. The cap was a very faded black cap, the treatment darkened it slightly. The cap still feels like a well worn cotton cap, does not feel tacky. The cap was then passed beneath the water faucet in my sink, the water beaded up and ran off the cap. The scent of the treatment paste diminished after heating the fabric and it cooling.

Tomorrow, I plan to treat an old Carhartt work vest with it. I'll take before/after pix and see if I can weigh the vest before/after treatment with one coat.

I also have an oilskin coat in need of retreatment. I think I'll give it a try on it. If I'm happy with the results, I'll be treating a Carhartt type hoodie too. I may treat a pair of cotton work pants with it too.

We get days/weeks at a time of drizzle like rain (sometimes it's intermittent showers). My hopes are to be able to make some comfy cotton outdoor gear into water repellent wear too. Rain gear gets all sweaty/clammy inside, and it's not always convenient to haul rain gear around, and just a hassle to put it on and take it off many times a day.

 

[Ratdog68]

Vest is a 20 yr. old work vest, well worn/aged, but still in great shape. On the left is untreated, on the right is coated with the mixture. I'm finding that if you just smear to cover (rather than rubbing it in) you get a more consistent appearance. Rubbing it nets you darker blotches where rubbed in.

Once coated, melting it in with my heat gun changes the coated canvas. I was slathering to the point of a thin film covering/filling the spots between the weave of each thread, so it was smooth/waxy in appearance and tacky to the touch. After the lowest heat setting of 570F and high fan setting, the mixture melts into each fiber. The canvas darkens a little bit, it returns to a more normal appearance and felt texture. The pine scent dissipates a bit also. Untreated on the left, coated and melted in on the right.

The untreated vest began as 1.6lbs., the treated vest weighs 2.0lbs. with one coat. The three egg sized portions of the mix is what was needed to apply one coat. The before/after (felt) texture of the fabric is like comparing a new item (with factory applied sizing) to well worn/broke in.

To test it, on the left side I poured water from a glass. The water beaded and ran off, remaining dry in appearance. On the right side I hit it with the force of the hose under pressure. Driven in, the fibers on the surface got wet, but mostly just ran off.

 

[Oso Grande]

Really interesting. Thanks for taking the time to write this up.
I've got a few items I've been debating the best way to add some water resistance too.

In that last pic where you used the "force of a hose", it's just the surface fibers that are wet? Any further water penetration?

 

[Ratdog68]

The inside of the vest (lined with a shearling type material) remained dry to the touch. Multiple treatments may provide more protection. I've also seen Youtube video of people "painting" the mixture on while still hot and in a liquid state... but you get definite saturation, a real waxy feel, and harder to return the fabric to a "feel" of how it began.

 

[chthump]

Interesting, good article

 

[FrankT]

Great stuff RD, I just use the 100% silicone spray, not sure how long it holds up but it works