Rewaxing Waxed Jackets

[GlennB]

Anyone tried this? I bought a tub of the right wax from an outdoor shop but the results are patchy (literally) to say the least.

Any handy hints and tips very welcome. Is there an alternative to just spending hours rubbing in with a bit of cloth? Like, dissolving it in some solvent or other and spraying it on

 

cheers

[Judley]

There is a wax "spray" available Glenn

[jimpy0]

bought something years ago from army/navy stores like a dye block you dissolved it in water and soaked said item for 24 hours but i left it a week then hang to dry

brilliant stuff am still using jacket now and still waterproof best couple of quid i ever spent think it came from the dylon range

[DavyR]

I use a bit of sponge, make sure the wax has been well-heated by putting the tin in a bowl of hot water, and then - and this is the bit that helps with the patchy finish problem - finishing off with a hairdryer. It *is* a bit time-consuming, but it's the best way to make sure the wax penetrates into the seams and odd corners.

 

Or, dump the wax jacket in favour of a new, lightweight, low-maintenance, non-car-seat-staining alternative (which I'm seriously considering).

[GlennB]

...and this is the bit that helps with the patchy finish problem - finishing off with a hairdryer.....

 

Ahah! So the heat re-melts the wax and spreads it out? Must try this.

Incidentally, do you get the wax pretty much liquid beforehand or just softened?

 

Cheers Davy!

[Tony U]

Just get yourself something made out of Goretex, or one of them nice realtree jackets

[DavyR]

The softer the better really - I usually leave the tin of wax in a bowl of hot water for about half an hour. Makes it much easier to apply!

[chesters1]

the hot water / hair dryer works a treat ,and you can get far more into those useless seams that leak in strange places

[trent.barbeler]

When I used to wear wax jackets for wild fowling they used to get some hammer. The method we used to use for re-proofing was simply slap on the "Barbour" wax all over the jacket paying special attention to the seams, then hang on a coat hanger in the "cylinder cubbord" for a couple of days and the heat would melt the wax right back into the cloth. No shiny patches just evenly coated. Word of warning though, once you begin to re-proof this type of garment they are never quite the same as when first purchased. But if you are a serious "Barbour" traditionalist, go to "Downtown" near Grantham. They sell Barbour gear ridiculously cheap. I purchased "four" thick 100% pure wool Barbour jumpers for £15 each. Normal price £60-70 each!

 

I stopped using wax cotton years ago. Now I obtain all my wet/winter gear for fishing from Cabelas in the US.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.

[chesters1]

they are over rated even my real barbour coats over the years leaked like seives,my old boss took pity on me in my ankle length (but totally waterproof) "oilskin" (in reality a plastic covered fabric) when his dogs decided to tear it to pieces in a game one weekend ,he bought a real drovers coat (made in melbourne) in replacement (probably the nearest thing he could find in harrods),i haddent the guts to diss his kind gift and suffered staggering about in a sodden waxed ankle lenght coat when he was in the country ,when he wasent there i used a wheely bin plastic sack with a trio of holes in ,even lighter than my dog ruined coat,and i could have a new one every day

on leaving his employment when he moved completly abroad i sold the coat to green welly wearing townies for £50 (they had become "fashionable") not a bad deal seeing it wasent one of the many substandard clones that appeared for silly figures then