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Waxing A Cotton Jacket

post #1 of 25
10/16/11 at 7:07am
Thread Starter 
I have a cotton jacket from H&M that I bought years ago that could use some love. Its a cool short fall coat with military inspired details and pockets and I was wondering if any of you have ever waxed your own cotton coats. I think a waxing would do wonders for this particular jacket in terms of styling as well as making it a bit more versatile for wear in the rain. Any help would be appreciated!
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post #2 of 25
10/16/11 at 11:01am
I found this for you: http://www.styleforum.net/t/19672/waxing-denim-project-long-pics
I remembered I had read something like these a couple of months back.
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post #3 of 25
10/16/11 at 11:03am
If you look around online you can find guides to re-waxing barbours with thorn-proof dressing, which might give you the basics (or find a barbour care pamflet). I have to warn you though friends of mine that have re-waxed their barbours said it was incredibly messy and they did not manage to get an even coating.

I have waxed a canvas pair of boots, the finish was not even, despite my best efforts, so they don't look brilliant but I did achieve my aim of making them water-resistant. If you just want to make the jacket water-resistant you could try a spray or a wash in waterproofing treatment, although they are really intended to renew waterproofing not waterproof something that wasn't.
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post #4 of 25
10/16/11 at 11:13am
I've been thinking about waxing a denim jacket I have and was going to buy some of this: http://www.otterwax.com/
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post #5 of 25
10/16/11 at 12:04pm
Thread Starter 
Cool thx for the repsonses. A buddy of mine who lives in my building also wants to wax something, so maybe we can do it together, save some $ and have another set of concerned eyes and hands. The otter wax seems cool too...

Anyone ever do a pair of jeans or chinos or is that just retarded?
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post #6 of 25
10/16/11 at 12:06pm
I think waxing something that's going to be so closed to your skin isn't good. The waxing will bleed alot, and I personally don't like the thought of wax on my skin for many hours straight.
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post #7 of 25
10/16/11 at 1:56pm
I bought a pair of Fjallraven waxed cotton trousers a few years ago - I am outdoors a lot and they're ideal for when it's wet and muddy but not yet cold. I rewaxed them myself last year with this - http://www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/outdoor-clothing/fjallraven-greenland-wax.htm (looks much the same as the otter wax). It was not at all messy, and easy to apply - but tricky to get a perfectly even application and they don't look quite as good as they did when new. I probably put too thick a layer on - I'd advise putting as fine a layer as you can on and repeating if needed. They're fine for my purely utilitarian purposes though.
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post #8 of 25
10/16/11 at 3:02pm
Ysc and E,TF: Try using a heat gun to even out the wax. Works like a charm... When i rewax my Barbours I just smear on a thick layer of wax (melted, of course), let it dry, blast it with a heat gun and it's good to go... It's going to bleed a little wax the first week or so, just fyi. If you don't have a heat gun you can use a hair dryer, but that will take some time.
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post #9 of 25
10/16/11 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
I messaged Otterwax and got a super detailed response from the owner. I think thats the way to go. Will be ordering sometime this week, and I'll do a pictorial in here once it comes. Thanks for the tips guys...stoked to get me some waxed Khakis!
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post #10 of 25
10/16/11 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger View Post

Thanks for the tips guys...stoked to get me some waxed Khakis!

Be careful. My understanding is that not all fabrics are suitable for waxing. If it is too porous, it won't be only the khakis that get waxed.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
283
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post #11 of 25
10/16/11 at 7:36pm
Subscribed. Been wanting to do this too. Let us know how it goes, NewYorkRanger
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post #12 of 25
10/17/11 at 1:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredrikkm View Post

Ysc and E,TF: Try using a heat gun to even out the wax. Works like a charm... When i rewax my Barbours I just smear on a thick layer of wax (melted, of course), let it dry, blast it with a heat gun and it's good to go... It's going to bleed a little wax the first week or so, just fyi. If you don't have a heat gun you can use a hair dryer, but that will take some time.

Yes I used an iron to do the same thing. According to Fjallraven you can use a hairdryer of tumble dryer as well. It worked very well, and does even the wax out, but as I say I think I generally put too much on and ended up with some areas that were a little too waxy. But of course you gradually loose the wax as you wear and wash them anyway, so it doesn't matter too much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger View Post

I messaged Otterwax and got a super detailed response from the owner. I think thats the way to go. Will be ordering sometime this week, and I'll do a pictorial in here once it comes. Thanks for the tips guys...stoked to get me some waxed Khakis!

Good luck!
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post #13 of 25
10/17/11 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by E,TF View Post

I bought a pair of Fjallraven waxed cotton trousers a few years ago - I am outdoors a lot and they're ideal for when it's wet and muddy but not yet cold. I rewaxed them myself last year with this - http://www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/outdoor-clothing/fjallraven-greenland-wax.htm (looks much the same as the otter wax). It was not at all messy, and easy to apply - but tricky to get a perfectly even application and they don't look quite as good as they did when new. I probably put too thick a layer on - I'd advise putting as fine a layer as you can on and repeating if needed. They're fine for my purely utilitarian purposes though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by E,TF View Post

Yes I used an iron to do the same thing. According to Fjallraven you can use a hairdryer of tumble dryer as well. It worked very well, and does even the wax out, but as I say I think I generally put too much on and ended up with some areas that were a little too waxy. But of course you gradually loose the wax as you wear and wash them anyway, so it doesn't matter too much.
Good luck!

Short Fjallraven instruction video >
Quote:
Originally Posted by LionelFrankenstein View Post

Dude was using fjallraven wax in the video, I saw a video of a chick from fjallraven waxing one of their jackets a while backWax
http://www.fjallraven.us/p-38-greenland-wax.aspx
http://www.fjallraven.us/p-39-greenland-wax-travel-pack.aspx


I think there are Barbour instruction video's as well on YouTube. Looking forward to seeing the result, NYR.
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post #14 of 25
10/17/11 at 3:02am

I read somewhere that you can rub it with beeswax then iron it.

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post #15 of 25
10/17/11 at 6:54am
Similar expreience to Fredrikkn. Coincidentally, I spent a few hours re-waxing two Barbour jackets yesterday - these were pretty beat up jackets my wife and I picked up cheaply at Yard Sales.

I don't have a heat gun. What I did was to work one section at a time. I applyed the melted wax and then while holding a hair dryer with one hand and applying heat, I worked the wax in with a rag. They came out looking great. Because of the wipe down while using the hair dryer, it appears very even and doesn't appear to have heavy areas of excess wax.

Biggest challenge was to keep the wax melted. I heated the open can in a pot of water that I let boil. Wax melted but would re-harden fairly quicky. Had to re-boil the water several times. Directions say to just keep the can in a pan of warm water. I found that to be somewhat of an understatement. Wax starts to re-harden as soon as water cools from boiling point.
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