Perhaps then, you will say, "But where can one have a boat like that built today?" And I will tell you that there are still some honest men who are not scared to use hand tools, who can sharpen a saw, plane, or adze.
— L Francis Herreshoff
Yeah, I know— nobody wears linseed/wax-impregnated cotton "oilskins" any more. They wear Goretex.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Those of us in the sawmill and
lumber trade do, as do many loggers and heavy construction workers. Why?
Muscling around hundred-pound planks of rough lumber wear through expensive
Goretex in a matter of weeks…even the heavy-duty Carhartt or GI
Goretex.
Wearing PVC raingear while doing heavy labor in the rain and mud merely
postpones your soaking…work for long enough in it and you soak from
the inside. Goretex and traditional oilskins both breathe enough to postpone
that soaking much longer.
And
while waxed cotton in lighter weights has always been popular in Britain,
it’s largely gone over here. With the Yuppification of Eddie Bauer
and L.L. Bean, who both used to manufacture their own distinctive gear,
Filson of Seattle remains the only major manufacturer of this type of
rugged work or expedition wear. And now Filson’s major market also
seems to be suburbanites who want that distinctive “Northwest”
look these days. Filson’s gear hasn’t changed since the Klondike
Gold Rush, but the prices these days are Starbucks-high. But measuring
cost per year of wear instead of merely purchase price still makes them
the best value for some trades. The way to beat those prices these days
is to buy seconds and used garments on Ebay.
Once a year these garments need their finishes renewed, and that’s what we’ll do today. But not with the 8-dollar, 2-ounce tins of oil and paraffin wax blend sold in stores— we’d go broke quick using those and will make a whole gallon of an even better finish today.
Three of several family garments above that need work today are readied. A hooded tin coat, a pair of old tin double-faced pants that look like leather…the “character” the garment has gained in use. Well, folks…salesmen may call it “character”, but it’s really a vintage blend of old sawdust, rotted forest duff and Shelton Gravelly Loam worked deep into wax and cloth as these garments can’t be washed. Next to them is a tin coat off of Ebay for the youngest son that had been machine washed by some misguided soul and will need a good bit of solution to renew. Prep is merely a stiff brush and a strong blast from a cold water hose to remove the bulk of the mud.
Shown above are a new, empty gallon paint can with lid and some of the materials we’ll use. A visit to Al Stedman the local beekeeper netted 5 pounds of beeswax at 4 dollars a pound. This is a much better choice than petroleum-based paraffin…just make sure you get the beekeeper wax and not waste your money on the 12-dollar a pound food-grade beeswax. Yours doesn’t have to be that clean...even if you do like to chew it…the natural impurities of the hive are probably good for you. You’ll also need a gallon of raw (never boiled) linseed, a can of pine tar, a can of turps, and I’m going to substitute some pure orange oil for some of the linseed to improve the aroma these garments bring to the home— especially after a bit of diesel fuel is slopped on them in minor refueling mishaps. Can’t find a can of pine tar anywhere? Your local farrier, large-animal Vet or farm supply will have it. It’s still used on horses’ hooves as a dressing.
Rig a
large double boiler— this one is a large pail of water stuffed in
a kerosene space heater. I prefer to do this outdoors, both for safety
(our mixture is flammable) and to test the consistency of my wax brew
in the actual temperatures it will function in. Simply set your stir stick
down for a while and check how hard your solution gets outdoors.
Into the can goes a quart of linseed, a little turps to thin, and two to three pounds of beeswax shavings after the water boils and the oil gets hot. The easiest way I know to render hard blocks of beeswax into shavings is on the shaving horse with drawknife…makes short work of it. It takes a while for the oil mixture to heat sufficiently to thoroughly melt all the wax, so be patient. When the wax melts, I add a half-cup of pine tar and fill the gallon can about two inches from the top with more linseed, my orange oil fragrance enhancer going in last.
Proportions aren’t critical— more wax nets you better water
resistance and greater garment wear, but also more stiffness. More linseed
nets you the converse. The pine tar is there because I was 
raised
in a traditional boat yard and wood boat builders add pine tar to everything—
probably because Noah did. I believe it supplies the hard wax some and
gives it staying power.
Application is simple— brush it on hot direct from the double boiler and play a heat gun over it as you brush it deep into the cloth.
When
complete, hang the coat up and go back over it with the heat gun to melt
and smooth any remaining surface residue, and you’re done.
Oh, and while you’re at it, do your work boots with the same brew— only much gentler with the heat, please.
Back Yard Yacht Builders
A non-commercial association of amateur boat-builder enthusiasts.
All our wooden boats are Stevenson designs.