Waterproofing a Swedish M39 jacket

[whats wrong with you all]

Bought myself an M39 jacket the other week and took it out today in the rain for the first time.

The jacket itself is amazing, such good quality for the price! Bought from Millitary Mart, excellent service and quick delivery (no affiliation etc).

The jacket held up very well, apart from one small problem.

the stitching where the back pockets begin lets in water and the cotton liner soaks it up, resulting in a strip of wet patch on my back!

I'm thinking of ways to solve this, Either by lanolising the whole jacket (there is a good thread on this somewhere on the forum that I've seen recently)

Or by waxing the cotton strip which is soaking the rain through in a waxed cotton sort of way with a hairdryer

Which method do you think would work best? Both?

Cheers!

Chris.

 

[Macaroon]

Re-lanolising will do the jacket a power of good, it'll feel and wear better and will keep you dry for longer, but it won't turn it waterproof in the sense of a wax jacket or GTX. I'd do both if it were mine, the wax around the back will at least stop the cotton getting sodden, and 'round the back there is not where I'd want to be damp. You can only improve it, and the jacket is worth doing.

Let us know how you get on with it, eh?

 

[whats wrong with you all]

Re-lanolising will do the jacket a power of good, it'll feel and wear better and will keep you dry for longer, but it won't turn it waterproof in the sense of a wax jacket or GTX. I'd do both if it were mine, the wax around the back will at least stop the cotton getting sodden, and 'round the back there is not where I'd want to be damp. You can only improve it, and the jacket is worth doing.

Let us know how you get on with it, eh?

Thanks, Will do Any tips to use/ places to buy lanolin?

I was going to use a mix of paraffin and bees wax for the cotton.

 

[Macaroon]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106539

Have a read through this for the lanolising process, and search for Anhydrous Lanolin on the 'bay, you're on the money with the wax , mix 40% beeswax, 40 % good pure parrafin wax and 20% pure turpentine, melt in a bain-marie ( double pot with water in the bottom one ) be careful not to let this go afire, take it slowly and carefully, and help it in with a sponge and hairdryer................

 

[treadlightly]

Just one other thought, if you are going to do both do the lanolising first then wax the cotton bit otherwise the soap involved in applying the lanolin will compromise the wax.

 

[whats wrong with you all]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106539

Have a read through this for the lanolising process, and search for Anhydrous Lanolin on the 'bay, you're on the money with the wax , mix 40% beeswax, 40 % good pure parrafin wax and 20% pure turpentine, melt in a bain-marie ( double pot with water in the bottom one ) be careful not to let this go afire, take it slowly and carefully, and help it in with a sponge and hairdryer................

That's the thread I was after, cheers! What does the turpentine in the mixture do?

Do you think 50g will be enough lanolin for the jacket?

I found on another thread that someone leaves his wool items in the mixture for 8 hours, is this overkill? Sorry for all the questions!

Just one other thought, if you are going to do both do the lanolising first then wax the cotton bit otherwise the soap involved in applying the lanolin will compromise the wax.

Ah thanks for that, I wasn't sure which one to do first/

 

[Macaroon]

If you just mix the two waxes it'll be like thick treacle; the turpentine will thin it enough so as you can get it on with ease and then evaporate away with the heat and the run of time.......

50g will be plenty mate, and 8 hours won't hurt; on a good thick dense wool like that it'll need that long, even with the help of the soap in the mixture............

Time to dive in and do it, I reckon............let us know how you get on.

Treadlightly's advice is spot on, as well!

 

[whats wrong with you all]

If you just mix the two waxes it'll be like thick treacle; the turpentine will thin it enough so as you can get it on with ease and then evaporate away with the heat and the run of time.......

50g will be plenty mate, and 8 hours won't hurt; on a good thick dense wool like that it'll need that long, even with the help of the soap in the mixture............

Time to dive in and do it, I reckon............let us know how you get on.

Treadlightly's advice is spot on, as well!

Ah right, thanks!

Can I use paraffin candles for the wax? They say they are pure paraffin so it shouldn't be a problem.