Anyone used a lanolin spray for waterproofing wool?
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Thankfully the beeeg Boots in Rochdale had Pure Soap Flakes for about £2.50 a pound weight so I got that and a couple of bars of Simple bar pure soap Now to get a good drying day and rig a line, the rotary dryer is waiting for me to wash, untangle and string the line up after being in storage over the winter.
atb and thanks to all who encouraged, advised etc
Tom
atb and thanks to all who encouraged, advised etc
Tom
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Well, typically its taken me nearly a year to get around to doing it and at the moment I can hear the musical drip of the lanolin mixture draining from the birrus britanicuss , I did a first C "crisp packet" wool tunica earlier, 2 saxon style skull caps, a saxon phygian cap (yes a smurf hat) and a pair of Roman undones ( like socks but sewn together rather than knitted). Oh and a heavy, almost felted Viking/ Anglo Danish hood.
Last week I did all the "normal" wool hats including a Swanni trapper style, a couple of Monmouth museum caps and the home made things Ive done with material I once talked Swandri into sending me for the cost of the postage. The hats all now feel really good and since I had to dry a couple on my head for a day each my hair was lovely and soft....
When this lot is dry I will do the proper swanni bush shirt and the NZ army camo job. Oh and the saxon oblong cloak. And then I think I will have to buy some more lanolin!
As you can guess this is a week I aint getting out much anyway!
ATB
Tom
PS anyone know if you can iron lanolin treated wool? I suspect the birrus will be pretty out of shape by bthe time it has dried.
Last week I did all the "normal" wool hats including a Swanni trapper style, a couple of Monmouth museum caps and the home made things Ive done with material I once talked Swandri into sending me for the cost of the postage. The hats all now feel really good and since I had to dry a couple on my head for a day each my hair was lovely and soft....
When this lot is dry I will do the proper swanni bush shirt and the NZ army camo job. Oh and the saxon oblong cloak. And then I think I will have to buy some more lanolin!
As you can guess this is a week I aint getting out much anyway!
ATB
Tom
PS anyone know if you can iron lanolin treated wool? I suspect the birrus will be pretty out of shape by bthe time it has dried.
Not sure about ironing, never tried to iron lanolised wool! Have you used the cloak much over the winter Tom?
Not at all to be honest, my plans for doing some outdoors stuff to test this kit went to pot at the end of June when I managed to end up in a leg cast for 4 months, Totally blew all my summer/ Auitumn plans but I was OKed by the docs last month and have now got my special boots and am now, weather permitting, building my leg muscles back up. It has meant I've made a ton of kit. I'm getting it ready for using , especially the 18th c stuff but I think I may be in the modern stuff until the weather picks up.
I've also got 5 or 6 planes (balsa and tissue jobs) I made start of last year that I havent had a chance to fly yet, the Spring was especially windy and wet here so i kept saying, I'll wait until the summer so the lads can join in. So much for the plans of mice and men....
ATB
Tom
Oh, i asked about ironing lanolised wool as the seams have wrinkled up some during the process and I'd like to flatten them, but not if it will ruin it all.
I've also got 5 or 6 planes (balsa and tissue jobs) I made start of last year that I havent had a chance to fly yet, the Spring was especially windy and wet here so i kept saying, I'll wait until the summer so the lads can join in. So much for the plans of mice and men....
ATB
Tom
Oh, i asked about ironing lanolised wool as the seams have wrinkled up some during the process and I'd like to flatten them, but not if it will ruin it all.
Just steam press them on the lowest steam function of your iron and it'll be fine 
Actually, thinking on it, soak a dishtowel and wring it out really, really well, now just iron over that on the wool. I reckon that would be better yet.
atb,
M
Actually, thinking on it, soak a dishtowel and wring it out really, really well, now just iron over that on the wool. I reckon that would be better yet.
atb,
M
Damp dish towel it shall be then, Thanks!. Mind you it will be a day or so yet, they are still dripping merrily away but i've at least transfered the big bits from folded on hangers onto poles hanging from the beams by paracord loops so they are as spread out as you can get.
My hands are pretty much water repellent at the moment, lovely and soft as well.
ATB
Tom
My hands are pretty much water repellent at the moment, lovely and soft as well.
ATB
Tom
I am just about to re lanolin my Bushshirt, any chance of posting a link to Toddys Tutorial please?
I re-applied lanolin to my Trapper Point blanket a week ago. This blanket was made in the mid 1920's and is irreplaceable.
You may want to practice with an old sweater until you get comfortable with the process.
This method can be used on any wool item you want rain proofed.
The Eucalan wool wash already contains natural sheep lanolin but we are going to add more.
This recipe is especially good for older point blankets.
Things I used:
Eucalan wool wash - Lavender.
1.4 oz tube of HPA pure lanolin. Doesn't have to be this brand.
Large extra fine pet grooming slicker brush.
Bathtub!
Clean 5 gallon bucket
USGI hammock
Drying rack
Steps took:
Take the Eucalan bottle and squeeze about half the tube of HPA Lanolin inside it.
Set in the sun to warm and shake until mixed properly. Or if you do this in winter warm the Eucalan bottle with hot water.
No solvent needed. The Eucalan does the work.
It does not take a ton of heat to melt the extra Lanolin into the Eucalan wool wash.
A clean bathtub about half way filled with hot water less than 100*f. In my case by the time the tub is at the level I need it the water isn't over hot, it's just right at 85*.
I guess it depends on your tub, ambient temps etc.
Add 1/2 cup of your Eucalan/lanolin mixture to the tub and stir it around.
Place the blanket into the tub and GENTLY push it around until it's completely submerged. Don't agitate it too much.
After the tub water has cooled to ambient air temp. (about 40 minutes) I take the wet blanket and place into a clean 5 gallon bucket.
Then outside I put the wet blanket in my USGI hammock and swung it around until it was as dry as it could get. You'll get dizzy...
Never wring out or squeeze by hand.
From there I spread it out flat in the shade on my lawn. Make sure it's a nice warm day when you do this.
Flip it over every so often.
After it was completely dry I rolled it up and put it in the freezer for a couple days to kill any moth larva or other things that may have climbed onto it.
The final step is to hang the blanket on a strong rack and use the pet grooming slicker brush UPSIDEDOWN. Brush it the same direction the nap goes. This way you will NOT lose any of that precious nap.
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/93203-Anyone-Ever-Waterproof-a-Wool-Blanket
Post #16
Good luck!
You may want to practice with an old sweater until you get comfortable with the process.
This method can be used on any wool item you want rain proofed.
The Eucalan wool wash already contains natural sheep lanolin but we are going to add more.
This recipe is especially good for older point blankets.
Things I used:
Eucalan wool wash - Lavender.
1.4 oz tube of HPA pure lanolin. Doesn't have to be this brand.
Large extra fine pet grooming slicker brush.
Bathtub!
Clean 5 gallon bucket
USGI hammock
Drying rack
Steps took:
Take the Eucalan bottle and squeeze about half the tube of HPA Lanolin inside it.
Set in the sun to warm and shake until mixed properly. Or if you do this in winter warm the Eucalan bottle with hot water.
No solvent needed. The Eucalan does the work.
It does not take a ton of heat to melt the extra Lanolin into the Eucalan wool wash.
A clean bathtub about half way filled with hot water less than 100*f. In my case by the time the tub is at the level I need it the water isn't over hot, it's just right at 85*.
I guess it depends on your tub, ambient temps etc.
Add 1/2 cup of your Eucalan/lanolin mixture to the tub and stir it around.
Place the blanket into the tub and GENTLY push it around until it's completely submerged. Don't agitate it too much.
After the tub water has cooled to ambient air temp. (about 40 minutes) I take the wet blanket and place into a clean 5 gallon bucket.
Then outside I put the wet blanket in my USGI hammock and swung it around until it was as dry as it could get. You'll get dizzy...
Never wring out or squeeze by hand.
From there I spread it out flat in the shade on my lawn. Make sure it's a nice warm day when you do this.
Flip it over every so often.
After it was completely dry I rolled it up and put it in the freezer for a couple days to kill any moth larva or other things that may have climbed onto it.
The final step is to hang the blanket on a strong rack and use the pet grooming slicker brush UPSIDEDOWN. Brush it the same direction the nap goes. This way you will NOT lose any of that precious nap.
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/93203-Anyone-Ever-Waterproof-a-Wool-Blanket
Post #16
Good luck!
Some will remember me commenting on the use of lanolin as a waterproofing for wool pilches (nappy covers). Well, there's a lady in Cumbria who makes these, and she has been flooded out with the recent rains 
, but she has her stock safe, though the bulkier items are being sold off to clear space for renovations.
Among her standard stock is easily dissolved lanolin
It comes in bottles or sachets. The little sachets are ideal for smaller items like mitts and hats and lightweight jumpers.
It's not expensive either, 10 sachets for £1.20; or the bottle for £6.50, and she even sells a spray version
http://www.littlepants.co.uk/index.php?id_category=215&controller=category
Safe enough for a baby, so no hassle for us
atb,
M
, but she has her stock safe, though the bulkier items are being sold off to clear space for renovations.Among her standard stock is easily dissolved lanolin
It comes in bottles or sachets. The little sachets are ideal for smaller items like mitts and hats and lightweight jumpers.
It's not expensive either, 10 sachets for £1.20; or the bottle for £6.50, and she even sells a spray version
http://www.littlepants.co.uk/index.php?id_category=215&controller=category
Safe enough for a baby, so no hassle for us
atb,
M
