Anyone used a lanolin spray for waterproofing wool?

[tombear]

Hi All
I've just finished making a Birrus Britanicus cloak/poncho based (any deviation was my own fault!) on Toddys ecellent design. I intend to use it as a someting for use around the camp fire as well as any poncing about playing at Romans I may do, and as a blanket.

The outer is some 100% new wool stuff we got a couple of years back from the mill at the National Wool Museum in Wales and the lining some pure flax linen I had just enough of. Being a masochist I hand sewed it all with linen thread. The finished article is about 56 inches by 9 feet.

Anyway I intend to use it as is for a while and then most probably lanolinise it to make it more weather proof. Currently its shiny and new and I can bring myself to do it!

I've looked on the net and found plenty of info on spraying lanolin but would like to know if any one has any practical experiance of this method as opposed to soaking/washing, especially something this large?

Cheers!

Tom

 

[treadlightly]

That is a lovely thing Tom. I have always washed lanolin in to my wool stuff. It never occured to me to spray it on. Will watch this with interest.

 

[tombear]

Cheers! The wools a realy good quality. The first stuff I picked from them they couldnt sell me as it had been made especially for Bison Bushcraft, looking at their site it was for their "spring" guide shirt. This stuff is sightly heavier, but not by much.

Yup theres quite a few sites, mainly those selling liquid Lanolin for proofing nappys, that say how to do it but there is little agreement on how. some add in chemicals or wool soap. I've a big tub of the solid lanolin and am hoping someone has some pointers how to use that.

ATB

Tom

Ps I'll spare you the pics of the glorified nappy/loin cloth I am making later once the lucky wife has measured me up....

 

[Macaroon]

That's a wondrous garment indeed! I presume you've placed a wanted post for the largest bergen on the planet?..................I've just put your question to a great contact I've recently made; she knows about wool and all things related, been spinning, weaving and knitting etc. for well over half a century! Her opinion is the following; she's never had any success (in her terms) with spraying to re-lanolinise wool of any description without first wetting it thoroughly with a pure soap mix - says that in her view the soap in the water is the only thing that will allow the lanolin to penetrate deep into the wool fibres, rather than just forming a slimy coating which will quickly be removed by normal wear & tear and is not very pleasant to touch or wear and is in any case not at all effective at weatherproofing...........

I done a pair of wool trousers a few weeks ago, twice soaked in soapy water and followed each time by an hour in warm water with lanolin...........dried them slowly and couldn't believe the result, they were unrecognisable, superior in all respects to how they were originally, much nicer feel and I've not been wet in them.I hope this helps, ................atb, mac

 

[Chris the Cat]

I don't have an answer my friend but I did want to post to say well done!
A fantastic garment, you should be proud.

Best.

C.

 

[Dogoak]

Ps I'll spare you the pics of the glorified nappy/loin cloth I am making later once the lucky wife has measured me up....

Oh come on Tom, we all need a laugh, let us see it!

 

[tombear]

It's actually not that bad, fairly loosely rolled up its 28 inches long and 5 inches diameter. As a temporary measure I've lashed it up with a leather boot lace but when I can get some suitable leather I am going to make a blanket strap for this and some similar set ups, just a adjustable lenght shoulder strap with glorified dog collars on each end.

Re the lanolising, that's just the sort of info I was after thanks! it's looking like I will be soaking after all , I'll get some pure soap as I've run out. Ill find Toddys tutorial and have a practice on some smaller items, the lads and I have been making 6 panel skull caps from scraps of wool which could do with waterproofing!

Cheers !

Tom

Uw, more posts while i was typing this, thanks for the positive comments folks!

 

[treadlightly]

If you need Toddy's tutorial let me know, I have it to hand.

 

[the interceptor boy]

hi Treadlightly
ant chance I can have toddy's tutorial. hopefully see you at the moot.
cheers the interceptor boy.

 

[tombear]

If you could that would make life easier, Ta!

ATB

Tom

 

[HillBill]

Would the wool sill be breathable if it was waterproofed?

 

[tombear]

Yup it stays breathable, it's just putting back the natural grease into the wool that's lost in the manufacturing process. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it was truly waterproof when it's done but its got to be a lot better than untreated!

I'm wondering how greasey it will feel when it's done?

Atb

Tom

 

[HillBill]

I can understand the washing it getting it into the fibres, but spraying the surface may ha e a different effect perhaps?

 

[tombear]

I can understand the washing it getting it into the fibres, but spraying the surface may ha e a different effect perhaps?

Yeah, it's mainly used for topping up the lanolin between washings but I was hoping it would've been a way of doing a large area quickly, like spraying scotch guard but it looks like the only way to do it is soak it. Most of the methods mention rubbing it in after spraying.

Atb

Tom

 

[Macaroon]

One of the effects of using the pure soap to carry the lanolin completely into the fibre is that it is quite literally IN the cloth rather than ON the cloth, and therefore has a much improved performance and feel. The trousers I have done three times do not feel in the least greasy, and absorb hardly any water; they are much better than new, by a long, long way.

Nothing that's breathable can be 100% waterproof, but clothing that beats the weather is always going to be a compromise, and this is by far the best and most comfortable I've ever found...........in heavy rain the oiled wool will absorb some water but sheds it at the same time, so breathing well, and as with all good woollen clothes, will keep you warm whilst it is wet. After the lanolizing, it will dry out in less than half the time than previously.

This is my experience of the process as per Toddy's guide and my "wool guru", I hope this is of help to you....................atb mac

 

[Dave]

Ive added a bit of Johnsons baby oil to my swannie during the rinse cycle.

 

[treadlightly]

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Here is Toddy's method. It doesn't make wool waterproof but the effect is similar to proofing cotton with Nikwax wash-in. It sheds some water and is a little less absorbent initially. I feel it also resists dirt better and dries quicker.

Ifyou prefer to use real lanolin to reproof wool then the method is tomake up a soapy water solution with about 4-5 litres of luke warmwater and either 2 tablespoons of soap flakes or pure soap rubbed upinto a good lather. Take out a little in a cleaned jam jar and add alevel tablespoonful of the pure lanolin. Heat in ten second bursts inthe microwave until the lanolin has melted. Pour this back into thesoapy water. The water should go very milky looking. Soak your justwashed and still damp swanni or jumper or bushshirt or cloak in thismixture for at least an hour though longer is more effectice. Move itaround pretty frequently or add more lukewarm water. Finally squeezeout excess water and hang to dry.
Lanolin last cost me £6 for500g from the local chemist. That's a lot of waterproofing[/FONT]

 

[tombear]

That's great thanks. The downer is I tramped round three towns and innumerable super markets, pound shops, chemists and health food shops and no one has any pure soap flakes. The nearest I got was a empty rack in a large Boots which apologised for not having any in stock. Oh well there's always the interweb. Not that ill be doing the big wool items anytime soon as the weathers gone rubbish up here.

atb

Tom

 

[Macaroon]

Most of the supermarkets have pure soap in liquid form, and this works superbly as it needs no mixing.......................

 

[tombear]

Unfortunately not the ones around here, I looked, the nearest thing they had was some stuff for doing wool but that wasn't pure soap, Tesco has listed bars of Simple pure soap which I could take a cheese grater to if I get desperate.

what I of course should be doing is burning some of the wood pile, straining some water through the ashes and mix it with all that mutton tallow I ponced about making! That would be pretty pure stuff!

Cheers!

Tom