I have just bought a bar fjallraven wax and used it on a hat of mine with, I think, very positive results. Before I go ahead and wax everything I own I just wondered if people had experience of waxing previously unwaxed jackets and how they rated them afterwards (I'm considering waxing my green cadet smock). Is there any significant advantage / disadvantage as compared to just throwing it in the washing machine with some nikwax. I have used nikwax often and sm familiar with its 'water proof' qualities.
Wax vs Nikwax advice please
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If you wax an article that hasn't been waxed before you're going to need a lot of wax and a lot of time; it'll disappear at a frightening rate, it has to go right into the fibres to be effective and you'll need to "drive" it in with a brush or cloth and the help of a heat gun or hair dryer; it's not hard to do but requires a good deal of time and effort.
What you end up with will be heavy with the weight of the wax, much darker in colour, totally waterproof and completely unable to breathe at all - like Barbour and all the other makes, not the best things to be walking or working in, far too hot for most. I've done it a few times many years ago and the results were just unwearable except in the very coldest of weather, and then they're not the ideal thing for those conditions.
The other thing to consider; you'd be better to make a mix of two parts beeswax to one part each of pure turpentine and boiled linseed oil. Warm them all together and mix thoroughly, leave to cool and then apply.
If you use wax alone it'll be very hard, will crack where you move, i.e. elbows pockets etc., whereas the above mixture will sit in the fibres rather than on them.
I'd think very hard before I did this to a cadet smock, you'd ruin it, in my view, and there's no going back! You might be better off trading your smock for a wax jacket? I've wanted one of those smocks for years and up 'till now haven't found one.............................One day, I hope!
Be very careful if you make up the above mixture - it's extremely flammable when molten so it's best to do it in a double pot with hot water, bain-marie style.
What you end up with will be heavy with the weight of the wax, much darker in colour, totally waterproof and completely unable to breathe at all - like Barbour and all the other makes, not the best things to be walking or working in, far too hot for most. I've done it a few times many years ago and the results were just unwearable except in the very coldest of weather, and then they're not the ideal thing for those conditions.
The other thing to consider; you'd be better to make a mix of two parts beeswax to one part each of pure turpentine and boiled linseed oil. Warm them all together and mix thoroughly, leave to cool and then apply.
If you use wax alone it'll be very hard, will crack where you move, i.e. elbows pockets etc., whereas the above mixture will sit in the fibres rather than on them.
I'd think very hard before I did this to a cadet smock, you'd ruin it, in my view, and there's no going back! You might be better off trading your smock for a wax jacket? I've wanted one of those smocks for years and up 'till now haven't found one.............................One day, I hope!
Be very careful if you make up the above mixture - it's extremely flammable when molten so it's best to do it in a double pot with hot water, bain-marie style.
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Update:
Thanks for your reply. I went ahead and waxed my smock with a block of fjallraven Greenland wax. I have applied two thin/medium coats, using a hair dryer to melt the wax in after each coat. I am very pleased with the results. There is very little change in the colour, maybe a fraction darker but you can hardly tell. The only reall difference is that the material is quite a bit stiffer. I do not mind this and imagine it will soften up with time. There is no doubt it is a hassle and certainly takes some time to do. I have yet to test it in the rain but it's obviously going to be better than it was.
Thanks for your reply. I went ahead and waxed my smock with a block of fjallraven Greenland wax. I have applied two thin/medium coats, using a hair dryer to melt the wax in after each coat. I am very pleased with the results. There is very little change in the colour, maybe a fraction darker but you can hardly tell. The only reall difference is that the material is quite a bit stiffer. I do not mind this and imagine it will soften up with time. There is no doubt it is a hassle and certainly takes some time to do. I have yet to test it in the rain but it's obviously going to be better than it was.
I don't know if this is true, but I saw a video where a woman from fjallraven was talking about/demonstrating waxing cloth with some dude. He asked "there's no way I can screw this up, right" when she told him to try. She answered "no way at all and if you decide you don't want the wax in anymore, put the jacket through the washing machine three times and the wax will be gone"
here's the link for the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QD8sme8VpE
here's the link for the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QD8sme8VpE
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