so for anyone who's ever wondered how one can turn carhartt into something similar to filson... here's a link i found
Maintaining Traditional Oil Skins and “Tin” Cloth - The Fedora Lounge
i followed this recipe damn near exactly. got 6 pounds (didnt use it all) ofbees wax at the nearby apiary supply store for 3 bucks a pound. bought one quart of boiled linseed oil (the reason the link recommends raw is because "boiled" linseed oil is not really what it sounds like. it has chemical additives that helps it to dry, whereas raw shit essentially never dries) from ACE hardware (theyre boiled stuff says right on it "all natural" and has no toxic warnings so i figured its good enough and raw shit is hard to find unless you have a bunch of money to drop at a fucking health food store), bought the quart of turps at the same place, and got a pint of pine tar at a local farm supply store. its used to treat infections on hooved animals' hooves.
i then did as the recipe states, but i boiled the water inside first (tamale pot), transferred it onto a coleman stove outside, c-clamped a coffee can inside of it, and cooked it up in there. i then painted the shit onto my (CLEANED!!! like fucking triple washed! you dont want no dirt fucking up the penetration of the oils!) carhartt bibs, and my girlfriend and i switched off on heat gun and paint brush. we did 2 carhartt jackets, a cotton duck hat, and one pair of bibs.
i definitely recommend finding a friend who wants to get in on it with you if your going to do this. not only to share costs (i spent 46 bucks total) but to help share the work. it takes a while! it took us 7 1/2 solid hours to do our shit. and for 46 bucks we did the jackets, bibs, and the hat. one other thing: i thought i could just use an iron and wax paper instead of the heat gun, then lucked out and my friend had one at the last minute. you need a heat gun for this!! it would have been hell without it and i would have ended up with an unwearable mound of wax. dont fuck around.
keep the water boiling even when you take out the oil and are painting- you'll need to remelt the shit. a
a word to the wise making your clothes like this will make them stiff as HELL until theyre broke in. they will be like thin cardboard. also, they will shed wax on everything they touch (not flakes but oily residue) for a while (whether its filson or not) while they are new. another thing to consider is that this adds considerable weight and bulk to your shit. my bibs feel about 3 times as heavy as they were before. however, for rugged durability, oilcloth cannot be beat. goretex is better waterproof but it aint gonna hold up for year of abuse like this will.. even carhartt goretex.
i will post pictures of the finished product soon. i did this all today. any questions, post away!
EDIT: also, turpentine will end up being the predominent scent. it doesnt smell nasty likie turpentine though...more pine-ish...i didnt have orange oil but the guy we're living with has tons of lemon oil (furniture polish) so i used some of that. i'm wearing my shit now, and its working well. i have yet to go out in the rain (tomorrow it will rain) but i have thrown water at myself, and it all rolls off. also, be prepared to get waxy...i tend to wear bibs naked underneath, so i thought i'd mention that
Maintaining Traditional Oil Skins and “Tin” Cloth - The Fedora Lounge
i followed this recipe damn near exactly. got 6 pounds (didnt use it all) ofbees wax at the nearby apiary supply store for 3 bucks a pound. bought one quart of boiled linseed oil (the reason the link recommends raw is because "boiled" linseed oil is not really what it sounds like. it has chemical additives that helps it to dry, whereas raw shit essentially never dries) from ACE hardware (theyre boiled stuff says right on it "all natural" and has no toxic warnings so i figured its good enough and raw shit is hard to find unless you have a bunch of money to drop at a fucking health food store), bought the quart of turps at the same place, and got a pint of pine tar at a local farm supply store. its used to treat infections on hooved animals' hooves.
i then did as the recipe states, but i boiled the water inside first (tamale pot), transferred it onto a coleman stove outside, c-clamped a coffee can inside of it, and cooked it up in there. i then painted the shit onto my (CLEANED!!! like fucking triple washed! you dont want no dirt fucking up the penetration of the oils!) carhartt bibs, and my girlfriend and i switched off on heat gun and paint brush. we did 2 carhartt jackets, a cotton duck hat, and one pair of bibs.
i definitely recommend finding a friend who wants to get in on it with you if your going to do this. not only to share costs (i spent 46 bucks total) but to help share the work. it takes a while! it took us 7 1/2 solid hours to do our shit. and for 46 bucks we did the jackets, bibs, and the hat. one other thing: i thought i could just use an iron and wax paper instead of the heat gun, then lucked out and my friend had one at the last minute. you need a heat gun for this!! it would have been hell without it and i would have ended up with an unwearable mound of wax. dont fuck around.
keep the water boiling even when you take out the oil and are painting- you'll need to remelt the shit. a
a word to the wise making your clothes like this will make them stiff as HELL until theyre broke in. they will be like thin cardboard. also, they will shed wax on everything they touch (not flakes but oily residue) for a while (whether its filson or not) while they are new. another thing to consider is that this adds considerable weight and bulk to your shit. my bibs feel about 3 times as heavy as they were before. however, for rugged durability, oilcloth cannot be beat. goretex is better waterproof but it aint gonna hold up for year of abuse like this will.. even carhartt goretex.
i will post pictures of the finished product soon. i did this all today. any questions, post away!
EDIT: also, turpentine will end up being the predominent scent. it doesnt smell nasty likie turpentine though...more pine-ish...i didnt have orange oil but the guy we're living with has tons of lemon oil (furniture polish) so i used some of that. i'm wearing my shit now, and its working well. i have yet to go out in the rain (tomorrow it will rain) but i have thrown water at myself, and it all rolls off. also, be prepared to get waxy...i tend to wear bibs naked underneath, so i thought i'd mention that
