HOW TO WATERPROOF N1 DECK JACKET??

[Eddy2dice]

Hi, I have a decent quality postwar civilian N1 deck jacket from the 50s or 60s.
I’ve cleaned it and want to waterproof it, any suggestions welcome, was thinking of canvas tent spray? what do you reckon folks?? Cheers, Eddy

 

[Garylafortuna]

There are sprays available that will do the job, but be careful of toxicity. Most of these waterproofing sprays are terribly toxic.

 

[Sabo]

 

[blackrat2]

Greenland wax is good and cheap via eBay..think there’s a company that produces a modern “waxed” version of the N-1…as for how authentic a way of treating an N-1 to waterproof it I can’t say

 

[Micawber]

Depends where you are but any decent wax proofing for cotton cloths should do the trick. I relax all my Barbour wax proofs with either their stuff or similar but always use the stuff in a tin as the amount of actual proofing in a spray is greatly reduced and of course mixed with thinners. Of course the proofing in a tin requires a bit of effort and elbow grease in a warm room but I find the results last longer.

 

[Enigma1938]

..think there’s a company that produces a modern “waxed” version of the N-1…

Pike brothers produces some waxed N1's for example

 

[blackrat2]

That’s it Pike
The wax bars work well also, rub over the garment then iron to melt the wax…dare I say therapeutic

 

[B-Man2]

In the past I’ve used Barbour wax and rubbed it into the fabric and then took a hair dryer on the high setting and moved it back and forth to melt the wax into the fabric

 

[jeremiah]

I agree with Burt.
There are YouTube videos out there showing different methods and it ulitmately comes down to trial and error for your personal preference. Filson sells its proprietary oil/wax blend in a tin can and it melts around 90degrees F so it melts just by you rubbing in. Work in evenly in small areas and like Burt says, run a heat gun or hair dryer over it and the wax/oil will sink into the cloth. If you don't do that step the wax may cool and solidify giving you a pasty white look and the wax won't stay in the fibers for long. I just re-conditioned an old Filson jacket I have and works great.

 

[robrinay]

That’s it Pike
The wax bars work well also, rub over the garment then iron to melt the wax…dare I say therapeutic

I can see your point about the therapeutic aspect of ironing the wax in but how do you clean the iron after ironing wax? I use a hot hairdryer and it’s effortless.

 

[bfd70]

I put barbour wax in a pot of hot water and melt to liquid form. I blow dry the jacket section i’m working on then apply the wax with a rag. It comes out quite uneven. I let dry a day or two then take the blow dryer to it and a dry rag and rub it even.
i do my barbours this way every 2 years for the past decade.
I DO find it theraputic.

 

[blackrat2]

It’s weird as it doesn’t go on the iron but into the jacket, if anything does go on the iron wipe off while the iron is warm but it’s never been an issue

 

[jeremiah]

Not weird at all.
Wax will choose to adhere to the more permeable material. In this case the cotton threads.
Its the same reason a great way to get wax out of carpet is to take a paper bag and place it over the area affected by the wax and use heat. The wax melts and will absorb into the paper bag.

 

[jeremiah]

It looks to me like the Deck jacket uses a similar cotton twill that my Filson briefcase is made from.
I have added Fislon wax to it and used a hair dryer on high and the oil/wax sinks in nice with no waxy or greasy feel to it and nothing rubs off on clothing.
so you might care to try the Filson wax. Not only will it be more weatherproof it will patina much more richly and quicker.