Check out my sponsor and remove your personal information from the web at JoinDeleteMe.com/nighthawk and use code NIGHTHAWK for 20% off. DeleteMe international Plans: international.joindeleteme.com If you missed my earlier fabric waterproofing video you can see it here: ua-cam.com/video/z_R0gEDZhAI/v-deo.htmlsi=cZlLdKpAv7i47zVf It's been a strange few months for me figuring out how to keep making videos now having a kid to watch with my wife working part time. Meanwhile I've also assembled a new (and long overdue) editing computer thanks to your Patreon support, and learned new editing software starting with this video. I think I'm getting settled into my new routine and videos should keep coming this summer at my typical pace. One update is that I'm trying to figure out a way to start livestreaming while I work on some of my projects. I've been hesitant to do that in the past because I don't want other channels to see what I'm working on and release their own version before I can. Now that I have some long term projects like my radiative cooling paint project I'm less concerned about copycats because everyone already knows what I'm up to. The trouble is that I don't have internet in my workshop. I could stream from my cellphone but the quality will be very poor. Let me know if you think livestreams would be something you would like to watch. Access might be a Patreon perk while I figure out the details. See you on the next one, and thanks for watching! -Ben
Isn't Naphtha also a main ingredient in DIY DMT extraction? I swear I seen a video where the guy used it to crystalize the DMT in a pyrex tupper wear dish. That may also be a reason why the companies are pulling it from the shelves.
You still could do it with a bit more modern means, because like mineral oil, there there is silicon oil in varying degrees of Thickness. Then use the thinnest you can get. What you basically have to do is replacing part or the whole of the Naphtha thinner with it You only have to watch out for that pesky lubricant versions, those mostly aren't 100% pure silicon oil, but but mixtures with other chemicals that aren't… well lets just say they are good on you car, but not on your skin That said, with more silicon and less silicon oil, or using a more viscous silicon oil, you can even make that a cheap DIY silicon for mold pouring
I was about to comment: I saw a guy waterproofing stuff recently, that's a copy video ! Turns out it's the same guy, same channel, different method haha
Plenty of hobbyist channels ask their audience to be renaissance men with thousands of dollars of niche equipment to follow along, and you stroll in and wow us with something you can teach in grade school. They say talent is hitting a target no one else can, but genius is hitting the target no one knew was there. You're up there as the Michael Faraday of DIYers in my book.
The only hobbyist channels i can think of that uses expensive and rare equipment are Nile Red, where even then most of the work he does is through ol' reliable glassware, and Stuff Made Here, whose gear is, fair enough, overkill. But i think it's misrepresenting the hobby by saying "plenty" when *actually* plenty make do with a 3D printer and a soldering iron, like James Burton.
@@b.j.880 Some others have trended more complicated, expensive, and involved over time, like Applied Science, Tech Ingredients, Cody's Lab, etc. But that is fine, it takes different types. But I do like Ben's stuff for its continued and overall trend of simplicity and lower cost. I wish there were more channels that focused on interesting DIY for the average person. A lot of us don't have a lot of extra spending money.
@@b.j.880I think that really depends on what hobbies you have. I consider things like a band saw, a wielder's kit, or an oscilloscope expensive. Heck, I would consider a 3d printer to be expensive too. In my opinion it's far from something most laymen can pick up and use with immediate functional authority. I'll admit your ease with soldering depends on how small and technical you're getting. And yes, you can learn these things fast, but I mentioned grade schooler being able to do this for a reason. That's the joy of it. There is Zero gatekeeping of any kind with most of his projects. For the most part, anyone can do them from a typical apartment setting with hand tools and no supplemental skills.
I've been using a similar formula to waterproof leather, canvas, outerwear, and all sorts of outdoor gear for years. I melt together 16oz of mineral oil, 1.5 lbs of paraffin wax and 0.5 lb of microcrystalline wax. I have used the block and rub method to apply it, but prefer setting a pot on a cheap heating pad to melt the mixture to a paste consistency and applying it to the material with a chip brush or cheap paintbrush. It goes faster and I get a more even coating. Then, like you, I blast it with a heat gun to fully liquify the wax mixture so it will soak into the textile or leather. I find adding the microcrystalline wax gives the coating a more durable finish with better adhesion and flexibility, as well as improved performance in temperature extremes. In instances where a little stiffness is desired, like like backpacks or drybags, add about 8 oz of carnuba wax to the recipe. Keep making these great videos. They're always a highlight in my day.
@@Kevin.L_ Very easily if you get them warm. A double boiler will work, but I find a a cheap heating pad on "high" gets the mixture warm enough to mix them. If you use the carnuba wax, the double boiler is the best process.
Pretty much the way I do them, but I get the best results scrubbing the mix in with a medium stiff bristle brush while still hot. If you find you have a bit too much in some areas, better to scrub off excess off with balled up newspaper, rather than leaving it to set in an over thick stiff mass ps I use a 'crock pot' slow cooker with its built in thermostat to melt my wax/oil mixes. When you are done, a quick wipe down with newspaper is all the clean up it needs
Actually you can use your favorite iron with no difficulties. When I was treating my raw pine dining table with beeswax (a LOT of beeswax), we melted it in with our only clothes iron. When we were done, running the hot iron a few times over a couple of paper towels removed every trace of wax from the surface. Being nonabsorbent, it didn't retain any wax. Filling with water and running the steam setting blew any remaining wax out of the holes, and it was perfectly clean. We still have the iron. We use it on clothes. Not a problem.
My mother took in ironing for a while. She always 'cleaned' her iron by running the hot iron over wax paper. She would then iron a cloth towel to finish the cleaning.
@@Jimwill01 My mom didn't take in ironing, she just ironed for a family of eight. But she kept a block of wax on the ironing board and occasionally would run her iron over it. She didn't say anything about it cleaning her iron, but said it made the iron glide smoothly over fabrics. It may be that at least some spots of our clothing were a bit waterproof! :)
I'm just a 78 yr old female nursing instructer - you are a tremendous teacher. You speak perfect speed, use normal language I can understand, create things I could use, use store bought items and all this with a pleasant personality. How intelligent of you. Your lessons are fun to watch, I always look forward to the next one whether I need it or not. You gave me the ability to comprehend and this helps me retain the knowledge. Thank you Thank you Thankyou. Learning really can be fun not confusing.
I just lost my best rain hat in a rainstorm. I followed the instructions and - just for fun - waterproofed my old sunbleached cotton hat as a stand-i. It didn't take long at all, and worked so incredibly well that water literally runs off it. Its WAY better than the hat I just lost! I also have the sense of achievement having done it, not by myself, but with your generous help. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this and sharing your knowledge with us. Your praises will be sung far and wide!!
Its surprisingly hard to find basic techniques in modern media, so this is really refreshing to have such "simple" recipes being broadcasted to a wide audience, thx, very much
It's actually really easy to find, and there's a lot of it out there thanks to niche content that's catered to the off-grid/prepper/anachronism crowd. The hard part is that it's not being spoon fed to you on recommended channels, you won't know how to find it if you don't know what to look for. I mean, if you didn't know you could waterproof a bedsheet with gulf wax you certainly wouldn't go looking for it.
@@Skinflaps_Meatslapper I don't know. After his first silicon video, I searched for his method online and had to dig pretty far to find another source sharing the same information. If I didn't already have his exact phrasing to search for, I never would have found it. The same goes for his ambient cooling series and his Starlite recreation. Both of which I can barely find elsewhere without using his videos as a source for specific search terms. I would say that in all three of those cases, "surprisingly hard" is a perfect description for the difficulty of finding information on the topic. And this isn't even getting into false, misleading, or incomplete information, which I was only able to filter through because I had these videos as guides. I would go as far as to say that "The hard part is that it's not being spoon fed to you on recommended channels" is not only an incredibly rude statement, but an outright lie. Even if I already know the general direction that I want to go, I need a lot of prerequisite information to find a lot of this stuff. Sure, I can find other articles and videos on wax based fabric waterproofing. Townsends has a decent one. But none of them will also cover four levels of mineral oil quantities relative to the wax and their effects, three application methods, a comparison between wax, silicon, and plastic tarps, and methods for troubleshooting issues as they arise. Pretending that this kind of information is anywhere close to this convenient to find in any other part of the internet is extremely dishonest and unhelpful.
@@Skinflaps_Meatslapper Well that's exactly the problem. when I look for stuff like this most of the time google just spits out a bunch of websites that try to sell you something over articles that are actually useful.
What I appreciate most is that you not only simplify your process (and explain why), but that you are always looking to improve upon what you already know, and do so in a playful way. Thank you.
You get straight to the point without much talk that we the viewer don’t care about. You explain in great detail while staying on point. You’re much appreciated!
The cheap plastic tarps are also made of resins that are quickly and severely degraded by sunlight, breaking the chemical bonds that hold them together. Cotton doesn't decompose in sunlight if dry, so your waterproofing gives it long life.
Yep, just commented this before I saw your comment. UV does a number on most plastics. They make them more brittle and in a tarp that translates to it being in taters after a year or two in sun
@@crackedemerald4930 as in literally decompose. the organic fibers are eaten by microbes and they need moisture. also means zero waste if 100% cotton is compostable
Dude, the favorite part is the whole video. You are able to take anything from a simple idea to a complex one and make it easy enough to understand that a grade schooler can mostly follow along, and yet still make it entertaining enough to keep an educated adult hooked, and still teach said adult. Don’t change
EXCELLENT - AMAZING presentation skills ! ( Are you a radio DJ or tv AD guy ? HA. ) Great job. I was USN 59-82 Para Rigger / SERE -POW Inst . / VN. Now 81 still learning , sharing , teaching . Be Safe. Mtn Mel in W. Colo tipi camp. WHOA - Oops lots of wax / work to do a tipi. No way.
Major ditto on your entire comment, 5093! I was going to write virtually the same thing. I use a typical slip knot all the time. This "taught line slip knot" just became my new go to knot! However, I always box knot the end of the line so the line can not pass through the slip knot... I hope that makes sense.
one of my favorite things about your channel has been the fact that you consistently do fairly rigorous, and often long term, testing of the things you show/talk about. It really elevates you above the common stuff that is either untested or poorly explained because the presenter doesn't truly understand it themselves; the fact you're very open about the things you don't know is also super important to that.
Yep, saw this come up onto my feed and think 'hey that's the waterproof blanket guy! Thank you UA-cam, excellent long form content. If I'm not mistaken he's also the Passive Air Conditioning paint guy.'
I can't believe this is the first time I've ever seen you. Out of all the time I've watched UA-cam I really can't believe it. Sir you are brilliant. Please don't stop what you're doing this world dearly needs teachers just like you. And it's going to need people just like you even more as time goes on. There won't be enough like you to go around when shit hits the fan. You're not just doing a great service by showing us these things in teaching us these things.... Sir you are saving lives. Baby not yet and not today but you will. And the things we learn from you we will save lives. Thank you.
One broke Christmas when i was a child my mom made me a dress using old curtains cos she couldn’t afford a dress. I’m going to use this to make my goats Christmas picture clothes using curtains and waterproof them with this technique.
Your use of mineral oil to soften the wax reminds me of "plasticizers" in flexible PVC (vinyl) applications. The plasticizer is a compound, typically a petroleum-based liquid, that is added to raw PVC to impart softness and flexibility. It's how PVC can range from being as rigid as the PVC pipes in your plumbing to being as soft as the faux leather seats in your car! I work for a company that produces flexible vinyl membrane for flat or low-slope roofing applications, and one of the biggest limiters of a membrane's lifetime is plasticizer migration. This is where, over long periods of time, the plasticizer leeches out from the polymer matrix. Consequently, the membrane is left brittle and is prone to cracking. I would be very interested in seeing how the mineral oil plasticizer holds up against migration, and consequently how long these coated fabrics retain their flexibility under use. Very cool video!
That's the nice thing about the silicone treatment as silicone is inherently flexible and rubbery (and is a rubber). A proper silicone treatment will last for a number of years. It is also quite stable in relation to UV exposure (considerably more than most plastics). This is partly because it is an inorganic polymer. (And it is more fire resistant).
Mineral spirits works quite well with silicone as a so called plastisizer! Ive found that if silicone thurally disolved in mineral spirits and mixed prior to misting application works perfectly if applied annually if not the end of about the second year wear points start to appear around corners of tents or packs from my experience!
@@williambrodmanvi5944 All that these solvents are doing for silicone, is thinning it out. The silicone doesn't need a plasticizer because it is inherently soft, flexible, and rubbery. But different solvents evaporate at different rates. Naphtha is faster than mineral spirits and paint thinner. But you can certainly use them or even other solvents, as long as they don't attack or dissolve the underlying fabric. For example, you wouldn't want to use acetone for nylon or polyester fabrics, because it could start dissolving them.
That's interesting info about the pvc in to vynal, i never knew that. I worked as a plastuc welder in a drainage tile plant (sewer pipes) we extruded plastic pellets to forcen through the die After cutting the product free from the machine we had tons of scrap waist, so instead of just tossing it , dropped it down a grinder shoot and blitzed it back into reusable pellets. Also the plastic welding wìre used to go through a large size heat gun looked a lot like 3D printing filament today. I wonder how mineral oil and hydrated lime would fare? Maybe try some wax and elmer's glue. If take a drop cloth and role the glue all over it, then add another layer of drop cloth, then glue, et. Doing this multiple times 3-5 at least yields a " poor mans fibre-glass." Which turns ultra hard & water proof. The cool thing is you can pre-shape it and it will dry that way, staying rigid & water proof ..
As a hot tub tech, I’m constantly on my knees in wet places. I hate having wet knees, especially in winter. Since your first video, every new pair of work pants I get goes to my shop first and the fronts get siliconed. Not only do my knees stay dry, but my pants don’t wear out as quickly. As an added bonus, whenever I’m using silicone at work, I don’t need to use paper towels or rags to clean up the excess. I just wipe it off with my finger and smear it on my pants, which just further reinforces the waterproofing.
Back in the early 90s while working as a maintenance welder at a coal company, I noticed that the seam threads on my gloves did not burn out where smeared silicone was rubbed on after rubbing excess off on my gloves. I guickly adapted this technique to the seams of my boots and key clothing areas. I'd also rub coal powder in on my boot toes, providing some abrasion resistance and reaplly it as it wore off.
This is basically the same way I'd make cutting board conditioner with bees wax. Couple tips: Do the double boiler with your wax oil mixture inside glass canning jars. Saves a ton of cleanup. Buy the mineral oil from a farm supply store. Marketed as animal laxatives. 1/4 the cost.
Kudos! I was in adult education for many years. Avid outdoors human, extreme camping & canoe traveler. Used to make fabric beeswax covers for my kitchen that are still going strong. You are a true professional here. Keep teaching; it's your super power. Much gratitude!
"Penguin Mode" is the greatest thing I've seen on the internet in a long time. I'm 57 years old, and when I grow up, I want to be just like Ben. Thank you for yet another fantastic piece of entertainment/education.
Your work with oilskin (aka oilcloth) had me thinking about Superfest glass. Superfest glass came from post-WWII East Germany in 1977. They'd essentially used a potassium ion transfer process to make glass items 15 times stronger than regular glass. This stuff is so strong you could drop it on a tile floor and the tile would break before the glass. The problem is most people do not know about this glass and even less know how American, British, and other companies (like Coca-Cola) stopped this glass from becoming popular due to the industry's need for planned obsolescence. Were it not for Steve Jobs needing a strong glass, Superfest glass wouldn't have been reinvented into Gorilla Glass. In my own Native American community, we make arrowheads and knives with both volcanic glass (obsidian) and regular recycled glass...with the microwave kiln being very popular amongst knappers. If you could come up with a way to make a version of Superfest glass that's approachable, the possibilities are indeed endless. For hunting and other firearm applications, you could use glass projectiles (i.e., shot) that didn't pollute the environment like lead. For self defense, layers of thin glass could be used to deflect bullets. It could be used in fire protection and heat deflection. In construction, it'd have multiple applications. The same is true for medicsl and dental appliances. Imagine dentures stronger than teeth or bone replacement appliances cheaper and stronger than steel. Even in culinary applications you could have pots, pans, utensils, and razor sharp knives that were stronger, thinner, and lighter than steel. It's just something to think about.
Chemically hardened glass isn't actually that difficult to make, just really nasty (molten potassium nitrate isn't exactly safe to deal with!) - most glass manufacturers have known about the basic process since the '60s (yes, that includes Corning), though commercial use had been limited due to it being far more expensive than tempered glass, without any significant advantages. Superfest was just something of a neat idea to make a useful product of it, which turned out to work OK in a highly controlled economy starved of resources but largely failed when introduced to a less regulated market - it just didn't make commercial sense. Of course, nowadays there's a lot of demand for extremely thin or otherwise unusually shaped tempered glass, which is near impossible to make traditionally, so chemical hardening has found its niche - and virtually all major glass manufacturers have their version of it. Note that just like any tempered glass, chemically hardened glass is extremely hard to scratch but will essentially explode if you do manage to crack it.
Denture issue unfortunately, the issue is the health of the jaw bone. You actually compact faster using anything at that point due to diet in the modern world, so you would intensify the issue giving out "unbreakable" branding due to people being idiots and eating garbage.
The other Ben, from Applied Science, has done a video on how to replace the sodium ions in glass with potassium ions. Even when you do that, glass is still glass, and somewhat brittle and can still fracture somewhat easily. There are various different types of strength, and generally, as strength increases in one area, it tends to decrease in other areas. For example, tensile and compressive strengths tend to be opposites. Also, rather than taking soda lime glass and replacing the sodium ions with potassium ions, I wonder if it might just be easier to make the raw glass with a potassium source instead, perhaps using something like potassium silicate with the silicon dioxide? But it might not flux the glass as well as sodium? (Flux means to lower the melting temps). You could also experiment with putting soda glass in a bath of diluted solution of potassium hydroxide (be careful when mixing this with water) and running a DC current through it. You might have to line the glass on one side with a metal foil of some kind, to attract the ions through? But then, you might get some contamination from the metal ions? (Also, make sure you use carbon or graphite rods to conduct the electricity into the bath). In any case, you'd might be surprised what you can make with a combo of S-glass fiberglass or Basalt cloth, with high strength, lamination epoxy, and/or bamboo.
Sir, I've been interested in and researched "tinned cloth" for years. Of course, as you said there are many recipes and methods. I cut up some 10oz canvas and did a handful of tests. Most worked fine, however, the process was "expensive", stunk forever, and took almost as long to cure. Your method is amazingly cost-effective, fast, and effective. Your presentation was honest, and thorough while addressing all my concerns. It would be shameful of me not to mention your generosity in sharing this. Thank you!!
I was coating a surplus field jacket with this method and came up with an easy way to melt the wax into the fabric. I put it on a clothes hanger and hung it in my truck on a sunny day and let the greenhouse effect do the work. It did a great job, just took two hours of waiting. The recipe provided worked perfectly, thank you!
I was thinking you could also grate the wax onto whatever and pop it into the oven on low for a few hours, even preheat the fabric so the flakes stick. Then a quick pass with an iron for final touches without all the tedium
@@jamesyoungquist6923I was thinking that grating the wax would be much easier and faster than trying to melt it as cubes too. Even just using the same technique used here. Reminds me of grating old crayons to make crayon art.
@@jamesyoungquist6923@emilala9049 He talks about the wax grating method in the video, and he found it to not work that well here. He found it doesn't make for a very consistent application; that's why he did the other method with the paste-like application. Also, he mentioned that ironing isn't a good method for convoluted shapes like garments.
In a world of clickbait this is a very welcome respite. I personally really appreciate your easy going light hearted delivery. You speak and instruct at a pace that is easy and enjoyable to follow. I’ve been waiting years for this video to find me.
As a scientist, I always love all of your videos. The taut-line hitch knot was a nice surprise :) I always mean to learn knots, but find videos/books overwhelming and they don't stay in my brain. Having the knot provided in context of its application and just one knot at a time helped me actually learn the knot instead of just doing it once and forgetting it!
A taught line hitch is a great knot to learn. I used it to adjust the length of my safety line while doing tree work. Adjusting the length of, or tensioning a rope can easily solve many problems. One thing to keep in mind is a taught line can slowly untie with repeated tensioning and loosening. If this could be a problem just put a stopper knot in the tail of the knot.
I've been watching a lot of Knot Master on here. The music can be a bit much at times, but the content is easy to follow. So just turn your volume down and enjoy your new UA-cam rabbit hole LOL
0:36 - I would like to thank you for the clearly effective dead cat or other wind noise canceling tech you are using to keep your exterior audio so clean and audible. Your content is great, but the hidden production values are what make it so accessible.
This is very close to the formula I use for sealing cloth hats. I add a bit of ash (about 1oz rice ash per lb is ideal) to the mix to balance the ph, then it lasts damn near forever with daily wear. If using natural wax (bee wax) the ph should be fine and the wax won't break down from it. Paraffin interacts with human oils and breaks down from it, and the ash slows that process to essentially nil. Your hat or jacket will need replacing before the water proofing gives out, unless you work near heat sources a lot, perhaps.
Interesting tip. I wonder if an oil soluble, pure, singular alkaline substance might work even better, since it should disperse better in the oil-wax blend? For example, things like calcium are added to motor oils to increase pH to increase wear resistance over time (since the oil gradually and steadily acidifies with heating-cooling, oxidation, etc). Well, whatever one does and uses, don't add too much of the alkali because alkali plus oil is essentially what soap is made out of.
My father Arthur passed in January of this year. He was in early childhood education, and was an incredibly kind and forgiving man who made MANY people’s lives better through both his ability to share and impart knowledge, and his personal generosity with his time and resources. You look amazingly much like he did, 40-60 years ago. I love your open source sharing of ideas and information, both ancient and new, and the broad range of topics you cover. Thank you for your kind and most professionally produced efforts in education and sharing of knowledge. It honors his spirit, and everyone you grace with new knowledge that improves our lives, and the hub of discussion it creates for further knowledge sharing in the comments section. Salute!
I am so thrilled to run across your video. I live on a farm and go through so many tarps a year. I even bought water proof canvas tarps one year. They rotted in the first winter. Uggg. I am going to give this a try. If this works for me, I will be touting your genius to the 4 corners. It will save me around $500 every year. I have shared the video already with several of my counterparts. ❤❤❤
What I really like about this project is how you’re using environmentally friendly materials, instead of a tarp that might last a year before disintegrating into plastic dust in the environment. Also this is a great application to reuse old blankets and fabric
@@SkepticalCaveman True, I meant more so that the ingredients like Paraffin and mineral oil are non-toxic and safe to handle. I expect their environmental impact isn’t that bad. Beeswax could be interesting to test
In my opinion, this is a perfect “how to” video. It checks all the boxes. Clear, concise, easy to understand, easy to execute, and most of all effective. Even better, it is well recorded visually, well demonstrated and your narration is perfect. I especially liked how you showed the different formulations of coatings you tried and the different application methods. This video was “scientific” and entertaining at the same time. Well done sir. You have earned my ”like and subscribe and notifiy“.
This made me think of "oilskins" . I grew up near the ocean in Maine, worked as lobsterman and dive tender. Doing some research, the first fabric treatment that used a similar method to yours was invented by a New Zealander, Edward Le Roy. He used wax and linseed oil. His gear became so popular he started a company making waterproof garments for fishermen and sailors. The method he used was "boiling" the fabric for 3 days in a mixture of wax and linseed oil. A relevant aside, My first pair of L.L. Bean wool lined hunting shoes, from the'70s, came with a tin of a mixture of bees wax and mink oil to upkeep them. I still have those shoes, but the soles have worn out,. Some day want to bring them to back to Bean's to be reconditioned. I am not going to accept a 'trade in'.
Yes oilskins have been around since Jesus learnt to fish and would have been light leather or hemp fibre which is vastly superior in toughness and wear to cotton. Edward did take out a patent for his specific method as did 'Drizabone' later on, an australian company in Brisbane that calls it a 'secret recipe' but everyone knows it's just a slight variation of linseed oil and wax on cotton in both cases. Definitely not new, tiny amounts of emulsifiers, solvents and even fire retardants are added and paraffin in place of beeswax are the only real differences in modern times.
@@Tonisuperfly Well it's documented historical fact but, always defensively referred to as 'conspiracy theories', that corporate monopolies and their centralised manufacture saw all things replaced with inferior products produced by large petrochemical corporations. Beeswax soaked hemp was superior to parrafin soaked cotton in pretty much every aspect.
Been done for ages. My grandfather use to do it with his big 8 person canvas tent and it is commonly used even to this day on logger pants to keep them dry. Only downside is the wax and oil mix requires reapplying it every year-ish.
@@SilvaDreams Yup, the silicone treatment on the other hand is extremely durable and near permanent (will retain water resistance for a handful of years at least, and potentially many more depending on how thick the layer, how ideal the treatment and conditions, etc).
@@onestoptechnologies7305 Yep. Wool with a silicone coating is particularly fire resistant. And fiberglass cloth with a silicone coating is even more so.
So much to like: followup on the silicone tarp after two years, diy cloak, a taut line refresher, disclaimers about limits and pitfalls and obviously the new recipe with safe ingredients and techniques. Thank you for sharing!
This video is SO awesome! You're like the Dad I never had :) I came to learn about waterproofing fabric and I LOVED the natural wax option! The bonus at the end with the button tech and the knot tying tutorial was SUCH a treat! Thank you for being SO generous with your knowledge it is appreciated. And, I appreciate your sponsor that IS a great service I am going to sign up for!
You are one of, if not the ultimate, most important youtube channels of this decade. Your experiments are not only essential, and extremely useful. They are free, open and so beautifully shot and explained that even i can understand them. You are a boon to free and open knowledge. Thank you.
Calm down buddy. He literally explained in the video that he's not the first person to figure this out. It's pretty common knowledge that you can add oil to wax to make it softer and then melt it into fabric to make it waterproof. As he said, people have been doing this for hundreds of years and everybody likes to make their own tincloth recipes because you can pick literally any wax or oil that you like and it will work fine, lol. This isn't even good tincloth. It's cheap and looks terrible. He literally just picked the cheapest wax and the cheapest oil. Good for tarps only, not even good for jackets.
I'm currently experimenting myself with linseed oil and I can definitely say that it's not useless or expensive. You can make waterproof fabric by soaking it into linseed oil and letting it settle in sunlight in a well aerated location. Linseed oil will slowly polymerize by reacting with oxygen and form a soft, waterproof fabric. HOWEVER BE CAREFUL, if you use boiled linseed oil the polymerization will be rather fast and as it's an exothermic reaction YOUR FABRIC MAY SELF IGNITE. There are many fires starting spontaneously in workshops every year where people whipe boiled linseed oil with fabric and throw it in a bin. The resulting fabric will be kind of shiny and oily in aspect (not to the touch) and it will become yellow/brown with time but it's not visible on dark fabric. I'm currently working on a linseed oil/wax mix so your video is (again) spot on.
@@lupakajsalisa3652 there's no risks of self ignition with raw linseed oil but the process is waaaaaaay longer, it takes days if not weeks. You can even find videos on UA-cam on people making decade old linseed oil varnishes. But you expose your cloth flat/vertical in a well aerated zone I think you can use boiled linseed oil. It's when the fabric is full of boiled oil AND in a closed environment - like a bin - that the heat cannot escape properly and the thermal runaway can occur. Also if you put your cloth outside, the oily surface can catch dust and insects in the beginning of the process. I have to admit that the aspect of my experiments is not nice, kind of yellow/brown oily shiny surface with some insects, but it is flexible and waterproof. My next step was to try to add some wax and dye in order to obtain a more matte and pleasing finish but I'm already working on so many projects that I don't have enough time to work on this one currently.
@@76Eliam I live somewhere with rainy summers so it does sound cumbersome, but have you tried adding a few drops of an essential oil to the linseed oil to repel bugs? You could google bug repelling essential oils if interested. I'd like to try your process if I did have a well ventilated inside area that wasn't the kitchen or living room, but alas. How long exactly does the process with boiled linseed oil take? A week?
Important info for anyone considering boiled linseed oil: the additives used to speed up the drying of linseed oil are not good for use on clothing. Probably fine for a tarp, but I wouldn't use it on a jacket. Double boiled linseed oil contains none of these additives, and is even safe on food preparation surfaces. The downside is a much darker color.
The iron oxide he mentioned was used in historical recipes for a reason as well. Iron acts as a catalyst for the polymerization reaction, which shortens the curing time, a predecessor to the synthetic drying agents used in modern "boiled" linseed oil.
As someone who encountered a naptha ban (which was really rough for my circuit board manufacturing side gig) thank you for continuing to experiment and iterate. I'll try the wax process on a gazebo that's been just a frame on my property since I've moved in.
@@geckoman1011 I neither want to live in a world where leaded gasoline is still standard, nor one where everything is banned by overzealous, malinformed governments. Guess i'll have to find an uninhabited place...
i obviously came to this video to find out about waterproofing fabric, which was really great! but you really went above and beyond wit the spark test, the button technique, and the knot tying method! such a complete video, plus interesting and useful bonus, without being too verbose/long. thank you so much for that.
This is 100% going to be turned into a shell for a bedroll. Waxed sheet, wool surplus blanket, polar fleece throw, simple button together design. Thank you for the magic.
and you could use his cooling gel somehow to make it even better! i know there's extra weight to the salt heavy gel but i bet you could come up with a way to do it
Everything in here was good information (my wife said "that was amazing; very helpful"), but my favorite part is your genuine, casually joyful laugh. Keep up the good life.
Thank you for the waterproofing video, I made a 14 foot yurt with my wife using that tutorial! It was extremely expensive to waterproof the fabric, but I really wanted this camping yurt to be fire retardant instead of extremely flammable, like wax or oil cloth. We’ve used it many times, and it came out amazing. The only issue is that we used painters drop cloths for the fabric and in extremely heavy rain the force of water hitting the roof is able to push through a thin mist it’s only a problem and extremely heavy downpours though light rain to moderate rain is fine
@@stevexracer4309 true, that’s exactly what was happening. we live in Texas, it hardly rains here and when does it’s not often driving hard rain. We have since gotten a plastic sheet to go in between that tarp and wooden frame when we decide to go camping during a forecasted thunderstorm.
@@ramdynebix (Talking about expensive, high tech, waterproof designed fabrics, and not painters cloth treated with silicone or wax.) Sometimes it is misting through, but quite often it is more so condensation droplets getting knocked off, and this will happen even with the most waterproof of fabrics under the right weather conditions.
My favorite part of this video is your enthusiasm! I get the feeling you'd do these kinds of things even without the need for content and it makes the videos so much more enjoyable.
I've splattered silicone roof paint on my clothes many times to discover I'd accidentally waterproofed my jeans and shirts in a way that WON'T wash out. My roofer buddies and I discussed using this method to create custom tarps from large pieces of fabric as needed - and I'm stoked you took the time to create such an in-depth video on the process. I like the wax/oil method and feel there must be other diy methods to play with. The marble/knot tie-down method is an awesome bonus trick. Thank you!
20:59 as someone who wears waxed canvas overalls whilst welding, i find my waxed ones to be more spark/hot molten metal proof then my unwaxed ones and most sparks slag and hot stuff just skips right off the surface as it’s very smooth and almost polished because of use. love waxed fabric especially waxed canvas. nothing like a good pair of tin pants
On a different video, someone mentioned that the piece would likely function like a candle. Any fire would slowly vaporize and burn the wax, instead of consuming the fabric and spreading. So it might actually be safer than the fabric on its own.
I'm going to end up watching this video so many times to remind myself how to tie that hitch. I came for the waterproofing and stayed for the unexpected and useful knowledge!
Thanks for putting in the effort and making this available for the public to see. I live in a house that was built back in the 1800s by a simple farmer and whenever I do projects in the yard that require digging, I end up finding marbles. I always thought it was from kids playing in the field. This video makes me think it may have been wagon tarp tie-downs.
Both Taught Line hitch and waterproofing (for UK weather) are things I wish I had known decades ago. Gives me the confidence to fix my leaky waxed jacket. I must check out your other videos. Many thanks!
I can confirm your earlier method works great. Shortly after I saw that video I grabbed one of my 8oz 12' x 15' canvas drop cloths I got from lowes and treated it. I didn't use a plastic bag like you did in the first video, I used a rubber trash can. I used a grabber pole to mix it with. I still use that tarp to this day and it still sheds water. The thick canvas makes a great choice as it's much more durable than a bed sheet. And I've tried a few different waxing methods. I have never had good results, I always get those white flex lines you showed. You silicone and naptha (you can still get it at lowes or home depot with no issues) method is superior in my humble opinion. It's easier to apply and it is more flexible, plus it's fire retardant. I have some waxed canvas and after a while it looses its waterproofing qualities. And I think it's cool that your new method has been a wood working finish for years, I use it frequently for bowls I turn on the lathe when I want a food safe finish. I'll keep using the silicone method for outdoor tarps but I think I'll give your new method a try on clothing.
I also preferred the first method. And your process is a great idea for large amounts of fabric! I'd like to know how much it changed the colour from the original? I'd like to take the waterproofing one step further from tarps. I'm wanting to waterproof some thicker cotton material that I am going to sew in to seat cushion covers. You can now understand why I wouldn't want o use the wax method. But I haven't done any waterproofing and I'd like to know if there is a significant colour change in the material before I proceed.
Love the knots tutorial at the end. I always use stuff like running-hitch and bowline and this slipknot. All knots are extremely effective and everyone should learn them ! 😀
Watched your waterproofing experiment two years ago and was very impressed but now you have batted the ball out of the park. Brilliant and all without expensive, carcinogenic naptha. And I really liked your favourite knot. 3,500 plus positive comments - what more can be said.
I came across this by mistake and it was the best mistake I have ever made in a LONG time. You asked what wasn't liked..... I can't think of a thing! The knot was simply explained. I appreciate that. I am now a subscriber. Thank you for a great video!
I lived under tarps for ten years and ide like to say... thank you! These tarps you are making look awesome! I'm making 20 and giving them out as presents. That knot is also my favorite! I use it for my tarp setups every time. You can combo it with a truckers hitch for that extra tightness when you need it. Love it.
I've spent a small fortune on all manner of tarps that have soon torn or perished. I've made DIY attempts on canvas which left me with oil slicks and soft hands😁 I'm going to try this. You made this interesting and entertaining. Your laugh makes me smile. The techniques were well demonstrated and explained in an idiot-proof manner without being patronising. Thank you. Subscribed. J
Your enthusiasm is infectious. And your approach of trying to find a genuinely practical, economically viable application for techniques is something I really adore. Thank you for sharing your ideas and I hope there are many more to come.
I never left a comment on UA-cam before….but I think this video deserves recognition for your great teaching skills….and the bonus knot demo is gold! Thank you! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
You have got to be the most wholesome science sciencetuber on the platform. Thank you for all the years of interesting content, and here's to many more!
I have watched a few of your videos over the years, including the Naptha and Silicon water proofing technique. I think the thing I enjoy most is how you explain things, your not fast or haphazard in your explanations and you keep it simple for the layman to follow along. Keep of the good work.
Thank you soooo much. This is by far the most productive video in the internet. You saved me $120 to repurpose my older bed sheet instead of buying waterproof outdoor fabric for the pergola sun shade. Love it.
That's very funny you would say that:-) because at the end of my comment I said Jesus is coming soon don't be left behind to go into the tribulation under the rule of antichrist in other words believe in Jesus and get saved by grace through faith in the death burial and Resurrection sin washed away under the blood of the Lord otherwise you go to hell forever personal choice
@@markeverson5849 I believe hell is cast into the lake of fire, along with death, their usefulness being at an end. Outer darkness is the final destination of Satan and his followers, never to see the light of God's radiance, for all eternity. Imagine how far away that must be, for all eternity.
@@markeverson5849 I've found from "talking" with Yeshua (he never had the name "Jesus" in his life), that he doesn't really care too much what you specifically believe or don't believe, but rather, how you interact with and treat others. In other words, he considers anyone who treats others with kindness, respect, sincere honesty, empathy, compassion, etc, a true Christian. The more that they do this in a universal manner, and more consistently, the more he considers that person a true Christian. And believe it or not, he doesn't even really care if they "believe in him" specifically or not, as long as they live in the above manner. Btw, there is a collapse of this current civilization coming, but it is not the "end of the world", though many people will die because so many are so far removed from knowing how and being able to survive without electricity and modern conveniences. (If this happened a couple hundred years ago, we'd be mostly fine, except for increased UV exposure due to decreased ozone layer). This is coming through a combo of the Earth's magnetic field strength rapidly and ever more quickly weakening, in combo with either this Solar max (over the next couple years) or the next (in roughly 10-13 years from now). Not supernatural in the least bit, but clear cause and effect oriented. NASA and various government agencies have been talking about for awhile, how vulnerable our electrical grid systems are in relation to strong Solar events. But they haven't been factoring in the weakening of the Earth's magnetic field. That is a huge factor and means that we won't need a Carrington level Solar storm to take all of this out anymore. Each year that goes by, the probability increases for a moderately strong to strong Solar storm to have the probable potential to take out the grid system. At this point, an X20 CME could probably do it. And a couple of combo, successive shots of X10 or so CME could. In 10 years, it probably wouldn't even take a single X10 to do it. It is a question of "when", not "if", until the grid systems are significantly updated and hardened against these inevitabilities. Btw, this current weakening of the magnetic field is why we are seeing ever more auroras farther away from the equator, and a definite increase in previously super rare red auroras.
Just want to say that I really appreciate you giving us the Metric measurements as well, it's really helpful for us non-americans. This was a great video 😊
Thanks. I really liked the button idea! I have advice from the arts and crafts sector, you can make "crayons' Wax mixtures have long been used as resists for dyes and sealants. Collect some molds, you can use straws, toilet paper rolls, even make simple triangles from wood or cardboard, whatever. You can even add paper covers so you don't get waxy hands. There are also specialized tools available, like for decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs. These allow you to draw the resist over your materials. You can use a pencil sharpener for small details, and large crayons for faster application. It's less messy and conserves wax. You can also have a "wax bag" to toss in the dryer so the machine doesn't get messy. You can also use an oven at low heat to melt in the mixture. If, like most people you don't have multiple irons, you can use blotting paper or something between the iron and the project. Castor oil is a good alternative to mineral oil for finer clothes and/or leather. You can refresh tarps after a brittle winter cold in your dryer safe bag, which is basically anything that will protect your dryer. I had forgotten how useful wax can be, thanks for the excellent reminder and instructions. I have a "tarp" to make for my "Canadian winter carport"
So, in response to your closing call to action, my favorite part of this was not only did you compare this method with the old one, but explained different ways you'd apply it and why it matters. Also really enjoyed the "bonus" lessons at the end, even though it was stuff I learned in BSA over 20 years ago. Got an interesting hit of nostalgia. As for me least favorite or things to improve? Sadly i didn't really have anything for you. Best i could think of is add your "recipes" on screen. Personally I'd like to use this to give a second life to some of the orphan bed sheets i have, just gotta find the time
Ben, you are an unusual and accomplished communicator, being sure to enunciate every word correctly and at a steady volume. It's a relief to learn from you. TANKS!
Fantastic! I just bought a cotton jacket planning to wax it …somehow. How I had no idea. Then I found this accidentally, I was watching a basketball video when this popped up. My first wax experiment cost $12 and only covered about half a yard of fabric. So you saved me at least $30. Thank you!
Already did the previous water-proofing, looking forward to trying this method too. The bonus knot tutorial was well timed, giving my kiddo lessons in the importance of knowing how to tie knots in the modern world of duct-tape and Velcro.
Okay so no joke , I watched this video last week and got all my stuff to make it . I got some stuff from goodwill and Amazon and was vary confident that this method would work . I will tell everyone this is a VARY GOOD METHOD , I'm super impressed and can't wait to make more. It took me about 45 minutes and was easy. Super water proof and light . Thanks for the info this kicks butt 👍
Thank you! I must say after watching this video I still prefer your previous method with silicon and "naphta". This is because of excellent quality, less sensibility to temperatures and easier ways to apply. I use brush, dip and especially spray. Spraying works really well for clothes: you just treat evenly from outside and it soaks into the outer layer. You can do it on a hangers or right on a person! With the wax method the mixture ratio remains in the product. Whereas for "silicon-gas" you make the mixture by application; the solvent goes away and the silicone remains. No residuals or white lines. Thank you very much your videos are most useful!
While it's true the mixture ratio determines durability, flexibility, and use (temps), the naphta/silicone method, while more predictable and of blanket use, is a bit scarier to use because of the toxic solvent involved for more timid DIYers. It's nice to have options.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents. Have you tried applying this technique to say white linen and spilling coffee atop to test what could be beautiful outdoor furniture fabric?
The tautline hitch should appear as if the "working end" (the end you hold on to and spin around the "standing end") continues in a straight line. In other words, you spin in one direction twice through the loop and once below the loop in the same direction. What you did by switching directions was make half a lark's head. The clove hitch has the same look without the other spin through the loop -- it appears as if the working end continues in a straight line and the lark's head reverses direction. I scanned the comments to see if anyone pointed this out, but with 1,400 comments at the time of my reply, I didn't read them all. Regardless, as someone else said, one day I hope to grow up to be you (I'm barely younger than the other guy who commented). Thanks for the excellent content.
This comment prompted me to do a little research, and I believe the knot demonstrated in the video is the Magnus Hitch (ABOK #1857) as opposed to the "true" Taut-line hitch (ABOK #1856). Edit: Ignore the clickable numbers. UA-cam is assuming they're hashtags.
I remember using soy bean oil and mineral terpentine in a 2:1 ratio to coat 5 canvas tipis. That was 15 years ago. Very waterproof, easy to spread with a roller and penetrates well. The reaction between the 2 is quite stable, functional and durable. You just need to let the fabric air for a few days before use lighting fires inside. Next time i need to do any large water proofing i'll give this combo a try and see how it compares! Another awesome experiment you've shared with us. BTW, I can't believe i didn't know that knot!
Love your technique and the result. Will try it as I am sick of buying plastic tarps that only last a year before being ripped to shreds by the wind and UV. Also, love how excited and happy you are to share this with other folks for free. Kudos to you for being so generous.
When I did this about a month back, I used silicone soap molds to make little bars that I gave out for Christmas. I only used it to waterproof shoes, boots, and a jacket, but the flexibility is already proving useful on all of them.
Videos aside, you seem like such a good and nice guy. Any neighbor or friend would be so fortunate to know you. I wish everyone was as nice as you. Great smile and good attitude. ❤ God bless you.
The most enjoyable part of your videos, apart from the knowledge you impart, is your enthusiasm and positivity for sharing that knowledge, and your passion for making your techniques accessible and understandable. Sharing the process and the mistakes you made is also invaluable. I've enjoyed your content for years and I hope you continue to go from strength to strength.
I saw your video a couple years ago, and when I saw you put the cloak over your head all I could think was 'please say it..' "Penguin mode" 😂 You seem like a pretty genuine dude, and you're never redundant. Pro UA-camr!
You surely create the most qualitative, useful and clear content on the Internet. I understand you very well even though I don't speak English very well.
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If you missed my earlier fabric waterproofing video you can see it here: ua-cam.com/video/z_R0gEDZhAI/v-deo.htmlsi=cZlLdKpAv7i47zVf
It's been a strange few months for me figuring out how to keep making videos now having a kid to watch with my wife working part time. Meanwhile I've also assembled a new (and long overdue) editing computer thanks to your Patreon support, and learned new editing software starting with this video. I think I'm getting settled into my new routine and videos should keep coming this summer at my typical pace.
One update is that I'm trying to figure out a way to start livestreaming while I work on some of my projects. I've been hesitant to do that in the past because I don't want other channels to see what I'm working on and release their own version before I can. Now that I have some long term projects like my radiative cooling paint project I'm less concerned about copycats because everyone already knows what I'm up to. The trouble is that I don't have internet in my workshop. I could stream from my cellphone but the quality will be very poor. Let me know if you think livestreams would be something you would like to watch. Access might be a Patreon perk while I figure out the details.
See you on the next one, and thanks for watching!
-Ben
Use leather for a more 'fireproof' version of the tarp.
Isn't Naphtha also a main ingredient in DIY DMT extraction? I swear I seen a video where the guy used it to crystalize the DMT in a pyrex tupper wear dish. That may also be a reason why the companies are pulling it from the shelves.
You still could do it with a bit more modern means, because like mineral oil, there there is silicon oil in varying degrees of Thickness. Then use the thinnest you can get.
What you basically have to do is replacing part or the whole of the Naphtha thinner with it
You only have to watch out for that pesky lubricant versions, those mostly aren't 100% pure silicon oil, but but mixtures with other chemicals that aren't… well lets just say they are good on you car, but not on your skin
That said, with more silicon and less silicon oil, or using a more viscous silicon oil, you can even make that a cheap DIY silicon for mold pouring
Waterproof your shoes
I was about to comment: I saw a guy waterproofing stuff recently, that's a copy video !
Turns out it's the same guy, same channel, different method haha
Plenty of hobbyist channels ask their audience to be renaissance men with thousands of dollars of niche equipment to follow along, and you stroll in and wow us with something you can teach in grade school. They say talent is hitting a target no one else can, but genius is hitting the target no one knew was there. You're up there as the Michael Faraday of DIYers in my book.
The brains trust of a world is nice and you have people with a bunch of different backgrounds.
Yeah, Ben is truly impressive.
The only hobbyist channels i can think of that uses expensive and rare equipment are Nile Red, where even then most of the work he does is through ol' reliable glassware, and Stuff Made Here, whose gear is, fair enough, overkill.
But i think it's misrepresenting the hobby by saying "plenty" when *actually* plenty make do with a 3D printer and a soldering iron, like James Burton.
@@b.j.880 Some others have trended more complicated, expensive, and involved over time, like Applied Science, Tech Ingredients, Cody's Lab, etc.
But that is fine, it takes different types. But I do like Ben's stuff for its continued and overall trend of simplicity and lower cost. I wish there were more channels that focused on interesting DIY for the average person.
A lot of us don't have a lot of extra spending money.
@@b.j.880I think that really depends on what hobbies you have. I consider things like a band saw, a wielder's kit, or an oscilloscope expensive. Heck, I would consider a 3d printer to be expensive too. In my opinion it's far from something most laymen can pick up and use with immediate functional authority. I'll admit your ease with soldering depends on how small and technical you're getting. And yes, you can learn these things fast, but I mentioned grade schooler being able to do this for a reason. That's the joy of it. There is Zero gatekeeping of any kind with most of his projects. For the most part, anyone can do them from a typical apartment setting with hand tools and no supplemental skills.
I don't really have anything to say, I'm just commenting because I think this video deserves the engagement.
I agree.
I secod that lmao. This is wonderful, and i thought the last recipe was exciting!!!!
Absolutely
Ditto.
Me, too, except that I have to say that I really liked the video.
Not gonna lie, the water proofing is nice but the knot and button info is top notch
As soon as the knot lesson started I had to go get a piece of rope, such a useful one to know
Agreed, that part blew my mind with how simple it was. Definitely tested it out on a piece of rope too. Hopefully I'll remember it this time.
I learned this in the Boy Scouts back in the day. Also useful for tents, hammocks, or other fabric structures.
I see what you did there.
@@gatergates8813 Same! I really hope I remember it. I'm sure it'll come in handy some day
I've been using a similar formula to waterproof leather, canvas, outerwear, and all sorts of outdoor gear for years. I melt together 16oz of mineral oil, 1.5 lbs of paraffin wax and 0.5 lb of microcrystalline wax. I have used the block and rub method to apply it, but prefer setting a pot on a cheap heating pad to melt the mixture to a paste consistency and applying it to the material with a chip brush or cheap paintbrush. It goes faster and I get a more even coating. Then, like you, I blast it with a heat gun to fully liquify the wax mixture so it will soak into the textile or leather. I find adding the microcrystalline wax gives the coating a more durable finish with better adhesion and flexibility, as well as improved performance in temperature extremes. In instances where a little stiffness is desired, like like backpacks or drybags, add about 8 oz of carnuba wax to the recipe.
Keep making these great videos. They're always a highlight in my day.
Interesting. I'll have to try that. Do the 3 ingredients mix easily?
@@Kevin.L_ Very easily if you get them warm. A double boiler will work, but I find a a cheap heating pad on "high" gets the mixture warm enough to mix them. If you use the carnuba wax, the double boiler is the best process.
@chriscmoor Thank you. I wouldn't have considered a heating pad. Sounds much less combersome than a double boiler.
Pretty much the way I do them, but I get the best results scrubbing the mix in with a medium stiff bristle brush while still hot. If you find you have a bit too much in some areas, better to scrub off excess off with balled up newspaper, rather than leaving it to set in an over thick stiff mass
ps I use a 'crock pot' slow cooker with its built in thermostat to melt my wax/oil mixes. When you are done, a quick wipe down with newspaper is all the clean up it needs
@@bigoldgrizzlyMy wife did say she needs a new crock pot. Great use for the old one!
Actually you can use your favorite iron with no difficulties. When I was treating my raw pine dining table with beeswax (a LOT of beeswax), we melted it in with our only clothes iron. When we were done, running the hot iron a few times over a couple of paper towels removed every trace of wax from the surface. Being nonabsorbent, it didn't retain any wax. Filling with water and running the steam setting blew any remaining wax out of the holes, and it was perfectly clean.
We still have the iron. We use it on clothes. Not a problem.
My mother took in ironing for a while. She always 'cleaned' her iron by running the hot iron over wax paper. She would then iron a cloth towel to finish the cleaning.
Honestly, I wondered if this would be useful for stiffening up small bits of fabric, but not the whole large body of fabric.
@@eugenetswongyes it would, same way starch works, just that it's water soluble so washes out while the wax would survive a few washes
@@eugenetswong You'll see a color change.
@@Jimwill01 My mom didn't take in ironing, she just ironed for a family of eight. But she kept a block of wax on the ironing board and occasionally would run her iron over it. She didn't say anything about it cleaning her iron, but said it made the iron glide smoothly over fabrics. It may be that at least some spots of our clothing were a bit waterproof! :)
I'm just a 78 yr old female nursing instructer - you are a tremendous teacher. You speak perfect speed, use normal language I can understand, create things I could use, use store bought items and all this with a pleasant personality. How intelligent of you. Your lessons are fun to watch, I always look forward to the next one whether I need it or not. You gave me the ability to comprehend and this helps me retain the knowledge. Thank you Thank you Thankyou. Learning really can be fun not confusing.
You're sweet for that. I applaud you.
And he has a cool bird !
This! All my thoughts too. What a fantastic way of teaching.
Hello ...agree with what you say ....nice to know others are there ,like me
Super lesson well taught. Loved the button and knot extra.
This is the stuff that the internet was made for. Incredible information across the board and amazing video. 10/10
1000% agreed
I don't know why UA-cam decided to show me this, but it's going directly to favorites.
Nice video, thanks!
I just lost my best rain hat in a rainstorm. I followed the instructions and - just for fun - waterproofed my old sunbleached cotton hat as a stand-i. It didn't take long at all, and worked so incredibly well that water literally runs off it. Its WAY better than the hat I just lost! I also have the sense of achievement having done it, not by myself, but with your generous help. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this and sharing your knowledge with us. Your praises will be sung far and wide!!
Did you do both the inside and the outside?
Oh man! I have a nice fishing hat that would probably be great for my first start
Its surprisingly hard to find basic techniques in modern media, so this is really refreshing to have such "simple" recipes being broadcasted to a wide audience, thx, very much
It's actually really easy to find, and there's a lot of it out there thanks to niche content that's catered to the off-grid/prepper/anachronism crowd. The hard part is that it's not being spoon fed to you on recommended channels, you won't know how to find it if you don't know what to look for. I mean, if you didn't know you could waterproof a bedsheet with gulf wax you certainly wouldn't go looking for it.
@@Skinflaps_Meatslapper I don't know. After his first silicon video, I searched for his method online and had to dig pretty far to find another source sharing the same information. If I didn't already have his exact phrasing to search for, I never would have found it. The same goes for his ambient cooling series and his Starlite recreation. Both of which I can barely find elsewhere without using his videos as a source for specific search terms. I would say that in all three of those cases, "surprisingly hard" is a perfect description for the difficulty of finding information on the topic. And this isn't even getting into false, misleading, or incomplete information, which I was only able to filter through because I had these videos as guides.
I would go as far as to say that "The hard part is that it's not being spoon fed to you on recommended channels" is not only an incredibly rude statement, but an outright lie. Even if I already know the general direction that I want to go, I need a lot of prerequisite information to find a lot of this stuff. Sure, I can find other articles and videos on wax based fabric waterproofing. Townsends has a decent one. But none of them will also cover four levels of mineral oil quantities relative to the wax and their effects, three application methods, a comparison between wax, silicon, and plastic tarps, and methods for troubleshooting issues as they arise. Pretending that this kind of information is anywhere close to this convenient to find in any other part of the internet is extremely dishonest and unhelpful.
@@Skinflaps_Meatslapper Well that's exactly the problem. when I look for stuff like this most of the time google just spits out a bunch of websites that try to sell you something over articles that are actually useful.
@@anoukk_put DIY in front of search phrase ... helps a lot, but not completely.
What I appreciate most is that you not only simplify your process (and explain why), but that you are always looking to improve upon what you already know, and do so in a playful way. Thank you.
He did four ratios of oil to wax and tested them. That was impressive. If you do experiments, share them like this.
@@jack002tuber will this melt in the hot sun? I live in the subtropics
@@juliefall2892Try it out.
PS: I'm in the subtropics too.
@@juliefall2892 You could test, at most you'd need to have less oil compared to vax.
You get straight to the point without much talk that we the viewer don’t care about. You explain in great detail while staying on point. You’re much appreciated!
The cheap plastic tarps are also made of resins that are quickly and severely degraded by sunlight, breaking the chemical bonds that hold them together. Cotton doesn't decompose in sunlight if dry, so your waterproofing gives it long life.
wait cotton decomposes under sunlight if wet? does it just turn into cotton tar?
@@crackedemerald4930 It rots. What did you think an organic fabric does?
Yep, just commented this before I saw your comment. UV does a number on most plastics. They make them more brittle and in a tarp that translates to it being in taters after a year or two in sun
This is the major issue for me, down here on the Gulf coast. Plastic tarps last < 1 summer, down here.
@@crackedemerald4930 as in literally decompose. the organic fibers are eaten by microbes and they need moisture. also means zero waste if 100% cotton is compostable
Dude, the favorite part is the whole video. You are able to take anything from a simple idea to a complex one and make it easy enough to understand that a grade schooler can mostly follow along, and yet still make it entertaining enough to keep an educated adult hooked, and still teach said adult. Don’t change
What a happy little accident.
EXCELLENT - AMAZING presentation skills ! ( Are you a radio DJ or tv AD guy ? HA. ) Great job. I was USN 59-82 Para Rigger / SERE -POW Inst . / VN. Now 81 still learning , sharing , teaching . Be Safe. Mtn Mel in W. Colo tipi camp.
WHOA - Oops lots of wax / work to do a tipi. No way.
The map says this is at the crossroads of white privilege and toxic masculinity boulevard 😂
Major ditto on your entire comment, 5093! I was going to write virtually the same thing.
I use a typical slip knot all the time. This "taught line slip knot" just became my new go to knot! However, I always box knot the end of the line so the line can not pass through the slip knot... I hope that makes sense.
@@maxnovakovics2568
"What a happy little accident," said Bob Ross, once upon a time.
🎉❤
one of my favorite things about your channel has been the fact that you consistently do fairly rigorous, and often long term, testing of the things you show/talk about. It really elevates you above the common stuff that is either untested or poorly explained because the presenter doesn't truly understand it themselves; the fact you're very open about the things you don't know is also super important to that.
Yep, saw this come up onto my feed and think 'hey that's the waterproof blanket guy! Thank you UA-cam, excellent long form content. If I'm not mistaken he's also the Passive Air Conditioning paint guy.'
This is one of my favorite channels for that reason. Another is Project Farm for similar long-term projects and testing. Practical info ftw!
So true!
I can't believe this is the first time I've ever seen you. Out of all the time I've watched UA-cam I really can't believe it. Sir you are brilliant. Please don't stop what you're doing this world dearly needs teachers just like you. And it's going to need people just like you even more as time goes on. There won't be enough like you to go around when shit hits the fan. You're not just doing a great service by showing us these things in teaching us these things.... Sir you are saving lives. Baby not yet and not today but you will. And the things we learn from you we will save lives. Thank you.
Linseed does have many qualities.
I understand your process and creating a valuable material.
I look forward to additional insights.
One broke Christmas when i was a child my mom made me a dress using old curtains cos she couldn’t afford a dress.
I’m going to use this to make my goats Christmas picture clothes using curtains and waterproof them with this technique.
I want to re-waterproof my horse blankets!
Your use of mineral oil to soften the wax reminds me of "plasticizers" in flexible PVC (vinyl) applications. The plasticizer is a compound, typically a petroleum-based liquid, that is added to raw PVC to impart softness and flexibility. It's how PVC can range from being as rigid as the PVC pipes in your plumbing to being as soft as the faux leather seats in your car!
I work for a company that produces flexible vinyl membrane for flat or low-slope roofing applications, and one of the biggest limiters of a membrane's lifetime is plasticizer migration. This is where, over long periods of time, the plasticizer leeches out from the polymer matrix. Consequently, the membrane is left brittle and is prone to cracking.
I would be very interested in seeing how the mineral oil plasticizer holds up against migration, and consequently how long these coated fabrics retain their flexibility under use.
Very cool video!
That's the nice thing about the silicone treatment as silicone is inherently flexible and rubbery (and is a rubber). A proper silicone treatment will last for a number of years. It is also quite stable in relation to UV exposure (considerably more than most plastics). This is partly because it is an inorganic polymer.
(And it is more fire resistant).
Mineral spirits works quite well with silicone as a so called plastisizer! Ive found that if silicone thurally disolved in mineral spirits and mixed prior to misting application works perfectly if applied annually if not the end of about the second year wear points start to appear around corners of tents or packs from my experience!
Probaply at about the time the mineral spirits have seen to completely evaporate therefore no longer able to function as a plastisizer perhaps?
@@williambrodmanvi5944 All that these solvents are doing for silicone, is thinning it out. The silicone doesn't need a plasticizer because it is inherently soft, flexible, and rubbery.
But different solvents evaporate at different rates. Naphtha is faster than mineral spirits and paint thinner. But you can certainly use them or even other solvents, as long as they don't attack or dissolve the underlying fabric. For example, you wouldn't want to use acetone for nylon or polyester fabrics, because it could start dissolving them.
That's interesting info about the pvc in to vynal, i never knew that.
I worked as a plastuc welder in a drainage tile plant (sewer pipes) we extruded plastic pellets to forcen through the die
After cutting the product free from the machine we had tons of scrap waist, so instead of just tossing it , dropped it down a grinder shoot and blitzed it back into reusable pellets.
Also the plastic welding wìre used to go through a large size heat gun looked a lot like 3D printing filament today.
I wonder how mineral oil and hydrated lime would fare?
Maybe try some wax and elmer's glue.
If take a drop cloth and role the glue all over it,
then add another layer of drop cloth, then glue, et.
Doing this multiple times 3-5 at least yields a " poor mans fibre-glass."
Which turns ultra hard & water proof.
The cool thing is you can pre-shape it and it will dry that way, staying rigid & water proof ..
As a hot tub tech, I’m constantly on my knees in wet places. I hate having wet knees, especially in winter. Since your first video, every new pair of work pants I get goes to my shop first and the fronts get siliconed. Not only do my knees stay dry, but my pants don’t wear out as quickly. As an added bonus, whenever I’m using silicone at work, I don’t need to use paper towels or rags to clean up the excess. I just wipe it off with my finger and smear it on my pants, which just further reinforces the waterproofing.
you're gonna end up with only waterproof thighs at that rate!
Back in the early 90s while working as a maintenance welder at a coal company, I noticed that the seam threads on my gloves did not burn out where smeared silicone was rubbed on after rubbing excess off on my gloves. I guickly adapted this technique to the seams of my boots and key clothing areas. I'd also rub coal powder in on my boot toes, providing some abrasion resistance and reaplly it as it wore off.
What a great tip! Thank you for mentioning it.
@@B30pt87I smear fings all ober my pants to! What your phone nubber I’ll set u a picture
@@Skunk106 yeah bro that’s what I about to say
This is basically the same way I'd make cutting board conditioner with bees wax.
Couple tips:
Do the double boiler with your wax oil mixture inside glass canning jars. Saves a ton of cleanup.
Buy the mineral oil from a farm supply store. Marketed as animal laxatives. 1/4 the cost.
Good tips! Thanks.
Wow 🤯 I love it when gems like these are shared ❤❤❤❤❤
Does it matter what wax I use?(Paraffin, Beeswax, or some blend?)
For cutting boards? Would just use beeswax. For this waterproofing either or would be fine.
thanks!
Kudos! I was in adult education for many years. Avid outdoors human, extreme camping & canoe traveler. Used to make fabric beeswax covers for my kitchen that are still going strong.
You are a true professional here. Keep teaching; it's your super power. Much gratitude!
"Penguin Mode" is the greatest thing I've seen on the internet in a long time.
I'm 57 years old, and when I grow up, I want to be just like Ben.
Thank you for yet another fantastic piece of entertainment/education.
This man comes every few months, drop a banger, refuses to elaborate, leaves and comes back to repeat the cicle
Your work with oilskin (aka oilcloth) had me thinking about Superfest glass. Superfest glass came from post-WWII East Germany in 1977. They'd essentially used a potassium ion transfer process to make glass items 15 times stronger than regular glass. This stuff is so strong you could drop it on a tile floor and the tile would break before the glass. The problem is most people do not know about this glass and even less know how American, British, and other companies (like Coca-Cola) stopped this glass from becoming popular due to the industry's need for planned obsolescence. Were it not for Steve Jobs needing a strong glass, Superfest glass wouldn't have been reinvented into Gorilla Glass. In my own Native American community, we make arrowheads and knives with both volcanic glass (obsidian) and regular recycled glass...with the microwave kiln being very popular amongst knappers. If you could come up with a way to make a version of Superfest glass that's approachable, the possibilities are indeed endless. For hunting and other firearm applications, you could use glass projectiles (i.e., shot) that didn't pollute the environment like lead. For self defense, layers of thin glass could be used to deflect bullets. It could be used in fire protection and heat deflection. In construction, it'd have multiple applications. The same is true for medicsl and dental appliances. Imagine dentures stronger than teeth or bone replacement appliances cheaper and stronger than steel. Even in culinary applications you could have pots, pans, utensils, and razor sharp knives that were stronger, thinner, and lighter than steel. It's just something to think about.
Chemically hardened glass isn't actually that difficult to make, just really nasty (molten potassium nitrate isn't exactly safe to deal with!) - most glass manufacturers have known about the basic process since the '60s (yes, that includes Corning), though commercial use had been limited due to it being far more expensive than tempered glass, without any significant advantages. Superfest was just something of a neat idea to make a useful product of it, which turned out to work OK in a highly controlled economy starved of resources but largely failed when introduced to a less regulated market - it just didn't make commercial sense. Of course, nowadays there's a lot of demand for extremely thin or otherwise unusually shaped tempered glass, which is near impossible to make traditionally, so chemical hardening has found its niche - and virtually all major glass manufacturers have their version of it. Note that just like any tempered glass, chemically hardened glass is extremely hard to scratch but will essentially explode if you do manage to crack it.
I too just watched that video :p
Denture issue unfortunately, the issue is the health of the jaw bone. You actually compact faster using anything at that point due to diet in the modern world, so you would intensify the issue giving out "unbreakable" branding due to people being idiots and eating garbage.
Thats very close to how Gorilla Glass is made.
The other Ben, from Applied Science, has done a video on how to replace the sodium ions in glass with potassium ions.
Even when you do that, glass is still glass, and somewhat brittle and can still fracture somewhat easily. There are various different types of strength, and generally, as strength increases in one area, it tends to decrease in other areas. For example, tensile and compressive strengths tend to be opposites.
Also, rather than taking soda lime glass and replacing the sodium ions with potassium ions, I wonder if it might just be easier to make the raw glass with a potassium source instead, perhaps using something like potassium silicate with the silicon dioxide? But it might not flux the glass as well as sodium? (Flux means to lower the melting temps).
You could also experiment with putting soda glass in a bath of diluted solution of potassium hydroxide (be careful when mixing this with water) and running a DC current through it. You might have to line the glass on one side with a metal foil of some kind, to attract the ions through? But then, you might get some contamination from the metal ions? (Also, make sure you use carbon or graphite rods to conduct the electricity into the bath).
In any case, you'd might be surprised what you can make with a combo of S-glass fiberglass or Basalt cloth, with high strength, lamination epoxy, and/or bamboo.
My favorite part of this video is your hearty chuckle! Thank you for making these substantial educational videos for so long!
Sir, I've been interested in and researched "tinned cloth" for years. Of course, as you said there are many recipes and methods. I cut up some 10oz canvas and did a handful of tests. Most worked fine, however, the process was "expensive", stunk forever, and took almost as long to cure. Your method is amazingly cost-effective, fast, and effective. Your presentation was honest, and thorough while addressing all my concerns. It would be shameful of me not to mention your generosity in sharing this. Thank you!!
Yes, same here. DC
When you tried this did a raise in temperature cause the fabric to become waxy or oily?
I was coating a surplus field jacket with this method and came up with an easy way to melt the wax into the fabric. I put it on a clothes hanger and hung it in my truck on a sunny day and let the greenhouse effect do the work. It did a great job, just took two hours of waiting.
The recipe provided worked perfectly, thank you!
I was thinking you could also grate the wax onto whatever and pop it into the oven on low for a few hours, even preheat the fabric so the flakes stick. Then a quick pass with an iron for final touches without all the tedium
Sounds like you got wax all over your car seats.
@@starrychloe Not a bit, I had a pretty light coat on it. I did put a plastic shopping bag under it, but it was clean at the end.
@@jamesyoungquist6923I was thinking that grating the wax would be much easier and faster than trying to melt it as cubes too. Even just using the same technique used here. Reminds me of grating old crayons to make crayon art.
@@jamesyoungquist6923@emilala9049 He talks about the wax grating method in the video, and he found it to not work that well here. He found it doesn't make for a very consistent application; that's why he did the other method with the paste-like application. Also, he mentioned that ironing isn't a good method for convoluted shapes like garments.
In a world of clickbait this is a very welcome respite. I personally really appreciate your easy going light hearted delivery. You speak and instruct at a pace that is easy and enjoyable to follow. I’ve been waiting years for this video to find me.
He can teach knot tying a lot better than anyone I've seen also. He's great. Speaks slow and clear; he's terrific
As a scientist, I always love all of your videos. The taut-line hitch knot was a nice surprise :) I always mean to learn knots, but find videos/books overwhelming and they don't stay in my brain. Having the knot provided in context of its application and just one knot at a time helped me actually learn the knot instead of just doing it once and forgetting it!
A taught line hitch is a great knot to learn. I used it to adjust the length of my safety line while doing tree work. Adjusting the length of, or tensioning a rope can easily solve many problems. One thing to keep in mind is a taught line can slowly untie with repeated tensioning and loosening. If this could be a problem just put a stopper knot in the tail of the knot.
I've been watching a lot of Knot Master on here. The music can be a bit much at times, but the content is easy to follow. So just turn your volume down and enjoy your new UA-cam rabbit hole LOL
Learning stuff isn't a one-shot deal. Things have to be repeated over and over to be really learned.
@@TheFredmac Taut line hitch is not a suitable choice for work on height.
taut line hitch and bowline are the only two knots I remember from scouts and it's because I actually use them often
0:36 - I would like to thank you for the clearly effective dead cat or other wind noise canceling tech you are using to keep your exterior audio so clean and audible. Your content is great, but the hidden production values are what make it so accessible.
I love how you don't just quit at one good idea, you try to improve it. Thanks Ben for your never-ending pursuit of excellence!
I appreciate the fact that you not only showed us how to make these items, but also demonstrated the effectiveness of the end result.
this is OG youtube format. give this 1billion views!
This is very close to the formula I use for sealing cloth hats. I add a bit of ash (about 1oz rice ash per lb is ideal) to the mix to balance the ph, then it lasts damn near forever with daily wear.
If using natural wax (bee wax) the ph should be fine and the wax won't break down from it. Paraffin interacts with human oils and breaks down from it, and the ash slows that process to essentially nil. Your hat or jacket will need replacing before the water proofing gives out, unless you work near heat sources a lot, perhaps.
"unless you work with heat sources a lot" maybe not a dark hat then lol. the sun here us intense
It is very interesting! Does it get stiffer at temperatures as low as 0°F/-18°C ?
Interesting tip. I wonder if an oil soluble, pure, singular alkaline substance might work even better, since it should disperse better in the oil-wax blend? For example, things like calcium are added to motor oils to increase pH to increase wear resistance over time (since the oil gradually and steadily acidifies with heating-cooling, oxidation, etc). Well, whatever one does and uses, don't add too much of the alkali because alkali plus oil is essentially what soap is made out of.
Are you able to wash it in a machine?
@@eugenetswong I highly doubt it.
But with the silicone treatment, you can.
My father Arthur passed in January of this year. He was in early childhood education, and was an incredibly kind and forgiving man who made MANY people’s lives better through both his ability to share and impart knowledge, and his personal generosity with his time and resources. You look amazingly much like he did, 40-60 years ago.
I love your open source sharing of ideas and information, both ancient and new, and the broad range of topics you cover.
Thank you for your kind and most professionally produced efforts in education and sharing of knowledge.
It honors his spirit, and everyone you grace with new knowledge that improves our lives, and the hub of discussion it creates for further knowledge sharing in the comments section.
Salute!
No.
@@spankyjeffro5320 - no need to focus on what the ladies say when you come on to them.
I am so thrilled to run across your video. I live on a farm and go through so many tarps a year. I even bought water proof canvas tarps one year. They rotted in the first winter. Uggg. I am going to give this a try. If this works for me, I will be touting your genius to the 4 corners. It will save me around $500 every year. I have shared the video already with several of my counterparts. ❤❤❤
What I really like about this project is how you’re using environmentally friendly materials, instead of a tarp that might last a year before disintegrating into plastic dust in the environment. Also this is a great application to reuse old blankets and fabric
Well, paraffin is made from fossil fuels. Stearin is a non fossil alternative, but I don't know a replacement for the mineral oil. Maybe lanolin?
@@SkepticalCaveman True, I meant more so that the ingredients like Paraffin and mineral oil are non-toxic and safe to handle. I expect their environmental impact isn’t that bad. Beeswax could be interesting to test
@@lanceanthony198 I think stearin is cheaper than beeswax, though.
Apparently boiled linseed oil is a common ingredient in DIY wax. Haven't tested it or anything.
@@SkepticalCaveman Beeswax + linseed oil, relationship 3:1
In my opinion, this is a perfect “how to” video. It checks all the boxes. Clear, concise, easy to understand, easy to execute, and most of all effective. Even better, it is well recorded visually, well demonstrated and your narration is perfect. I especially liked how you showed the different formulations of coatings you tried and the different application methods. This video was “scientific” and entertaining at the same time.
Well done sir. You have earned my ”like and subscribe and notifiy“.
AND NO CHEESY SOUNDTRACKS ! 🥰
Concise?!
So long winded.
Instruction started only at 10:20...
This made me think of "oilskins" . I grew up near the ocean in Maine, worked as lobsterman and dive tender. Doing some research, the first fabric treatment that used a similar method to yours was invented by a New Zealander, Edward Le Roy. He used wax and linseed oil. His gear became so popular he started a company making waterproof garments for fishermen and sailors. The method he used was "boiling" the fabric for 3 days in a mixture of wax and linseed oil. A relevant aside, My first pair of L.L. Bean wool lined hunting shoes, from the'70s, came with a tin of a mixture of bees wax and mink oil to upkeep them. I still have those shoes, but the soles have worn out,. Some day want to bring them to back to Bean's to be reconditioned. I am not going to accept a 'trade in'.
Yes oilskins have been around since Jesus learnt to fish and would have been light leather or hemp fibre which is vastly superior in toughness and wear to cotton. Edward did take out a patent for his specific method as did 'Drizabone' later on, an australian company in Brisbane that calls it a 'secret recipe' but everyone knows it's just a slight variation of linseed oil and wax on cotton in both cases. Definitely not new, tiny amounts of emulsifiers, solvents and even fire retardants are added and paraffin in place of beeswax are the only real differences in modern times.
@@wobblyboostany idea why they use paraffin instead of beeswax now? In what way would it be superior - or is it just about cost?
@@Tonisuperfly Well it's documented historical fact but, always defensively referred to as 'conspiracy theories', that corporate monopolies and their centralised manufacture saw all things replaced with inferior products produced by large petrochemical corporations. Beeswax soaked hemp was superior to parrafin soaked cotton in pretty much every aspect.
@@wobblyboostwell said.
Any good cobbler can re-sole those boots. It's worth it.
This is pure gold for off grid living and self-sustainability. I love the simplicity and the economics of your method. God bless you man
As a viewer that makes comments, thanks for giving metric measurements.
As an American I’m grateful for the Imperial measurements
Ireland uses the metric system. 😉
@@andrewhussey2002 like most of the world :))
@@andrewhussey2002 so?
@@irishgrl "Irish" girl.
Bravo Ben, for finding the perfect mix of wax and oil, so we don't have to!
Been done for ages. My grandfather use to do it with his big 8 person canvas tent and it is commonly used even to this day on logger pants to keep them dry. Only downside is the wax and oil mix requires reapplying it every year-ish.
@@SilvaDreams Yup, the silicone treatment on the other hand is extremely durable and near permanent (will retain water resistance for a handful of years at least, and potentially many more depending on how thick the layer, how ideal the treatment and conditions, etc).
@@justinw1765 It's also very flame resistant.
@@onestoptechnologies7305 Yep. Wool with a silicone coating is particularly fire resistant. And fiberglass cloth with a silicone coating is even more so.
@@justinw1765 Curious... Why fiberglass? (like welding blankets?)
So much to like: followup on the silicone tarp after two years, diy cloak, a taut line refresher, disclaimers about limits and pitfalls and obviously the new recipe with safe ingredients and techniques. Thank you for sharing!
This video is SO awesome! You're like the Dad I never had :) I came to learn about waterproofing fabric and I LOVED the natural wax option! The bonus at the end with the button tech and the knot tying tutorial was SUCH a treat! Thank you for being SO generous with your knowledge it is appreciated. And, I appreciate your sponsor that IS a great service I am going to sign up for!
You are one of, if not the ultimate, most important youtube channels of this decade. Your experiments are not only essential, and extremely useful. They are free, open and so beautifully shot and explained that even i can understand them.
You are a boon to free and open knowledge. Thank you.
Calm down buddy. He literally explained in the video that he's not the first person to figure this out. It's pretty common knowledge that you can add oil to wax to make it softer and then melt it into fabric to make it waterproof. As he said, people have been doing this for hundreds of years and everybody likes to make their own tincloth recipes because you can pick literally any wax or oil that you like and it will work fine, lol.
This isn't even good tincloth. It's cheap and looks terrible. He literally just picked the cheapest wax and the cheapest oil. Good for tarps only, not even good for jackets.
I'm currently experimenting myself with linseed oil and I can definitely say that it's not useless or expensive. You can make waterproof fabric by soaking it into linseed oil and letting it settle in sunlight in a well aerated location. Linseed oil will slowly polymerize by reacting with oxygen and form a soft, waterproof fabric. HOWEVER BE CAREFUL, if you use boiled linseed oil the polymerization will be rather fast and as it's an exothermic reaction YOUR FABRIC MAY SELF IGNITE.
There are many fires starting spontaneously in workshops every year where people whipe boiled linseed oil with fabric and throw it in a bin.
The resulting fabric will be kind of shiny and oily in aspect (not to the touch) and it will become yellow/brown with time but it's not visible on dark fabric.
I'm currently working on a linseed oil/wax mix so your video is (again) spot on.
Will the fabric not self ignite if cold pressed/raw linseed oil is used? And will it still polymerize? Thanks (:
@@lupakajsalisa3652 there's no risks of self ignition with raw linseed oil but the process is waaaaaaay longer, it takes days if not weeks. You can even find videos on UA-cam on people making decade old linseed oil varnishes.
But you expose your cloth flat/vertical in a well aerated zone I think you can use boiled linseed oil. It's when the fabric is full of boiled oil AND in a closed environment - like a bin - that the heat cannot escape properly and the thermal runaway can occur.
Also if you put your cloth outside, the oily surface can catch dust and insects in the beginning of the process. I have to admit that the aspect of my experiments is not nice, kind of yellow/brown oily shiny surface with some insects, but it is flexible and waterproof.
My next step was to try to add some wax and dye in order to obtain a more matte and pleasing finish but I'm already working on so many projects that I don't have enough time to work on this one currently.
@@76Eliam I live somewhere with rainy summers so it does sound cumbersome, but have you tried adding a few drops of an essential oil to the linseed oil to repel bugs? You could google bug repelling essential oils if interested.
I'd like to try your process if I did have a well ventilated inside area that wasn't the kitchen or living room, but alas.
How long exactly does the process with boiled linseed oil take? A week?
Important info for anyone considering boiled linseed oil: the additives used to speed up the drying of linseed oil are not good for use on clothing. Probably fine for a tarp, but I wouldn't use it on a jacket.
Double boiled linseed oil contains none of these additives, and is even safe on food preparation surfaces. The downside is a much darker color.
The iron oxide he mentioned was used in historical recipes for a reason as well. Iron acts as a catalyst for the polymerization reaction, which shortens the curing time, a predecessor to the synthetic drying agents used in modern "boiled" linseed oil.
As someone who encountered a naptha ban (which was really rough for my circuit board manufacturing side gig) thank you for continuing to experiment and iterate. I'll try the wax process on a gazebo that's been just a frame on my property since I've moved in.
Government bans: why we can't have nice things.
@@geckoman1011
I neither want to live in a world where leaded gasoline is still standard, nor one where everything is banned by overzealous, malinformed governments.
Guess i'll have to find an uninhabited place...
@@geckoman1011nice things = carcinogens confirmed
@@keppycs FDA approved things = carcinogens confirmed
@@keppycsAccording to California, everything causes cancer.
My favorite part is how much you enjoy doing these videos. Your humor and joy are a welcom sight as well as yoyr sincerity.
i obviously came to this video to find out about waterproofing fabric, which was really great! but you really went above and beyond wit the spark test, the button technique, and the knot tying method! such a complete video, plus interesting and useful bonus, without being too verbose/long. thank you so much for that.
This is 100% going to be turned into a shell for a bedroll. Waxed sheet, wool surplus blanket, polar fleece throw, simple button together design. Thank you for the magic.
and you could use his cooling gel somehow to make it even better! i know there's extra weight to the salt heavy gel but i bet you could come up with a way to do it
The thing I like most about your videos is your upbeat tone the entire time you're teaching us cool things about materials science and other topics.
Everything in here was good information (my wife said "that was amazing; very helpful"), but my favorite part is your genuine, casually joyful laugh. Keep up the good life.
Thank you for the waterproofing video, I made a 14 foot yurt with my wife using that tutorial! It was extremely expensive to waterproof the fabric, but I really wanted this camping yurt to be fire retardant instead of extremely flammable, like wax or oil cloth. We’ve used it many times, and it came out amazing. The only issue is that we used painters drop cloths for the fabric and in extremely heavy rain the force of water hitting the roof is able to push through a thin mist it’s only a problem and extremely heavy downpours though light rain to moderate rain is fine
The most high-tech and expensive lightweight tests have this problem as well
@@stevexracer4309 true, that’s exactly what was happening. we live in Texas, it hardly rains here and when does it’s not often driving hard rain. We have since gotten a plastic sheet to go in between that tarp and wooden frame when we decide to go camping during a forecasted thunderstorm.
Yeah, while this has advantages over the previous recipe, it's way more flammable.
@@thundersheild926 exactly, especially since we plan on putting a woodburning stove in our winter hunts and camping trips
@@ramdynebix (Talking about expensive, high tech, waterproof designed fabrics, and not painters cloth treated with silicone or wax.) Sometimes it is misting through, but quite often it is more so condensation droplets getting knocked off, and this will happen even with the most waterproof of fabrics under the right weather conditions.
My favorite part of this video is your enthusiasm! I get the feeling you'd do these kinds of things even without the need for content and it makes the videos so much more enjoyable.
I've splattered silicone roof paint on my clothes many times to discover I'd accidentally waterproofed my jeans and shirts in a way that WON'T wash out. My roofer buddies and I discussed using this method to create custom tarps from large pieces of fabric as needed - and I'm stoked you took the time to create such an in-depth video on the process. I like the wax/oil method and feel there must be other diy methods to play with. The marble/knot tie-down method is an awesome bonus trick. Thank you!
20:59 as someone who wears waxed canvas overalls whilst welding, i find my waxed ones to be more spark/hot molten metal proof then my unwaxed ones and most sparks slag and hot stuff just skips right off the surface as it’s very smooth and almost polished because of use. love waxed fabric especially waxed canvas. nothing like a good pair of tin pants
Genius
As soon as I started to think about how flammable it might be you started showing it.
You're the best dude. You rock.
On a different video, someone mentioned that the piece would likely function like a candle. Any fire would slowly vaporize and burn the wax, instead of consuming the fabric and spreading. So it might actually be safer than the fabric on its own.
I liked that part too.
I'm going to end up watching this video so many times to remind myself how to tie that hitch. I came for the waterproofing and stayed for the unexpected and useful knowledge!
I tied it with him, then practiced. Honestly it’s pretty easy to remember
Thanks for putting in the effort and making this available for the public to see.
I live in a house that was built back in the 1800s by a simple farmer and whenever I do projects in the yard that require digging, I end up finding marbles. I always thought it was from kids playing in the field. This video makes me think it may have been wagon tarp tie-downs.
Both Taught Line hitch and waterproofing (for UK weather) are things I wish I had known decades ago. Gives me the confidence to fix my leaky waxed jacket. I must check out your other videos. Many thanks!
I can confirm your earlier method works great. Shortly after I saw that video I grabbed one of my 8oz 12' x 15' canvas drop cloths I got from lowes and treated it. I didn't use a plastic bag like you did in the first video, I used a rubber trash can. I used a grabber pole to mix it with. I still use that tarp to this day and it still sheds water. The thick canvas makes a great choice as it's much more durable than a bed sheet. And I've tried a few different waxing methods. I have never had good results, I always get those white flex lines you showed. You silicone and naptha (you can still get it at lowes or home depot with no issues) method is superior in my humble opinion. It's easier to apply and it is more flexible, plus it's fire retardant. I have some waxed canvas and after a while it looses its waterproofing qualities. And I think it's cool that your new method has been a wood working finish for years, I use it frequently for bowls I turn on the lathe when I want a food safe finish. I'll keep using the silicone method for outdoor tarps but I think I'll give your new method a try on clothing.
I also preferred the first method. And your process is a great idea for large amounts of fabric! I'd like to know how much it changed the colour from the original? I'd like to take the waterproofing one step further from tarps. I'm wanting to waterproof some thicker cotton material that I am going to sew in to seat cushion covers. You can now understand why I wouldn't want o use the wax method. But I haven't done any waterproofing and I'd like to know if there is a significant colour change in the material before I proceed.
@@tamo9520 it darkened the canvas from a light tan color to a darker tan.
Seriously, my favourite channel. Also, Bonus Lesson on knots?! You, sir, have my admiration.
Love the knots tutorial at the end. I always use stuff like running-hitch and bowline and this slipknot. All knots are extremely effective and everyone should learn them ! 😀
Do note that he is demonstrating the inferior magnus hitch rather than a true taut line.
Watched your waterproofing experiment two years ago and was very impressed but now you have batted the ball out of the park. Brilliant and all without expensive, carcinogenic naptha. And I really liked your favourite knot.
3,500 plus positive comments - what more can be said.
Now at 4,262 !
Hello from South Africa 🇿🇦. Fabulous video. My favourite part.... all of it. Extremely useful. Thank you very much.
I came across this by mistake and it was the best mistake I have ever made in a LONG time. You asked what wasn't liked..... I can't think of a thing! The knot was simply explained. I appreciate that. I am now a subscriber. Thank you for a great video!
I lived under tarps for ten years and ide like to say... thank you! These tarps you are making look awesome! I'm making 20 and giving them out as presents. That knot is also my favorite! I use it for my tarp setups every time. You can combo it with a truckers hitch for that extra tightness when you need it. Love it.
Dude, using the bird in your ad is the perfect way to keep me from fast forwarding. Genius
Was gonna fast forward but the mention of birds I don't wanna miss
I've spent a small fortune on all manner of tarps that have soon torn or perished. I've made DIY attempts on canvas which left me with oil slicks and soft hands😁 I'm going to try this. You made this interesting and entertaining. Your laugh makes me smile. The techniques were well demonstrated and explained in an idiot-proof manner without being patronising. Thank you. Subscribed. J
Your enthusiasm is infectious. And your approach of trying to find a genuinely practical, economically viable application for techniques is something I really adore.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and I hope there are many more to come.
My favourite part? Your happy attitude and infectious laughter 😄
The world needs more channels like this one.
I never left a comment on UA-cam before….but I think this video deserves recognition for your great teaching skills….and the bonus knot demo is gold! Thank you! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
You have got to be the most wholesome science sciencetuber on the platform.
Thank you for all the years of interesting content, and here's to many more!
He does have some stuff competition from Anton Petrov and Cody's Lab. 🍀✌️😎
I have watched a few of your videos over the years, including the Naptha and Silicon water proofing technique. I think the thing I enjoy most is how you explain things, your not fast or haphazard in your explanations and you keep it simple for the layman to follow along. Keep of the good work.
Thank you soooo much. This is by far the most productive video in the internet. You saved me $120 to repurpose my older bed sheet instead of buying waterproof outdoor fabric for the pergola sun shade. Love it.
Your laughs are infectious because it's genuine. Nice job putting it together. I even watched your deleteme commercial - so unlike me.
I have also had good luck brushing the molten wax on with a cheap paintbrush, and melting it into the fabric with a hair dryer
I was curious if anyone had tried using a paintbrush with the liquid mixture. Thanks for your comment.
This has to be the BEST prepper oriented channel, without focus on the end of the world 🥰
- SO many useful projects and DIY stuff... AWESOME
That's very funny you would say that:-) because at the end of my comment I said Jesus is coming soon don't be left behind to go into the tribulation under the rule of antichrist in other words believe in Jesus and get saved by grace through faith in the death burial and Resurrection sin washed away under the blood of the Lord otherwise you go to hell forever personal choice
I don't think that's really relevant
@@markeverson5849 off to hell I go then🥳
@@markeverson5849 I believe hell is cast into the lake of fire, along with death, their usefulness being at an end. Outer darkness is the final destination of Satan and his followers, never to see the light of God's radiance, for all eternity. Imagine how far away that must be, for all eternity.
@@markeverson5849 I've found from "talking" with Yeshua (he never had the name "Jesus" in his life), that he doesn't really care too much what you specifically believe or don't believe, but rather, how you interact with and treat others. In other words, he considers anyone who treats others with kindness, respect, sincere honesty, empathy, compassion, etc, a true Christian. The more that they do this in a universal manner, and more consistently, the more he considers that person a true Christian.
And believe it or not, he doesn't even really care if they "believe in him" specifically or not, as long as they live in the above manner.
Btw, there is a collapse of this current civilization coming, but it is not the "end of the world", though many people will die because so many are so far removed from knowing how and being able to survive without electricity and modern conveniences. (If this happened a couple hundred years ago, we'd be mostly fine, except for increased UV exposure due to decreased ozone layer).
This is coming through a combo of the Earth's magnetic field strength rapidly and ever more quickly weakening, in combo with either this Solar max (over the next couple years) or the next (in roughly 10-13 years from now). Not supernatural in the least bit, but clear cause and effect oriented. NASA and various government agencies have been talking about for awhile, how vulnerable our electrical grid systems are in relation to strong Solar events. But they haven't been factoring in the weakening of the Earth's magnetic field. That is a huge factor and means that we won't need a Carrington level Solar storm to take all of this out anymore. Each year that goes by, the probability increases for a moderately strong to strong Solar storm to have the probable potential to take out the grid system. At this point, an X20 CME could probably do it. And a couple of combo, successive shots of X10 or so CME could.
In 10 years, it probably wouldn't even take a single X10 to do it. It is a question of "when", not "if", until the grid systems are significantly updated and hardened against these inevitabilities.
Btw, this current weakening of the magnetic field is why we are seeing ever more auroras farther away from the equator, and a definite increase in previously super rare red auroras.
Just want to say that I really appreciate you giving us the Metric measurements as well, it's really helpful for us non-americans. This was a great video 😊
Thanks. I really liked the button idea!
I have advice from the arts and crafts sector, you can make "crayons'
Wax mixtures have long been used as resists for dyes and sealants.
Collect some molds, you can use straws, toilet paper rolls, even make simple triangles from wood or cardboard, whatever. You can even add paper covers so you don't get waxy hands. There are also specialized tools available, like for decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs.
These allow you to draw the resist over your materials. You can use a pencil sharpener for small details, and large crayons for faster application. It's less messy and conserves wax. You can also have a "wax bag" to toss in the dryer so the machine doesn't get messy. You can also use an oven at low heat to melt in the mixture.
If, like most people you don't have multiple irons, you can use blotting paper or something between the iron and the project.
Castor oil is a good alternative to mineral oil for finer clothes and/or leather.
You can refresh tarps after a brittle winter cold in your dryer safe bag, which is basically anything that will protect your dryer.
I had forgotten how useful wax can be, thanks for the excellent reminder and instructions. I have a "tarp" to make for my "Canadian winter carport"
So, in response to your closing call to action, my favorite part of this was not only did you compare this method with the old one, but explained different ways you'd apply it and why it matters. Also really enjoyed the "bonus" lessons at the end, even though it was stuff I learned in BSA over 20 years ago. Got an interesting hit of nostalgia.
As for me least favorite or things to improve? Sadly i didn't really have anything for you. Best i could think of is add your "recipes" on screen.
Personally I'd like to use this to give a second life to some of the orphan bed sheets i have, just gotta find the time
He usually does but 1 cup to 1 lb and 500 mL to 1Kg are both crazy easy to remember.
Ben, you are an unusual and accomplished communicator, being sure to enunciate every word correctly and at a steady volume. It's a relief to learn from you. TANKS!
I was about to say “I can’t wait to see this guy skyrocket. This is awesome content” but he’s already at 2.2M subs. Way to go, man!
Fantastic! I just bought a cotton jacket planning to wax it …somehow. How I had no idea. Then I found this accidentally, I was watching a basketball video when this popped up. My first wax experiment cost $12 and only covered about half a yard of fabric. So you saved me at least $30. Thank you!
Already did the previous water-proofing, looking forward to trying this method too. The bonus knot tutorial was well timed, giving my kiddo lessons in the importance of knowing how to tie knots in the modern world of duct-tape and Velcro.
Ahhh but the benefits of velcro ! I use them strategically for curtain ties! And for dashcams allround 😀
Okay so no joke , I watched this video last week and got all my stuff to make it . I got some stuff from goodwill and Amazon and was vary confident that this method would work . I will tell everyone this is a VARY GOOD METHOD , I'm super impressed and can't wait to make more. It took me about 45 minutes and was easy. Super water proof and light . Thanks for the info this kicks butt 👍
How much heavier are the sheets compared to untreated?
@runamucker I was wondering the same thing.
Thank you! I must say after watching this video I still prefer your previous method with silicon and "naphta". This is because of excellent quality, less sensibility to temperatures and easier ways to apply. I use brush, dip and especially spray. Spraying works really well for clothes: you just treat evenly from outside and it soaks into the outer layer. You can do it on a hangers or right on a person! With the wax method the mixture ratio remains in the product. Whereas for "silicon-gas" you make the mixture by application; the solvent goes away and the silicone remains. No residuals or white lines.
Thank you very much your videos are most useful!
While it's true the mixture ratio determines durability, flexibility, and use (temps), the naphta/silicone method, while more predictable and of blanket use, is a bit scarier to use because of the toxic solvent involved for more timid DIYers. It's nice to have options.
@@pistachoo. You are right: outdoors only!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents. Have you tried applying this technique to say white linen and spilling coffee atop to test what could be beautiful outdoor furniture fabric?
The tautline hitch should appear as if the "working end" (the end you hold on to and spin around the "standing end") continues in a straight line. In other words, you spin in one direction twice through the loop and once below the loop in the same direction. What you did by switching directions was make half a lark's head. The clove hitch has the same look without the other spin through the loop -- it appears as if the working end continues in a straight line and the lark's head reverses direction. I scanned the comments to see if anyone pointed this out, but with 1,400 comments at the time of my reply, I didn't read them all.
Regardless, as someone else said, one day I hope to grow up to be you (I'm barely younger than the other guy who commented). Thanks for the excellent content.
This comment prompted me to do a little research, and I believe the knot demonstrated in the video is the Magnus Hitch (ABOK #1857) as opposed to the "true" Taut-line hitch (ABOK #1856). Edit: Ignore the clickable numbers. UA-cam is assuming they're hashtags.
@@JoshWebb Well spotted! Love learning about new knots and hitches and such.
Yeah I noticed that. What Ben tied is less likely to lock down than an actual taught line.
Knot nerds! LOL. Now I've found my spot. Welcome, gentlemen! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I came here to post this same observation! Glad someone beat me to it.
I remember using soy bean oil and mineral terpentine in a 2:1 ratio to coat 5 canvas tipis. That was 15 years ago. Very waterproof, easy to spread with a roller and penetrates well.
The reaction between the 2 is quite stable, functional and durable. You just need to let the fabric air for a few days before use lighting fires inside.
Next time i need to do any large water proofing i'll give this combo a try and see how it compares! Another awesome experiment you've shared with us. BTW, I can't believe i didn't know that knot!
I've heard that mice eat/chew soy based wiring insulation in cars... Any similar issues with your tarps?
@@starlights50 No problems with rodents, the terpentine reacts with the oil and takes on different properties.
Love your technique and the result. Will try it as I am sick of buying plastic tarps that only last a year before being ripped to shreds by the wind and UV. Also, love how excited and happy you are to share this with other folks for free. Kudos to you for being so generous.
When I did this about a month back, I used silicone soap molds to make little bars that I gave out for Christmas. I only used it to waterproof shoes, boots, and a jacket, but the flexibility is already proving useful on all of them.
Videos aside, you seem like such a good and nice guy. Any neighbor or friend would be so fortunate to know you. I wish everyone was as nice as you. Great smile and good attitude. ❤ God bless you.
And you make awesome videos! I'm a science guy. 😊
The most enjoyable part of your videos, apart from the knowledge you impart, is your enthusiasm and positivity for sharing that knowledge, and your passion for making your techniques accessible and understandable. Sharing the process and the mistakes you made is also invaluable. I've enjoyed your content for years and I hope you continue to go from strength to strength.
I saw your video a couple years ago, and when I saw you put the cloak over your head all I could think was 'please say it..' "Penguin mode" 😂 You seem like a pretty genuine dude, and you're never redundant. Pro UA-camr!
You surely create the most qualitative, useful and clear content on the Internet. I understand you very well even though I don't speak English very well.
I have been waiting two years to try out your waterproofing method.
Thanks!
This channel deserves 10x the following it has.
I most enjoyed the clips where you were trying out the waterproofness of the cloths and having a blast doing it. Such authentic joy.