We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one we have
:-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just in case
it ever rains ...

The last time we did this we used a product (name forgotten) which was
excellent but it made the canvas heavy and slightly sticky, also smelly.

He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

Does anyone remember the stuff or know if it is still available?

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one
we have :-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which
will be light enough for us to manage but will need to be
waterproofed just in case it ever rains ...

The last time we did this we used a product (name forgotten) which was
excellent but it made the canvas heavy and slightly sticky, also
smelly.
He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

Does anyone remember the stuff or know if it is still available?

Mary

I got some for waterproofing tents, it was in a pump handled sprayer (not an
aerosol) and it was water based - I used it for my cotton fishing umbrella
and it's never allowed a drop of water through, nor does it smell or leave a
visible residue....I got it from a camping shop, I'll try and dig out the
half bottle I have left over and get you the name of it....

"Phil L" wrote in message
. uk...
Mary Fisher wrote:
We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one
we have :-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which
will be light enough for us to manage but will need to be
waterproofed just in case it ever rains ...

The last time we did this we used a product (name forgotten) which was
excellent but it made the canvas heavy and slightly sticky, also
smelly.
He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

Does anyone remember the stuff or know if it is still available?

Mary

I got some for waterproofing tents, it was in a pump handled sprayer (not
an aerosol) and it was water based - I used it for my cotton fishing
umbrella and it's never allowed a drop of water through, nor does it smell
or leave a visible residue....I got it from a camping shop, I'll try and
dig out the half bottle I have left over and get you the name of it....

Thanks,

Mary

Phil L wrote:
Mary Fisher wrote:
We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one
we have :-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which
will be light enough for us to manage but will need to be
waterproofed just in case it ever rains ...

The last time we did this we used a product (name forgotten) which
was excellent but it made the canvas heavy and slightly sticky, also
smelly.
He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

Does anyone remember the stuff or know if it is still available?

Mary

I got some for waterproofing tents, it was in a pump handled sprayer
(not an aerosol) and it was water based - I used it for my cotton
fishing umbrella and it's never allowed a drop of water through, nor
does it smell or leave a visible residue....I got it from a camping
shop, I'll try and dig out the half bottle I have left over and get
you the name of it....

I used to wax my umbrella with a candle.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

Mary Fisher wrote:

Thanks,

Mary

It's Nikwax, as mentioned by your hubby...it's still available and I got
mine from Millets:

http://www.millets.co.uk/millets.sto...t/default.aspx


If you don't have a Millets store, there's an outlet locator he
http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/index.php

"Phil L" wrote in message
. uk...
Mary Fisher wrote:

Thanks,

Mary

It's Nikwax, as mentioned by your hubby...it's still available and I got
mine from Millets:

Ah, I suspected it might be :-)

It is good, we've used it several times in the past. It's very easy to get
too, but thanks for your input. It's just that he got all dewy-eyed thinking
of his happy tenting days in the 1940s.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Phil L" wrote in message
. uk...
Mary Fisher wrote:

Thanks,

Mary

It's Nikwax, as mentioned by your hubby...it's still available and I got
mine from Millets:

Ah, I suspected it might be :-)

It is good, we've used it several times in the past. It's very easy to get
too, but thanks for your input. It's just that he got all dewy-eyed
thinking
of his happy tenting days in the 1940s.

Mary

Just make sure you get the cottonproof stuff and the wax for boots :-). I
always used to use Fabsil which you could get in small bottles or
multi-litre containers. Just put the tent up, paint on the gunk and leave
to dry, job done.

Cheers

Mark

Mary Fisher wrote:
He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just in case
it ever rains ...

Smear it with lard.

The message
from Chris Bacon contains these words:

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which
will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just
in case
it ever rains ...

Smear it with lard.

And have all the rats licking the tent all night. Hmmm.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from Chris Bacon contains these words:

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which
will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just
in case
it ever rains ...

Smear it with lard.

And have all the rats licking the tent all night. Hmmm.

I wouldn't mind using Bacon fat, it would be worth the rats ...

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 16:48:31 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one we have
:-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just in case
it ever rains ...

The last time we did this we used a product (name forgotten) which was
excellent but it made the canvas heavy and slightly sticky, also smelly.

Neetsfoot oil is great for waterproofing, stick and smelly, but AFAIK
only used for leather.

He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

If it's water soluble it won't be much good for waterproofing, will
it? ))

cheers,
Pete.

"Pete C" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 16:48:31 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

....


Neetsfoot oil is great for waterproofing, stick and smelly, but AFAIK
only used for leather.

Neatsfoot oil is used to soften leather, not for waterproofing! We've used
it a lot for that, we don't find it sticky (it's rather thin) and it doesn't
smell bad.

He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

If it's water soluble it won't be much good for waterproofing, will
it? ))

Yes it is. NikWax, is put on wet and allowed to dry, whether on canvas,
leather, suede or anything else. In fact on footwear the item has to be wet
first.

Sounds odd, I know, but it works.

Others who've used it would say the same.

Go to http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/index.php and follow any of the many
links.

Mary

Pete C wrote:
If it's water soluble it won't be much good for waterproofing, will
it? ))

The water is only the 'carrier' of the active ingredients, once the water
evapourates, the waterproofing agents are left behind.
I've used it recently on an ancient cotton fishing umbrella which I found in
a skip and it's never leaked once....I have a 'newish' umbrella too, made of
some kind of pvc fabric, but I treated the old one to keep as a spare (in
case of a high wind/deep water related disaster)

On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:21:04 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:


"Pete C" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 16:48:31 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

...


Neetsfoot oil is great for waterproofing, stick and smelly, but AFAIK
only used for leather.

Neatsfoot oil is used to soften leather, not for waterproofing! We've used
it a lot for that, we don't find it sticky (it's rather thin) and it doesn't
smell bad.

I used it on a leather jacket once. Kept me dry on a bike going from
London to Cornwall - in pouring rain ((

Messy stuff though, comes out of the leather like polish does, if too
much is used. Might not have used it if I'd know it was boiled up
shinbone or some such...

He's prepared to use NikWax but is fondly remembering a water soluble
preparation from a hundred years ago called, he thinks, NevRot - or
something similar.

If it's water soluble it won't be much good for waterproofing, will
it? ))

Yes it is. NikWax, is put on wet and allowed to dry, whether on canvas,
leather, suede or anything else. In fact on footwear the item has to be wet
first.

I stand and sit corrected!

cheers,
Pete.

I thought with cotton canvas you were supposed to water it when new so
that the fibres swell and make it waterproof. Iseem to remember that's
what was done with tents in the olden times.

Mary Fisher wrote:
We're making another sales booth because he's not happy with the one we have
:-(

He's made the frame and we've sourced samples of cotton canvas which will be
light enough for us to manage but will need to be waterproofed just in case
it ever rains ...

Fabsil
http://www.tentawningclinic.fsnet.co.uk/products/waterproofing.htm

MBQ

wrote in message
oups.com...

I thought with cotton canvas you were supposed to water it when new so
that the fibres swell and make it waterproof. Iseem to remember that's
what was done with tents in the olden times.

But as it dries the fibres shrink again :-)

Closely woven canvas will withstand a certain amount of rain on its surface
because of that property but if it's touched on the inner surface the water
will come through.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

wrote in message
oups.com...

I thought with cotton canvas you were supposed to water it when new so
that the fibres swell and make it waterproof. Iseem to remember that's
what was done with tents in the olden times.

But as it dries the fibres shrink again :-)

Closely woven canvas will withstand a certain amount of rain on its
surface because of that property but if it's touched on the inner surface
the water will come through.

The watering of new canvas tents was to induce the one-off shrinkage
(irreversible) which will tighten up the fibres and make them more water
resistant for their life (the swelling when wet is mostly non-existent or
irrelevant).

Touching the insides of wet canvas tents is (as Mary suggests) a Bad Idea as
the surface tension of the water and the weave granularity of the canvas
(minimised by what shrinkage was available) is what makes them
impermeable(ish). Touching the inside with (especially greasy) fingers will
affect the surface tension of the water trying to move through the canvas so
that it can.

Extra waterproofing for canvas tents is best provided by spraying (when
erected and dry) tents with a proprietary product such as Fabsil, a silicone
spray treatment and leaving it to dry. Fabsil is available in gallon
containers from good camping shops etc. It turns grass black, which is a
bummer if on your lawn and I use a garden sprayer. The sprayer can be
cleaned by spraying through with a bit of white spirit followed by water but
reserving an old sprayer for this use is advisable.

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/is...shopscr34.html



--
Bob Mannix (wearing Scout Group Quartermaster's hat)
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"Bob Mannix" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

wrote in message
oups.com...

I thought with cotton canvas you were supposed to water it when new so
that the fibres swell and make it waterproof. Iseem to remember that's
what was done with tents in the olden times.
snip

I should have added that wetting new canvas tents to tighten the fabric must
only be done if they are fully erected and pegged out. This prevents
dimension shrinkage while allowing tightening of the fabric. If you don't do
this, putting up the tent may become problematic!


Bob Mannix (wearing Scout Group Quartermaster's hat)
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"Bob Mannix" wrote in message
...


The watering of new canvas tents was to induce the one-off shrinkage
(irreversible) which will tighten up the fibres and make them more water
resistant for their life (the swelling when wet is mostly non-existent or
irrelevant).

Not true - as we know from a bad experience. We relied on that once :-(

Canvas shrinks more after being agitated in hot water too, I'm just taking a
break from ironing thirty metres of cotton canvas for the new structure. it
will be worth it, we don't want the problems we had last time.

Touching the insides of wet canvas tents is (as Mary suggests) a Bad Idea
as the surface tension of the water and the weave granularity of the
canvas (minimised by what shrinkage was available) is what makes them
impermeable(ish). Touching the inside with (especially greasy) fingers
will affect the surface tension of the water trying to move through the
canvas so that it can.

Indeed. That's why it's important to keep a flysheet away from an inner
tent.

Mary
wearing two hats - tentmaker and camper :-)

Mary Fisher wrote:

snip

Indeed. That's why it's important to keep a flysheet away from an inner
tent.

Mary
wearing two hats - tentmaker and camper :-)

That's biblical!

wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary Fisher wrote:

snip

Indeed. That's why it's important to keep a flysheet away from an inner
tent.

Mary
wearing two hats - tentmaker and camper :-)

That's biblical!

I wondered if anyone would notice :-)

Mary