📹 Video for Leather testing
📹 DIY easy to make waterproof solution for leather canvas and almost any material
DIY easy to make waterproofing solution for leather canvas and almost any material. This solution is easy to make and …
DIY easy to make waterproofing solution for leather canvas and almost any material. This solution is easy to make and …
First, you want to clean the object you are going to seal. For leather follow the best method for your type of boots, skipping any soaps with oils. You can however, add any types of dyes and scuff covers etc. Once fully dry then add this last waterproofing step. Always remove your laces before doing any work on your boots.
I’m perusal this in 2022. How did the waterproofing last?? Did you try it in wet grass, walking in puddles of water or in ankle deep snow for extended periods?? I didn’t see any follow up. How did this work over a period of several weeks or months or a year or two?? Looks like a terrific idea. Thanks for sharing. Ax
On my duster, a long, cotton coat, I warmed about a liter of petroleum jelly until it was melted, and mixed it with about equal of just regular charcoal lighter fluid. I unbuttoned and unzipped everything, and used a spray bottle to soak the outer layers. I did this while it was layed out in the sun, and when it had sufficiently dried, I did it again. I also did this to a cotton wide-brim hat at the same time. Quite water repellant, and I can do it again in the future if needed.
I would imagine a leather boot treated with this would not breathe at all. That would mean I would sweat much quicker. Sounds like a trade-off. Also it would probably take a long time for the boot to dry out properly if it did got wet after long exposure to water. Please let me know what you think or experience. Great article thanks for posting.
i could nt easily source 100% pure silicon unless i ordered it online so tried a bog standard 2 year old white silicone in the garage along with ancient old white spirit..Mixed some up quickly and painted it on an old none waterproof raincoat which had long lost any waterproofing ..Amazed to see the really heavy hosepipe I aimed at beading up and dropping off like water off a ducks back. So does it make any difference what % of silicon is used . Mine was the cheapest in the shop
I like this solution. Motorcycle riding pants, shirts, leather items, even weathered birdhouses can be treated with this stuff. Unlike various oils and waxes, this stuff never wears out, it actually plasticizes the object you’re painting it on because, like oils it soaks in. But unlike oils, it doesn’t evaporate, ever. It stays put and plyable regardless of temperature. It also seems to bind fabric together, making it more durable without stiffening it (like waxes do).
I wonder how long it lasts? I imagine constant flexing of the boot at the usual places will eventually crack the silicone, losing its waterproofing. Nothing will remove or stick to cured silicone, so it cant be replenished. The beauty of beeswax and similar stuff, is that it readily redissolves and can be replensihed many times, and it also lubricates the material.
Ok, that was 5 years ago. Over the long term how well did the solution work out? What kind of upkeep did you have to perform? I seen a article in which a guy used crystalized wax, tung oil, tung oil finish, and ???? to make tin pants out of some carhartt pants. I’m wondering if that would even soak in to leather or tennis shoe material. There is an outfit in Australia that makes transformer expedition trailer who soak their canvas in some kind of waterproofing first before building these folding trailers. Here’s something else I’ve been thinking about when you cant afford quality boots. There are all sorts of liquid rubber compounds. I remember vulcanized rubber tire patches. To stretch the life of your cheap boots, could you mop on a rubber compound on your boots then vulcanize the rubber with say a heat gun on high without damaging the boots? I would assume that you would have to put it on in layers including the hollow core soles.
I wish that your voice was a little louder, or that your music was a little softer. But otherwise, this article was very helpful. How should we thin out this solution? I would like to use it in a spray bottle. My family has several tents of various sizes and we want to keep them as dry as possible for our camping trip. Most of them are synthetic but we have some canvas gear too. Thanks for sharing ⛺️🥾🎒👟🧢🧤🏕⛱
Does the material lose it’s fabric soft to the touch texture? If so, by how much… meaning, if I were to do this on a sofa or a shirt, will it make the material uncomfortable enough that you no longer want to sit in the sofa or wear the shirt? Does this crack or wear off over time? if so how long does this last?
There is a solution developed during WWI by the Germans that for me has worked better than anything I have ever used including Mink Oil or Saddle soap. It’s called Ballistol and is mixed as follows. One quarter cup Ballistol to three quarters cup water. The Ballistol becomes active in the water and will look like milk. Mix well and spray on leather. The Germans developed this as a water proofing for leather and as a means to protect their metal and wood items. Many shooters use it for cleaning black powder guns as well as modern guns. The water will evaporate and leaves the oils in the Ballistol.
Hi, I would really like to prepare this solution but I was wondering if it was possible to reduce the amount of ingredients since I won’t need that much product for what I’m planning to do. Could you tell me what are the proportions of Silicone and Mineral Spirits? Thank you in advance. Great article by the way 👍
@DIYeasycrafts, I failed to ask how well the coverage held up. Did it crack/chip/become ‘mangy’ looking as patches flakedl or wore away? I live in Minneapolis and wet feet can be seriously dangerous in winters where we sit below 15 degrees on average throughout the season. When it’s above the melting point, of course that means guaranteed wet feet due to slushy ice melt. I wear military issue Jump Boots, preferably Vietnam issue or earlier- so destroying them with a “hack gone wrong” would not only break my heart- it’d break my bank. I’ve gone through a pair a year for 25 years, which is confusing to me because from age 16 to 23 I had the same vintage pair that held up great. Now they All-even current brand new issue and new, unworn dead stock vintage crack at the pinky toe to the right of the eyelets. It very well could be that I’ve been back home in MN since then and the years before were spent in Glenridge, New Jersey, San Francisco and Phoenix where there was never salt on the roads. No matter What I do~ neatsfoot oil, mink oil, lanolin or a variation of all mentioned coddled gently into a beeswax fusion that is good for both bare hands And booted feet~ they still crack right there. The right is always first and always far worse. The massive pile of combat boots I have in the basement will vouch for this because I can’t seem to bring myself to throw such beloved objects I’ve spent 365 days with away!! If you have any ideas on what to do with them, please let me know! 🙂 This very moment my right boot is missing two literal Chunks in this area due to a failed glue job made from JB Weld 8276 Kwik Weld, adjusting the compounds to meet flexibility needs.
How to waterproof normal sneakers. Get two small candles. Rub the shoe with the candle until it is completely covered- black sneakers should look white. Make sure you do the whole shoe, down to the sole and all the laces. Then get a hairdryer and melt the wax into the shoe. It will feel and look exactly the same as it did, but will now be waterproof. It allows total breathability and works like a charm.
The solution doesn’t last for me. Initially I tried 1 part silicone to 5 parts mineral spirit & that was fin to use on the day, but the next day it was like set jelly. Some people recommend a 1:10 mix by weight, others 1:15. I do a 1:15 mix now & that lasts a bit longer, but not indefinitely. I don’t recall how long, but it also sets like jelly. At this rate, I may need to do several treatments, but if if try to do too heavy a mix, it can make items look rather odd.
Say bye bye to breathability and good luck treating the leather with wax or any other care product for leather after this treatment. Good idea on synthetic materials (fabric) not so much on leather, it will do a great job on waterproofing i’ll give it that but still your leather won’t thank you in the long run (it will still absorb perspiration from the inside and gets trapped by the silicone wich spells sweaty stinky feet).