Have you ever heard of waxing canvas? My mom and I have talked about it for years. It’s a method of infusing wax into canvas fabric to waterproof it. I thought one had to dedicate a whole clothes dryer to the craft of waxing canvas, so I had never tried my hand at it.
I had a flight coming up and I have the perfect zip canvas tote that fits under the seat in front of me. I know because I measured. I wasn’t checking a bag, so I needed every inch of space.
So even though it was the perfect size, it was off white and black canvas and all I could think of was how dirty it was going to get on the floor of the plane.
So I thought if only I could waterproof that bag…
But, I don’t have an extra clothes dryer dedicated only to waxing fabric…
Surely someone, somewhere has a way to wax canvas without a clothes dryer…
Sure enough! The internet came through, so I’m passing along to you what I have learned and say to you, do it! If you’ve been waxing and waning, just go for it!
Start by melting beeswax pellets in a double boiler. You can microwave them as well. I started with the double boiler and then to speed it up I microwaved it and then kept the wax warm in the double boiler.
Then I brushed the melted wax into and onto the canvas bag making sure to get the seams and stitching as well.
Then once it’s brushed on I used a hair drier to incorporate the brushed on wax into the actual threads of the canvas. It was very satisfying to watch it happen.
Much easier and practical than having a clothes drier dedicated only to one thing.
The canvas was yellowed by the yellow beeswax, but that was to be expected. You can use white beeswax if that’s not the aesthetic you’re going for. I thought about running to the store, but was curious how it would look with yellow wax.
Others use additional wax like paraffin, but I chose to keep mine all from the bees.
It’s stiffer than normal canvas, waterproof and wipe-off-able and I love it!
I have other canvas items that are in the queue to be waxed.
Have you tried this? Let me know your experience!
