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08-31-2014, 12:13 PM - 2 Likes   #1
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Canvas bag waxing. DIY. With pix.

As requested, my "recipe" fir DIY canvas waxing.

For green bags only: paraffin wax with a small amount of bayberry wax added. Bayberry wax is a mossy green color. Bayberry wax is a brittle wax and lends a bit of stiffness to the bag.

For green or any other color of bag: paraffin wax with a little beeswax added.

Any wax you use will darken the color of the waxed areas.

Melt the wax using an appropriate sized metal container placed inside a Crockpot filled with the appropriate amount of water. Wax is flammable so I don't recommend using a stove.

When the wax is melted and you're ready to begin waxing the bag start preheating your oven to 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit; 121-148 degrees Celsius (thanks, Dean).

Once the wax is melted use a one and a half or two inch paint brush and begin coating the bag with wax. I know I used the term "gobs" in my original post but be judicious; you can lay on a second coat later if needed. Be sure to get the wax into the seams, you may have to work the fabric a little by pushing out at the seams from the inside of the bag to do so. Keep in mind you're waterproofing the outside of the bag to protect what's inside so there is no need to wax certain parts of the bag. Don't wax the shoulder strap, don't wax the inside of the flap, do wax the area underneath the flap were the bag zippers closed, do wax any leather accents. It should gowithout saying but just in case, for the total camera bag newbie,... don't wax inside the compartments or pockets of the bag.

Once you've applied the wax the bag should be white with a layer of wax and very, uhmm... gooey. Your canvas bag will be, and heretofore shall be referred to as, a "gooey mess" until finished.

Turn off the Crockpot.

I say again, turn off the Crockpot.

"Double bag" two paper grocery bags and put your gooey mess into them with the shoulder strap hanging out to keep it away from the gooey mess. Take a third paper bag, invert it, and cover the double bag. If the shoulder strap pokes out of the bottom tuck it up before gently rolling or folding the paper bags so as to contain the gooey mess without compressing it

The paper bags will soak up the oily residue while the wax melts into the fabric.Some suggest using an old pillow case in the dryer. Hmmm... think about that for a moment. When you take the paper bags out of the oven you'll get a clearer picture of why that may not be the best idea (see the picture below of a paper bag after baking).

Turn off your oven.

I say again, turn off your oven.

Put the bag onto a rack in the oven so that no part of the bag containing your gooey mess touches any part of the oven other than the rack. For the brief time you're arranging the bag inside the oven it will lose heat. DO NOT turn the oven back on "for just a minute" to compensate for this heat loss. It's expected and the preheat temp takes this into account.

Did I mention to turn the oven off?

And keep it off?

Your Crockpot should have been turned off already but double check to be sure.

Put a Blu-ray into the PS3, boot up the workstation to edit some photos, grab the ukelele and learn some new chords, whatever works so you can settle in for awhile. You're not going to leave the house or the nearby vicinity of the oven.

Shortly, you will smell hot paper; that's normal, but an excellent reason to pause whatever you're doing and take a quick look see because I cannot express to you how insanely dangerous leaving your oven on would be at this juncture. You will, not maybe, not possibly, but you will start a fire if you don't turn the oven off before putting the paper bags inside the oven. Now is a good time to mention that 300 degrees is the absolute max temperature you want to use for preheating. Higher isn't going to be better, just dangerous. We're melting wax, not making Thanksgiving dinner. When you check the bag go ahead and turn it over. Turn the bag a few times throughout the oven's cooling process.

After the oven has cooled remove the paper bags and remove what will be heretofore be referred to as your, "totally bitchin' waxed canvas bag". Okay lets just call it your "waxed canvas bag". It is pretty awesome now though, no?

After removing the waxed canvas bag from the three paper bags set it on some paper towels just to be safe. Stuff it with something solid, paperback books work nicely, so that as it cools it begins to cure to the shape it will be when packed. Let it continue to cool overnight. The next day, you buy a Crumpler insert and fit it snugly into the cooled bag. Now, pack some camera gear into it and let it continue to cure for a couple of days. From this point on your waxed canvas bag will heretofore be referred to as your "totally bitchin' waxed canvas camera bag" because it is.

Not so fast, though. Sure, you've transformed your "gooey mess" into what looks the part of a "totally bitchin' waxed canvas camera bag" but the reason we've waxed the bag is to waterproof it. After the bag has cured for a couple of days, before you actually take it out into the world to use it, splash a few drops of water on it (take out the Crumpler insert with the gear, first). Give it a couple of minutes. Wait for it. The drops should have beaded and not soaked into the canvas. If any of the drops soaked into the canvas just add another layer of wax following the same instructions above. Starts to sound a little like work now, yes? It is, but it's worth it. When someone compliments you on your "totally bitchin' waxed canvas camera bag" and you tell them you waxed it yourself it's a pretty good feeling.

The snapshots of the finished bag are after three coats of wax. For the third coat I hand rubbed the wax into the fabric. Once the wax hits the fabric it immediately starts to cool so it's only warm to the touch; it cools quickly enough that rubbing it in needs to happen fast. The bag arrives from eBags rather floppy but the final product is stiff enough to stand on it's own when empty; very sturdy.

A few post below you can see inside a bit. It's loaded with my full frame 35mm Canonet QL17, Canolite D flash, one roll of Tri-X, and my 1/2.3" frame 6mm interchangeable lens P&S, with it's 5 lenses.



I'll add more to these instructions if anything is unclear. I may video myself waxing the Domke if anyone is interested and if it isn't a major hassle. I've never done an "instruction video" like that. Very TBD.


Also, if anyone hits on some improvements please share your "recipe" in this thread.


Here's the SAFETY DISCLAIMER: This is how I did it and it worked well. I am not, however, responsible for anyone having an accident whilst following these instructions. Hot wax, cotton canvas, paper, and ovens could be a dangerous combination for someone who might be a little ADD. A little OCD like me, probably not so much; might actually be a good thing. Bottom line: If I see you on the evening news standing in front of the burnt remains of your house with a tear rolling own your cheek, it's not my fault.

Here's the DELICATE SENSIBILITIES DISCLAIMER: Anything perceived as sarcasm, or worse, politically incorrect such as the term or phrase "camera bag newbie", "totally bitchin'", "ADD" or "OCD like me" is not used in order to offend. If you choose to be offended I admire your effort and determination to do so but keep me out of it. Instructions are inherently boring so I tried to make these at least a little enjoyable to read. Did I mention anything perceived as sarcasm is meant to be entertaining? Now, go turn off your Crockpot! I know you already turned off the oven.


Happy Labor Day 2014 from a proud IATSE Local 695 member!

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Last edited by MD Optofonik; 09-01-2014 at 12:19 PM.
08-31-2014, 04:07 PM   #2
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Thumbs up for that. Thanks for the write up!

Not fully sure on what you mean about "invert" the third bag. I am assume you double up the paper bags, set the "Domke" in. Then tag the third bag and flip it upside down, insert bag in that way. If you follow me, you have now fully enclosed the "Domke" in a paper bag case? SO... bag sits vertically, with 2 bags on the bottom portion, one on the top?
08-31-2014, 04:19 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by calculator01 Quote
Thumbs up for that. Thanks for the write up!

Not fully sure on what you mean about "invert" the third bag. I am assume you double up the paper bags, set the "Domke" in. Then tag the third bag and flip it upside down, insert bag in that way. If you follow me, you have now fully enclosed the "Domke" in a paper bag case? SO... bag sits vertically, with 2 bags on the bottom portion, one on the top?
Exactly that. Kinda like a lid. Keep the shoulder strap between first two bottom bags and the third inverted bag. I'm doing a second coat right now. When I remove it from the oven I'll take a picture of the bags and and add it to the others above.

Last edited by MD Optofonik; 08-31-2014 at 04:24 PM.
08-31-2014, 04:42 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by MD Optofonik Quote
I'm doing a second coat right now
Did you remember to turn off the oven?

08-31-2014, 04:46 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by fgaudet Quote
Did you remember to turn off the oven?

Hahaha... yes I did. Thanks. I'll go check the Crockpot.
09-01-2014, 05:46 AM   #6
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Sooooo, where's the finished product???
09-01-2014, 07:01 AM   #7
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Great instructions.
I've just received 2 canvas Domke bags as a throw in on a recent purchase...lucky.
For those of us on metric it might be worth adding the word "Fahrenheit" after your oven temperature settings...300 Celsius is about 570 Fahrenheit...might be over doing it!
If I get brave enough I'm going to give this a try.
Cheers
Dean

09-01-2014, 10:43 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Al_Kahollick Quote
Sooooo, where's the finished product???
I added some quick snapshots of the finished bag with three coats of wax here and in the OP. Gotta get to the grill.
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Last edited by MD Optofonik; 09-01-2014 at 12:21 PM.
09-01-2014, 12:15 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by MD Optofonik Quote
I added some quick snapshots here and in the OP of the finished bag with three coats of wax. Gotta get to the grill.

Excellent!! I've used beeswax on my boots, never thought of using it on a bag.
09-01-2014, 11:58 PM   #10
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I took the bag to a backyard grillin' session by the pool and did something no one in their right mind would do with their camera gear. I left in the direct southern California summer sun. For over an hour. Before going on let me state that if you do this with your camera gear you will probably have bigger problems to worry about than the condition of you camera bag.

As you can imagine, the wax soften up and felt waxy to the touch. It didn't seep into the interior, though; I left the Crumpler insert inside the bag as a commitment to my confidence and there was no wax or waxy residue on the insert when I inspected it. I would, however, suspect that if you wore the bag in such direct heat for an extended period of time that the paramedics might notice a waxy stain on your jeans as they cut them of you to begin treating your severe heat stroke. I'm sure you won't notice any stains, however, as you slip from delirium into a coma; so no worries there.

I put the bag in the shade for the remainder of the BBQ and it stiffened back up although it was still a bit more pliable than inside in the AC. Waxed canvas is meant to be used when it's damp or rainy outside so I'm satisfied that it performed as expected; take note if you live in the Pacific Northwest. I'll be using the bag on a photo stroll through downtown LA sometime this week and will report back as to how it performs in real world conditions. Hopefully I'll get some shots that I don't hate.

Last edited by MD Optofonik; 09-02-2014 at 12:09 AM.
09-03-2014, 05:14 AM   #11
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When waterproofing boots w/beeswax, you warm them in the oven first, it helps the leather to absorb the wax, perhaps the same would be true for canvas???
09-03-2014, 06:23 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Al_Kahollick Quote
When waterproofing boots w/beeswax, you warm them in the oven first, it helps the leather to absorb the wax, perhaps the same would be true for canvas???
I've read of others who warm the canvas first. Beeswax is softer than paraffin or Batberry so using beeswax alone might be an option. I think the canvas would cool before you could finish the bag though.
09-04-2014, 11:51 AM   #13
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I need to re-wax my oilcloth hat. It's over 20 years old now, still sheds rain, but a bit too much soaks in. Maybe a nice weekend project?
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