stay tuned....tonight i experimented with something and it blows the high $$$ commercial waterproofing sprays (for Goretex, Etc) out of the water , and for dirt cheap (literally pennies per garment) I had a hunch for years that the water based waterproofing sprays were nothing more than WATER and other ingredients.......bottled in fancy bottles and sold for insane $$$$$$$$$$ I am in the middle of several tests but so far I am laughing my azz off at the results. I will update this thread with PICS and video and reports by this weekend.......Stay Tuned....
I tried using some water based auto detailing wax........i noticed the fancy and expensive Graingers , and other brands, were all a milky white water based wax product. A little bottle goes for like $20 up here. whereas the detailing spray wax, like $6 a liter. Smells identical , feels identical to Grangers spray I sprayed some on a buddies hardshell, let it soak in, and then used a clean rag to rub it in. Then I threw it in the drier for about 15 minutes. Water just runs off it like crazy. He was dry all day. time will tell as its durability, but im pretty damn impressed. going to test it on some cotton stuff, but i suspect it will not work as well.
he was pissed off that his high $$$$ 4 season weather jacket got him wet..... and there was pub crawls also involved......we ended up at his parents farm.....in the shop at 0300 hours after shutting down the Legion Bar............. on a farm......in the shop....CRANKING the music......and drinking beers...and we kinda experimented with the gear. I literally grabbed a bottle of car detailing spray wax ans soaked his jacket for kicks and giggles....and it evolved form there.....
treated the left leg of my hiking pants (cotton) with Lucas Slick Mist wax . Waiting for it to dry then will do a shower test.
Made a mixture for cotton fabrics. Dissolved silicone dielectric grease into naptha fuel and let it dissolve over several days. Lots of shaking.... Sponged the solution onto my surplus cdn army smock. (82 pattern). Buffed with a clean towel and let the naptha evaporate (did not take long). Water just beads off the fabric. EDIT: now i know (and i have a big can of silicone waterproofing liquid) you can buy premade stuff...but i find the silicone dielectric grease really seals well into the tight weave surplus cotton jacket - its also does not take 3 months for the stench to go away...
100% silicone "caulking" slurried with paint thinner (mineral spirits &/or naptha) works pretty good painted/sponged on and left to cure.
depending on how much you thin it, it'll work pretty well for a bedsheet tarp, too. (a 10 oz/295 mL tube to the gallon of thinner seems to be the recipe I've seen before)
