I made two oil cloth tarps today. After they cure for a few WEEKS I will sew them together for a shelter approximately 10'x7'. I mix 50/50 linseed oil and turpentine. If you do this make sure to add a good handful of baking soda to cut the acidity of the oil or it will eat the cloth to the point it will rip like notebook paper!!
Posts: 552 | Location: SC | Registered: 03 May 2009
made two oil cloth tarps today. After they cure for a few WEEKS I will sew them together for a shelter approximately 10'x7'. I mix 50/50 linseed oil and turpentine. If you do this make sure to add a good handful of baking soda to cut the acidity of the oil or it will eat the cloth to the point it will rip like notebook paper!!
I'm wondering what type of cloth and what weight you used?
Will you sew any ties or loops to the cloth?
Any reason you didn't sew the two pieces together first, before applying the BLO/Turpentine?
Does the baking soda foam, react, when it comes in contact with the BLO?
LD
It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004
I used cotton duck canvas from hobby lobby. I made a smaller one (accidentally) a while back. I bought the length I wanted. When I washed it in hot water and dried it to tighten the weave it shrank too much. Moral of the story by your cloth about a half yard more than you want! I didn't sew them together first because its a lot to work with being about 5'x7'. The baking soda has not foamed with me. I just mix a can of boiled linseed oil with a can of turpentine from lowes and add a good handful of baking soda and stir. I let it sit an hour or so to let it cut the acid. I don't know if this time helps or not. I cut grommet holes in the corners and hand stitch with linen thread. If I can ever figure out how to shrink the **** picture to fit the size limitation of the forum I will post them.
Posts: 552 | Location: SC | Registered: 03 May 2009
Ya gotta do a test piece first though. "Barn paint" doesn't have a standard set of ingredients, and depending on brand, and thus the drying agents, a modern oil-based paint can be a no-no for a cloth you're going to use as a shelter, or for thigh high gaiters. They get too stiff and brittle and crack in some cases. Rustoleum sucks for making oil cloth for shelters or gaiters. So try a bit on the same type of cloth and see how stiff and brittle it gets when cured. THEN chunk it in the freezer and see what it will do at freezing temps (if you will be out in such)
I've found that if you get a quart of oil based paint in an authentic color, and then cut it with some BLO, you reduce some of the acidic nature of the straight BLO and extend the life of the cloth, and the stuff is more flexible than OTC modern, oil based paint. In fact BLO is sold to be a modern oil based paint additive.
LD
It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004
Some years back I attempted to make an oil cloth. I got the instruction from Mark Baker's book. It came out so heavy that I used it as a tarp for my tractor. It was made with the smallest painters tarp from the orange box store.
Posts: 353 | Location: Pocono Mts. in PA | Registered: 12 June 2008