How to Wax a Waxed Canvas Bag
How to Wax a Waxed Canvas Bag
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to re-wax your canvas duffel bag, backpack, or brief.
1. Why Wax Your Waxed Canvas Bag?
Waxing your canvas bag is a great do-it-yourself project. It's fun, stress-free, and cathartic. A fresh coat of wax does a few things:
- Refreshes the original colors of the fabric.
- Restores the waterproof nature of the canvas bag.
- Shows that you take pride in your belongings. Ours are not disposable bags.
2. Tools you'll need to wax your bag.
- Blow dryer (with heat setting)
- Soft bristle brush
- Bowl with water
- Dawn soap
- An old t-shirt, or clean lint-free cloth
- Wax for Waxed Canvas Bags
- Music is nice, plus some elbow grease.
3. First, clean your bag.
A well-used canvas bag will show discoloration, stains, and after a time, may have lost some of its original luster. This can be restored by cleaning you bag. First, de-lint your bag with tape or a lint brush, especially in the seams around the top and sides.
Fill a container with water and some Dawn soap. Clean the panels with this soapy mixture and your brush. Don’t be shy: your canvas bag can take it.
Let your freshly washed bag dry overnight. Don’t try to accelerate the process with a blow dryer, which could shrink the fibers in your bag.
4. Melt the wax.
This is where the fun begins.
Take your tin of wax, and heat it up with a blow dryer to melt the wax slightly, so that it's mushy, but not transparent.
You will need to re-heat your wax from time to time as you go.
5. Apply the melted wax to your bag.
With a cloth wrapped around your index finger, dip into your mushy wax, and apply to the bag directly, one section at a time. Aim for a consistent, even coat. Get all of the sections, and all of the edges. Leave no parts of the canvas dry. Go slow enough to avoid getting wax on the leather. For a FLIGHT brief, for example, this will take about thirty minutes. Don’t rush it.
6. Even out the coat of wax with your blow dryer.
Once you’ve applied a coat of wax, you’ll want to even out your work. Magically, your blotchy waxing job will be chased into the seams and fabric. This also removes any gobs of wax from the bag. It takes about 15 minutes to get all of the wax sealed into the bag. Patience.
7. Let the bag sit overnight, and enjoy.
Once you’re done, let your bag sit overnight, as it will be moist. The next day, put it bag to use. It’s good to go for another year.
