As you know, waxed canvas jackets are a beloved staple of Bridge & Burn and a key wardrobe element for Pacific Northwesterners (and well beyond). Waxed canvas offers protection from the elements, durability, longevity, and most importantly, comfort. We stand behind the quality of every piece we create and love that much like your favorite pair of leather boots, it gets better with age, molding to your movements and developing a unique patina for a truly custom look.
We sat down with the team behind Otter Wax, who generously shared tips on how to extend the lifetime of our waxed canvas jackets. Read on for a step by step guide and shop Otter Wax products to keep your jacket looking fresh.
You might be wondering, why it's even worth the effort to Otter Wax a jacket that's made from factory-waxed fabric in the first place. Two reasons:
1. It will vastly improve upon the existing waterproofing ability of the fabric. Water is going to bead up and roll right off.
2. The fabric will take on somewhat of waxy-shine that gives it the slight appearance of leather. It's going to look awesome.
Pushing the bar out of the wax paper wrap helps you keep a nice grip on the bar while you're waxing. You'll inevitably get some wax on your hands, but it definitely helps keep the mess factor under control.
Start by applying downward pressure. Not so much that you end up chipping the bar, but hard enough that you create some friction when you begin rubbing the bar back and forth on the fabric.
Once you've thoroughly waxed a small area of the jacket, smooth it out with your fingers or with the beveled edge of a Smoothing Tool. This helps work the wax into the upper layer of the fabric and helps the wax bond to the garment.
Utilize the edges of the bar for hard-to-reach spots like seams and pockets.
No matter what fabric you're waxing, you'll always end up with the occasional clumps of wax that form when the wax collects around seams.
To help even things out and remove any unsightly clumps of wax, use the sharp corner of the Smoothing Tool to scrape it out and then smooth out the area with the beveled edge.
Once the jacket has been fully waxed, you'll want to hang it in a warm, dry place for about 72 hours to allow excess oils to evaporate off the fabric, leaving the wax bonded to the fibers. But make no mistake, waxing fabric will always, always change the way that a fabric looks and feels. Even after 72 hours, you can expect to feel a slight tack to the jacket. It's perfectly normal, and will continue to fade over time.
If the finish looks blotchy or uneven we recommend placing the jacket in an old pillowcase and heating it in a hot dryer for 30-45 minutes to help melt the wax into a more uniform finish.
After re-waxing, new creases may appear with normal use. This is normal and will fade with time as the finish breaks in.
If you're concerned about the wax coming off on furniture or car seats, you can simply rub the waxed fabric between your finger. Did any waxes or oils end up on your hands? If so, just use some caution around furniture and car seats and take the jacket off before sitting.
