De-waxing a Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser

[Tony No-Toes]

I’m thinking of trying to de-wax a Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser and thought I’d solicit some advice ahead of time. I have several Filson waxed jackets but have recently moved to Southern California and it just doesn't rain much here. I’d like to enjoy one of my jackets without the weather proofing and without shrinking the garment too much. Putting a Filson in the washer is something I'd prefer not to do. I have a 40 long that is slightly big that I think would be a good candidate for the experiment.

I just want to remove most of the wax, enough so that the jacket can breath a little more and can be enjoyed in the dry 50 and 60 degree weather we have where I live.

Here’s my plan...Take the jacket and let it heat up in the sun for a while then pack the pockets, with paper towels and wrap the jacket in light paper to absorb as much as the wax as possible. Remove paper towels and repeat several times. Then, give the jacket a soak in warm water to loosen up the wax even more. Remove the jacket from the warm water and lightly scrub with a solution of Woolite and water. Perhaps repeat this process a twice then rinse and dry completely. Then, check for any shrinkage to determine how the process is working and repeat if there is no shrinkage. I plan to do this until the wax is mostly absent from the tin cloth and check for shrinkage between each step.
Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Jack Burton]

You might also try laying paper down over the garment and applying a hot iron to the paper. The paper should absorb the wax. Maybe try some dry-cleaning fluid on the leftover wax. No matter how you do it, it sounds like it's gonna be messy.:eeek: Good luck.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Sell it and buy a dry one.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

I'd have to go a custom build to get a dry finish cruiser in a tall which is 40% more than retail. That's over $300 bucks. I got this one for $100 bucks. Might as well have....a cheap dry finish jacket : )

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You can always contact Filson & see what they have to say.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

You can always contact Filson & see what they have to say.

Yes, good idea. They're usually very helpful.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

For reference, here's some good and not so good ideas others have suggested: http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-30046.html

 

[CodeRed]

I left mine in the sun on the grass to get rid of some, but not all the oil...the sleeves shrank and now I dont wear it at all...

 

[too much coffee]

I left mine in the sun on the grass to get rid of some, but not all the oil...the sleeves shrank and now I dont wear it at all...

Good Morning CodeRed;

Were the sleeves wet or dry at the time you laid it out? If they were dry, then Filson has a serious shrinkage problem.
We are all familiar with Filson tin cloth being apt to shrink when wet & dried in the sun, but shrinking when dry?

"Did you order a Code Red"?
"You dam right I did".
Great stuff!


Regards,
coffee

 

[CodeRed]

The jacket was dry. I left on the lawn so any wax that leaked off of it didn't stain anything. I really liked it but not with the shorter arms, just enough to bother me.

 

[frussell]

I accidentally de-waxed a similar garment, a tin cloth vest, in the Southern California heat. It was drizzling in the morning, and I had to take a bunch of tourists out for a long ride in our local canyons, so I put the waxed vest on. The sun came out, and by the end of the ride, I had absorbed most of the wax/oil on my shirt, pants, saddle, and a good protective coating on my skin that took several showers to get rid of. If Filson doesn't have any suggestions, your aforementioned plan sounds pretty good to me. Like mentioned above, it will definitely be messy. Let us know how it turns out. Frank

 

[too much coffee]

The jacket was dry. I left on the lawn so any wax that leaked off of it didn't stain anything. I really liked it but not with the shorter arms, just enough to bother me.

Thanks CodeRed............really sorry to hear about the shrinkage.

coffee

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I'm thinking, that PERSONALLY, I'd just buy a new one if I liked it that well. $225 in this market is decent at least.

http://www.filson.com/products/dry-finish-tin-cruiser.10074.html?fromCat=true&fvalsProduct=mens/coats-jackets&fmetaProduct=1011

De-waxing the waxed ain't easy or clean. If you screw it up, you're out a decent jacket you could sell.

There's also the Duluth Trading jacket:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/duluth-ingenuity/fire-hose-workwear/mens-fire-hose-jackets/93009.aspx

Similar and much less expensive. I don't have either, but I plan on getting the Duluth at some time.

Later

 

[Icthruu74]

You might try washing it in liquid dish soap such as Joy.

I have cleaned canvas tarps by scrubbing them with dish soap and a brush, but I would think that would be too harsh for you jacket.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

The jacket was dry. I left on the lawn so any wax that leaked off of it didn't stain anything. I really liked it but not with the shorter arms, just enough to bother me.

How much shrinkage did you get?

 

[Tony No-Toes]

You might try washing it in liquid dish soap such as Joy.

I have cleaned canvas tarps by scrubbing them with dish soap and a brush, but I would think that would be too harsh for you jacket.

I was thinking I'd go with something very mild at first, let it dry and see how it goes. Then try it again and check for shrinkage. I really like the cruiser and the 40 long will give me a tiny bit of extra length to lose should it shrink some.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Agreed, I think it will take about a half an hour each cleaning session and if I start to see much shrinkage, I can back off. I'll take some pics and post them as a resource (or warning) for future de-waxers out there.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I would get a new one that is unwaxed & then sell the waxed version to recoup some of the funds.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Hi

I'm thinking, that PERSONALLY, I'd just buy a new one if I liked it that well. $225 in this market is decent at least.

http://www.filson.com/products/dry-finish-tin-cruiser.10074.html?fromCat=true&fvalsProduct=mens/coats-jackets&fmetaProduct=1011

De-waxing the waxed ain't easy or clean. If you screw it up, you're out a decent jacket you could sell.

I'd need a 40 Tall/Long which is 40% more than the $225 for the standard dry finish cruiser. I guess I'm feeling like I can do this with a little effort. The Japanese routinely wash the Filson garments for shrinking and I'm hoping to avoid this by being methodical and careful. All's not lost if I fail. Someone would still fit into the jacket if it shrank some. For example: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...ll-have-the-best-quot-The-Filson-Thread/page3

This guy bought a shrank washed Filson with great luck. I'd like to avoid this, of course

 

[Tony No-Toes]

I would get a new one that is unwaxed & then sell the waxed version to recoup some of the funds.

I might be wishing I'd done that very thing when everything's all said and done ....