Tutorial: Waxed Cotton

Waxing Cotton. Why? To waterproof something, to add structure, or because you like the look. Waterproofing is the most common reason, but I find it gives items, like bags or totes rigidity that helps them stay sturdy. This waxed cotton tutorial will walk you though all you need to know.

In my pervious post I made a woodworking apron and I waxed the cotton. This is how I did it!

What You Need

mason jar
1/2 beeswax and paraffin wax
small brush
stove
pot
water
wooden stir stick
old towel
hair dryer
knife

First step – gather all of your materials. Break up the paraffin wax and the beeswax – I used a knife. Put a pot of water on the stove.

Mix the two waxes in the mason jar. Since you don’t want the jar to sit at the bottom of the pot (the glass might break if it gets too hot) put in the metal ring and set the mason jar on it. Let the water heat up (I had mine around an 7 or 8) and it will melt the wax. Use the wooden stir stick to mix the two waxes.

Time to lay out your project. In my case, the apron. I put it on newspaper first and then the newspaper started to stick to the garment. Use an old towel, that’s what I switched to and it worked way better.

Grab your hair dryer and get ready.

Once your wax is melted, carefully grab it out of the pot and bring over to your garment. Use the brush and generously brush on. Don’t worry if you don’t cover everything right away – that’s what the hairdryer is for.

Once you’ve brushed on the wax, grab the hairdryer and use it to remelt the wax – it’ll move around and cover the whole project. If you’re working on something very big, then you may need more wax.

Once it’s all melted, you’re done!

Also – notice the colour difference – waxing cotton does darken the colour of the material (especially white – it’ll make white look a little yellow). If you’re worried you won’t like the look, be sure to test it out first.