Drying an Oilcloth

[garretttcrooks]

I recently purchased an oilcloth, and right before they shipped it, they added another coat of linseed oil. Now it is tacky, and sticky... is there anyway i can take the stickyness away? Also, it is covered in animal hair and suck since they shipped it while it was still tacky.. can i get this off either?

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

I recently purchased an oilcloth, and right before they shipped it, they added another coat of linseed oil. Now it is tacky, and sticky... is there anyway i can take the stickyness away? Also, it is covered in animal hair and suck since they shipped it while it was still tacky.. can i get this off either?

Now that it's already been painted the only things I can recommend you do to relieve the tackiness is to use it, and to let it lay out in the sun/rain in hopes that it helps to 'set' the paint.

Short of finitely removing each animal hair...there is nothing you can do to get rid of this.

Sorry this isn't more promissing, but that's just a little experience having worked with this stuff from time to time...sigh

Paul B.

[Mint Julep]

If you have someplace where you can lay it flat and exposed to the sun for a number of days, without blowing away, do it.

I got a section of painted cloth recently that wasn't tacky, but smelled so strongly my wife objected to it even being in the garage. I laid it over a chair on the front porch for about 2 weeks and the smell subsided. I had to retrieve it twice during storms, though.

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

Linseed oil dries by polymerization and not evaporation, so basically one needs to be patient while the molecular process runs its course.
Sunlight and its warmth speeds the process.

However, you might try obtaining some Japan Dryer from the hardware or paint store, and
mix up a 4:1 or 5:1 mixture of Dryer to Boiled Linseed Oil and scrubbing it into the surface of the "oilcloth."

That may first remove the unwanted hair, plus accelerate the drying of the oil over a day or three.

(I frequently use Japan Dryer to heavily cut gunstock oil, and using the sun on a hot day can dry a stock in less than an hour per application.)

CHS

[billwatson2]

Not that the esteemed mr Schmidt needs it, but I can endorse Japan dryer. It will dry up your problem and if the craft gods are smiling, produce the slick, pliable, resilient, attractive finish commercial oilcloth was supposed to have.

Making oilcloth was an industry, and it produced a consistent product by the ton at the time of the war, oilcloth used not just for groundcloths but of good enough quality to be used for clothing, dusters and whatnot. We find it difficult to do that in the garage or even at the cottage industry level that characterizes our own supply lines as reenactors. Given bulk quantities of the necessary ingredients, experience, and the proper large facilities for manufacturing, we'd get a better result. But what would we do with all that oilcloth? :)

I coated one old haversack with a homemade batch of stuff and got an unbelievable result. But I never duplicated it with that much success again. Others mileage has definitely varied, as there's some good stuff out there. You just got a loose end this time, but you can fix it.

[doc13thnc]

I mix my linseed oil, black latex and Japan drier together for all my ponchos and ground cloths and put them outside for 2 or 3 days before folding. I still put brown paper between all the folds and cloth strips between each for stacking or they will stick together. I would send it back and have whoever painted it replace it. I stand behind all mine with a personal 100% guarantee to repair or repaint as long as you own it.

Rex D Hovey
North State Haberdashery

[Bill_Cross]

Curt's recipe is also good for periodically "restoring" painted cloth, especially at joins or places where the stitching or cloth gets a workout.

I also use it over repainted regimental numbers, when I'm in the mood to replicate them on my pack.