How to Treat Your Fabric/Garment

A Ritual, Not a Shortcut

Treating oilskin is not a chore to rush through. It is part of the garment’s story.

This is where raw cloth begins to take on purpose — where an untreated piece of natural cotton becomes weatherproof, hard-wearing, and unmistakably your own. There is satisfaction in doing it by hand. In warming the blend, working it into the fibres, and watching the fabric come alive under heat and use.

At Blackspur Co., we encourage a measured approach. Work slowly. Use thin coats. Let the material tell you what it needs. Oilskin rewards patience, and the result is something no factory finish can truly replicate.

A Note on Commercial Oilskin

Most commercially manufactured oilskin garments are produced for scale — not for story.

They are typically processed through industrial saturation baths, machine-coated under controlled conditions, and finished with petrochemical-based wax systems and synthetic additives. The goal is consistency: a uniform, tack-free surface that can be replicated thousands of times over, quickly and efficiently.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach. In fact, at Blackspur Co., we learned much of our early understanding from these high-volume commercial methods. They are effective, predictable, and built to deliver a consistent result straight off the shelf.

But consistency comes at a cost.

Machine-applied coatings are designed to remove variation — and with it, much of the character. The finish is uniform, the feel is standardised, and the connection between wearer and garment is largely absent. What you gain in convenience, you often lose in individuality.

There is also the question of materials. Many large-scale treatments rely on heavily processed petrochemical waxes, synthetic stabilisers, and blended additives, often produced in facilities where sourcing, refinement, and handling standards are not always transparent. For some, that matters. For others, less so.

At Blackspur Co., we chose a different path.

Not because the commercial method doesn’t work — but because we believe oilskin should be felt, understood, and shaped by the person who wears it. When you treat your own garment, you control what goes into it. You see how it behaves. You adjust it over time. And in doing so, you create something that no production line can replicate.

A garment with character.
A finish with depth.
A connection that only comes from doing it yourself.

Before You Begin

Set yourself up properly before you start.

You will need:

Your untreated Blackspur Co. garment or fabric
Your oilskin treatment ingredients and stirrer (cheap wooden spoon works well)
A double boiler or pot-within-pot setup - with heat source
A natural bristle brush, masonry brush, sponge, or lint-free cloth
A heat gun, hair dryer, or cheap steam iron
Protective gloves, a vapour mask is recommended for heated solvent fumes
A clean, well-ventilated workspace - outdoors is preferred
A hanger or line for curing
Optional: Cheap fan to blow heating fumes away from your face

Always work away from sparks, open flames, or anything that can ignite solvents. Slow, gentle heat is the way of oilskin.

Step 1 — Prepare the Garment

Start with fabric that is clean, dry, and free from dust or debris.

Lay the garment flat or hang it where you can work across it in sections. If there are folds from storage, smooth them out gently by hand. The fabric does not need to be perfect, but you want clear access to all surfaces, seams, corners, and high-wear areas.

This first stage matters. A calm setup leads to an even finish.

Step 2 — Warm the Blend Gently

Place your treatment blend in a double boiler and warm it slowly until it becomes fully fluid and uniform.

Do not boil it. Do not rush it.
Oilskin responds best to low, patient heat.

A properly warmed blend should pour or brush easily, without lumps or separation. If using raw beeswax and you wish to preserve more of its natural honey character, keep the heat controlled and balanced. Higher heat will neutralise that aroma and produce a more neutral finish.

The goal here is simple: a smooth, workable treatment that will move willingly into the fibres.

Step 3 — Apply Thin, Even Coats

Using your brush, sponge, or cloth, begin applying the treatment in light, controlled coats.

Work methodically across the garment:

Start with broad panels
Then move into seams, shoulders, hood edges, cuffs, plackets, and stress points
Pay particular attention to areas that catch rain or abrasion first

Do not flood the fabric. Do not try to finish it in one heavy pass.

Thin coats are always better than thick ones. They penetrate more deeply, cure more evenly, and give you greater control over the final character of the garment.

At this stage, the fabric may darken and appear patchy in places. That is completely normal.

Step 4 — Work the Treatment Into the Fabric With Heat

Once a section is coated, apply gentle heat using a hair dryer, heat gun on low, or steam iron.

This is where the transformation happens.

The heat draws the treatment down into the fibres, evens out the surface, and helps the waxes and oils settle where they belong. You will often see patchiness disappear as the blend absorbs into the cloth.

Move slowly and evenly:

Keep the heat source moving
Avoid concentrating too much heat in one spot
Let the fabric absorb, then assess before adding more

For larger garments such as cloaks, coats, or ponchos, a basic steam iron can be especially effective for speeding up absorption across broader panels.

Step 5 — Inspect and Build Gradually

After the first pass has settled in, step back and inspect the garment.

Look for:

Dry-looking patches
Areas where the finish appears uneven
Seams or folds that may need a little more attention
Heavy spots where the treatment may be sitting on the surface

If needed, add another light coat only where required, then heat it through again.

Oilskin is built in layers. This is not painting a wall — it is feeding the fibres.

A well-treated garment should not feel drenched or greasy. It should feel substantial, alive, and on its way to becoming weatherproof.

Step 6 — Hang and Let It Cure

Once the treatment is applied and heat-set, hang the garment in a warm, dry, well-ventilated space.

Leave it to cure properly.
Do not fold it away. Do not wear it immediately if it still feels wet or soft on the surface.

Depending on your blend and the conditions, curing may take 24 to 48 hours, sometimes longer if the weather is cool or the coat is heavily treated - (once the strong solvent smell disspiates, it is usually ready to start wearing)

During this stage:

Solvents evaporate
Oils begin to settle and cure
Waxes stabilise within the fabric

This is where patience pays off. The garment is finding its balance.

Step 7 — Wear It In

Once cured, put it to use.

At first, the finish may feel too firm, or tacky depending on the ratio of oils, waxes, and solvents used. This is not a fault. It is part of the wearing-in process for natural blends.

Just like a leather boot, oilskin changes with movement, heat, weather, and time.

Wear it:

In the yard
On the track
Around camp
In light weather before heavy exposure

As the garment flexes and settles, the finish begins to even out and soften. A natural patina will develop — creases, tonal variation, and character marks that reflect the life of the garment and the places it has been.

This is where oilskin begins to look right.

Best-Practice Notes

Use thin layers

More product does not mean better performance. Thin, deliberate coats always outperform a thick, rushed application.

Heat is your ally

Most patchiness, heaviness, or tackiness can be improved simply by reheating and allowing the treatment to move deeper into the fabric.

Focus on high-wear zones

Shoulders, hood crowns, sleeve tops, plackets, knees, seat panels, and pack-contact points often benefit from a little extra attention.

Expect variation

Every garment, every blend, and every climate behaves a little differently. That is part of the craft.

Don’t Worry

If you think you’ve overdone it, or messed it up, you haven’t.

Oilskin is forgiving.

If the finish feels too heavy:

Reheat it
Wipe away any excess/wet patches while warm with a lint free cloth
Let it cure longer

If it feels too stiff:

Wear it
Warm it gently
Flex it by hand

If it looks patchy:

Reheat and brush lightly before adding more product
While warm, rub areas firmly with a lint free cloth to blend it better

If it still feels tacky after a few days:

Give it more airflow and more time
Most of the time, it settles beautifully on its own

You are not ruining the garment. You are learning its character.

That is part of the appeal.

A Finish That Becomes a Story

A properly treated oilskin does more than repel water. It gains presence.

It begins firm, then softens. It starts uniform, then develops depth. It carries marks from use, weather, and time — not as damage, but as a record. This is the nature of good materials. They improve through wear.

Treat it well. Reproof it when needed. Use it often.

And in the years ahead, what begins as raw cloth and a warm blend in your hands may become the piece someone else one day remembers you by.

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