Sprinkler tests sold me; great job!

It worked, that is very cool. Appreciate the shout out and good luck on your deer hunt. I plan to get real serious about hunting next week. Have some orders to get out this week. Again, nice tarp and you have to love the weight vs size and durability of oil skin.

Awesome tarp. Looks like it worked well. All in all fairly inexpensive compared to the expensive nylon tarps.

I love it when a project is simple and turns out exactly as expected. Thanks for taking the time to shoot and post. I will definitely be trying this one out!

just watched William Collins' 3 parter on this subject a few weeks ago yet again a few moments again to make sure I have everything straight. Plannin a vacation trip for some hammock camping in February & anxious to get mine done for testing before hand. Thanks for the video, be safe, God bless, see ya 👍

Very cool project. I enjoy your viewing your vids. I am new to bushcrafting and live in the Portland metro area. I was thrilled to find a community of you guys in my own state to learn from. Keep the vids coming Jason. Thanks!

i make drop cloths doing this with minwax oil and no thinner. (takes 3 weeks to dry here in humid florida) Works great.Camo sheets look great too. Also can re--coat it if needed (thinned 50%).Im a furniture refinsher and if the truth be known ive never seen a difference in any of the oils tho linseed is good because its all natural/non toxic, used on baby furniture alot,Thxs for upload!

Like the tie out reinforcements. I used William Collins' 50/50 mix recipe and it worked great! I had one tie out rip. Need to use your reinforcements on it. Great job!

I need to try this. Thanks!

That's a great job. I see your sewing skills trump mine got to practice some more. Thanks.

Great idea! Been wanting to make an oilskin tarp and bedroll.Will try this asap

I really enjoyed and appreciate all the work you put into this. If I were to do it, and I may, I think I'd skip the tie-outs and just haul along some tarp clips, especially since I have no clue how to sew! Thanks for sharing this informative vid.

Great idea!

Very cool ! Ive been planing to make one also . Glade to know it worked out well for you.

Really cool project. Looks great.

very cool hack, thank you for the info.

EXCELLENT!!! When I did ACW re-enactments,we used Homer Fornbee's wooden deck stain. We would set up the tent, and use rollers and brushes.Turned but pretty well, aged the material and water proofed it, but streaked it.And if you tried to even it out, it just made itworse. I like your method much better.Thanks!!!

Great video, really useful. I haven't invested in a nice tarp yet, so maybe il give this a try!

Excellent video.

Dang, that is a great idea and very good vid.

that's awesome, I want to do something like this now

Very nicely done. I am going to have to give this a try. Been talking about making our own SilNylon with a friend too. Take Care.

Nice job on your tarp for sure. I just may have to try this out for myself, I'm needing another tarp too. : )

Dude. You are awesome.

Very well done video. Thank you.

Good stuff Jason... Looks great!!! Todd

Very cool, that sure beat packing in a blue plastic trap that always seems to come with at least one hole from the Chinese factory. Pretty aggressive test too, that's a lot of hours of keeping the water out. Good stuff man!

Most excellent! This is a money saving project except the oil of course but still a great task for me to look into.

Excellent

Good stuff.

Nicely done jason. Will have to give that a go. Have water proofed canvas tipis and wall tents before, but never using just the linseed oil.

Turned out great man! Well done.

Nice! Looking forward to the 50/50 mix.

great job!!

yea adding some turpentine will really help it dry specially if it is not warm and dry weather. It will also make your tarp lighter, as will making a twin which I am about to do for a hiking kit. If you make it too thin though you might have to do 2 coats, depending on your thread count I know 300 is not enough for 1 to 1 ratio. I might try 1to 1 on an 800 count but 2 parts oil and 1 part turpentine really does a good job on bags and pouches, and it is still pretty thin.

Thank you for taking the time to do this diy. It's absolutely fantastic idea for my boys who love to camp with their youth groups at church. They also love to show their friends all kinds of things they have learned and this is right up their alley and just what the doctor or rather campers ordered. Thanks again and keep up the great works.

im going to make a vid very similar to this in the near future great job explaining how to do it

Great idea! Amazing really, old school technology at it's best! Love to try it but do not have a sewing machine.

Good stuff

Just made one in, its hanging in my shed, will add gromets after its dry. really looking forward to using it ,thanks

Jason.. Sweet.. gear made from oilskin awesome! I had never really thought about the bed sheet as a cotton source, but now it's got me thinking. Keep us up dated on the wear and waterproof aspects. I have heard of using a 50-50 mix of BLSO and MS but never tried it. It's supposed to dry faster but makes for a thinner coating. I have used a mix of BLSO, paraffin, and beeswax that works quite well. Thanks for he video.. Shad

Nice work! This is a great idea.

Enjoyed the video, Thanks for sharing

nice project thanks for the video

that's outstanding. ive been wanting to do this for years but never make the time

Thanks for the vid, not many on this subject. I've been learning oilskinning over the last ten years, with a lot of trial and error. It's an artform, and takes a good eye for materials and ingredients. A lot can go wrong. It often happens oiling ruins an item, be it through increased bulk, rigidity, and increased tendency to tear. They simply become unusable. My most successfully items have been thin, lightweight nylon, thin sport-style synthetic sweaters, and lightweight blends of cotton of no more than 50% - like dickies pants. Cotton always needs reinforcement stitching, double layers, and a lot of work to prevent tears. Joints in clothing wear out rapidly, and tears run a long way in the stiffer fabric. Items shrink, the material can become like sandpaper, and the bulk/weight can increase dramatically. Starting with a synthetic reduces all of those concerns. For natural fibers, mold will set in without consideration, and the addition of bees wax and pine sap almost necessary. Both protect against decay, add suppleness, smell natural and increase the shine. If I can't get either, I'll smoke the item not unlike an animal hide. I've had more failures than successes, and wasted a lot of supplies trying to figure out what works. When it does, the results are spectacular, unique, and draw a lot of attention. Everyone wants one, and wants to talk about it. Over the years, a few of my creations have truly been one of a kind, and priceless in form and function.

really cool man. might try it next summer

hey, pretty awesome vid , keep it simple , thks

Thank you. I need a low cost temporary basis cover for a tiny hoop greenhouse for a few seedling trays. I do not have canvas so I will use old jeans.

Great idea...I want to pack a tarp big enough to have a floor..my 3x3 nylon seems to roll up bigger than My California king sheets do....I may try this..

Awsome!

I would have mixed the boiled linseed oil in a 50/50 mix with mineral spirits. The mineral spirits acts as a drying agent and will let the linseed oil dry completely. Linseed oil by itself will never completely dry.

Linseed+ cake of bee wax. Great vid

Primal.... terrific video. How is it holding up today?? Also, when you made it, was it stiff and difficult to fold or roll or was it pliable and easy to manage.... like a regular canvas tarp?? Very nicely done, especially the part on sewing in the tie outs and attachments. Please let us know how it worked for you and if you are still using it currently. Best wishes.... Ax

I like the 1/4" double stick tape tip. that should make things much easier

Cool. Thanks for sharing. I just use Tyvek (construction house wrap). Tough enough to put under you sleep pad and water proof from above when raining... Light too for the pack

But still very cool and i think i might try it .

Great tutorial and very simple. Has anyone reading this ever tried this with a nylon/parachute-type material to reduce weight?

Great video, I also want to make my own Oil Skin Tarp! Could I ask a question? How durable is this tarp? Will it be easy to break? How long have you been using it? (The video is five years ago!)

Thank you for the video.

I like what you did. I have a concern. An oil soaked cloth is excellent tinder. Would silicone be as waterproof, and less able to catch on fire? Thank you. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

I use a king sheet. I also use ripstop fabric from old bdu pants for my reinforcement where I add loops. I also spray camo paint on the sheet before dunking in the oil mix.

Hello mate that's a cracking tarp you've made . Atb Martin

damn dude that is awesome!

Definitely going to try this excellent video have been looking for an easy way to do this for a while so thank you could this be used as an shtf gortex? Maybe

Hey, great video. I'm looking to do something similar. Have you found that folding the tarp affects the treatment? Does it cause any breakdown in the folded areas?

This was a very good idea. Cheap and easy. And if it held the rain out and you dry, this is something I will make my self. For how long time will the tarp be water proof ? Thanks for sharing.

You can use essential oils in that as well, like mint for bug repellent

Definitely will try it.I made a tarp with cotton painter's canvas about 10 oz weight.Though I should've sewed hems(too much sewing by hand,and I don't have a sewing machine)due to great tendency to fray at edges.,it's a decent tarp with nylon loops at 4 corners and in the middle(8 loops total).Problem is it's too heavy and takes up alot of room in my pack(Trapper Nelson canvas pack with wooden frame)being 9x12.I watched the video to see how you waterproofed it.I'm wondering if just applying the Linseed oil by a big paint brush versus dipping it like you did.would work as well.

Would this be a good idea for for making patio cushions?

Sounds great. Although a list of supplies would be helpful ( especially for non-americans). Did you say "boiled linseed oil"? Did YOU boil it, and what for? ... Did you have to use special needles for sewing on the canvas and "webbing"(? what kind of webbing?). Thank you for sharing this. I've often wondered about this, when wearing my wax-parka.

Just showed up in my feed after 6 years! Have you considered a mix of boiled linseed oil and beeswax?

Veeery nice! So ... How's it holding up after 4 years? :-)

Great idea here. My question is if you could take a Super Soaker with some Camp Colors and hit the material as it was, 'pitched'? I wonder if it would accept the colors or not? You should probably pitch and dye it before waterproofing it.

man this sort of project is really popular. Can you speak any further to the spark resistance? You've had it for a year or three...any further results?

So I've seen many videos on turning a bed sheet into a waterproof tarp . Why doesn't anyone put tie outs / pull outs on the ridgeline , the middle , and the diagonal like a DD hamock tarp or a Gold Armour tarp ? Can it be done and still be waterproof ?

Nine years later - how did it last/ turn out? Tx!

That's sweet. I was wondering what the weight was and then you posted it in the video. I was hoping for a before and after weight and get an idea how much oil residue is still embedded in the sheet. Not that it matters, but it would be fun to know.

genius ! is this idea with the linseed oil some thing you only need to do once or every so often to the sheet? definitely a good idea and money saver, also great idea for and emergence cover of some sort too Can the linseed oil idea work with ordainer clothing like pants and jackets to????

In my experience, boiled linseed oil won't dry in humid climates and will become tacky/sticky if humidity remains high. We have difficulty with black mold taking root in oil-based paints, as well. Not sure if that's dust/pollen that has stuck to sticky paint, seems to be.

Does it smell of linseed oil?

How have I never even heard of this before? This is really neat.

Another option is to use is Thompson's water seal for canvas. Use a airless sprayer to apply it to the material. It may take multiple coats, but it will dry faster then two weeks.

Amazing project! What's the weight? and is it particularly thick fabric?

How is this oilcloth holding up? Curious about folds and snags. Also, about how much BLO was required to treat? I noted you were ready with 2 quarts, but I suspect you used much less.

Very nice! I'd like something like this for canoe camping. My nylon tarp has a few pin holes from wayward sparks so a natural cloth would be much better. I got to ask though, how safe is the Linseed Oil? I've always been told to destroy Linseed soaked rags because of the risk of spontaneous combustion it presents. Though I must confess that numerous attempts to witness this have all failed. Dire warnings are always given where this oil is applied with rags. Perhaps it's only possible while the oil is still wet. Good video and nice tarp! All the best, Al.

I have not tried this yet. I'm going to, though. Like you said, I think I'm gonna do a twin sheet...much more my speed. 6lbs. Sheesh! LOL.

I have been using a regular plastic tarp for a backpacking shelter so I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on the pros and cons of a plastic tarp vs an oilskin tarp. Obviously weight is a big concern for backpacking but do some of the other qualities of the oilskin tarp make it worth the extra weight? Thanks!

I stumbled on your channel researching sewing a custom sil nylon tarp for this winter on the Hoh and bogy, steel heading in the national park.I want to get away from the masses down below. So I found a comment stating you got a winter out of it and suspected a better sheet might of made a difference.Would/are you doing another?I like the idea for the same reason you stated,it will stand up to fire embers better than nylon.I am actually thinking of incorporating both materials for a winter fire friendly/friendlier hammock tarp.thanks in advance for any feed back..Greg

If you add a strip of canvas around all the edges of the sheet it is much tougher and wont rip in high winds.

has it stood the test of time, and have you had to touch up the tarp with more linseed oil yet? weight isn't a concern of mine and this would make a nice project. nice video man.

I'm in the drawing board point of making a 100% cotton canvas haversack right now, when I go to use the linseed oil on it, do I need to put the oil on both the outside and inside of the bag, or can I get by with just applying the oil to the outside?

i have a cuestion: Does it smels bad in any way? Thank´s for the video it´s very intresting Greetings from Mexico

I know the video is good . just pointing one safety note boiled linseed oil is capable of self combustion, just so you know , it probably won't ignite but can .. happy new year and god bless .. Lee

Very cool. Let us know how it holds up with some use.

hello -how long did it stay good?

i would use silicone and naptha or mineral spirits. 4 to 1. it won't rot the fabic like linseed oil does when it's not dried. i did a tarp yeats ago with boiled linseed oil and hung it out for two weeks and it had started roting on the edges. that was a 1000 count cotton fabric wasted. they are not cheap to replace.

can you do this for a synthetic jacket

Am I understanding right, that had the temperature been lower than it was, it would have taken longer than 'three weeks' to dry?

Very cool. Thanks for such an easy to dig video. I'll be trying that out too now. Oh ya, I subbed you too. :) LarryB