You didn't mention that many oil skin fabrics especially treated with Linseed oil become HIGHLY Flammable. It may also be true with other oils and waxes. It's believed that it was the cause of the 1944 Circus Fire in Hartford CT, USA. My father was a young man at that time who worked across the street from the circus grounds. I used to hear stories of the horror that happened that day. Please be careful with it.

There were scientists who studied the clothes the Vikings used when they were out sailing on their voyages, they recreated it and found out that their clothes used were 3 to 5 degrees celsius warmer than the warmest clothes you can get today and the outer layer was waterproof too..

Oilskin jackets and hats are readily available in Canada and are commonly worn by ranchers and seafarers. A yellow oilskin outfit is pretty emblematic of Newfoundland.

Waxed linens are ancient, the Greek armor called a linothorax is made from layers of it.

Traditionally wool garments would be covered with lanolin from the sheep. This lanolin would make woollen garments naturally waterproof but still breathable. Also felt. Felt is made by gathering loose wool and stabbing it with needles to mat it together. Again if the wool was in its raw state it would make for not only windproof garments but also waterproof garments. It wasn't until modern times that the wool processing would have removed the lanolin. There is a gentleman's coat brand in England called Barbour which still uses oilskin for coats. They are very heavy and good quality. There is a company called Nikwax where you wash synthetic clothing in it and it makes the cloth hydrophobic. It stops clothing from getting damp so you don't get cold so quickly.

According to my mother-in-law she would pinprick oilskin cloth along the seam line before actually stitching. She used heavier thread for this purpose and oiled the seam afterwards to ensure weather proofing. These were utilitarian items, not fashionable ones. Do not know what was used to "oil" the finished seams since it was a ready made product available in Hungary in the 1930s, but she said it contained beeswax. She also said it was used on umbrellas.

Foul weather gear makes you giggle because of the pun imbedded in the phrase, foul weather being excellent weather for ducks.

In Australia and New Zealand Oilskin coats. jackets and vests have been in continuous use in rural areas since first European settlement. To some extent the jackets and vests are one form of fashion statement. Two major Australian companies are R M Williams and Driza Bone, definitively both fashion and practicality focussed. Unfortunately their jackets and vests do not fit my body shape and my current oilskin vest, very wide across the shoulders and comfortable is actually made in China with the name Outback :). I have experimented with making my own oilskin using both cotton and canvas. The process of coating/soaking the fabric is not hard but definitely could be very dangerous if the ingredients or the wet fabric came into contact with any open flames or extreme heat. A process best done outdoors as shown in the Townsends video. When the oilskin is dry, ie the waterproofing has cured, it is not a risk near fires. You see plenty of stockmen wearing oilskin jackets and vests and sitting around campfires. Someone made a comment about oilskins being stiff and hampering movement. That is true for heavy stiff fabrics like canvas but lightweight oilskin cotton fabrics are very different.

On the channel "Townsends" there is an episode where they make oilcloth. That interests me but since I dont know what I might use it for I havent tried it, yet. Thank you for the long look into this topic!

the British navy, waxed their cloth with hemp oil/wax, which was a thick substance that needed heating to make it liquid enough to use, but gave a watertight hemp cloth, often used to cover things stored on deck, like boxes of biscuits. the wax was also used on the hemp ropes and to watertight the planks. this widely used crop was vital to the navy, all issued uniforms including shoes were made from hemp, though officers had to purchase their own uniforms. i live near the main naval docks and am interested in naval history and have spent some time at the museum area learning all about this.

Wool is actually the ONLY fabric that will still keep you warm even when it is wet! But it sure can get HEAVY if it gets wet!!

Had an oilskin duster when I worked ranching for a decade - it was wonderful - I could ride all danged day in a downpour and stay DRY. Even better with a nice old wool sweater underneath in winter

It's so cool to see oilskin getting some love! It's pretty common in outdoor wear here in Australia still, especially when it comes to clothes for farmers. I've had oilskin coats my whole life and I swear by them!

Wool does not lose heat when wet, which is why it has long been used by out-door types and mariners. The wool was shrunk to tighten the weave and treated with lanolin.

My grandmother used oilcloth table cloths in her kitchen and when all of us little tots were there for meals....

I wear wool, linens, and linen silk blend clothes in the high elevation rainforest where I live, without rain gear; and I stay warm when I get wet.

I'm in the process of making a medieval inspired hood out of oilskin, lined with cabbage pieces of wool, and perhaps also silk or satin if I don't like the way the wool rubs my hair. I dislike winter hats with a passion, so hopefully this will be a nice alternative.

Oilskin jackets and dusters seem to have been more popular decades ago, but I still think they are quite resilient garments useful for many scenarios. A well-made oilskin jacket provides some wind resistance as well as water resistance. Thanks for the video!

Yes, you cannot leave linseed oil on cloth in a bundle, it catches fire spontaneously. You need to spread it out so that the heat generated can disperse. As the oil reacts with atmospheric oxygen heat is generated and anyplace where heat cannot disperse it will heat up, reacting faster and faster until it ignites. Once the oil has oxidised this is no longer an issue.

I remember my mother rewaxing these jackets she and my father had, I was so confused on what she was doing. It was several years back though and I was really small. I had actually forgotten that memory. On another note I was wondering where your Sontag shawl is from?

I actually make medieval cloaks with just dense canvas shells and a thick lining. The tighter the weave of your cloth the less it will allow wind and wet in.

Hand sewing canvas or leather is a lot easier with a Sailmaker's Palm. Glover Needles and Saddler's Harness Needles can also help (I recommend John James Needles). A stitching pony also helps for stiff heavy materials. There's also a very convenient little one handed manual tool called an Easy Awl/Speedy Stitcher.

I wish you had shown an actual picture of the cloak you had made. We saw hints of it, but not the actual cloak. Love your channel, just subscribed.

I found this video by accident, in the process of making myself an oilskin jacket (modern). Oilskin vests, jackets and duster coats are still very popular here in Australia

this sounds like a great material for rain coats (or an entire rain suit like we have in The Netherlands. Seems like it would be way more breathable than plastic). Also as a cloak for a fantasy festival. I have a cotton velvet one for the summer, but that one you'll definitely get wet it really quick if it more than slightly drizzles. It's also not really warm enough for winter wear unless you put a winter coat underneath it

Hi, vasi! This is a topic that I've been very interested in so it's super excited to see it on your channel. I just wanted to share something I had picked up in the past. In Japan they use something called khakishibu. It's a coating on handmade Japanese paper, umbrellas, and fans that makes them waterproof and very strong. It's also painted on walls to protect them from wind and rain. The Matsu Castle is an example. ☔🏯

I bought some lovely red dry oilcloth last year for a coat (1970s pattern) but only up to the toile stage so far. Other projects have taken priority! That blue is lovely 😍

At the beginning you mentioned that wool would be very cold to wear once soaked with water. It may be helpful to know that wool still maintains its ability to keep a body warmer than bare skin even when wet. (It depends on the temperature of the water, of course). My daughter spent a semester at sea aboard a 180' research sailing ship. They were all told to wear only wool. They had fresh water to drink, but bathed, worked in sea water the whole time. Constantly sodden, but warm enough. They sailed from a city in the Caribbean (Puerta Vallarta, I think) up to a port in Massachusetts.

Thanks so much for watching!

All the solvent based waterproofing for fabric today is highly flammable too!!

I saw Townsends make a oil cloth. It was facinating how it's made . Thank you for telling us your exsperince with it!

In the USA colonial period, 17th century, before glass became commonly available, linen oiled with linseed oil was used to cover windows. Over time it would turn black. There were buckets made from waxed leather. I have read of oiled, painted canvas floor cloths in the 18th and 19th century USA, before linoleum became available.

Older guy here and I really enjoyed your 28th century vibe and sophistication. It’s amazing to me from watching movies and reading explorer experiences like Shackleton’s adventure to the Arctic that they survived in those harsh conditions 10:59 . Oil skins were primary outer for more than a year and climbing a cliff face with ship nail climbing equipment. It’s just amazing what people have done!Thank you for your show💚!

Oil skin coats are still a staple with New Zealand farmers and hunters. These require annual maintenance (best timed just before winter. These coats are weather proof for several hours of solid rain but will begin leaking at the seams in the shoulders first. They are a fantastic product to use in the outdoors.

Thanks for your video- we still need the “old” skills today. Thanks for keeping them alive!

Pardon me, I just stumbled in here while researching medieval waterproofing chemistry for my novel... I'm currently stuck on this idea that it must have been entirely possible for medieval clothiers to waterproof their fabrics using tallow-based polymers or even calcium stearate... But I digress. I love the little fireplace aesthetic in this video, and your production quality is quite high. The way you speak is also paced like you're just talking about something you love and not reading a pre-written script from a teleprompter. Your intelligence and enthusiasm and interest shines through and that's wonderful. I'll be exploring your other videos for sure. Also, OMG eyes!

Mongolian portable tents, called gers, are made from several layers of wool felt wrapped around a light wood frame and tied down with horse hair ropes. The felt wool contains natural sheep's lanolin providing waterproofing, thermal and sound-proofing and very effective wind-proofing. R (Australia)

Oil skin made a comeback in the 90s. I had a western or Aussie looking oilskin coat I wore when riding the mc in the rain. It kept me dry. There were no good rain coats that held up to highway speeds.

There is a cotton based cloth called Ventile which is so closely woven that when it gets wet it swells up and becomes impermeable. it was invented in the late 1930s and is still used for flight crew imersion suits. Sir Edmund Hillary was wearing Ventile when he and Sherpa Tensing first reached the sumit of Everest in 1953. When dry it is soft and windproof. it is still made today and you can get garments made from it. You'd have to check around to find a supplier of the bare fabric. I have 1960s smock made from it and its still one of my favorite garments.

In the uk we usually call this oilcloth, floor cloths were also made that used linseed oil and oil paints to make it decorative and it turns out like a primitve form of lino. I made one twenty years ago and it was still going strong when it was nicked at an event.

In norway, oilcloth was traditionally used for fishermen. A standard "oljehyre" consisted of a coat and a pair of trousers. I read an account of two brothers who could only afford one set, so one brother wore the coat while the other wore the trousers. Oilcloth was useful at sea, because it protected your wools from being drenched by sea spray and rain in bad weather (which might come suddenly). Leather will not work as well, because the salt will ruin it. Norwegian fishermen still use similar garments, but they are now typically made with plastic covered cloth. They will also protect the undergarments from fish guts and other nastiness, so the trousers have a high front and can be worn without the coat. These garments are also common on modern children.

We still use canvas tarps that are a heavy oiled cotton fabric. Plastic tarps just don't take the hard use without fraying and tearing. The canvas tarps are heavy and expensive, but they work :)

Also, Sailcloth was also repurposed as floorcloths, or floor coverings, typically over wood floors. From the wee bit of research I’ve done, it appears that it was a ‘wall-to-wall’ covering. These were generally painted to look like a carpet. This is what make me curious - you indicated that the sails themselves were treated/oiled. So how were the cloths painted? When I paint floor clothes, I use canvas (I.e. inexpensive painters tarps) and heavily discounted latex paint (I haunt paint depts seeking rejected mixes). Then cover the finished cloth with multiple coats of heavy duty varnish - typically spar varnish. I’m confident that milk paint would not stick to old sailcloth. So what did they use? Had to be the equivalent of what the sail was treated with. More research necessary! Thanks for the great video.

I used oil skin coats for 5 years while horse riding and caring for my horse in all weathers. I love them. So practical and hard wearing. A lot heavier than modern fabrics though.

As a youth I had a coat called a "great coat" It had a hood that attached with studs to the back and covered me from head to toe and was made out of a hemp based fabric, it had a woven woolen jacket on hemp or cotton ties inside. I inherited this from my grandfather. I would dearly love one again. I had to re-oil it with a special oil that I remember smelling of bees wax and hemp I did that until it ran out and my mother threw it out. By that time it was very battered and torn.Also missing the internal jacket which made it quite uncomfortable to put on until it warmed. I remember walking many miles in many storms dry as a bone and lovely and warm. I suspect that it was made prior to or around WW1.

Hello V...Another wonderful video to see...Looking forward to many more since I found your channel and related links not too long ago... As a teacher (and living traditionalist) it is always wonderful to see others that have taken the step forward of embracing the superiority of the traditional lifestyle (in some form) to modern consumerism...As I have told students and colleagues alike, be it in the architecture I design and build or the Sartorial arts "...modern seldom equals better...but does usually equal profit for an industry at the cost to the environment...and a product that will soon need to be replaced..." On your current topic, should you choose to expand your research and understanding into further depths, I might suggest moving from the Eurocentric perspectives and more to the world I tend to specialize in of the indigenous and folk vernaculars... To some of the points in your video, I would expand... "Oilskin" (aka "oilcloth) has its roots in actual "oil skin" as I have worn on several traditional kayaking and wilderness adventure that came from the vast garment techniques found among many Arctic First Nations People and related indigenous cultures. This can be made of intestine, fish skins, bladder leather, and the list goes on...These fabrics gave rise to Europeans trying to simulate and mass-produce the fabrics of these cultures, and as you suggest the sails also of many nautical cultures which many used skins and wool first...then later flax fiber and hemp... Your point about wool having a limit when getting "very very cold and wet," is more about the type and quality of wool and/or the lack of skill sets in the person making or wearing the garment. From years as a wilderness guide, I too often would see folks with modern clothing (like Gortex) getting cold and soaked from their own perspiration...not the rain pouring down on them. Wool and leather both are more than adequate, when worn correctly in proper layers, and of the correct quality and type to weather virtually all terrestrial activities without the concern of getting too wet or cold...Seldom is a large heavy overcoat (made of oilskins or cloth) needed and only when not exerting oneself as perspiration alone would become overwhelming. In your application and use, oilcloth over garment is more than understandable and applicable... Oilcloths came into the traditional garment world often for a quick water repellent "overlayer" when speaking of the more fashionable European. For the rest, oilcloth's primary role was more industrial, utilitarian, and related, such as the nautical realm you mentioned. In the latter, it was probably employed way more for other things besides clothing with the garment industry occupying only a small percentage of its use... On sewing with it, the alcohol is a good trick but can dry out your skin, instead try a little natural beeswax on your fingers. It can often help too with grip if one uses a small pair of clamps to grab the needle in more difficult situations, which was a common enough practice even in Victorian times and a "trick of the trades," for such work... Making your own leather thimbles can also help with grip, but this gets into more advanced traditional skills as the best "thimble leather" means one has to also harvest the correct type of animal (typically some type of Sciuridae like Marmot, or Squirrel)tanning the hides properly, and then custom fitting your thimble to be fabricated. These are superior to any purchased variety, but again a much more advanced (and involved...LOL!) skillset. If interested in this, when the current season for making this comes I could send you a shoulder section from a hid for you to experiment with? Linen is vastly superior to cotton if you do more work with oilcloths in the future, and the "homemade" recipes for this fabric are too many to list here... As for ironing, it's really not too difficult with the better traditional forms of it and more a manner of understanding the means and methods of working and pressing this fabric. First and foremost, it CAN NOT!!! be ironed directly in most cases (there are exceptions), especially if using a "coal iron" ...soapstone, or related vernacular method. A "guard cloth" under and over the oilcloth is mandatory and proper attention to detail and heat within the iron. When properly set up and understood, ironing is rather simple, and even part of the process for certain garments and related utilitarian items like buckets, canteens, bota, food storage items, etc... Looking forward to your next video...

Thank you for researching and sharing this. I’m forever learning about sewing and fabrics it’s an incredibly interesting area

I have a jacket that I wear everywhere, it's a water resistant polyester shell with a poly-fleece lining. It's reversible so there's four pockets in total, and a hood that stows into the collar. A summer jacker made of oilcloth with some of these features would be a great thing, I think.

I hadn't heard much about this fabric until your video and it's really interesting, thank you

So cool! I’ve been thinking of making a cloak, and it hadn’t recently occurred to me that I could make it water resistant with natural materials! Thanks so much for the video. :)

Barbour still produce waxed jackets. My mum had one. She tried rewaxing it but it didnt look good afterwards and developed an odd smell which is one of the abiding memories of my childhood! Being very non-wasteful even before it was a thing she carried on wearing it for years.

Very interesting! I love how your clothing choice, makeup and warm lighting really make your, absolutely stunning, eyes stand out, in a very orangey fiery way!

I’m a sailor and never thought anything of the term “foul weather gear” until you pointed it out. But you’re right. 😂

Never heard of this before but I am enamored with your style. Very informative video, thanks!

This was a really well done presentation all around. Your articulation, organization of the subject matter and just general look are very pleasing and informative. Good work.

I got to go to a lady's home who participates in the SCA here in the US. She was selling her over stock fabric super cheap. I grabbed some cotton that was treated against 'stains and dirt' according to the salvage edges. But the feel and look of the fabric seems to almost exactly like what you have shown here as a variety of 'oilskin'. I will need to do more research. But I got so much of it that if it's fairly water tight, I'm so up for making a long cloak out of it!

Soaking fabric with oil or oil/wax mixtures works well. But you definitely have to pay attention to two things: it has to be an oil that hardens in the air, linseed oil is the best known for this. The second danger is that the oil becomes very hot when hardening, so always hang the oily cloth spread out in a well-ventilated place until it is completely dry, which can take up to 3 weeks with a thin linen.

Love the wrap you’re wearing ⭐️

Oh my gosh, you are adorable and I want to adopt you! That was a great explanation and I loved every bit of it! Thank you! I just discovered you and subscribed!! Looking forward to checking out your other insightful videos!

Felt is also very old and almost completely waterproof.

Lovely video V ❤️ might need me one of those weather protective cloaks !

Woollen fabric is often a kind of oilskin due to the lanolin in the woven sheep hairs. In fact, one way of getting oilproofing is to "scour" wool --- to immerse the wool into hot water and have the lanolin float to the top, where it can be skimmed, cleaned, and (re)used.

Love you video and I'm so impressed that you handsew all of your clothes. You're the expert but, I believe that typically, oil skins are the outfits made from oil cloth.

you have intrigued me! That material does sound like something I would love to make a rain coat out of! I actually haven't sewn anything or even worked on my project since we last spoke because that next day we got a 10 week old puppy... she exhausting but a sweetheart and taking every speck of time I have. If I do have free time I am doing house work or just sitting relaxing because she is sleeping.. If I had all my pieces ready to sew I would sew them when I am relaxing but those aren't even cut out yet, I am still working on my mock up. I think I lowered the back neck hole but I am not sure right now. House training her is slowly on going

Thank you so much for your lovely and interesting videos! 🙏🏻🤗🌷God bless you, you are such an artist and a great inspiration! 💕

Im a bushcrafter kind of guy, who loves camping, especially very simple camping. I like the idea of making a cloak or poncho of sorts with oilskin that i can cover my entire body and small pack with, thats a bit more traditional than the new, lightweight plastic materials that lots of people are using these days. Something i can sit down next to a tree in a downpour and just sit it out and weight, and stay warm and dry.

So informative, thanks for the video.

I never thought id be so fascinated by a sewing video. :) lol

This is really cool! I had never heard of oilskin before!

If I'm ever to sew my own raincoat, I know what fabric I'll use. Thanks for the video, it's very interesting and informative!

You do do period costumes justice in a delightful way, stunning if made by your own hands.

Thank you, this was very interesting 😊. Just as an Interesting fact would like to mention that wool actually has the wonderful ability to keep you warm even when it's soaking wet. As far as I know, no other material can do that. BUT it must be pretty close fitting to the body, and/or tightly woven, felted or knitted, to not let the wind in. You can look up for example the knitted sweaters called ganseys, used by sailors along the British coast. Very interesting and beautiful garments. If you compare the two cloaks you've made, the wool one obviously doesn't fit close enough to keep you warm when wet, and it looks like it's pretty loosely woven too. So the ( very pretty!) blue oilskin one will certainly be very useful. Maybe you could even use it on top of the wool one? That would definitely keep you dry and toasty 😊 but I really hope the weather will turn too warm for that soon🌞!!

wonderful vlog. Just subscribed and I am impressed so far with your channel.

You are the best. Your videos need to be promoted very much.

You indicated how difficult it was to sew through the oiled treatment. Why can't you make the outfit and treat it with the oil/ wax afterwards? To me, it makes more sense because then you are sealing the pinhole areas and the thread used to sew it.

Now I know how to make a weather proof cloak in case of a disaster. These old-tech videos make me understand how to do stuff when being comfortable isn't an option, or flat out a natural disaster. I'm not a prepper, but to know how to is not bad at all. Thanks❤

I absolutely loved this! We do a lot of trail riding and use cloaks to help both ourselves and our horses in the rain never thought of oilcloth genius and pretty thank you! By the way I ride aside in a sidesaddle

I love rainwear weither it be in the form of hats boots coats/jackets or pants/bibs. I didn’t know that it went this far back in history with the oil skin material. Thank you for sharing the history as well as your homemade oil skin cape !

Thank you ❤ well done!

Wow! What a beautiful presentation!

As someone who wants to phase into making/having clothing of all natural materials, I've been very interested in the idea of oil cloth/waxed cloth to help with inclement weather. I don't know how close I am to tackling that project, but it's so helpful to learn about your experience and the tips you've shared. Thank you!

Off topic, I absolutely love the wrap you’re wearing in this video. It’s so pretty!

That's amazing, you can make so many rain protective overlayers!

I have an antique sewing machine with a pedal I’m hoping to work on thank you for sharing you knowledge

This video makes me think of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, the two climbers who attempted Mount Everest in layers of cotton, silk, wool, petticoats, etc. They got higher than any documented climbing duo and even invented bottled oxygen (still used) for their ascent above 8k meters. In the 1990s they found Mallory's body after he fell during his last ascent in the 1920s. They could see the clothing materials he had been wearing to summit. I'd literally love to hear you discuss how they were able to survive Everest for the amount of time it took them to come within a few hundred meters of the summit before passing on.

Thank you so much V :)

English farmer here: another major advantage of oilskin (& waxed cotton especially) is it also makes them a lot more durable for heavy wearing and thorny underbrush, it becomes essentially a sort of composite material.

Gabberdeen is also a historical weatherproof material. Would love to see an informative programme about it!

Wow. Just watched my first video. Great intro and I’m looking forward to to viewing your other videos. Your and amazing person

This was a very good review of the material. Very useful for my survival knowledge.

Thank you, this is a very interesting and fascinating lecture. ⚘️

Very good and interesting video, V. Did you come across any materials referencing the coating of seams for water protection? This seems to sometimes be a weak point to consider even with modern outdoor gear.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

I’ve read books that mention oil skin capes and I always wondered what it was. Never thought to look it up 🤦‍♀️ Those great coats with all those little capes on top. I figured it had to be a waxy oily finish of some kind like lanolin and beeswax. Awesome video, now I know what it is and its history. 👍🏻👍🏻

I actually found a 3m offcut of oilskin at a secondhand shop two years ago😊

I grew up in a sailing family, but we seldom talk about foul weather gear (foulies) prior to the rise of what would have been rubber or vinyl coated fabric. I may need to try some oilcloth when I get the chance. Hearing that sailcloth was being repurposed also makes me wonder if a sailor's palm would be preferable to a thimble when hand sewing oilcloth.

Interesting! Especially after watching a random video of the Gore Tex and how manufacturers are looking at going back to waxed cotton etc.

One of many reasons the UK Military (through the Ministry of Supply) funded fabric research was the need for a waterproof and low flammability fabric for WW2 aviators and ground crew. AVGas and lubricants rendered oilskins unsuitable for use, too easy to turn into a flaming torch!. Ventile, a fabric made from long cotton (sometimes wool) fibres, very tightly woven, was the result. Without any further treatment the loom output became nearly waterproof because its fibres swelled up when damp and formed a near impenetrable skin. The fabric could be hot washed and ironed to shrink it . This contracted the fibres giving greater rainwater protection. A cotton variation of the basic fabric is still in production, now manufactured in Switzerland. It is much prized by anyone trying to move around without the rustling caused by modern synthetic waterproof materials. I’ve fond memories of the (very) secondhand parka I had back in the 70’s. The only downside I ever found was that the jacket got heavy in a downpour - but it didn’t let the rain in. Today I understand it’s necessary to use the double layer type of Ventile outer garment to get the same waterproofing - the fabric isn’t as tight as in my old parka.

Brilliant Channel.

Excellent video!