Water Repellent Fabric Wax Bar for Waxed Canvas Jackets & Bags, 5 oz, Otter Wax

Otter Wax worked really well. I have waxed a shoulder bag and a jacket and still have about half of the bar left. To test them I held the jacket under the shower and it is definitely very water proof. It didnt change the look of the bag or jacket as much as I thought it would. The material looks a tiny bit darker and in some light is a little bit shinny but other than that I dont really notice it. The wax has almost no smell and is non-toxic which makes it great to work with. I have used paraffin waxes before that smelled awful and kept getting worse with age. Its really easy to do if a little time consuming. You really need to take your time and get all the seams and cracks . In the instructions they say to just rub the wax on then smooth it with your fingers. I would really recommend using a hair dryer to melt the wax after you rub it onto the cloth. This seemed to not only make the cotton absorb the wax a bit better but made it look much better too. Much more of a 'factory waxed' look. You can still use your fingers to spread out any parts that look uneven, just be careful because the wax can get really hot. I am guessing this is why they dont recommend this in the official instructions. I find myself wandering around the house now looking for more things to wax. This wax turned out great. Im definitely going to pick up more so that I can keep my stuff waxed and waterproof.

I bought this for a waxed canvas / leather bag that I wanted to add weatherproofing to as well as darken the canvas to for appearance reasons. The Wax works great on both accounts and I am very satisfied with the purchase. It comes in a cool simple box, and has a simple light scent of pine sap that quickly goes away. The instructions are simple, however lacking in one step, as I found that it tends to apply in streaks on any raised surface, and any surface that gets a bit too many strokes, which is hard to control. Also leaves white residue behind. I found that melting the wax with a blowddryer the next day solved this entirely. My recommendation is: 1) Test on an inconspicuous place first to gauge results 2) Rub wax directly on canvas, as evenly as practicable but do not worry overly if some spots get more wax than others 3) Allow wax to cure for 24 hours. 4) With a heat gun or blowdryer on hot setting, slowly work across canvas, melting wax until a wet shine appears. Continue to work wax into fabric until it is even. If any wet spots remain, buff with a dry cloth to remove excess wax. If any light spots appear when wax is melted, indicating you missed a spot, hit it with some wax and melt it into the cloth until it has blended in. 5) An alternative to 4 may be to put the item in a pillow case and run in the dryer although I have not tested this.

Great product! I have a beloved cotton canvas jacket, that was promoted as an all-weather garment, but after only a few wearings had begun to soak up rain like a sponge. I spent about an hour, applying Otter Wax to it, just as directed, and the result is a much more useful garment! The wax was easier to apply than I feared--you simply stroke the bar of wax onto the fabric, not unlike applying stick deodorant, and then used a blow dryer to further soften the wax into the fabric. In the few spots with tiny wax chips, or uneven application, I simply focused a bit more with the heat. Shortly all the wax was absorbed into the fabric. It has a mild, pleasant odor and was pleasant to apply. My finished coat, a darker color, shows no evidence of the wax at all, but now water beads up on it, so I know it will work in even heavy rain. There was not much information as to how much wax I needed to purchase for this use, so I jumped for the large bar. Despite this being a knee-length coat, I only used perhaps one quarter of the bar. No worries, I'll happily use more of it down the road if I have to re-apply after laundering the coat, and am considering doing other garments. Great product! Fair price, easy to use, environmentally friendly, and now I have a truly water-resistant garment. Good job, Otter Wax.

Very prompt shipping!! Nice, mild scent. This seems to work great some people and I've seen it recommended by very reputable makers of waxed canvas products, but it's not for every fabric blend and takes a little practice to get the application smooth and even. It is probably more appropriate for all cotton canvas fabrics rather than cotton/poly canvas blends (what I used it on). Also, I would be cautious about applying the bar to any light colored fabrics (the fabric will take on a yellowish hue and it will be hard to mask unevenly applied strokes). To ensure a more even, uniform coverage, try applying wax bar to large fabric pieces over a smooth, stable wood surface and use even force when rubbing wax into fabric. It will be difficult to smooth out uneven, heavy strokes once they are present. It is also worth noting that heavier coats will take longer to cure and will end up being tackier at the end. If you are applying to a fresh, never-waxed fabric, it is better to use lighter strokes and a less heavy coat and then, after curing, test for water repellency (beading). If needed, you can re-apply more wax* (be sure to allow fabric to dry completely before reapplying and then repeat the process of wax, cure, test). Additionally, weather/temperature will have some effect on the application. If you are applying to a fabric at above room temperature conditions, I would recommend removing the printed label from the bar and using a cloth or plain parchment paper to hold over the bar instead, otherwise, the dye from the wrapper will mix with the warmed wax on your hand and may make its way onto your fabric (unfortunately, I made that mistake when applying to a light tan canvas). Getting the application right takes a little practice. Also, results will vary due to unique physical properties and characteristics of the fabric (fiber type, weave, roughness, absorbancy, commercially applied textile finishes). It seems to have been tested more so on natural, all cotton canvas fabrics, so, to be on the safe side, it's probably best to use with only all cotton fabrics. FYI: There are videos on the Otterwax website that are helpful and I was told more information regarding explicitly tested fabrics should be up there sometime in the future.

Great water proofing really works well

If you follow the instructions on the packaging, then the wax will ruin whatever article of clothing you put it on. The notion that smearing a thick coating of beeswax on something like a duck canvas coat, letting it cure for a day, and then wearing it...is idiotic. If you like getting everything sticky your coats touches, then by all means follow the instructions on the box. If you like a shiny, streaky finish on your clothing, then by all means follow the instructions on the box. If you like white bits of dried wax to leave smudges all over your other clothes, then by all means follow the instructions on the box. Now that we've covered how NOT to use this product, let's get down to why this stuff is a great and necessary purchase. Animal fibers, such as wool, and manufactured fabrics like polyester are water repellant and quick drying. Cotton is not and is a huge and literally heavy pain if it gets wet. Otter Wax is designed to add a layer of water repellant to cotton clothing. Here's how you should apply the wax to achieve this effect. I used it on a coat, so that will be my point of reference. Here's what you'll need: -Otter Wax - Wagner 0503008 HT1000 1,200-watt Heat Gun or a hair dryer. The heat gun works much more quickly. -A king sized pillow case that you have no intention of using on a pillow ever again. King Pure-Cotton Pillow Case Covers - (2-Pack, each 20 inches x 40 inches, White) 100% Cotton for Maximum Softness and Easy Care, Elegant Double-Stitched Tailoring - By Utopia Bedding are cheap and will do the job just fine. 1) Make sure the article to which you're applying the wax is both clean and bone-dry. I cannot overemphasize this. If the cotton is in any way wet the wax will not stick to the fabric. 2) Apply the wax using short and firm strokes to the entire article of clothing. Make sure to cover every crevice, seam, and around every button. The coat should have a chalky-white look to it. 3) Hang the article of clothing to dry. You should give it 24 hours. 4) Put the article of clothing in the pillow case, tie the case shut, and throw the clothing into the dryer for about an hour on medium heat. This will melt much of the wax into the item and save you some work. When you remove the clothing from the dryer it will have a distressed look and still be a bit waxy. 5) With slow back and forth swipes, use the heat gun to melt the remaining wax. You'll see the white residue liquefy and absorb into the cotton. Don't worry if there are patches of what look like grease stains after the wax melts. This is just a patch where you applied slightly more wax than the surrounding area. It will fade over time. 6) Hang the item for another 24 hours. This last bit of drying time is critical. It allows the wax to set. If you wear the article immediately the distressed white patches will form at, for example, the elbow of your coat. The bending motion will "wring" the wax out of the fibers. 7) You should follow these steps about once per year. And there you have it. Water will bead right off your clothing. As a personal opinion, I wouldn't recommend using this on pants. The near constant friction would wring or scrape away the wax too quickly to make the whole application process worth it.

The headline says it all! I just received the wax today, so this review will focus on the application process. I laid my canvas backpack on a clean flat table. Next I warmed the bar of wax with a hairdryer (on low) and ran the hairdryer over the backpack to make it easier for the wax to flow. Applying the wax was like coloring with a crayon. The wax went on easily. I used the corners of the bar for the edges, seams, etc. After application of the wax I used my fingers to spread the wax and make sure all areas were covered. Then I ran the hairdryer (on low) over the entire pack to melt the wax into the fabric. After that I hung up the pack to cure. While the pack was curing I read some more reviews that led me to believe I hadn't used enough wax. So I decided to add another, heavier coat of wax and I repeated the previous process, only this time I was a lot more aggressive and used a lot more wax. As I was applying the second coat of wax the pack developed a sheen that wasn't there before. I absolutely love the sheen and realized the first application of wax hadn't been enough. After the second application of wax the entire pack has this beautiful sheen and the colors of the pack are deeper. The canvas feels much more substantial and the pack looks amazing! By the way, there's no smell at all and with all the applications of wax I only used up a small portion of the (large) bar. So now the pack is hung up again and curing. It already feels and looks amazing and I can't wait until I can use it! Thank you Otter Wax and as always thank you Amazon!

Works as advertised. Restored canvas bag to original condition. Has a slight odor but that's it. Keeps bags water resistant.