Rewaxing a waxed jacket, or the story of “Aulde Reekie”

In the world of tech fabrics, waxed cotton is the old curmudgeon sitting in the corner eyeing up the newcomers with a sceptical look of disdain. Waxed cotton has been around for ages, from the early use of improving the wind-retaining use as sails, to water-repellent outerwear. As these things go, it’s pretty environmentally friendly as well, there are no microplastics being shed, no fluoro-chemicals to be retained in nature and … it’s pretty easy to reproof as well, when the repellency wears off.

My only problem is that a freshly waxed jacket looks nowhere as attractive as a really worn one! This means it boils down to a question of looks over functionality, only solved by having two jackets, where one is waxed to weather storms, the other really worn out and looking great. Not a huge problem, as secondhand waxed jackets such as Barbours, are available in decent condition for a song through the usual secondhand sources.

This isn’t the actual Barbour Border in question, but the patina and wear are very similar to mine.

A Barbour Border with extreme patina

This article though is about a specific one I bought because it looked pretty blinding. A Barbour Border, the longer and more utilitarian version, popular among farmers and outdoorsy folks. This one looked like it had been used daily for years, being dragged through hedges every which way. Top grade patina, as a garmologist would describe it. It even included the furry lining (which is made of acrylic fibres, would be nice to have an actual wool fleece one. Maybe a future easy project?).

Upon arrival at Garms HQ it immediately became apparent though that there was an issue that would be hard to ignore. It absolutely flipping reeked! Apart from beached whales, there is sadly little that can smell as bad as a really ripe old waxed jacket. It was so bad that I couldn’t even unwrap it inside. Now there are a lot of tips floating around regarding how to remove “the odour le vintage” from old clothes, and most of it as total rubbish. Maybe it helps to air for a day or two, hanging in the sun, or popping it in the freezer, but only for the weakest of smells. If it’s a proper reeky old piece there is only one thing that helps: 40 degrees in the washing machine with plenty of detergents. You could add vinegar, but to be honest I don’t think it helps.

Henceforth known as “Aulde Reekie”

This jacket needed two or three proper washes. No express or wool programme, the proper 40-degree standard cotton wash. It came out the wash with the reek removed. It also came out of the wash with something else removed: The wax. And most of the patina. And all the cuts and flaws were also revealed. So, to be generous, at least only a partial success then, and before being washed I was ready to kill it with fire.

Wax can be replaced though, so the big experiment here was to see if I could rewax it and possibly bring back that delightful patina. The rewaxing process can be pretty daunting the first time, but it’s pretty simple really and doesn’t require a huge investment in tools or workspace. There are various brands of wax available, Barbour and Otter are pretty equivalent in being applied as fluids, but Fjällraven has a different type applied as a heated bar, giving a more lightweight waxing.

Let’s give it a fresh wax!

When doing jobs like this I always find it helps to think through what is going to be achieved and how it actually works. For this job, it’s about getting an even and sensible amount of wax over the surfaces, and ensuring wax gets into the folds and seams. A good starting point for success is to keep the wax at the proper temperature to keep it flowing well. It also means care should be taken in distributing the wax and using gentle, circular movements to ensure it is applied from all angles to make sure it’s evenly distributed.

One problem that can quickly become obvious is that the wax will harden almost immediately it is applied to the fabric. It will help if the ambient temperature is higher, but otherwise, this just means there will be work to do with a hairdryer after the coat is suitably covered in wax. Using a lint-free rag, heat and wipe, redistributing the wax and removing the excess, aiming for a uniform surface look.

The problem with using a hairdryer is that you really need either three hands, a helper, or a way to really pin the jacket in place, as trying to use both the heat and the rag at the same time can be quite infuriating. One option would be to use a fan blowing hot air, thus allowing you to work with both hands.

The amount of wax left on the jacket will also determine the finish of the final result. Cover the fabric with a liberal coating and it’ll be quite shiny and longer-lasting. For a more suave and sophisticated city slicker matt look, just allow the wax that has penetrated the fabric to remain and remove most of the rest.

Now, “Aulde Reekie” was roughly speaking as denuded of wax as it could possibly be, so it took a fair amount of wax to cover it. In fact, a whole tin of the Barbour-branded thornproof dressing. How much that was wiped off under the post-application process is hard to say, the rag was pretty soaked, but I think I can safely say that for a jacket that hasn’t been “zeroed” like this one, the amount of wax necessary to replenish the repellency will certainly be a lot less.

While doing a rewax it’s wise to prepare the work surface. I cover it with newspaper, taped together to avoid them shifting or gaping, and mostly wear rubber gloves while working, as it’s not easy to wash the wax off. This also goes for the details of the jacket that you don’t want to be waxed, such as the corduroy collar. Care taken will be massively repaid in later cleanup work avoided.

In summary, how did rewaxing “Aulde Reekie” work out?