Subject: baidarka waterproofing
From: Per Berntsen (per.berntsen.371@student.lu.se)
Date: Mon Feb 21 2000 - 06:46:54 EST
Hello,
I read something interesting in a Danish book on kayaking from 1938. It was
said that even if the canvas was painted, it still could not be expected to
be 100% waterproof. The result of this was an increase in weight and so on.
The remedy was to apply a thin layer of vaseline(!) on top of the paint, at
the surface facing the water.
For paint they used a mix of boiled linseed oil, chalk and drier and this
was applied two times as a filler. After drying and sanding, two additional
layers of coloured paint was applied(preferably white). In the last layer
some lacquer(floor lacquer would do) could be added to the paint.
A friend of who gives classes in kayakbuilding, once showed me a greenland
kayak where he only used linseed oil to waterproof the canvas. He added
ash(!) from wooden coal to the linseed oil so the kayak appeared black. The
surface had "fat" feeling when you touched it, and it was very smooth. To
maintain the surface he would add layer of linseed oil in the spring in
order to keep the surface moist. We vent paddling and afterwards his kayak
showed absolutely no sign of water inside, in contrast to my baidarka
which....Well, the weather was nice so it didn't matter.
I met other people to, who experimented with only adding oil to the canvas.
One guy mixed different types of oils with different molecular size. The
surface could be sandpapered and made smooth. What really was fascinating
was that after several years there were no cracks. He showed me also how
very flexible this procedure allowed the material to be even after several
years. He could pull the canvas, and it would stretch very well diagonal of
the spinning. The surface showed no sign of cracks after this torture, and
had a almost moist feeling as far as I remember. In Sweden i saw several
canoes and kayaks covered with heavy linen (flax), and painted with clear
oil only. It was fascinating to look at, because the surface that appeared
gave a very alive and at the same time natural expression. When the oil
dries, it gets darker and the colour is not uniform. It almost gives a
"stealth" look.
Cheers
Per Berntsen
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