HOW TO RE-WAX YOUR AMUNDSEN GARMENT:
1. Clean all dirt and debris from garment. If your garment is dry but still has some unwanted dirt on it, a stiff nylon-bristled brush works well to remove the debris. Moisten a clean cloth or sponge in cold water and wipe your garment. Do not use soap or any type of detergent.
2. Lay clean garment on a flat surface. Using an old blanket or towel underneath will give you room to work. An important note: allow garment to completely dry before waxing it.
3. Choose your wax. For reproofing, you’ll need a couple of soft (non abrasive) cloths, an hour or two, and of course, wax. For our waxed cotton garments, such as field shorts, we have two different types of wax – wax bar and wax tin from our developer Halley Stevenson in Scotland. The wax bar can give a more “authentic” look as opposed to the tin due to the fact that you can re-wax in several layers and thicknesses.
4. Warm up the wax. For the wax bar, you could warm up the bar close to (*not on) an iron. Just enough to warm up the wax. If using wax in tin, place tin in warm water to soften the wax. Then, spread a thin layer of wax across cotton fabric. A good trick for applying the wax from the tin is using a dry sponge.
5. Iron out wax onto cotton. There’s several methods to do this and one of those ways are using an iron. We highly recommend using a baking sheet between iron and cotton in order to avoid burning the fabric. You could also use a hair dryer. Keep the iron or hairdryer moving slowly, working over the entire surface. The wax will turn shiny as it liquefies, and will disappear as it soaks into the fabric. If was remains on surface, continue to apply heat or you can use a second cloth to wipe of any excess wax.
6. Place garment in a dry, warm place —ideally by the fireplace—for at least 24 hrs.
For best results, re-wax your garment at least every two years under normal use. Hard use such as having the garment in heavy rains often will require more frequent re-waxing. A good indicator that it may be time to re-wax your garment is the fabric being significantly lighter in color or when water fails to bead on the surface. If your garment is very dry, you can do multiple coatings to give it it’s original standard.
We recommend using Halley Stevenson’s wax to re-proof your Amundsen wax cotton products. Halley Stevenson’s produces all the waxed cotton we use and has been perfecting the beautiful partnership between cotton and wax since 1864. Note on the practical use of wax: Wax is generally used as a weather protectant (especially from water and wind) and as a form of preservation. More wax means greater water repellency. Less wax means more breathability. Where on the scale you fall depends on intended use and preference.
