When the surface of the fabric material begins to become wet and absorb water, this leads to unpleasant consequences: the fabric stops “breathing”, water vapor accumulates under it and the person begins to feel discomfort. If this happens to the material of the tent, then it becomes damp and dripping is possible, which also does not contribute to a good mood and health. To avoid such troubles, the fabric is impregnated with water-repellent compounds (for example, DWR) covering the threads, as a result of which water stops being absorbed into the fabric and collects in drops that simply roll off the surface without penetrating inside. Scientifically, this is called reducing the wettability of the material, giving it hydrophobic qualities or water-repellent properties.
Factory-made water-repellent impregnations are quite expensive, and therefore there is a desire to create such a composition with your own hands from available and inexpensive components at home. Below we will consider one of these options.
How to make water-repellent impregnation at home with your own hands
To do this, we will need a small wooden stick for mixing the components, Galosh-type gasoline, a paraffin candle, a tin container with a capacity of slightly more than 250 ml and an ordinary knife.
Numerous practice shows that the most optimal ratio for obtaining a reliable, effective and, at the same time, economical water-repellent impregnation is 250 ml of gasoline and half a standard paraffin candle.
The method for preparing the impregnating composition is quite simple. Grind the paraffin into thin shavings into a tin container or grate it on a coarse grater and fill it with gasoline, stirring the components with a small wooden stick until the paraffin shavings are completely dissolved.
Paraffin dissolves in gasoline with vigorous stirring for 15-25 minutes. The mixture acquires a white-matte tint and becomes somewhat thicker.
Apply the mixture prepared in this way with an ordinary paint brush or brush and dry it in the sun under the open sky. If the fabric to be impregnated is of a dark shade, then it can be additionally heated with a hair dryer so that there are no whitish stains left.
This way, in addition to awnings, you can treat leaking seams of old tents, as well as the seams and soles of autumn hiking shoes, which then become completely waterproof.
