Keeping stuff waterproof
Keeping stuff waterproof is about baking it in!
In practise it is more or less impossible to maintain waterproofs at the same level of water repellency as when new. I am not talking waterproofing, but water repellency which is what the DWR finish is all about. There are several reasons for this. First is that the DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish is applied to fabric under heat whilst it is in the textile factory and prior to being made up as a garment. When using after-care treatments no brands like to suggest you heat it in, because of the risk of damage to the garment and its trims. But the other reason is that the DWR after finish is now almost all C8 free and doesn’t benefit from heating and so isn’t as durable. C8 is the stuff that Greenpeace has campaigned strongly against, as its getting into the environment and its not good. However, it is much more durable, having a stronger bond. The newer finishes are much less durable. Its important to to maintain the repellency to avoid the fabric wetting out, when the mvtr then disappears. In regular speak it’s not then ‘breathable’.
Baking it in
For an experiment to see if I could prolong the life of the repellency on my garments I bought a can of the only remaining treatment with C8 treatment, Grangers Extreme Repel and dried them in the washing machine at the lowest setting. I almost ‘cooked’ them so take care if you are trying this! What you can feel is a very, very smooth slippery surface which makes water bead into large drops. I also did the same to my windshell and pants. The wicking capability will be decreased but the minor air flow passing through these tightly woven fabrics will remain unchanged.
In 2 weeks time after crossing Scotland I should be able to judge if the DWR held up better than Marian’s garments which weren’t ‘baked in”.
Mike
C6 with better cross-linkers is as durable according to the specialists, but haven’t come across any formulated effectively yet
Also be aware that the majority of the DWR effect not working is down to contamination, as opposed to it being worn away. Best thing to revitalise this is to wash in pure soap (i.e. no detergent in a cleansed machine), rinse twice & tumble dry (nylons are better at withstanding heat finishes than polyesters)
You can also work on cutting down some of the contamination by wearing a high neck top/ Buff to stop the skin detritus reaching the inside of the fabric (it will travel through the membrane & stop the DWR working)
Enjoy the TGO
ciao
charles
Thanks Charles, useful as ever. He is doing well so far!