Info needed: Painting canvas

[Paul Edwards]

Is there any information out there regarding painting of canvas with disruptive pattern camouflage. ie: paint type, style and tips.

Cheers,

Paul

[Bob Carriere]

........ our 1812 red coat accoutrement called for gaitors and back pack to be treated with pinetar for waterproofing...... messy!!! So we used diluted 50/50 flat black latex paint.....3 coats with drying in between....on heavy duty white coarse canvass.......... canvass should be wetted before with a mixture of water and water soafterner such as Downy.... a tea spoon to a gallon of water....wring canvas dry let t it sit to almost dry then paint...... touch up once a year with a thinned coat....canvass retained its flexibility. n We did one side only!!!!!

Doing it on a larger canvass would be more of a job but doable....if you could set up you cargo bows on a a wooden frame for support it might be easier...could even be sprayed.

Canvass becomes waterproof enough to keep content dry.....mind you with the need to keep our powder dry for the BrownBess with didd very few parades in the pouring rain.

With today's newer all water base paint (even automotive) I wonder how it would work....would it keep ist flexibility and would the canvass need to be humid to facilitate the bonding process????.......... the only complication is if your canvass is ALREADY waterproofed and sheds water!!!!!!!!!

Let us know how you will keep your powder dry!!!!!

Cheers

[Matthew P]

Not the most recent issue of the MVPA magazine but the one before has an article where a guy dyed/painted his canvas top per the 1930's QM directions. Basically it was an oil based paint, paraffin wax and some thinner that was heated up in a pot and brushed on with a sponge.

Matt

[Bob Carriere]

Thanks Matt

The old time trick to waterproof a white cotton canvas tent was to mix 50/50 melted paraffin with naphtha...... and it works......but very dangerous...... paraffin has to be melted outside preferably on a small electric burner....no open flame.....than stir in the naphtha........ paint with a 4 inch paint brush.....

Working outside is fine but if you decide to do a second from the inside of the tent ........get prepared to get a good hangover from the fumes.....

I remember painting the inside of the barn before putting up the shelving.....sure brighten up the room....but we thinned out the aluminum paint with gasoline before spray painting.....and no mask..... did the job but never again......