I am constantly wearing out my jeans. Turns out, what I do is really tough on clothing. In know, who knew? It gets expensive trying to replace worn out jeans all the time, so I started looking at pants that might be more durable than regular denim. In my research I stumbled on something called Tin Pants. No, these aren’t actually made from Tin. These are basically a pair of pants, usually made from a heavy cotton or canvas material, that has been treated with a wax mixture. This mixture makes them more durable, water resistant, and wind proof. These sounded like something I needed to try.
While learning about tin pants I found some commercially available ones that cost over $200 a pair. That’s a bit much for me, but I found a great video on YouTube by The Lone Woodsman. He showed his testing and creation of his own tin pants recipe. Being the type that would rather make my own than buy some, I decided to give them a try. I’m including a link to his video so you can check it out. I do want to say thank you to The Lone Woodsman for his research. The steps and recipe I’m following are completely his. I’m not taking credit for that. I’m just making my own pair.
After getting all the supplies to make my own pants, I started melting the wax in my cool new Purple Polka Dot Crock Pot. Once the wax had melted, I added the remaining ingredients. Here’s a recipe for you to follow if you want. Again, this recipe is from The Lone Woodsman. Using these quantities is enough for 1 pair with a little left over. I made a double batch for myself. (affiliate links are provided at the bottom of this page)
16 oz Microcrystalline Wax
2oz Tung Oil
6oz Tung Oil Finish
8oz Mineral Spirits
With the mixture melted and hot, I started brushing it onto a pair of work pants. Its very important to work in a very well ventilated area as this mix smells really bad, After saturating the entire pair of pants, I then applied it to a regular pair of Denim Jeans. These are going to be an experiment to see if it works as well on denim. With both pairs all slopped up with this stinky mixture, I went back over them using a heat gun to melt the wax into the fabric. This smoothed out the surface and made them look much better. Then I hung them up to cure (dry) for a couple of weeks.
After 2 weeks, the smell was mostly gone. I went back over them with a heat gun to remelt any ares that still had large clumps of wax. This process brought out more of the stink, so I hung them back up for a few more days. After that it was time to start testing them out.
Now since these are all waxy, the fabric was really stiff and was a bit of a challenge to get on. Especially the first time. After getting into them I started using them. I tried several things around the shop to test them out. I think my favorite part is the fact that they are windproof. This is great for the cold winter months, which is mainly when I’ll be wearing them. The fabric is sealed up and doesn’t breathe very well, so I don’t think they’ll be great in the warmer months.
Turns out, I really like these Tin Pants. I definitely see myself using them all the time. Now, you cannot wash these because of the wax, but i really don’t see that as an issue. Eventually they’ll get really dirty, and I can make another pair of needed. So far, I’m happy with the results.
Heres the video for making these Tin Pants. Thanks for stopping by.
— Afilliate Links to Products Used —
Sweet Polka Dot Crock Pot – https://amzn.to/2GxkP1C
Microcrystalline Wax – https://amzn.to/2GxemUk
Pure Tung Oil, 16oz – https://amzn.to/2Rxm0V2
Tung Oil Finish – https://amzn.to/36ABXy3
Mineral Spirits – https://amzn.to/2Rytua6
Nitrile Gloves (recommended, choose your size) – https://amzn.to/2tOuYUZ
Porter Cable Heat Gun – https://amzn.to/311saj8
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