I need a new one

[MuswellMetro]

Just come in and found that my Wife had WASHED in the washing machine my Barbour Wax Jacket~~~~she said it looked so dirty so i thought i would wash it, looks like a green limp rag

my reply was, oh well i will have to get a new one~~~~ thinking preferablely a new 36C not a 42L

 

[MartinL]

Barbour will repair and re-wax it for you.

For about the same cost as a new one!

 

[beebopalula]

Just come in and found that my Wife had WASHED in the washing machine my Barbour Wax Jacket~~~~she said it looked so dirty so i thought i would wash it, looks like a green limp rag

my reply was, oh well i will have to get a new one~~~~ thinking preferablely a new 36C not a 42L

...and a new washing machine.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I sent mine back a few years ago - one patch (which probably if I'd rang them to explain would have cost less, instead of just selecting the closest 'off the shelf' repair) and full re-wax cost less than fifty quid - great value.

 

[MartinL]

I sent mine back a few years ago - one patch (which probably if I'd rang them to explain would have cost less, instead of just selecting the closest 'off the shelf' repair) and full re-wax cost less than fifty quid - great value.

They offer the service, you need to clean it first, re-wax starts at £30 and grows from there, £29 for zip, £40 for lining repair.

http://www.barbour.com/static/cs_repair_reproofing_page


New ones just don't have the street cred.
However, my wife may not agree!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

well it can't get any cleaner!!

 

[pargyle]

Welll ... with all the political threads on here at present (which I'm declining to get involved in ...) at last something I know about and have a contributution to make:

I was a Director of a specialist dry cleaning firm in the early 1990's and one of the things we did was refurbish Wax jackets under the brand name Waxmaster ... so I know a bit about doing it !

Firstly, ignore the blurb from the Wax jacket manufacturers that says 'once it's been washed or dry cleaned it can't be rewaxed' ... not true. Most wax jackets start out life as plain close weave cotton, the very best are made from Irish Linen which is then impregnated with wax.

We used to dry clean wax jackets before rewaxing them .... that effectively removed virtually all the wax from the jacket .. washing it with a detergent will have had a similar but less aggressive result. If you have any repairs to do then now is a good time to do it... patches, press studs, zips can all be done by any competent seamstress (and at a fraction of the cost of getting Barbour etc. to do it ... they only sub out repairs to outworkers anyway !)

So ... get yourself a tin of wax ... you can buy Barbour's own wax but I suspect that it's just a mix of beeswax - Grangers also sell a waterproofing wax at about £6 a tin ... that's just beeswax as well !! So... as you've nothing to lose and if you have a bit of spare beeswax I'd be inclined to make your own ... there's plenty of recipes on here for a soft beeswax - be creative !

Now for the application: Put plenty of newspaper down on a flat surface and lay the jacket on it .. start on the front panels and pockets as it's easier in the long run. Soften the wax by standing it in some warm water ... some people melt it altogether and apply it with a brush but we just used to soften it and apply it with a piece of lint free cloth wrapped around a small sponge. Dip your applicator into the wax and with a circular motion rub the wax into the fabric of the jacket ... it will take a bit of effort and probably going over the same area two or three times ... it's hard work but you need to get the wax well into the cotton fibres.. Eventually you will end up with a sort of satin sheen to the material. After you've done the front, do the sleeves and then the back. Avoid getting wax on the corduroy bits or on the lining .. if you do you can use the old trick of a warm iron and a piece of brown paper to absorb any that does get onto bits it shouldn't.

Pay particular attention to the seams and give the shoulders a really good going over as they take the brunt of any wet weather and seem to lose their wax the quickest.

You won't get an even finish and it might look a bit odd at this stage ... so, the next stage is to hang the jacket on a coat hanger and place some newspaper under it ... probably best done somewhere that's not carpeted ... or even in the garage ! Get a hair dryer and start to work your way over the whole jacket .. you don't need the highest heat setting and you don't need to get too close to the material ... what you are doing is gently melting the wax into the surface of the material .. as it melts it can puddle a bit on the surface so just keep spreading the surplus or wipe it off with a piece of cloth or dab it with kitchen roll to absorb any surplus.

You will end up with a jacket that looks quite shiny (initially) and there will be a bit of a waxy surface to it. Avoid hanging it next to other garments for a few weeks until it weathers in .. and don't wear it in the car either ! Unless you have dark leather seats and want them polished !!

That's it ... simple .. will save a fortune on the 'official' restorers and will achieve the same result. You should really freshen the wax finish up about once a year depending upon how much you wear it ... just give it a light recoating of wax in the same way. Before you do that don't wash or dry clean it ... just brush any dried mud etc. off with a stiff brush and then sponge it down with clean water before rewaxing. If you have a steam cleaner you can steam clean the coats lining as well ... brings them up a treat.

We rewaxed a first world war trenchcoat for a client that had been through both the first and second world wars and had been used for 25 years as an allotment coat ... came up like new !

Best of luck. Take photos before and after if you do it ... people will be amazed to see the result !

 

[madasafish]

I prefer Goretex: much easier to maintain. I do nothing and my jacket is still watertight after a decade or two...

 

[pargyle]

I prefer Goretex: much easier to maintain. I do nothing and my jacket is still watertight after a decade or two...

I would agree ... but if you've got a waxy and you need to service it the you are stuck with it ... I'm not sure that I'd buy a new Barbour though !!

 

[MartinL]

I prefer Goretex: much easier to maintain. I do nothing and my jacket is still watertight after a decade or two...

Try rubbing along a briar or bramble hedge as you cut a mud coated ewe out of the tanged mess, then see how your goretex copes?



Only problem with Barbour is getting the brand new ones worn in, (wife would say-dirty) in the first place!

 

[pargyle]

Try rubbing along a briar or bramble hedge as you cut a mud coated ewe out of the tanged mess, then see how your goretex copes?



Only problem with Barbour is getting the brand new ones worn in, (wife would say-dirty) in the first place!

Horses for courses ... I still wouldn't buy a new Barbour .... well, I might if it was tax deductible !