Canvas bag bathing

My father received a number of canvas tool bags during his time in the USAF in the early 1960s. I received my own as a kid and off we'd go to save that 52 Ford Cab/Chassis that wouldn't start (it never did) or to look at that 1955 Mercedes sedan diesel in the want ads (it had a carriage bolt acting as a rear suspension retention member).

Canvas bags and their cleanliness? Through a series of bad ideas I left both bags near the wash station in our garage. My loving spouse took the bags, pretreated them, and washed them in hot water. The once stand-on-their-own canvas sacks are now as stand-up as a turn one flat.

They were beautiful! Kind of like those pair of pants we all have that after a number of days of wearing and working will kick you awake the next morning to get to work.

Any ideas? I'm at a loss. Spray with hot wax? Spray with hot 90 weight oil and put in front of a fan in the back yard as I mow the yard? Weld up an 1/8" aluminum wire frame?

Let me know what you and thank you.

Could you starch them?

Starch,Plenteous and steamed in with a hot iron on an old fashion wood top ironing board. Creases to the front and rear .

You need some o'dis.

EastCoastMojo wrote: You need some o'dis.

Wow. If that product were better known, it makes you wonder if Viagra would be so popular!

Are they like those Australian oilskin drover coats? I have one of those, I washed and put it in the dryer - big mistake. Turned into a limp cloth coat. There's a product for re-oiling them, haven't done it yet, but I hear it works quite well.