Diver Dave waterproof solution

[jimmy milnes]

I know the idea is to spray the above on to garments, but is it also possible to add this gear to the wash cycle to reproof an coat?
Cheers Jimmy

 

[Cottis]

Not sure about putting it in the wash but I used his repel on an old North Face waterpoof jacket which had lost its waterproofing ability. I warmed the liquid up and hung the coat up on a hanger on the washing line (do not do it inside) and sprayed the entire bottle on it. Left it to dry in the sun. Bingo. Still waterpoof now. It is not a jacket I wash though, so no idea if the protection would lessen if put through a wash cycle.

I also used another bottle to totally saturate an old golf carry bag which had seen better days. I think I missed a few spots but overall the rain just peels off it now rather than finding its way down the seams in to the pockets etc.

Pretty good stuff overall.

 

[Wapinschaw]

I have used Nikwax wash in proofing on several garments and it's pretty effective as well as easy to use.

 

[angusb1]

Not sure about putting it in the wash but I used his repel on an old North Face waterpoof jacket which had lost its waterproofing ability. I warmed the liquid up and hung the coat up on a hanger on the washing line (do not do it inside) and sprayed the entire bottle on it. Left it to dry in the sun. Bingo. Still waterpoof now. It is not a jacket I wash though, so no idea if the protection would lessen if put through a wash cycle.

I also used another bottle to totally saturate an old golf carry bag which had seen better days. I think I missed a few spots but overall the rain just peels off it now rather than finding its way down the seams in to the pockets etc.

Pretty good stuff overall.

I did the same. Did my jacket and trousers and they're very water-resistant now. When the trousers needed washing I couldn't find washing instructions so I phoned him up to see if it would be ok to wash them. He said it would be ok to wash them up to around 8 times but better not to machine wash them, instead, take them in the shower and rinse off the dirt then dry them in the airing cupboard. Apparently the heat helps to reactivate the waterproofing. Very helpful bloke.

 

[Koenig]

Washing machines wreak waterproof membrane clothing. Best to stand in the shower to get them cleaned off. If you must put them in the WM don’t use normal biological liquid/pods etc. Use a specialist product and rinse the drum out beforehand.

 

[diverdave]

Folks, i dont recommend using Repel as a wash in solution. 2 reasons, firstly its very difficult to get all the detergent out of a washing machine, so though it really helps to be fully washed and dry before application, any detergent will work against any water repellent, so may kind of nutrilise the effect. The other issue is the dilution factor. Repel uses similar chemistry as many other repellents, but I just make it super concentrated. The chemicals are not furiously expensive, but bottles and the like are post pandemic, so its not a problem for me to make it very concentrated, and thats why we get very good results. Its actually water based, so it will work in a machine wash, but basically you take a concentrated solution and make it very dilute.
The best way to apply it is to a clean and dry garment. Warm the bottle in a cup of water and then spray it on, then rub in, get it good and wet but not dripping, its a waste. You cannot do a 2nd coat, once repel is dry it repels itself, as its water based, so give it one good coat. The matrix the active ingredient is suspended in will set in low temperatures, most others will not and this was specified, as we designed if for breathable waders and breathable waders and jackets cannot survive heat - not even the heat of a car on a sunny day! However the more heat you dry it with the more the reaction you will see. Now the clever bit. Imagine repel is a net, and the active ingredient is tennish balls. Over time the tennis balls wear, and the reaction is reduced. But if you then heat it again, even just using it on a sunny day, then the net will "melt" and the tennis balls move, so the reaction starts all over again. My argo canopy and boat bimini were treated 4-5 years ago, every sunny day they reactivate and so years on the reaction is still excellent.
Hope this helps, i am happy to help and advise on Repel. Thanks to Paul for letting me know about the thread, i missed it yesterday!

 

[Doric]

Used this on many materials and it has not failed me yet.
Great product.

 

[stalker.308]

I did try the diver dave on two sets of trousers but I don't know what I did wrong, it did not make a difference on either. Would try again based on recommendations here, but would probably need to find out why first.

 

[Andyquadra]

I did try the diver dave on two sets of trousers but I don't know what I did wrong, it did not make a difference on either. Would try again based on recommendations here, but would probably need to find out why first.

I used it on a really old deerhunter jacket and it worked a treat.
The instructions say to warm up the garment, so I used a fan heater and soaked the jacket till it was running off. Then left the heater bowing the jacket dry.

 

[deerstalker.308]

I did try the diver dave on two sets of trousers but I don't know what I did wrong, it did not make a difference on either. Would try again based on recommendations here, but would probably need to find out why first.

Alex, your fishnet stockings are never going to be suitable for heavy rain, when you’re standing out on street corners just wear some pleather instead, the water just rolls off..... or use a bus shelter like others do