Caring for your oilskin
Always hang your oilskin after use, and allow to dry naturally in a well ventilated area. Remember to keep the garment away from artificial heat or flame. Do not leave hanging in direct sunlight. Any excess dirt on your oilskin should be removed with a soft clothes brush, and sponged or hosed down with cold water. Check your oilskin occasionally for dry patches, especially in areas that are subject to friction such as knees, sleeves, neck and shoulders. Dry patches indicate that these areas will require reproofing. During long periods of non use, always roll your oilskin and store in a dry place, away from direct sunlight. Make sure your coat is dry before doing so.
- DO NOT use hot water, soap, detergent or any other cleaning agent on your oilskin.
- DO NOT wring, spin or tumble dry.
- DO NOT iron or dry clean
- DO NOT stitch anything to exterior of garment without resealing stitches.
Re-proofing a Kakadu garment
The first sign of leakage usually occurs in the crease area on the sleeve of the coat. We recommend a treatment of Kakadu's Spinifex MicroWax re-proofing creme To re-oil your coat, please follow these steps:
Clean your coat by soaking it in a bath tub or laundry basin of cold water - add a cap full of a mild liquid detergent (one that is suitable for woolen garments). Agitate the water for a few minutes and then allow the coat to soak overnight. Then rinse out your coat with fresh water. It is very important to remove all dust before applying the garment dressing. If you do not remove dust: The garment dressing will stick to any dust remaining; when the dust dislodges it will leave tiny holes in the fabric exposed, which will leak.
Allow the coat to dry naturally.
Wait for a very hot day to re-oil: the hotter the day, the better the results. Place the coat in bright sunshine and allow it to heat up. Heat the garment dressing until it turns to liquid – this can be done by putting the can of dressing in the sun or a saucepan of hot water. At the hottest time of the day, sparingly apply the dressing to the coat, using a clean cloth. Add a little extra dressing to the seams. The sun will spread the dressing evenly and quickly through the coat fabric.
If you do not have a suitable climate then you will need a hand-held hair drier to work the dressing into the cloth.
Your coat will now be ready to give you full protection.
Hat Care
Suede Leather Hats -
Provided you dry your hat slowly, rain drops will simply brush out.
Water resistancy can be achieved through the use of a silicone based spray.
Oily or greasy marks (provided you move quickly) - on some occasions it is possible to sprinkle talcum powder on the marks, and the talc will absorb some of the oil or grease. If any heavy soiling occurs that cannot be brushed out then a suede shampoo (saddle soap) with hard brush & cold water. Some marks can be removed by rubbing gently with an emery board.
Full Grain Leather Hats - Smooth leather finish
Protect with a little leather dressing, just enough to protect not weigh the hat down.
Water will turn to beads and roll off (or shake off).
Sweat/perspiration stains are difficult to remove, but saddle soap and sponge will usually work.
Stretching Hats - Leather/Fur Felts
Leather - you need to be sitting down. Put your hands & knee inside the front of the crown & give gradual pulls, try on after each pull to ensure you do not overstretch. After each stretch, rotate the hat so you are stretching evenly around the crown.
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