I'm looking to make myself a good cloak for nasty weather. I've got some good leather for the upper, but I'm not sure what cloth to use. I want a heavy weight and as water proof as it can be. I was thinking of this http://www.renaissancefabrics.net/cgi-bin/showAll.cgi?id=544&category=Wool%20Fabric&fabric=60 Would this be good, what might be better?
Have you thought about a military surplus wool blanket? Here's a link to a wool Italian military blanket for $18 (4 pack for $60). Size 64 x 80", brand new. They look kinda green in the ad, but it says wool. There are other surplus blankets on this site, just go to the Govt Surplus..Camping section.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/new-italian-mil-issue-blanket-gray.aspx?a=146518
Good luck!
The real question is do you want it warm or dry or both? A good heavy weight wool blanket as suggested will work great for warmth but you'll still be wet. Might I suggest that when you put both layers together, you sandwich a layer of like 10 mil plastic between it? 10 mil should be thick enough not to tear and not to thick as to change the way the cape drapes and won't "crinkle" but it sure will keep you dry.
Quote from: Gimli on December 26, 2009, 10:26:51 PM
I'm looking to make myself a good cloak for nasty weather.
A good wool cloak will be rain resistant and will still breathe -- Butch suggested a military surplus wool blanket and it's a good idea. They're a little scratchy and a little heavy, but they'll keep you warm and also fairly dry. You can also dye the wool (don't use Rit -- get the good stuff from Dharma Trading) to get away from olive-drab!
One huge downside on ordering military blankets is that the shipping is often more than the price of the blanket. Visit some local Army-Surplus stores to avoid this. It's hard to find 100% wool military blankets -- but an 80% wool blend will do just fine. Natural fabrics (like wool) will shed water when they get damp (as the fibers swell) -- making them rain-resistant (not rain-proof). The danger of using a plastic sandwich is that the plastic will not breathe -- meaning you'll sweat like crazy and will get soaked inside even if it's not raining.
There's one popular cloak vendor who uses only military surplus blankets as his "raw material" -- after dyeing and styling, you'd never know it was originally a blanket.
If you're looking at a half-circle cloak, you can do a "Lord of the Rings" style (long in back, shorter on the edges) with a single standard military blanket. I use the 80" for the straight part of the half circle, then drop down 24" from each side before cutting a 40" diameter circle from one side to the other. You can use the cut-out pieces for a hood. Since the edges are already serged, most of the finishing is done for you.
Blanket fabric is a looser weave, designed to trap warm air from the body to keep you warm... If you want wool for warmth and rain-proofing, look for a wool gabardine and spray the outside with a Nikwax preparation for ensure the rain just rolls off. Then for warmth (if you think you need additional warmth), interline it with something like Thinsulate interlining quilted to a coat lining. Thinsulate is remarkably warm for the weight and very drapy. It won't alter tha hand of the cloak too much, nor add enormously to the weight, but will ensure the winter is kept at bey.
Don't skimp on fabric quality: this is going to be a BIG task, and there's no point in putting all that work into shoddy fabrics. Buy good fabrics on sale prices if you can, and make something that your grandchildren will still find warm when THEY go to fair in the winter!
For a different take, I made my family's rainwear out of DWR (durable water-repellant) microfiber, that same wonderful stuff mundane raincoats are made of, which I ordered from Rose City Textiles (http://www.rosecitytextiles.com/).
You just need to find some heavy wool, not worsted. Then wash it in hot water (I know, that seems wrong) a few times. This will cause it to felt more, making the fibers closer together. The more felted it is, the more waterproof it will be. Historically they left the natural lanolin in the wool, which increased the waterproofness even more. You can't find wool like that anymore (unless you know somebody that shears their own sheep and weaves their own cloth), so spraying with something like scotch guard is a good idea. A cloak made this way will be both warm and waterproof. I love mine.
Anyone know a good source for oilcloth?