Accidental Homesteader
…a funny thing happened on the way to the bar
Making Oilcloth
So we have a lot of things that need covering outside, and I’m a dork, so I’ve been making oilcloth so our stuff will match.
So far, I’ve done a cover for the chicken pen, some windbreaks for our feeding station, and a banner.
So how do you make oilcloth?
Start with linseed oil and mineral spirits. Eyeball half and half. I buy empty gallon paint pails for various things. This is great, so I can keep it if I don’t use it all up at once.
Make sure you have gloves, and are in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.
Take your item, and if it is small enough, use tongs to dunk it in the oil/spirits mixture. If it is too big for that, drape it and apply liberally with a paint brush.
Leave it out to dry for several hours. If you’ve got a laundry line, that’s great.
Easy Peasy. I put grommets in the oilcloth to attach it to things. I find it is easier to do after turning it into oilcloth.
Here is the cover I made for the chicken pen. We don’t use it often, but sometimes we want to sequester one or more.
To make it easy, most are connected with zip ties.
I made some windbreaks to match, but haven’t put them up yet. And with the leftovers, I made bunting.
I bought some coordinating fabric for other things around the yard. We have the bones of a rocker that I’ve painted, but that doesn’t have seats right now. And I want to make an awning.
Accidental Homesteader 