Debarking Dead Trees, Shelter Roofing, Cordage Material & Bush Tucker B...

Debarked standing tree using a steel hatchet. This could have been done by a Woodsman or an Aboriginal.

At least two sheets of bark were removed from this standing tree using a stone axe, probably done by an Aboriginal.

Survival Prepper Forum

I am constantly looking for a decent Australian survival forum, so far no luck. The Australian survival forums I have found so far are no better than the American ones. America is different from Australia in many ways, so the discussions on those forums are not of much use if you live in Australia or the UK. Australian forums have other problems, the forum managers & moderators are slack & do not control the forum members when they get out of line. The other factor with Australian forums is that they often look at someone's post, but do not comment. It does not take much to comment, preferably a nice comment. Fair enough if you think the post is totally pointless, just say nothing or politely point out where you think they are wrong. But to say nothing when in fact it was a good post is not very encouraging for the person who made the post.

Anyway, not commenting can be a problem on all forums, but some forums are better than others. I decided to register on two forums, one is an American forum on which I am a moderator, & the other is a UK forum on which I am a forum manager https://www.preppersforum.uk/  I find that on this UK forum we have more in common than any American one. For the most part members are friendly & the managers & moderators do a good job of keeping spammers out & controlling disagreeable people.

Anyway, if you are in Australia or America or the UK & are looking for a decent survival prepper forum, come & check this one out. Frankly I could do with a few more Aussies on this forum!

https://www.preppersforum.uk/

Regards, Keith. 

17th Century Netherlands Backpack.

Netherlands. 17th century. War-Scene-xx-Sebastian-Vrancx.

Research Update on Oilcloth Recipes.

Waterproofing ingredients for oilcloth.

2.2.1 Drying Oil Recipes

A source from 1758 describes the preparation of drying oil (mainly intended for “coarser work”) as involving boiling or simmering the oil in conjunction with a variety of driers used at once, including litharge, white lead, red lead, lead acetate, and sulfate of zinc (Dossie 1758, 148–49). Reports on the color of these early drying oils indicate that they could be very dark: “a good drying oil is not to be had of them [the colormen], what they furnish us with being so highly colored as to be improper for the purposes of fine painting, and only can be admitted in the darkest shades or back grounds” (Williams 1787, 25). By contrast, recipes provided in the artists' oil painting instruction books were largely directed toward the preparation of a drying oil that would be as colorless as possible; these tended to include only one type of drier.

One of the preferred methods was to use metallic lead, either by agitating the oil with lead shot or by “grinding” the oil with a leaden pestle in a lead-lined mortar. Prolonged storage in a leaden vessel was also recommended. Litharge (and very occasionally white lead) was sometimes substituted for metallic lead and used in a similar manner. For example, Rembrandt Peale's method was to add 2 tablespoons of litharge to and 8-ounce phial which was then filled with linseed oil. It was to be kept exposed to the sun or near a fire for a few days and shanken frequently (Sully 1873, 33).

Litharge was available in two varieties: silver and gold. Silver, or yellow litharge, was heated higher and was reported to be a harder material than the gold, or red litharge. Field (1841, 108) recommended the silver over the gold because it was more highly oxidized and would therefore make a more effective drier. Sources warned that litharge was often contaminated with iron or copper oxides and noted that it contained significant amounts of silica as an impurity. Although it appeared frequently in drying oil recipes, litharge was not recommended to artists for use by itself (to be added directly to the colors on the palette), and it was not listed as a separate article in the colormen's catalogs.

The earliest recipes for drying oils in the sources consulted contained the highest proportion of driers to oil. In later publications, the ratio of 1 part drier to 8 parts oil or 1 part drier to 16 parts oil became more common. The preparation of drying oil was dangerous because of the risk of fire and required skilled workmen to achieve a consistently high-quality product. Judging from orders for both oil and driers, it appears that Roberson's prepared its own drying oil between 1830 to 1853. Sometime after, the firm consistently purchased drying oils ready-made.

http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic38-01-007.html

OIL PAINTS

Linseed oil, obtained by crushing flax, was the most important oil for use in oil paints. Its rather yellow colour was a drawback, and for more delicate shades other more expensive oils, like walnut or poppy seed, were sometimes used. These are all 'drying oils' - they absorb oxygen from the atmosphere to form a hard flexible film. This reaction could be accelerated by the addition of driers, notably litharge or lead monoxide, to the linseed oil. Grinding white lead (basic lead carbonate) with linseed oil produced a mixture called 'lead soap', which was an outstandingly flexible and adhesive coating. It also had excellent opacity, or covering power, whilst many other white pigments, such as chalk, became almost transparent in oil. White lead also helped the linseed oil to dry, unlike some other pigments, such as lampblack, which slowed the drying process.

White lead had been known since antiquity to be the best white pigment available for use with drying oils. It was made by suspending sheets of lead metal over vinegar in covered pots. These were then laid in a dung heap to keep warm for several weeks to allow the fumes from the vinegar to react with the lead. After removal, the white lead powder (lead carbonate) which formed on the surface of the sheets was ground to a fine powder. This was called the Dutch or stack process and was used until the late 19th century when the more efficient chamber process was developed.

The white lead was originally ground with the linseed oil by hand using a Muller and Slab, then later by machines such as cone mills or edge runners driven by horse or steam power. Paints typically contained over 80 per cent white lead with the balance made up of the linseed oil binder and turpentine as the solvent. The balance between these two dictated the properties of the paint. More oil than turpentine gave a well-bound but glossy paint that was more resistant to the weather, and was suitable for outside and inside use; more turpentine than oil gave a matt finish that was suitable for indoor use only.

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/paint/paint.htm

To make a Composition for rendering Canvas, Linen, and Cloth durable, Pliable, and Water-proof. To make it Black. First, the canvas, linen, or cloth is to be washed with hot or cold water, the former preferable, so as to discharge the stiffening which all new canvas, linen, or cloth contains; when the stiffening is perfectly discharged, hang the canvas, linen, or cloth up to dry; when perfectly so, it must be constantly rubbed by the hand until it becomes supple; it must then be stretched in a hollow frame very tight, and the following ingredients are to be laid on with a brush for the first coat, viz., 8 qts. of boiled linseed oil, 1/2 oz. of burnt umber, 1/4 oz. of sugar of lead, 1/4 oz. of white vitriol, 1/4 oz. of white lead.
The above ingredients, except the white lead, must be ground fine with a small quantity of the above-mentioned oil, on a stone or muller; then mix all the ingredients up with the oil, and add 3 oz. of lampblack, which must be put over a slow fire in an iron broad vessel, and kept stirred until the grease disappears. In consequences of the canvas being washed and then rubbed, it will appear rough and nappy; the following method must be taken with the second coat, viz., the same ingredients as before, except the white lead; this coat with set in a few hours, according to the weather; when set take a dry paint-brush and work it very hard with the grain of the canvas; this will cause the nap to lie smooth.
The third and last coat makes a complete jet-black, which continues its color: Take 3 galls. of boiled linseed oil, and ounce of burnt umber, 1/2 oz. of sugar of lead, 1/4 oz. of white vitriol, 1/2 oz. of Prussian blue, and 1/4 oz. of verdigris; this must be all ground very fine in a small quantity of the above oil, then add 4 oz. of lampblack, put through the same process of fire as the first coat. The above are to be laid on and used at discretion, in a similar way to paint.

http://ranawayfromthesubscriber.blogspot.com.au/

CYCLOPEDIA OF PAINTING

To Make Gold Size. Take Gum Animi, Asphaltum, of each 1 ounce, minium litharge of gold and umber, of each % ounce, reduce all into a veryfine powder, and add to them, of linseed oil 4 ounces, of drying oil 8 ounces, digest over a gentle fire that does not flame, so that it may only simmer and bubble up, but not boil, for fear it should run over and set the house on fire.

Keep constantly stirring with a stick till all the ingredients are dissolved and incorporated, and do not leave off stirring it till it becomes thick and ropy, and is boiled enough, let it stand till it is almost cold, and then strain it through a coarse linen cloth, and keep it for use. To prepare for use, mix with oil of turpentine during heating, and strain again, add vermilion, and thin as required with turpentine. http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Cyclopedia_of_Painting_1000230154/405

Litharge is pure lead and when boiled with linseed or Walnut oil creates what is called black oil. Carbonate of lead contains moisture which is forced out by the heat. The lead fumes are poisonous and the oil becomes poisonous.

Lead is rusted and becomes white ( flake white). When burned again it becomes red oxide (used in painting barns). When fired again it has the look of a light gray, thus Litharge of silver, when fired again it becomes a soft yellow in colour,(Litharge of gold). When Litharge of gold is mixed with one of the above oils and heated between 180 and 200 degrees centigrade the oil begins to smoke and turn brownish. The litharge at 150 degrees begins to  turn into scrap and sticks to the spatula. At 210 degrees the deposits soften and mixes with the oil. At 250 the lead is permanently suspended in the oil and the colour is of clear brown coffee. It is the black oil developed during the 1400 century. I can't caution you enough about the danger of lead poisoning.

http://www.bamboorodmaking.com/html/finishing_-_varnish_-_formulas.html

Drying Oils. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2VAPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=boiled+linseed+and+%22litharge+of+gold%22&source=bl&ots=Hq4R4NWpeF&sig=nHRdotEdhLgn-iqtJlWyKgoE8PY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7CzgU6CKEIzl8AWKlILYBw&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=boiled%20linseed%20and%20%22litharge%20of%20gold%22&f=false

"The cloth was water-proofed by coating it with a boiled linseed and
"litharge of gold"  After several coats of the oil preparation
were dry, the cloth was well sealed and remained flexible." 1758.

http://pyracy.com/index.php/topic/8110-weatherproofing-a-felt-tricorn/page-2

Waterproofing

By Gene Hickman

Manuel Lisa Party - Montana Brigade

Whether you make or purchase a haversack or knapsack you may want to waterproof them. One easy method is to impregnate it with beeswax. This also works well for any light cotton canvas, hemp or linen, such as used in tinder bags, meat bags, etc. You will need:

Beeswax

Old paint brush

Empty disposable butter tub

Newspapers

Old iron or hair dryer

Spread your haversack on several layers of newspapers to absorb spilled wax. Place beeswax in butter tub and heat in microwave oven until melted. “Paint” the melted wax on the haversack with the paintbrush. You can reheat wax anytime as it starts to harden again. Try to get wax to soak in the seams. It will look really ugly, but don’t give up. Now take the old iron and start to iron the wax into the material or apply heat with the hair dryer. You can use a new iron, but you don’t have to clean an old one. Good idea to ask wife first. The hot iron or hair dryer melt the fabric and it will start absorbing it. Continue until you have covered the entire bag. It will darken linen bags and give it a good old time look. As you use the item you will get lighter colored creases in the fabric, which makes it only look better. I have also mixed a small amount of bear grease with the wax. On white canvas the wax will give the material a yellow look, so if you add some artists acrylic colors (burnt umber, brown, etc.) it will darken the fabric and give you a more satisfactory look.

Another waterproofing method, which can be used on packs, haversacks, ground cloths, trail tarps or tents, is to put a pound of beeswax in a quart of turpentine and paint it on. You have to heat both of these and mix them hot. A very hazardous procedure as they are both flammable. Some also add hot linseed oil to the turpentine beeswax mix. Then you wait for all of the turpentine and/or linseed oil to evaporate.

Donald Jackson's book "Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Related
Documents,” contains an invoice from Mr. Richd. Wevill, dated June 15, 1803 in which he bills the government for:

107 yds of brown Linen

46 1/2 yds of (Russia) Flanders sheeting

10 yds of 7/8 Country Linen

Oiling all of the linen and sheeting and making the brown linen into 8 tents and the Russia Sheeting into 45 bags.

If you want to paint a haversack, pack, sail cloth or tarp, the most common “period paint” was called Spanish Brown. "Spanish Brown," which is red iron oxide paint, was one of the most common colours of oilcloth in the 18th and 19th century frontier. This was linseed oil with iron oxide mixed in it. It was commonly used to waterproof tarps, military packs and to paint wood. Use boiled linseed oil and powdered iron oxide (an earth pigment). Iron oxide comes in a variety of shades from a yellow to a deep rust brown. The colour depends on the purity and temperature the earth was heated too, either  geologically or artificially. These “earths” are all used in making pottery glazes, and can be bought at pottery making shops or suppliers. The iron oxide seems to act as the filler, filling the pores in the fabric, and it is important in the process.

To make it simply mix iron oxide in linseed oil. It can be mixed at about 1 – 1 ½  cups iron oxide per quart of linseed oil. Other formulas call for 3 cups iron oxide per 2 quarts of linseed oil and 4 cups per 3 quarts. I have just “eye-balled” the mix to what looked good and it was thick like a thick latex paint. It can take several weeks for the linseed oil to dry out on wood and fabric. The higher the humidity and the lower the temperature, the longer the drying time. Drying time in some areas can be several weeks and it will still be “tacky.” If you lay the fabric flat as described below you’ll have to paint a side and let it dry before painting the other side. However, if you hang the item to dry you may paint a side, flip it and then paint the other side. The drying process can be speeded up, by adding some “Japan Dryer”. The fabric will often be “tacky” after drying. You can take something like a pumice stone and rub off the tackiness. This seems to work better if it is dried in the shade rather than direct sunlight.

Linseed oil is highly flammable and rags or papers saturated with linseed oil can spontaneously ignite. Do this project outside and dry out all rags etc. before throwing them away.

There are also several paints on the market called “American Pride Brand” barn paint in flat red (sold by Hardware Hank) and Van Sickle red barn paint (sold by ACE Hardware), these may also be obtained at a farm co-op or a well stocked paint store. The only ingredients are boiled linseed oil, red iron oxide, and calcium carbonate[lime]. The calcium carbonate works as a dryer. Spread out your canvas and paint the one side and allow to cure. Flip it over and paint the other side and allow it to cure. If needed you may flip it back over and apply a second coat to the first side. This process takes days to allow the coats to dry. Several thin layers are better than thick layers of paint. I have had pieces of canvas painted with the homemade linseed oil and iron oxide mixture, and another with the Van Sickle barn paint. They are indistinguishable in color and texture. The barn painted canvas does seem to be lighter. These sample pieces have both been hanging outside in a tree for almost 2 years and look as good as the day I hung them up.

Iron oxide can also be purchased at art supply stores and some paint or hardware stores. I get mine from the Archie Bray Clay Business, http://www.archiebray.org/business.html, in Helena, MT, where they carry it by the pound. You can e-mail, call or go by the Archie Bray foundation to get some. It runs about $1.50 a pound when I checked last. The iron oxide they carry will be from an ochre yellow to a reddish brown, depending on the purity and its origin. All work fine.

Oiled Umbrellas

Historically, the Chiang Mai umbrella cluster's central product is the "oiled umbrella". Oiled umbrellas are made with a carefully carved bamboo frame, then covered with fine cotton, to which different layers of waterproofing are applied. While the natural waterproofing method is regarded as somewhat of a local trade secret, it traditionally includes teak oil and colour pigment. In the modern, more competitive marketplace, natural materials may be combined with more easily available synthetic oils and colours.

http://www.chiangmaiumbrellas.com/about/oiled-umbrellas

500ml of raw linseed oil
250gm of beeswax or paraffin wax (beeswax is best so if you can get that, use it)
50ml of mineral turpentine

Place all of the wax inside the small pot and the small pot inside the larger pot on the stove.

2

Add water to the larger pot until it rises two inches along the side of the smaller pot.

3

Turn on the heat until the water begins to boil and then reduce to a simmer.

4

Add water to the larger pot every time there is less than an inch of water remaining.

5

Turn off the heat when both waxes are melted and mixed together.

6

Pour the melted wax into a plastic mold and allow to solidify overnight.

Waterproof the cotton fabric

7

Lay the cotton fabric to be waterproofed flat on a large, stable surface like a table.

8

Rub the waterproofing wax hard against the fabric until you cannot add anymore.

9

Turn the hairdryer on high and sweep it over the waxed cotton fabric until the wax melts into the fibers.

10

Repeat three times for a total of four coats on each side of the fabric. The fabric will initially be darker and stiffer with the added wax, but this will ease in time

http://www.ehow.com/how_7858140_make-waxed-cotton-fabric.html

Read more: How to Make Waxed Cotton Fabric | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7858140_make-waxed-cotton-fabric.html#ixzz2BVxXuUeJ

The same for waterproofing canvas but add bees wax 50 parts and 50 parts sweet oil. then smoke the canvas.I note that my great grandfather also used waterproof compound on packs .. 4oz neatsfoot, 8oz suet,1oz lamp black,1 and 1/2oz litharge,melt together stir untill cold.Footnote;wary of exploding linseed. Russ Tyenna.

Period Recipe: This recipe is an approximation, since the original recipe specified "litharge," or lead monoxide (PbO) which is extremely poisonous. Bright Idea: Leave out the lampblack, and you have a recipe for a nice civilian waterproof cloth. I strongly recommend this recipe because it is about as authentic as you can get without putting life and limb in danger. Materials: • Boiled linseed oil • Mineral spirits paint thinner (or turpentine) • Lampblack (comes in tubes or dry powder) • Japan dryer • Corn starch Method: Make a sizing by boiling about a quart of water and adding cornstarch mixed in cold water until the mixture becomes a little syrupy. Paint the cloth with the cornstarch sizing and let dry. Mix one part of boiled linseed oil with one part of mineral spirits. Add lamp black until the paint is a very opaque black. Add one oz. (2 tbsp) of Japan dryer per pint. With a brush, paint the cloth with the blackened linseed oil and let dry. This can take several days. Mix one part of boiled linseed oil with two parts of mineral spirits. Add one oz. of Japan dryer per pint. With a brush, paint the cloth with the clear linseed oil mixture and let it dry. This can also take several days. Two coats of this mixture should give the results you want. (You can omit the cornstarch sizing if you want, but the oil-based paint will pretty much soak the cloth.).

http://www.palmettobattalion.org/Oilcloth%20and%20Painted%20Accouterments.pdf

Historical Trekking-Period Quotes.

Victuals well dressed by Pamela Patrick-White.

WILLIAM BYRD'S DIVIDING LINE HISTORIES

Mid 18th century.

"Till this Night I had always lain in my Night Gown, but upon Tryal, I found it much warmer to strip to my shirt, & lie in naked Bed with my gown over me. The Woodsmen put all off, if they have no more than one Blanket, to lye in, & agree that 'tis much more comfortable than to lye with their Cloaths on, the' the Weather be never so cold".

I find the above quote very interesting, one because without their clothes they would be at a disadvantage should they have to suddenly leave. Secondly because I myself sleep fully clothed & have never found it a problem. Could this removing of clothes be because their clothes were damp from perspiration? 

"A True Woodsman, if he have no more than a Single Blanket, constantly pulls all off, and, lying on one part of it, draws the other over him, believing it much more refreshing to ly so, than in his cloaths; and if he find himself not warm enough. Shifts his Lodging to Leeward of the Fire, in which Situation the smoak will drive over him, and efifectually correct the cold Dews that wou'd otherwise descend upon his Person, perhaps to his great damage".

"The worst of it was, we were forced to Encamp in a barren place, where there was hardly a blade of Grass to be seen. Even the wild Rosemary failed us here, which gave us but too just apprehensions that we should not only be oblig'd to trudge all the way home on foot, but also to lug our Baggage at our Backs into the Bargain".

"Thus we learnt by our own Experience, that Horses are very improper animals to use in a long Ramble into the Woods, and the better they have been used to be fed, they are still the worse. Such will fall away a great deal faster, and fail much sooner, than those which are wont to be at their own keeping. Besides, Horses that have been accustom'd to a Plane and Champaign Country will fovmder presently, when they come to clamber up Hills, and batter their Hoofs against continal Rocks".

"We need Welsh Runts, and Highland Galloways to climb our Mountains withal; they are us'd to Precipices, and will bite as close as Banstead Down Sheep. But I should much rather recommend Mules, if we had them, for these long and painful Expeditions; tho' till they can be bred, certainly Asses are the fittest Beasts of Burthen for the Mountains. They are sure-footed, patient under the heaviest Fatigue, and will subsist upon Moss, or Browsing on Shrubs all the Winter. One of them will carry the Necessary Luggage of four Men, without any Difficulty, and upon a Pinch will take a Quarter of Bear or Venison upon their Backs into the Bargain. Thus, when the Men are light and disengaged from everything but their Guns, they may go the whole Journey on foot with pleasure. And

tho' my Dear Countrymen have so great a Passion for riding, that they will often walk two miles to catch a Horse, in Order to ride One, yet, if they'll please to take my Word for 't, when they go into the Woods upon Discovery, I would advise them by all Means to march a-foot, for they will then be deliver'd from the great Care and Concern for their Horses, which

takes up too large a portion of their time. Over Night we are now at the trouble of hobbling them out, and often of leading them a mile or two to a convenient place for Forrage, and

then in the morning we are some Hours in finding them again, because they are apt to stray a great way from the place where they were turn'd out. Now and then, too, they are lost for a whole day together, and are frequently so weak and jaded, that the Company must ly still Several days, near some Meadow, or High-land Pond, to recruit them. All these delays retard their Progress intolerably; whereas, if they had only a few Asses, they wou'd abide close to the Camp, and find Sufficient food everywhere, and in all Seasons of the Year. Men wou'd then be able to travel Safely over Hills and Dales, nor wou'd the Steepest Mountains obstruct their Progress. They might also search more narrowly for Mines and other Production of Nature, without being confin'd to level grounds, in Compliment to the jades they ride on. And one may foretell, without the Spirit of Divination, that so long as Woodsmen continue to range on Horse-back, we shall be Strangers to our own Country, and a few or no valuable Discoveries will ever be made".

"The FRENCH COURIERS de Bois, who have run from one End of the Continent to the other, have performed it all on foot, or else in all probability must have continued as ignorant as we are. Our Country has now been inhabited more than 130 years by the English, and still we hardly know any thing of the Appallachian Mountains, that are no where above 250 miles from the sea. Wliereas the French, who are later comers, have rang'd from Quebec Southward as far as the Mouth of Mississippi, in the bay of Mexico, and to the West almost as far as California, which is either way above 2000 miles".

"Custom had now made travelling on foot so familiar, that we were able to walk ten Miles with Pleasure. This we cou'd do in our Boots, notwithstanding our way lay over rough Woods and uneven Grounds. Our learning to walk in heavy Boots was the same advantage to us that learning to Dance High Dances in Wooden Shoes is to the French, it made us most exceedingly Nimble without them".

"The Indians, who have no way of travelling but on the Hoof, make nothing of going 25 miles a day, and carrying their little Necessaries at their backs, and Sometimes a Stout Pack of Skins into the Bargain. And very often they laugh at the English, who can't Stir to Next Neighbour without a Horse, and say that 2 Legs are too much for such lazy people, who cannot visit their next neighbour without six. For their Parts, they were utter Strangers to all our Beasts of Burthen or Carriage, before the Slothful Europeans came amongst them. They had on no part of the American Continent, or in any of the Islands, either Horses or Asses, Camels, Dromedaries or Elephants, to ease the Legs of the Original Inhabitants, or to lighten their Labour".

"Before nine of the Clock this Morning, the Provisions, Bedding

and other Necessaries, were made up into Packs for the Men to carry on their Shoulders into the Dismal. They were victuall'd for 8 days at full Allowance, Nobody doubting but that wou'd be abundantly Sufficient to carry them thro' that Inhospitable Place; nor Indeed was it possible for the Poor Fellows to Stagger under more. As it was, their Loads weigh'd from 60 to 70 Pounds, in just Proportion to the Strength of those who were to bear them".

“THE STRONGEST MAN CARRIES THE DAY,” LIFE IN NEW PROVIDENCE, 1716-1717

Excerpt from image of Capt. George Lowther and his Company at Port Mayo in the Gulf of Matique, 1734, showing pirates in a makeshift tent.

COLONIES, SHIPS, AND PIRATES.

http://csphistorical.com/2015/07/26/the-strongest-man-carries-the-day-life-in-new-providence-1716-1717/

Reconstructed Eastern Woodland Indian Wigwam. Winter Scene.

This is the reconstructed woodland Indian wigwam that I built in our forest. You can see the drying rack to the right, & the outside fireplace with tripod just in front.

DANGER ! Boiled Linseed Oil, Or Is It ???

For those of you making your own oilcloth, or using linseed oil on wooden implements used for food, it is wise to note that the "Boiled Linseed Oil" you purchase is in fact NOT BOILED!!! Instead the manufacturers have added poisonous chemicals to aid the drying process!!!

ONLY therefore ever use RAW LINSEED OIL. It will take longer to dry if you don't boil it first, but it is safer. Make sure you read the contents label even on raw linseed before purchasing.

Keith.

For more info go here: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpai/inflin.html

Nature's Refuge by David Wright

Bed, Shelter and Food.

Author's Sketch and interpretation of the Indian shelter.

At night I hung up my blanket like a hammock, that I might lay out of the reach of the fleas,

troublefome and conftant guefts in an Indian hut ; but I found my contrivance too cool for

a place open on all fides.

About break of day it began to rain, and the Indians made us a covering of bark

got after this manner: They cut the tree round through the bark near the root, and

make the like incifion above 7 feet above it, there horizontal ones are joined by a

perpendicular cut, on each fide of which they after loofen the bark from the wood, and

hewing a pole at the fmall end, gradually tapering like a wedge about 2 feet, they force

it in till they have compleated the feparation all round, and the bark parts whole from the tree,

one of which, a foot diameter, yields a piece 7 feet long and above 3 wide : And having now prepared four forked fticks, they are fet into the ground the longer in front ; on these they lay the crofs-poles

and on them the bark. This makes a good tight fhelter in warm weather. The rain was

quickly over, but as it continued cloudy, we did not care to leave our fhed. Here our Indians

fhot a young deer, that afforded us a good feaft.

John Bartram 1743. Travells from Pennsylvania to Canada.

18th Century Paint Recipe for Oilcloth.

WARNING: These recipes are original paints and include lead to aid drying. DO NOT use these recipes on your oilcloth. I suggest you make up a mixture of beeswax, boiled linseed oil and a brown oil paint. You can add turpentine if you wish to speed up the drying process.

Waterproofing ingredients for oilcloth.

2.2.1 Drying Oil Recipes

A source from 1758 describes the preparation of drying oil (mainly intended for “coarser work”) as involving boiling or simmering the oil in conjunction with a variety of driers used at once, including litharge, white lead, red lead, lead acetate, and sulfate of zinc (Dossie 1758, 148–49). Reports on the color of these early drying oils indicate that they could be very dark: “a good drying oil is not to be had of them [the colormen], what they furnish us with being so highly colored as to be improper for the purposes of fine painting, and only can be admitted in the darkest shades or back grounds” (Williams 1787, 25). By contrast, recipes provided in the artists' oil painting instruction books were largely directed toward the preparation of a drying oil that would be as colorless as possible; these tended to include only one type of drier.

One of the preferred methods was to use metallic lead, either by agitating the oil with lead shot or by “grinding” the oil with a leaden pestle in a lead-lined mortar. Prolonged storage in a leaden vessel was also recommended. Litharge (and very occasionally white lead) was sometimes substituted for metallic lead and used in a similar manner. For example, Rembrandt Peale's method was to add 2 tablespoons of litharge to and 8-ounce phial which was then filled with linseed oil. It was to be kept exposed to the sun or near a fire for a few days and shanken frequently (Sully 1873, 33).

Litharge was available in two varieties: silver and gold. Silver, or yellow litharge, was heated higher and was reported to be a harder material than the gold, or red litharge. Field (1841, 108) recommended the silver over the gold because it was more highly oxidized and would therefore make a more effective drier. Sources warned that litharge was often contaminated with iron or copper oxides and noted that it contained significant amounts of silica as an impurity. Although it appeared frequently in drying oil recipes, litharge was not recommended to artists for use by itself (to be added directly to the colors on the palette), and it was not listed as a separate article in the colormen's catalogs.

The earliest recipes for drying oils in the sources consulted contained the highest proportion of driers to oil. In later publications, the ratio of 1 part drier to 8 parts oil or 1 part drier to 16 parts oil became more common. The preparation of drying oil was dangerous because of the risk of fire and required skilled workmen to achieve a consistently high-quality product. Judging from orders for both oil and driers, it appears that Roberson's prepared its own drying oil between 1830 to 1853. Sometime after, the firm consistently purchased drying oils ready-made.

http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic38-01-007.html

OIL PAINTS

Linseed oil, obtained by crushing flax, was the most important oil for use in oil paints. Its rather yellow colour was a drawback, and for more delicate shades other more expensive oils, like walnut or poppy seed, were sometimes used. These are all 'drying oils' - they absorb oxygen from the atmosphere to form a hard flexible film. This reaction could be accelerated by the addition of driers, notably litharge or lead monoxide, to the linseed oil. Grinding white lead (basic lead carbonate) with linseed oil produced a mixture called 'lead soap', which was an outstandingly flexible and adhesive coating. It also had excellent opacity, or covering power, whilst many other white pigments, such as chalk, became almost transparent in oil. White lead also helped the linseed oil to dry, unlike some other pigments, such as lampblack, which slowed the drying process.

White lead had been known since antiquity to be the best white pigment available for use with drying oils. It was made by suspending sheets of lead metal over vinegar in covered pots. These were then laid in a dung heap to keep warm for several weeks to allow the fumes from the vinegar to react with the lead. After removal, the white lead powder (lead carbonate) which formed on the surface of the sheets was ground to a fine powder. This was called the Dutch or stack process and was used until the late 19th century when the more efficient chamber process was developed.

The white lead was originally ground with the linseed oil by hand using a Muller and Slab, then later by machines such as cone mills or edge runners driven by horse or steam power. Paints typically contained over 80 per cent white lead with the balance made up of the linseed oil binder and turpentine as the solvent. The balance between these two dictated the properties of the paint. More oil than turpentine gave a well-bound but glossy paint that was more resistant to the weather, and was suitable for outside and inside use; more turpentine than oil gave a matt finish that was suitable for indoor use only.

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/paint/paint.htm

To make a Composition for rendering Canvas, Linen, and Cloth durable, Pliable, and Water-proof. To make it Black. First, the canvas, linen, or cloth is to be washed with hot or cold water, the former preferable, so as to discharge the stiffening which all new canvas, linen, or cloth contains; when the stiffening is perfectly discharged, hang the canvas, linen, or cloth up to dry; when perfectly so, it must be constantly rubbed by the hand until it becomes supple; it must then be stretched in a hollow frame very tight, and the following ingredients are to be laid on with a brush for the first coat, viz., 8 qts. of boiled linseed oil, 1/2 oz. of burnt umber, 1/4 oz. of sugar of lead, 1/4 oz. of white vitriol, 1/4 oz. of white lead.
The above ingredients, except the white lead, must be ground fine with a small quantity of the above-mentioned oil, on a stone or muller; then mix all the ingredients up with the oil, and add 3 oz. of lampblack, which must be put over a slow fire in an iron broad vessel, and kept stirred until the grease disappears. In consequences of the canvas being washed and then rubbed, it will appear rough and nappy; the following method must be taken with the second coat, viz., the same ingredients as before, except the white lead; this coat with set in a few hours, according to the weather; when set take a dry paint-brush and work it very hard with the grain of the canvas; this will cause the nap to lie smooth.
The third and last coat makes a complete jet-black, which continues its color: Take 3 galls. of boiled linseed oil, and ounce of burnt umber, 1/2 oz. of sugar of lead, 1/4 oz. of white vitriol, 1/2 oz. of Prussian blue, and 1/4 oz. of verdigris; this must be all ground very fine in a small quantity of the above oil, then add 4 oz. of lampblack, put through the same process of fire as the first coat. The above are to be laid on and used at discretion, in a similar way to paint.

http://ranawayfromthesubscriber.blogspot.com.au/

CYCLOPEDIA OF PAINTING

To Make Gold Size. Take Gum Animi, Asphaltum, of each 1 ounce, minium litharge of gold and umber, of each % ounce, reduce all into a veryfine powder, and add to them, of linseed oil 4 ounces, of drying oil 8 ounces, digest over a gentle fire that does not flame, so that it may only simmer and bubble up, but not boil, for fear it should run over and set the house on fire.

Keep constantly stirring with a stick till all the ingredients are dissolved and incorporated, and do not leave off stirring it till it becomes thick and ropy, and is boiled enough, let it stand till it is almost cold, and then strain it through a coarse linen cloth, and keep it for use. To prepare for use, mix with oil of turpentine during heating, and strain again, add vermilion, and thin as required with turpentine. http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Cyclopedia_of_Painting_1000230154/405

Litharge is pure lead and when boiled with linseed or Walnut oil creates what is called black oil. Carbonate of lead contains moisture which is forced out by the heat. The lead fumes are poisonous and the oil becomes poisonous.

Lead is rusted and becomes white ( flake white). When burned again it becomes red oxide (used in painting barns). When fired again it has the look of a light gray, thus Litharge of silver, when fired again it becomes a soft yellow in colour,(Litharge of gold). When Litharge of gold is mixed with one of the above oils and heated between 180 and 200 degrees centigrade the oil begins to smoke and turn brownish. The litharge at 150 degrees begins to  turn into scrap and sticks to the spatula. At 210 degrees the deposits soften and mixes with the oil. At 250 the lead is permanently suspended in the oil and the colour is of clear brown coffee. It is the black oil developed during the 1400 century. I can't caution you enough about the danger of lead poisoning.

http://www.bamboorodmaking.com/html/finishing_-_varnish_-_formulas.html

Drying Oils. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2VAPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=boiled+linseed+and+%22litharge+of+gold%22&source=bl&ots=Hq4R4NWpeF&sig=nHRdotEdhLgn-iqtJlWyKgoE8PY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7CzgU6CKEIzl8AWKlILYBw&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=boiled%20linseed%20and%20%22litharge%20of%20gold%22&f=false

"The cloth was water-proofed by coating it with a boiled linseed and
"litharge of gold"  After several coats of the oil preparation
were dry, the cloth was well sealed and remained flexible." 1758.

http://pyracy.com/index.php/topic/8110-weatherproofing-a-felt-tricorn/page-2

Oiled Umbrellas

Historically, the Chiang Mai umbrella cluster's central product is the "oiled umbrella". Oiled umbrellas are made with a carefully carved bamboo frame, then covered with fine cotton, to which different layers of waterproofing are applied. While the natural waterproofing method is regarded as somewhat of a local trade secret, it traditionally includes teak oil and colour pigment. In the modern, more competitive marketplace, natural materials may be combined with more easily available synthetic oils and colours.

http://www.chiangmaiumbrellas.com/about/oiled-umbrellas

More On Oilcloth and Canvas.

A Detail Taken From David MoMorier’s  Showing A Tent Possibly Made of Brown, Unbleached, Linen, c. 1751-1760 (The Royal Collection)

OILCLOTH QUOTES

Canvas

[ca'vas; canways; canwas; canvis; canvice; canvasse; canvass; canuis]

Nowadays a strong or coarse unbleached TEXTILE of plain weave made of HEMP or FLAX, mainly used for ships SAILS, or TENTS, and for artwork like oil PAINTINGS and TAPESTRY. Although these types of canvas were made throughout the early-modern period, canvas in the sixteenth century and the early seventeenth was the principal LINEN textile used for TABLE LINEN, BED LINEN and CLOTHING. In consequence retailers often stocked several varieties; for example [Inventories (1589)] had eleven sorts in valuations ranging from 10d to 18d the ELL. That a canvas seems to have denoted a SHEET at this time, may indicate how common it was to use this fabric for that purpose. During the seventeenth century its use on the table became virtually unknown and canvas bed linen also became uncommon except for use by the lower orders; for example [Inventories (1635)] listed canvas sheets for the servants. However it continued to be used for UPHOLSTERY (hence 'Easy Chairs stuffed in canvass') and for clothing to some extent. In this context a list prepared in the late seventeenth century of clothing necessary for an emigrant to America illustrates how canvas could be used, and how it compared with other TEXTILES. [Diaries (Josselyn)] recommended for each man a FRIEZE suit costing 19s, a CLOTH one at 15s and one of canvas at 7s 6d, along with a pair of canvas SHEETs costing 8s, and seven ells of coarse canvas to make a bed at sea for two men at 5s. At this time, there was quite a range of values given for canvas in the shops from as low as 6d up to 16d the YARD; somewhat lower than in the pre-Restoration period. Surprisingly, in none of the advertisements for runaways noted in eighteenth-century provincial newspapers did any of them wear garments made of canvas, though some retailers offered READY MADE canvas clothing for sale. Prices and valuations continued to fall after 1700 to as low as 4d the yard, but fine canvas continued to command high prices. Interest in canvas and the variety of uses to which it was put are reflected in several patents that claimed to prepare it for painting or as a wall HANGING, and for reducing the nuisance of mildew on SAILs by a process akin to tanning.

Types of Canvas were often designated by the town or region from whence they were originally imported, hence HESSIAN CANVAS, QUEENSBOROUGH CANVAS, SPRUCE CANVAS, VITRY CANVAS etc., although they appear in the Dictionary Archive in insufficient numbers to differentiate the one from the others in terms of quality. Most are found only in the early part of the period.

OED earliest date of use: 1260

Found described as BROAD, BROWN, COARSE, COLLAR, COLOURED, for CROSS STITCH, CUSHION, ELBING, ELL BROAD, DUTCH, ENGLISH, FINE, FLANDERS, FRENCH, Gound, GREEN, GREY, HOMEMADE, HOUSEWIFE, for a kitchen table, middling, NARROW, NORMANDY, NORTHERN, PACKING, PAINTED, QUILTED (with SILK), ROAN, SAIL, SAMPLER, of Shropshire making, STAY, STRIPED(with SILK, THREAD), THIN, TROYES, WHITE, YORKSHIRE Found describing CLOTH, SHEETING, YARN Found used to make APRON, BAG, BED at sea, board cloth, BODICE, BOLSTER, BREECHES, DOUBLET, DRAWERS, FROCK, HANGING, LINING, MATTRESS, NAPKIN, PACK CLOTH, PILLOW BERE, SHEET, SHIRT, STAYS, SUIT, TABLECLOTH, TESTER, TILT, TOWEL, TWILLY, VALISE, WINDOW BLIND Found imported from Dantzick, Germany, Holland Found measured in the shops by BALE, BALLET, ELL, PIECE, SMALL - BOLT, YARD Found rated by the BALE or BOLT, ELL, 100 ELL, PIECE

See also BARRAS, CUSHION CANVAS, HOLLANDS DUCK, MILDERNIX, POLDAVY, SAILCLOTH, TUFTED CANVAS, VANDELAS, WORKING CANVAS, YELLOW CANVAS.
Sources: Acts, Diaries, Houghton, Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period), Inventories (late), Newspapers, Patents, Rates, Tradecards.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=58715#s25

 The famous sailor Captain John Smith wrote (OED): “Wee did hang an awning (which is an old saile) to… trees to shadow us from the Sunne” (1624) and “A tar-pawling; or yawning” (1626)...

http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/tarpaulins-used-to-be-tarred.html

"3 ells of linen for a tarpaulin"
~ Engage Francois Trotie, Montreal purchase, 1735 (Johnson, 5)

"It rained heavily all night…We had to cover the pelts and the merchandise with
the tarpaulin."
~ J. Dufaut, Manitoba, 1804 (Dufaut, 26)

"Their Bales are covered with light raven duck, or Russia Cloth; ours on the
contrary have heavy rotten Canvas…They have coverings of Russia Cloth, or
raven duck painted, to keep their Goods dry in their Battaux or canoes, we have
nothing at all…"
 Hutchins, 1781 ( ,358)

"Made of Russia sheeting in a piece which is 30 ells long. Each oil cloth must
contain 3 breadths of the sheeting 3 1/3 ells long, consequently there are three
oil cloths in each piece. Please observe likewise they must have two coats of
Spanish Brown paint…"
~ William Grant, Montreal, 1793 (Engage, 2-3)

"… canoe coverings of raven-duck oiled and painted."
Hudson Bay Company oilcloth from an 1817 ledger (Engage, 3)

"…I made a Lodge with an oilcloth near the small Lac de la puise on the
portage."
~ Jean Baptiste Perrault, Minnesota, 1784 (Perrault, 521)

"When we perceived the approaching storm, we fixed our thin light oil-cloth to
screen us from it."
~ Alexander Mackenzie, Route to the Pacific, 1793 (Mackenzie, 205)

"…it is only by means of our Oil Cloth we can preserve the property from getting
wet."
~ Alexander Henry (younger), Park River, 1800 (Gough, 74)

"…spreading our oil cloth, which was our flooring. Our beds, consisting of 4
excellent blankets sowed up in sheeting, like a mattress, & 2 to cover us all
rolled in a piece of oil cloth, served us for seats."
~ George Nelson, Wisconsin, 1802 (Nelson, 35)

"In this section of the fort were also various other buildings…an oil-house
where oilcloths were made with whale oil for the cargoes…"
~ L. Hargrave, York Factory, 1840 (MacLeod, xli)

Historical Documentation of Oilcloths:

A letter from George Morgan to his wife, June 28, 1766: "I sit quite comfortable
on boar my Boat, over the Stern of which I have Hoops & an Oil Cloth on them,
with Curtains of the same to let down before & behind." Carter and Alvord (ed);
tHE nEW rEGIME: 1765-1767; ppg 313-14 as quoted by Baker M: SONS OF A TRACKLESS
FOREST.
From Devereaux Smith's journal (Baynton, Wharton and Morgan Papers, roll #6,
frame 870, Penn. State Archives) "I found a packet on Board which I brought with
me & an Indian's powder Horn -- I made fast the Boat to a Tree, and packed up
the Goods together in her,-- Nailing a couple of Oil Cloaths over them in the
best Manner I coud,..."

Anburey, Thomas; "Travels Through the Interior Parts of America in a

Series of Letters by an Officer." 2 Vols. London, 1789. Houghton

Mifflin, NY 1923, Reprint, New York Times and Arno Press, 1969.

Burgoyne's Expedition, 1777.

Thomas Anburey, Volunteer and Ensign, 29th and 24th Regiments of Foot:

"Cambridge, in New England, Nov. 17, 1777...

The men were so harassed and fatigued with continually sitting and

lying on the ground, all huddled in a small compass, that three days

before the convention took place, they complained to the Captain who

commanded, that they were not permitted to fire on the enemy, whereby

they could obtain more ease, and therefore ought to be relieved, and

they received for an answer, when night came on it should be mentioned

to the General. The Captain desired me to go to head-quarters, and

when I arrived there, I found they partook of the hardships in common,

for the three Generals had just laid down on their matrasses, having

only an oil-skin to cover them from the weather; the Aid-de Camps were

sitting round a fire. ..."

Anburey, 2, p. 8-9.

"Cambridge, in New England, Nov. 20, 1777...

We were two days in crossing the Green Mountains, which are a part of

the chain of mountains that run through the whole Continent of

America, more commonly known by the name of the Allegheny Mountains:

the roads across them were almost impassable, and to add to the

difficulty, when we got half over, there came on a heavy fall of snow.

After this, it is impossible to describe the confusion that ensued;

carts breaking down, others sticking fast, some oversetting, horses

tumbling with their loads of baggage, men cursing, women shrieking,

and children squalling! It should seem that I was to encounter every

unpleasant  duty that can fall to the lot of an officer, for this day I

had the baggage guard; exclusive of being covered with snow, and

riding about after the bat-men, to keep them together, and to assist

each other, my attention was directed to a scene, which I did not

think it was possible human nature could have supported, for in the

midst of a heavy snow-storm, upon a baggage-cart, and nothing to

shelter her from the inclemency of the weather but a bit of an old

oil-cloth, a soldier's wife was delivered of child, she and the infant

are both well, and are now at this place. It may be said, that women

who follow a camp are of such a masculine nature, they are able to

bear all hardships; this woman was quite the reverse, being small, and

of a very delicate constitution." Anburey, 2, p. 24-25.

The Calendar and Quartermaster Books of General George Rogers Clark's

Fort Jefferson, Kentucky, 1780

Stores issued by order of Captain Robert George: to Mr. Miles,

quartermaster Sergeant, one musket or smoothed gun; to Captain Rogers

going to the Falls of Ohio, two muskets or smoothed guns and five tents

or oil cloths (VSA-50: 39)

also refs to Oil cloths or Spanish tents (from New Orleans)

Extract of a letter from Albany, dated April 2, 1757 printed in the

Boston Gazette, April 18, 1757.}

"This morning an account was bro't to town, that a large army of French

and Indians were seen at a small distance from the German flats, but few

here believe it. Sir William Johnson is still in readiness, with 1500 of

the militia. Every man in the French army that came against Fort William

Henry, was equipped in the following manner, viz. With two pair of

Indian shoes, 2 pair of stockings, 1 pair of spatterdashes, 1 pair of

breeches, 2 jackets, 1 large over-coat, 2 shirts, 2 caps, 1 hat, 1 pair

of mittens, 1 tomahawk, 2 pocket-knives, 1 scalping knife, 1 steel and

flint, every two men an ax, and every four a kettle and oilcloth for a

tent, with one blanket and a bearskin, and 12 days provision of pork and

bread; all which they drew on little hand-sleighs."

"...tarpaulins for covering the provisions and oilcloths to cover the gunpowder."
~ Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac, Memorial to the Council, 1719 (Kent 2001, 71 )

"They name prelat a large and heavy cloth, oil-painted in red, to keep oneself  from the rain."
~ Louis Franquet, French Military Engineer, 1752 (Delisle, 17 )

"A course linen painted red with oil, with which we cover the [canoe cargo] as further protection against the rain."
~ Louis Franquet, French Military Engineer, 1752 (Kent 2001, 71 )

"1 Oilcloth for every 4 men for tentage..."
~ Anonymous list of supplies for French Army in Canada, 1756 (Delisle, 42)

“…I made a Lodge with an oilcloth near the small Lac de la puise on the portage.”
~ Jean Baptiste Perrault, Minnesota, 1784 (Perrault, 521 )

“… we perceived the approaching storm, we fixed our thin light oil-cloth to screen us from it.” Journey of a Voyage through the north west continent of America. By Sir Alexander Mackenzie.

“3 ells of linen for a tarpaulin”
~ Francois Trotie, Montreal purchase, 1735 (Johnson, 5)

Oilcloth
The oilcloth or among the French termed such as; toile ciree or prelat, was a popular defense against moisture in living history. This item runs the gamut of uses and its history is deserving of an entire article. Oilcloth is basically a piece of fabric, saturated with oil and at times containing a pigment.

"...tarpaulins for covering the provisions and oilclothes to cover the gunpowder."
~ Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac, Memorial to the Council, 1719 (Kent 2001, 71 )

"They (Canadians) name prelat a large and heavy cloth, oil-painted in red, (..) to keep oneself from the rain."
~ Louis Franquet, French Military Engineer, 1752 (Delisle, 17 )

"A course linen painted red with oil, with which we cover the [canoe cargo] as further protection against the rain."
~ Louis Franquet, French Military Engineer, 1752 (Kent 2001, 71 )

"1 Oilcloth for every 4 men for tentage..."
~ Anonymous list of supplies for French Army in Canada, 1756 (Delisle, 42)

“…I made a Lodge with an oilcloth near the small Lac de la puise on the portage.”
~ Jean Baptiste Perrault, Minnesota, 1784 (Perrault, 521 )

“… we perceived the approaching storm, we fixed our thin light oil-cloth to screen us from it.”

By the 18th century large-scale oilcloth production was in use for roof and floor coverings in Europe. These “floor cloth” factories were operating in England by 1740. Linen or hemp cloth was the primary fabric used. Silk and cotton has also been mentioned as fabric for production of oilcloth, this being used for waterproof clothing manufactured more commonly in the second half of the 19th century (Cunnington & Lucas, 61). Oilcloth used in the Great Lakes fur trade did not differ much from these products. We know oilcloths were both ordered and produced on site for its use in the trade. Looking at some old journals and letters, and knowing the rough use it will occur, oilcloths of the trade may have been commonly made of a stout material.

"...account book of Canadian trader Forest Oakes includes a listing of silverworks, a spontoon, 2 sails and an "oil cloth" delivered to Grand Portage in 1771."
~ Fur Trade Oil Cloths in Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly, Engages, 2)

“Their Bales are covered with light raven duck, or Russia Cloth; ours on the contrary have heavy rotten Canvas…The[y] have coverings of Russia Cloth, or raven duck painted, to keep their Goods dry in their Battaux or canoes, we have nothing at all…”
Thomas Hutchins HBC, York Factory, 1781 (Rich, 358 )

“Made of Russia sheeting in a piece which is 30 ells long. Each oilcloth must contain 3 breadths of the sheeting 3 1/3 ells long, consequently there are three oil cloths in each piece. Please observe likewise they must have two coats of Spanish Brown paint…”
~ William Grant, Montreal, 1793 (Engage, 2-3)

Raven duck was cloth used for sails, hammocks, trousers and tents. The term “ Duck” originally refers to the type of weave used in canvas production. Originally, duck may have also been a lighter weight canvas as opposed to a more stout canvas. Duck canvas, originally of linen or hemp, developed into mostly cotton sometime around 1790. Certain canvas today have even acquired the name "duck" from simply having a treatment applied to it.
Russia sheeting is a medium weight, woven canvas cloth, primarily of hemp. Hemp seems to have been used by the French while some of the British canvas was linen (flax), though both countries mills varied. This is the “R.S.” found in Northwest Company journals for flour sacks, trousers and lead ball/shot bags. Russia/Asia has always been known as a great bast-fiber producing area. Importation of hemp fiber and cloth began early in this region, hence the term russia-sheeting.
The term oilcloth can be easily confused with sailcloth’s and/or tarpaulins. According to the 1867, Sailors Word Book, tarpaulin is: “canvas well covered with tar or paint to render it waterproof” it also adds, “If tar is not used but it is painted, let it be know simply as ‘paulin’ or oil cloth.” So at times, we may be talking about the same item.
Looking at Montreal merchant records of 1735 we find “linen for tarpaulins” being purchased in the amount of 3 French ells (Johnson, 4), a single French ell or aune measured 3 feet 8 inches. Montreal merchant Maurice-Regis Blondeau sewed and waterproofed his own tarpaulin of Russia-sheeting in 1780 as his canoes were being prepared to leave Montreal under the leadership of trader Jean-Baptiste Cadot (White 183-`84). Following are a few examples of the term tarpaulin used.

“3 ells of linen for a tarpaulin”
~ Francois Trotie, Montreal purchase, 1735 (Johnson, 5)

“…rained heavily all night…had to cover the pelts and the merchandise with the tarpaulin.”
~ J. Dufaut, Manitoba, 1804 (Dufaut, 26)

By 1823 a new type of waterproof fabric was making an appearance. The India rubber variety of fabric was developed and patented by Charles MacIntosh. The Fur Trade, though waning was still active, was this new discovery much in use in the Northwest?

“Two suits for each of the party, a summer and winter dress to be made uniformly, and of the waterproof Cloth prepared by Mr. McIntosh.”
~ John Franklin, Canadian Expedition request, 1824 (Franklin, 289)

(An ell (from Old Germanic *alinâ cognate with Latin "ulna")^[1] is a unit of measurement, originally a cubit, i.e., approximating the length of a man's arm from the elbow ("elbow" means the bend or bow of the ell or arm) to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches; in later usage, any of several longer units.^[2][3] In English-speaking countries, these included (until the 19th century) the Flemish ell (³⁄₄ of a yard), English ell (⁵⁄₄ yard) and French ell (⁶⁄₄ yard), some of which are thought to derive from a "double ell") From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

More on the sizes of an Ell here: http://www.sizes.com/units/ell.htm