Looking to put together a sexy camera bag? Already have a messenger bag you want to carry your camera in? Love the look and feel of waxed canvas bags but don’t want to fork over the money to buy one new? This tutorial is for you!
HOW TO…Turn a Messenger Bag Into a Camera Bag (pretty simple):
- Get your bag.
- Buy a camera bag insert (such as: http://bhpho.to/1azyl3)
- Put insert into bag…and, voilà!
MATERIALS…To Wax Your Bag
- Your bag (obviously)
- A double boiler. I recommend NOT using one intended for kitchen use…it can be a mess to clean. Rig one out of old pans, coffee cans, or whatever you may have around. I used two old, aluminum camping pots that I had sitting in the basement.
- Wax. Many places recommend a blended mixture of paraffin and bee’s wax, but I used straight paraffin, and it seems to have turned out fine. You can pick up a pound box of paraffin wax in the canning section of Walmart or your local grocery store. You shouldn’t need more than one or two of the included wax bars. – LINK: http://bit.ly/fsoxAU
- A brush. I recommend a bristle brush between 1/2″ and 1″…up to 1-1/2″. Any smaller and it would take to long; much larger, and it would be too unwieldy and messy. I used a half-inch artistic brush I had sitting around.
HOW TO…Wax Your Canvas Bag & Make It Water-Resistent & Durable
- Put some water in the bottom portion of your double boiler and place it on your stove on HIGH (to get it boiling faster). As the water boils, add a bar or two of wax to the upper portion of your double boiler, and allow it to melt.
- Once the wax has started to melt, dip your brush into it, and begin painting all surfaces of your bag, paying special attention to the seams and bottom of the bag. Maybe coat the bottom a little extra well as this i the area that will be taking the brunt of the wear. Allow was to cool…it will become caked and hardened, but that is okay.
- Put your canvas bag into an old pillow case, and tie off the end. (This keeps the wax from getting all over the place.) Then, put it in the dryer on HIGH for about 15 to 30 minutes. This allows the wax to be evenly melted into the fabric. You can also use a hair dryer (much more of a pain with this amount of wax, but possible) or a heat gun (a bit overkill).
When your bag is finished in the dryer, pull it out and allow it to cool down. It will harden because of the wax between the fibers…this is to be expected. You can now:
- Use it as-is.
- Work the fabric to break it in and soften it a bit.
- Give it another application or two. (I only gave mine one application so far.)
Have a picture of your own camera bag? How about some tips or tutorials? Feel free to send them over, I would love to see them!
Cool idea but choose that bag wisely as a lot of the cheaper messenger style bags have poor stitching where the shoulder strap attaches itself to the bag or the link adjusters are weak and when you have the weight of camera gear or a laptop they will eventually break, it has happened to me with two different bags. I got some extra stitching done afterwards and had the link adjusters replaced for stronger ones.
Very true, which is something I was keeping in mind when looking for a suitable bag. The one in the tutorial is a knock-off of an imaginary brand that was apparently produced in the middle-of-nowhere China, but it has proven itself very durable. Like I said, it’s more reminiscent of a piece of over-the-shoulder luggage, and where the straps attach to the bag is double sewn in an X-and-box configuration. I’ve used the bag for a year and a half, put it through a variety of abuses…have traveled with it, tossed it around, exposed it to the elements, carried it everywhere…and I still can’t complain about the craftsmanship!
Also, the links and adjusters are all metal…a must-have for something like this.
May be a dumb question but would you recommend waxing the inside of the bottom and the underside of the flap?
I’ve been using a canvas messenger bag I bought from Goodwill for, maybe $2. I use three or four old Tupperware-style tubs to create camera and lens compartments, and I have added a wooden dowel inside the seam where the flap and the body join to create a rigid shape that does not bend when you hang it on your shoulder. Total investment about one third of one percent of the contents. The main aim is to disguise the entire thing: obvious camera equipment containers are a standard target for smash-and-grabbers.
Hey Allen, how did your bag hold up after one application? Did you end up doing a 2nd?
I used this method on a pair of jean shorts today and the results are pretty awesome. I plan to wax a full pair of jeans and a jean jacket, but wanted to test it on a pair of shorts first. As of right now, I’m pretty excited about the outcome.
I’m curious to know how long it lasted on your bag and if you’ve done any more experimenting and would offer any more waxing tips?
cheers,
johnny