AKICIF: Flammable waterproofing?

[jeriendhal]

Can anyone name a chemical commonly used from circa 1870's to the 1930's for tents to waterproof them, but might also make it more vulnerable to fires? (think the doping on the skin of the Hindenburg)

Comments

[chewipaka.livejournal.com]

Bitumen is flammable and has been in use since forever, but then I just read that you wanted to use something for waterproofing tents. Which I don't think bitumen was ever used for.

Have you tried googling the history of the tent? Or great tent fires?

[chewipaka.livejournal.com]

Aha! Tent fires:

"Because the big top tent had been coated with 1,800 lb (816 kg) of paraffin dissolved in 6,000 US gallons (23 m³) of gasoline (some sources say kerosene), a common waterproofing method of the time, the flames spread rapidly. Many people were badly burned by the melting paraffin, which rained down like napalm from the roof. The fiery tent collapsed in about eight minutes according to eyewitness survivors, trapping hundreds of spectators beneath it."

from this article on wikipedia--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford_circus_fire

So further research (because wiki is oh so reliable, but a good starting point), and also 14 years after what you're looking for, but there may be more examples and the technique may have been is use earlier than this.

[secoh.livejournal.com]

Oilskin coats and canvases have been used since the late 1800's which is done by soaking the fabric in linseed oil or lanolin (wool grease). It's very flammable but the hindenberg material is a similar era and could have been used as you say.

I think tents at the time were just canvas and relied onosmosis and angle to keep the water out. It is a huge no-no to touch the inside of a wet canvas tent.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Oilskin works. Poor alt-Rolas, thinking he'd bought such a nice, expensive tent.... evil grin

[secoh.livejournal.com]

part of our national dress is the oilskin coat :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driza-Bone
Flammable but it needs a good fire to get it going. It's not like a cigarette or spark will ignite it.