Oil Cloth

You can make it yourself by painting canvas painters tarps with linseed oil. Wash the tarp in hot water to close the weave, nail the tarp to the back fence, this is an outside project, and paint it with the linseed oil. You can add color to the linseed oil before you paint it. When it dries, put another coat on til you are happy with the thickness. Let dry between coats. Leave it hanging outside till the smell disperses.

The stuff at the Vermont Country Store is NOT real oil cloth as they say in their description of the product very cleverly:



"Back in the day, oilcloth used to be made by coating heavier weight cotton with linseed oil, which slowly cracked and peeled with age. This method became obsolete with the advent of noncracking plastics. Sadly, what replaced oilcloth was flimsy plastic cloth. Borrowing a page from yesteryear, our heavy-duty oilcloth is still made with real fabric, so it has the weight and drape of real cloth, yet is guaranteed to last. The oilcloth’s laminated vinyl finish wipes clean and will never crack or peel. Cotton/PVC or polyester/PVC. Imported.

Oilcloth tablecloths are durable fabric with an easy wipe-clean finish
Oilcloth won't crack, peel, or stain
Heavy duty oilcloth tablecloths available in 5 sizes
100% Guaranteed. Forever.

Protect your table from spills and splatters for years to come with our wipe-clean oilcloth tablecloths. They’re designed never to crack o peel."

However it may be as good a substitute as you can get nowdays.

Take a look at their Aluminum Glasses that we all remember from the 50's and 60's for our Kool Aide. These will take you back for sure.

About 10 years ago I bought 'real' oilcloth at WalMart. They are still good after years on picnic tables. I even made picnic bench covers. Used table clamps to hold them on in winds. The fabric is very heavy. Give them a try.

That was what Mama used for table cloths for years, in red an white checkered or in green and white. It was perfect width for table. Don't remember how long it lasted. She would just go to the store and get another length. It would be teriffic for wood picnic tables. Going to put another one down near the big oak.
Didn't know where to even look for it.

Depends on just what you are looking for. The original oiled fabric oilcloth hasn't been made since the late 19th century when better alternatives (e.g. waxed cotton) became available, and in the U.S. "oilcloth" became vinyl coated fabric sometime after WW2.

I think most suppliers of "real" oilcloth are selling PVC coated cotton fabrics, not gelatinized and linseed oil treated linen.

Be very careful with linseed oil on rags. Spontaneous combustion.

The subject got me to looking on the Internet for il cloth. I had just assumed it was still available somewhere.
So far the closest I could find is what they called" oilcloth" is waxed linen in dull brown and in green. Not the real stuff but stuff they used during and after civil war for tents, ground covers etc; Hamilton Distriubtors.
There is one genuine piece somewhere. MY Uncle gave me a book, at about 4, of Brer Rabbit, printed on oilcloth that folded into a book. You unfolded it once and there was two pages and then again two more pages and fully folded out there was maybe eight pages. I don't really remember. Mother kept it until shortly before she passed. One of my siblings has it, or I hope they do.
It'll be mine again, if they let it slip.
That was about 1951 or 2 perhaps. It was old then.

tatest wrote:
Depends on just what you are looking for. The original oiled fabric oilcloth hasn't been made since the late 19th century when better alternatives (e.g. waxed cotton) became available, and in the U.S. "oilcloth" became vinyl coated fabric sometime after WW2.

I think most suppliers of "real" oilcloth are selling PVC coated cotton fabrics, not gelatinized and linseed oil treated linen.

X2
"Real" oilcloth (linseed coated) is for specialised use and is priced accordingly. The gingham type that many recall with a flannel backing was not made with linseed.

This link may be of use in your search:

http://www.oilclothbytheyard.com/pages/about-us