Oilcloth

A couple of days ago I mentioned oilcloth, and afterwards when I was thinking about it, I remembered that we used to have an oilcloth on our table. Husband bought it when he taught an art class at home, and then it remained on the table in case any of us were messy eaters (very likely the ‘us’ would be me) Our oilcloth had a jolly pattern on it and I liked it very much for its appearance as well as meaning I didn’t have to wash a tablecloth. I’m not sure where it went, possibly it ‘s folded up and stowed away somewhere among husband’s mountain of art stuff, and I’d forgotten about it.

As well as remembering ours, I began to wonder why it was called oilcloth – presumably oil was used in its manufacture. Intrigued, I segued away to investigate. (I’ve just now segued away to look at segue, remembering a college friend once used it during a lecture pronouncing it ‘segway’ and the lecturer very rudely corrected her – we’d all been impressed by her because we’d never heard the word before, and thought the lecturer was very rude!)

“Today, oilcloth tends to refer to printed cotton fabrics which are given a hot melt vinyl plastic (PVC) coating in order to get a waterproof and wipe-clean finish.” https://www.onlyoilcloths.co.uk/

Our oilcloth was used to protect the table from paint and at meal times because it was waterproof, and of course that was why it was first invented. In the more distant past the only really waterproof clothing was leather which ordinary people, i.e. poor people, couldn’t afford. The first more affordable waterproofed material was waxed cloth, but oilcloth was much better. It was a better product, but  originally it was manufactured through a dreadfully dangerous process, involving the boiling of linseed oil with metal salts, particularly lead oxide! However, it was more affordable and must have improved the lives of fishermen and sailors who had properly waterproof coats and hats for fishermen and sailors.

While finding out about oilcloth I came across the term duckcloth, also duck cloth and duck canvas, but I guess that’s for another time!