Distressed Wested ... Now with before and after Pecards pics

[Strider]

I recently used sandpaper to distress my lamb Wested. I wanted to make it look like I had REALLY been dragged behind a truck. Does it look over done? Here are some photos.


Front view.


Back view.


Right side view.


Left side view.

I think I might've gone a little ape on the right sleeve, so I thought I'd include a pic of it.


Right sleeve.....

[Texas Raider]

Can someone please make an emoticon that is shaking his head and putting his face in his hands


have a nice day,if you can after you did that to your jacket

[Strider]

Thank you for your polite and tactful reply.

[Ace]

Aww, You really gave your Wested a hard time )

I think's it's too much for my taste, but I don't think there is a right and wrong way distressing a jacket. I don't have the guts to beat up my jacket like you do )

Your jacket looks good but Im not too crazy about the sharp white lines going in different directions.

You could use some acetone to smear out the color if you think some spots are overdone.

Having said that, I still think your jacket look good, and as long as you like your jacket, don't change it.

Best regards
Ace

[whiskyman]

Even though it may seem overdone - to some extent it's also underdone. What I mean is, if the back and fron t of your jacket had really got into such a state, then I think that ceratin areas like the elbows would be much worse - competely sanded rather than scuffed. The only thing i don't like about the distressing so far is that it seems too even. All areas look like they have the same ammount of distressing. If it were my jacket, I would carry on with what I started and make it look more natural. I have done that to a lambskin wested - but i have to confess i sold it.

[Texas Raider]

Well, sorry if you didn't like the reply, it was honest. Do you want me to placate you and say it looks great when I personally don't think so?

I just don't buy into the ethos of taking a perfectly good and/or NEW jacket and destroying it with sandpaper.

If you like it, great! That's all that matters

have a nice day.

BTW- I would expect AND APPRECIATE the same honesty in return. I always think you SHOULD shoot straight when I ask an opinion and that is what I do in my replies.

[Strider]

Alright, sure. Look at Ace and WhiskeyMan's replies. They give constructive criticism without outright bashing the thing. I've never seen any pics of you posted here, TR, so I don't suppose you understand what it's like to post pictures of yourself and put yourself out there, hoping not to be judged too harshly. A person has the ability to be honest without being rude.

Instead of just saying it looks like @#$%, how about some ways to possibly correct it, as Ace and WM did? They can do it, it isn't hard, why can't you?

[Texas Raider]

That is just my point about trying to distress jackets, Strider. If you hadn't sanded it, it wouldn't NEED correcting.

I never EVER said it looked like @#$%. Scroll up, do you see those words in my posts?

Please don't put words in my mouth.


I've posted plenty of pics.

time for me to leave this thread. Nice chatting with you.


have a nice day.

[Indiana Williams]

TR, theres a difference between giving your opinion and just being plain rude.thats just my opinion though.

Strider, I like you jacket. I think you did an allright job distressing it. like others said its heavier in some areas but it still looks good.but It all comes down to if you like it, cause thats what matters the most.
Best Regards,
Joe

[Strider]

TR,

kthxbai

IW,

Thanks.

[rebelgtp]

i have to say the lines going every wich way is kinda distracting...i would think (having never been drug behind a truck its just a guess) that for the drug behind the truck look the lines would be mostly in one direction. also i don't know if its just the way the pics came out (cause i know these can look way differant in person) but it almost looks like the leather of the jacket is to "new" to be that scuffed up if you catch my meaning? it looks like the leather still has a bit of a sheen to it like a newer jacket would. i think maybe if the jacket was rubbed down with somthing that made the lines a bit more subtle, not to totaly remove the marks but to kinda make them blend a bit more i think it would look quite good. i think the back and front look best as there aren't as many lines going in all directions. i think its mostly the sleeves that don't look quite right (at least to me)

[eaglecrow]

I agree with ace, you should work a little with aceton, it might give the jacket a more natural distressed look.

[rick5150]

Strider,
I am surprised nobody mentioned the brown-tinted Pecards as a way to see if you can make the distressed areas less noticable.

I disagree with the acetone. You have to be really careful with acetone one you have broken the surface of the leather and roughed it up with sandpaper. If you use acetone and get dye on the raw leather, it will absorb deeper into the leather and make it a lot harder to distress later. In essence, as the rest of your jacket begins to fade, you may wind up with dark lines in your jacket rather than the light ones you now have.

I always distress my jackets slowly and evaluate them. I am not endorsing this, simply describing my methods.

The first step is to wipe them down with isopropyl alcohol to get rid of the new shine, otherwise the jacket looks like vinyl to me. Evaluate the jacket. Still shiny? Do it again.

Next, I take acetone and a Q-tip and barely distress the seams. Just a little bit for now. Evaluate. You can always do more later. I try to avoid the "piping-look" of the Last Crusade jacket.

Then, while wearing the jacket, I will wipe acetone on the bent elbows of the jacket so the distressing matches my body.

Now, very lightly wipe acetone in a circular motion on areas that you want to distress. To remove a more dye change paper towels frequently.

Besides your elbows, you will notice the pocket flaps have a horizontal line across them. At one time (and on other style jackets I have done) this line was created because when you rub the actetone on the pocket flap, the top of the actual pocket made the line. Wested now has the pocket placement higher. Always lightly and always keep in control as it is easy to kind of glaze over while you are sniffing acetone fumes and go too far.

I distress the cuffs as they tend to hit everything and rub on things a lot. The same with the bottom of the back panel. Maybe a little more at the openings of the handwarmers if you think this area would be highly used.

Evaluate, eveluate, evaluate. I cannot stress this enough. Live with the light distressing for a while - you can always add more. Let the acetone dry thouroughly before going crazy as the leather will lighten when it does.

Finally, when the jacket is almost perfect, almost just the way you like it, brush it down with Fuller's Earth. It will then be perfect. Most think my jacket is way overdone, but I absolutely love it.

(This jacket has also been soaked through during a hike. While wet, I pushed the sleeves up to my elbows. Wear it wet for a while and it will get that "swollen" look that is difficult to describe. Let the jacket air dry and keep it zipped until is is dry to prevent the jacket from curling.This it a touchy subject because the lining also may shring and do odd things to your jacket, so make sure you dry ot slow and without any direct heat source.)

Front
Back 1
Back 2

[The real Henry]

I don't think it's to much, ut it looks too unnatural! It looks like you walked through this:

[Strider]

Some of the stuff you guys say makes a fellow feel like a real champion. Ever heard of thinking before you type? Thank you, Rick. I appreciate the advice. Ok, seems like this thread is done. Mods?

[JAN]

I am all pro distressing - let there be no doubt

In this case the distressing looks too unnatural. It´s the
lines going across the jacket that gives it away.

I know why there are there - if You do not streach the leather
when sanding it, it will wrikle and those lines appears.

So I think You need to "tone down" those lines and add
some more distressing (and I am serious), but this time
not so randomly. Use a brick-stone and add distressing
to the elbows, the upper back, lower front - all those places
where the jacket would be exposed by "natual" distressing.

So You could say You´ve done the basic (not so well, but anyway)
and to make it look natual You need to add some more.

I´ll show You a pic of my old one (haven´t got around to take
some pics of my new one), and Peter was just as chocked as
he lookes ("But, hey, it´s You jacket - right", he said)



Best regards

JAN

[FLATHEAD]

Ever heard of thinking before you type?

You did ask the people here if your jacket was overdone did you not?
The title of your post even asks this very question.

So don't take it so hard when they answer the question honestly, which
is what you asked for.

Some people think what you did to your jacket was over doing it. I am
one of them. I do not beleive in sugar coating my replys, especially when
someone asks for my honest opinion. Thats what they asked me for, and
thats what they will get. Everytime.

All the little stripes on the sleeves makes me think of the tiger stripe
cammo that was used in Vietnam by our troops. Its very distracting to the
eye..

But your jacket can probably be fixed.

You can do two things to help hide the stripes and other areas that are
to overdone.

One - Get yourself some leather conditioner, any type will do,
and get yourself a small can of brown shoe polish a few clean white tee-shirts.

Take the shoe polish, and apply it to the jacket with the clean white
tee-shirt to the areas that have the stripes. Rub it in really good, and
leave it there. DO NOT buff it off yet.

Then, take a nice heavy coating of the leather conditioner, applied to
a clean part of your white tee-shirt, and GENTLY rub it on top of the shoe
polish. DO NOT rub too hard. You are just applying the leather
conditioner over top of the shoe polish. You do not want to smear it around.

Do this to one part of the jacket at a time. For example, do one sleeve
at a time. DO NOT do the entire jacket all at once.

Then, let that sit for at least 24 hours. After that, take another nice clean
white tee-shirt, and gently remove any leather conditioner that is left on
the surface of your jacket. Once that is done, you can buff out the area
with the tee-shirt to blend the area with the surrounding areas.

Do this a little at time, like Rick suggested, and you should be able to fix
the jacket.

The other thing you can do is get the Pecards that has the brown shoe
polish already in it. Check their website, and you will find it.

Apply it like you would any other leather conditioner, paying special
attention to the damaged areas.

When the entire jacket is done to your liking, apply your leather conditioner
to the entire jacket to protect the rest of it.

That should help you. Hopefully you can save the jacket.

Flathead

[K on the run]

The distressing is to even for my taste, I would down tone the distressing with Pecard, I must admit that I don't know how it acts on a lambskin, my Wested is cow. Then go over some places again. A good way to determine where to distress is to look at where you are most likely to scuff the jacket. Elbows, shoulders outside arms, back etc.
By giving it a coat of Pecard, before distressing it any further, you will make it look as if it is several years of abuse that gave the jacket a used look.
I did some distressing wearing the jacket and rubbing it up a smooth concrete wall.
Think of it as work i progress, I'm sure you will get the look you want in the end.

regards
K

[Hemingway Jones]

The problem I have with it Strider is only where it looks like a pattern. I think it is natural for people to distress with a consistent technique that ends up looking like a pattern when it is done. I would try to emulate a jacket that is naturally distressed, like one of Rick5150's vintage treasures.

What you have done is fine though and as good as any I have seen. You can make changes, if you wish. I have had good luck with polishes to build up a nice depth of overlapping color to the jacket that adds a certain richness to the distressing, then distress overtop of it.

I have never had the guts to distress a Wested, except by wearing it. So I respect your courage and I would see it through at this point.

[Prof. Ed]

I'm certainly no expert on distressing. That said I began to think about how jeans and other articles of clothing are factory distressed. The answer from the little stones I find in my pockets of new, distressed jeans would be tumblin in a vat of pumice.
This being unlikely, I think that one could rub a jacket over garden pebbles or the smooth concrete wall that was mentioned. This should even out the distressing. It would be step 2 for you. So, step one was just a start, what you did with the sandpaper. After the areas of 'distress" are made larger and blended by the treatment of the stones or concrete then I would go on to step 3 which is to use your pecards, polish, and conditioner.
Leather is skin. You can artificially "heal" it to wherever you wish.
If you have concerns about step 1, the state the jacket is in now, then by all means go to step 2 and 3. If you have decided to stop where you are, then let nature do the rest for you. Usually, a slow process.
Step 4, which I have considered for some of my older pieces to rejuvinate them, is to take them to a Ram Leather Cleaners. They should be franchised all about. If not Ram than one that can do the same work.
They are specialist in cleaning and actually spray new color onto the jacket. It comes out good as new.
So, in essence, if your experiment is not to your liking, it can be pretty much reversed or enhanced. This thought should make you feel better about your project.

Strider, some of us are the sensitive types. I am. I'm glad that I am. It makes me an effective educator. At the same time, I have found that my sensitivity has caused me to have many health problems. I'm one of the oldest members here, if not the oldest. Try, and I can't do this well, and take things as your name implies....in stride. You'll be healthier, have more fun, and the quality of life will be so much better.
The internet makes it easy for people to say things that they would not in person. It is a haven for internet "bullies". It is also a place to make great friends that truely care about people. This thread caused some difficult feelings. I don't really believe it was intentional. A question was asked and answers given. To you, because you felt a concern about your jacket, they seemed harsh and others worded differently seemed helpful. You had a preconceived notion about the jacket, that is why you posted your question. You, as I would, wanted to hear things were fine. Human nature. When you don't hear what is expected, it hurts.
These are my observations based on 35 years of working with people and knowing how I think and how I SHOULD think. You seem to be a very nice man. Take comfort in that. You like this forum and forumulites like you. Take comfort in that.
My 84 year old father tells me when I complain about my stuff. "It's stuff. It will be around after you aren't. Nothing is perfect. We all make mistakes. So learn from them. Feel better...and shut up about all this @#$%!"

My best regards to all of you that have suffered through my monograph,

Prof. Rev. Dr. Ed

[SkyChief]

My first thought when I saw the photo of Strider's coat straight on was that it looked a lot like the Temple of Doom jacket that Noel Howard has (above), and to me that's a good thing. My way of thinking when it comes to Indiana Jones jackets is that any manual distressing is better than no manual distressing. I don't personally agree with the idea of distressing an Indy jacket simply "by wearing it." The design of the Indy jacket is unique and has a lot of merit, but in my eyes, without distressing it's just a well-designed and shiny leather jacket, it's not an "Indiana Jones" jacket. A Dodge Charger is a cool car, but it's not a "General Lee" until it's painted orange and adorned with the rebel flag and 01s.

The movie coats were manually distressed. Some fans might claim they fell in love with the Jones jacket on screen because of its design, but the majority of us fell in love with the battered and worn look. The only way to get our own coats to look this way is to do the same thing the prop masters did and manually age them. No fan will ever achieve the movie look simply "by wearing it," and that's perfectly fine for them. But I know for myself, I'm not interested in a jacket that's designed like Indy's, but only shows the natural wear from my commutes to work and my trips to the grocery store.

That said, to answer your question, Strider, I don't think your distressing is overdone, it's just on the unnatural side, not so much the torso, but the sleeves, which look like they've been clawed (then again with your many harrowing encounters with "ladies of the night," this seems almost fitting ). Like everyone is saying, it needs more wear on the spots that would actually receive wear in real life, the elbows, cuffs, and especially the seams. Most of the seams appear untouched. I would take sandpaper to the collar flap seams, the inside arm seams, the storm flap seams, and the bottom seams. If you're not a fan of the Last Crusade "piping," this can be done in moderation. After that just put some basic Pecards on it. You'd really be surprised at how the stuff will basically bring the coat back to almost a solid color. Anyway I applaud you for taking the leap of faith and breaking away from the "new coat" crowd. I also whole-heartedly applaud those who gave their honest opinions, and Prof. Ed for advising folks to take honest comments "in stride."

[Rabittooth]

I'd repair it with pecards then re-distress with the acetone method. Is it a lambskin?

-Rabittooth

[Minnesota Jones]

I agree with Rab on using pecards, that could/should tone the distressing down a bit. Then look it over. Maybe the brown pecards may be better? Not sure myself. I know Michaelson's not one for distressing but he may have some suggestions on cleaning it up a bit if it's a bit too much for your taste.

As for myself, I'm also in the camp of wanted to distress one jacket but don't have the courage yet to do so. Once I have my new Wested a while longer, we'll see. Maybe.

[agent5]

I just don't buy into the ethos of taking a perfectly good and/or NEW jacket and destroying it with sandpaper.

Well, I sure do, but it does look like you went a little overboard, Strider. However, seeing as Rabittooth is the one I went to for distressing instructions, I'd listen to what he says.
If it were my jacket, I'd get out the acetone and make sure you get only the seams, edges and outter corners. Then I'd get some really, really fine sandpaper and start wearing down some of the larger areas, such as the upper chest, upper/lower back and the stress points on the arms. I think if you start wearing away at the larger areas you can take away alot of the contrast between the dye and the scratch marks.
What I did before starting all of this is really study the jacket in the film to see where the hardest hit areas of the jacket were. The distressing was mostly very subtle. However, after the truck chase, it was not and that seems to be what you're going for. Just check it out.

Here's my jacket and you can see where the seams are done but the rest is fairly subtle. Alot of the larger white areas is the Fullers, but you can kinda make out the distressing pattern.


Another thing to consider is that once you add some Fullers Earth to it, it'll automatically transform what you may have thought was a nightmare into a solid Indy jacket. It does wonders.
I too messed up a small part on the back of my jacket after the acetone made marks from the lining transfer to the leather. Once the Fulers went on, it disappeared. Well...until the Fullers fell off, but for costume purposes, it works fantastic.

Good luck, man.

Patience is the key. Rab was right.

[Michaelson]

Well, I usually stay completely out of these discussions anymore, as since I AM of the 'allow to age on it's own' practice, if you guys want to take a blow torch to your jackets....what ever. I give up.

That said, though, I totally disagree with what Ed has stated, as leather, though skin, does NOT heal itself. Only LIVING skin heals itself. Leather is NOT living skin, and therefore anything you do to remove the original surface is now forever gone. You can have it professionally resealed, but that's a false sealer to the original 'skin' surface, and all you've done is gloss over the now revealed underlying leather layer. That's what shows up as lighter coloration on your jacket...the now exposed underlayer.

The Pecards is the only product I can recommend that will at least replace the lost moisture to that underlying layer, but it will also make those areas as dark as they used to be before. What you may try is a complete brown Pecards treatement, then follow up with a brisk rubbing with a cloth rag to tone it down and even it out.

Other than that, not being (as I've posted ad nasium) a practice of this voodoo art, I don't have much more I can offer.

Regards! Michaelson

[agent5]

Other than that, not being (as I've posted ad nasium) a practice of this voodoo art, I don't have much more I can offer.

That gave me my good laugh for the day. Michaelson, the ultimate anti-distresser!

[Michaelson]

Yep. Not much left to the imagination on my opinion on THIS subject....is there?

Regards! Michaelson

[Alabama Jones]

I am all pro distressing - let there be no doubt

In this case the distressing looks too unnatural.

So ...are you saying you consider it to be ... unnatural?



Strider, you got guts, I'll tell ya that. I can feel my jacket glare at me if the thought even crosses my mind.

[rick5150]

I AM of the 'allow to age on it's own' practice, if you guys want to take a blow torch to your jackets....what ever.

A blowtorch?! Thanks Michaelson! That is what I need to do next...

[Indiana Jerry]

Strider, after some Pecards to help remove the patterning, your jacket may have a much more subtly beat-up look to it. This might still work out in your favor, so chin up.

J

[Rabittooth]

The acetone method is by far the most sublte, the most effective, natural-looking and non-destructive way to distress the jacket. Here are some more examples of the results:

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E01.jpg

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E02.jpg

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E03.jpg

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E04.jpg

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E05.jpg

http://www.rabittooth.com/INDYSELL/WestedB&E06.jpg

-R

[Indiana Jerry]

But Rab, the acetone method also 'floats' the color a bit, so he *could* use that as one method for evening out the color, right? Although the brown Pecards would probably be a safer first option...

EDIT: WAIT...I just reread Rick's response...okay, permanent dark brown lines might end up the result! Go with Pecards!

[Prof. Ed]

[quote="
That said, though, I totally disagree with what Ed has stated, as leather, though skin, does NOT heal itself. Only LIVING skin heals itself. Leather is NOT living skin,.

on[/quote]

Ol Prof Ed will now quote: Leather is skin. You can artificially "heal" it to wherever you wish.

Knowing that only living skin heals, I put in the "CYA" word "artifically.


Believe it or not, I pondered the statement then decided to go with it. A sealant might have been a better term , or another from the list of products. Praise to the person that invented "CYA!"

The older, yet younger, gentleman from TN has given a fine synonym for my word "artificially." I yield to you, sir.

Best regards,

Prof. Ed

[Ark Hunter]

I agree that the pecards (probalby brown would be better than plain but it might help out too) should take out the "sharpness" of the lighter colors and still give you a subtile distressed look. I thoght of using acetone for subduing the distressing also, but apparently others feel it wouldn't be good, so back to Pecards.

Rab is acetone all you did to that jacket? It really flatened it out and ook all the stiffness out. I heard dunking it in the bath tub might have a similar effect. (my jacket still seems too stiff, though it's lamb).

[Indiana Jerry]

I've gotten soaked through a couple times, and I still have the shine. Water alone won't do it.

[Ark Hunter]

I've gotten soaked through a couple times, and I still have the shine. Water alone won't do it.

I was talking about geting rid of the stiffness of the jacket. See how Rab's jacket was "standing up" when it was new and very flat after it was distressed?

Getting rid if shine is a good first step to a good Indy look though. I tried some rubbing alcohol but I've still got some shine.

[Indiana Jerry]

Ah, my bad, Doc, sorry about that.

Water won't soften a jacket, either, though. Some folks get their jacket nice and wet to stiffen it up again - at least for a little while. My jacket got nice and stiff after the last time it was soaked.

J

[Jorenz]

Strider, I've learned that somethings that I've done usually look to much in the beginning but in time I get used to the look.

[Prof. Ed]

Strider, I've learned that somethings that I've done usually look to much in the beginning but in time I get used to the look.

I'm still trying to get used to my look. The one I was born with. Maybe G-D was practicing his distressing!

[Prof. Ed]

I just don't buy into the ethos of taking a perfectly good and/or NEW jacket and destroying it with sandpaper.

Well, I sure do, but it does look like you went a little overboard, Strider. However, seeing as Rabittooth is the one I went to for distressing instructions, I'd listen to what he says.
If it were my jacket, I'd get out the acetone and make sure you get only the seams, edges and outter corners. Then I'd get some really, really fine sandpaper and start wearing down some of the larger areas, such as the upper chest, upper/lower back and the stress points on the arms. I think if you start wearing away at the larger areas you can take away alot of the contrast between the dye and the scratch marks.
What I did before starting all of this is really study the jacket in the film to see where the hardest hit areas of the jacket were. The distressing was mostly very subtle. However, after the truck chase, it was not and that seems to be what you're going for. Just check it out.

Here's my jacket and you can see where the seams are done but the rest is fairly subtle. Alot of the larger white areas is the Fullers, but you can kinda make out the distressing pattern.


Another thing to consider is that once you add some Fullers Earth to it, it'll automatically transform what you may have thought was a nightmare into a solid Indy jacket. It does wonders.
I too messed up a small part on the back of my jacket after the acetone made marks from the lining transfer to the leather. Once the Fulers went on, it disappeared. Well...until the Fullers fell off, but for costume purposes, it works fantastic.

Good luck, man.

Patience is the key. Rab was right.

Agent 5,

I just wanted to compliment you on your fine job of being so screen accurate. I've heard how wonderful your collection is and the effort you put into this hobby.
Well done, sir.


Best regards,

Ol Prof. Ed

[Alabama Jones]

It doesn't really look that bad to me, apart from some of the "striping" seen in the right sleeve pic. Overdone with sandpaper, perhaps, but still salvageble IMO. Work in some Pecards (you may want to experiment with some boot oil) and you'll probably be fine.

Keep the faith Strider.

[Rabittooth]

...Rab is acetone all you did to that jacket? It really flatened it out and ook all the stiffness out. I heard dunking it in the bath tub might have a similar effect. (my jacket still seems too stiff, though it's lamb).

First I rub the whole jacket down with rubbing alcohol to be rid of the shine and it does lighten the overall color of the jacket a bit. Then it's all a slow careful process with the acetone. The pics you see there have NO application of fullers earth and almost NO sanding.
If you rub harder at the seams with the acetone you get that "sanded look there.
I also crumple the jacket and then let it hang. It retains some of the fine wrinkles that way. The lamb was buttery soft right outta the box though.

-Rabittooth

[Indycraze71]

When I tell some people who ask that my jacket is an Indiana Jones jacket I sometimes get the reply that it looks to nice to be an Indy jacket! That being said you definitely have more courage than I do when it comes to distressing your jacket. Initally I was shocked at your photos, but now that I have taken a closer second look I don't think it looks like that bad of a job at all especially when I look at the back view and the front pockets they look pretty good almost like the shown TOD jacket. So I guess those who have more experience than I have some good advice to offer. That is if you think that it is a bit over done maybe try something to add some effects that make it look more to your liking. I myself think a good rough tumble in the dirt or two would probably make it look pretty screen accurate. Good luck!

[Strider]

Alllllll-righty then. I thought this thread had been deleted, since I didn't see it in the jacket section anymore. Come to find out, to my surprise, that it got a ton of replies after it was moved.

Let me start off by saying that the flash on the camera I used to take these pictures accents every last scratch and mark as if I drew on the jacket with a white highlighter pen. I also want to include that I have a goat Wested on order, so I decided to play around with this one, because a new one's coming in anyway. I figured it would be nice to have a distressed jacket that was strictly a "costume" jacket, to wear to conventions and the like, and another, more durable Wested to wear when I don't want to look like I've been dragged behind a truck through the dirt. Now that you understand that there is a method to my madness ...

I agree, the right sleeve looks like it was clawed. As JAN stated, that is the product of not having someone to hold the leather taut for you as you scrape it down, and it wrinkles as you do it, giving you those marks.

When I get around to it, I will use this thread as a guide to making the attempt at fixing some of the damage. Should it please the court, I have just ordered a can of brown Pecards to be shipped to me.

Those who posted advice on what to do about the problem (that includes you too, Prof. Ed) have my most sincere gratitude. Even though some of the initial replies may have irked me, the advice that followed is what COW is here for. Thanks again!

[Prof. Ed]

[rick5150]

I agree, the right sleeve looks like it was clawed. As JAN stated, that is the product of not having someone to hold the leather taut for you as you scrape it down, and it wrinkles as you do it, giving you those marks.

If you take the sleeves and push them up to your elbows so they are all bunched up and very lightly wipe the top of each wrinkle with a paper towel dunked in acetone, it creates distressing on the natural wrinkles of the jacket. I quite like the effect you see here.

At one time I was seriously toying with the idea of putting a good replica of the RA headpiece in the pocket. Really press it tight in there and then lightly distress the surface to hint at what was once there. I guess I am glad I did not do that. Michaelson would have shown up at my door with a shotgun.

[LeatherneckJones]

If you take the sleeves and push them up to your elbows so they are all bunched up and very lightly wipe the top of each wrinkle with a paper towel dunked in acetone, it creates distressing on the natural wrinkles of the jacket. I quite like the effect you see here.

THAT is exactly the piece of info I've been looking for! Thanks!! I've been trying to figure out how to achiece that look!

[agent5]

Agent 5,

I just wanted to compliment you on your fine job of being so screen accurate. I've heard how wonderful your collection is and the effort you put into this hobby.
Well done, sir.


Best regards,

Ol Prof. Ed

Why, thank you , Ed. I try pretty hard.

[Rabittooth]

If you take the sleeves and push them up to your elbows so they are all bunched up and very lightly wipe the top of each wrinkle with a paper towel dunked in acetone, it creates distressing on the natural wrinkles of the jacket. I quite like the effect you see here.

Wow! That IS an awesome bit of info. Great simple technique and it looks perfect!

-Rabittooth

[Indiana Jerry]

Okay, I'm really glad this thread wasn't deleted...I'm saving all this. Way too much good info all together. Yeah, I know Rabbitooth, Rick, Agent5, and many of the rest of you have posted a lot of this before, but this thread has had a lot of great input from a lot of distressers!

Thanks guys!
J