Jacket Soaking - Before and After Measurements?

[Don't Call Me Junior!]

I've seen quite a few threads on the soaking of your new jacket. The fit of any particular jacket is obviously of significance to the wearer and will in most cases change when the jacket is soaked.

Has anyone who has soaked their jacket for distressing, etc, purposes taken the time to compare the actual before and after measurements. I've been fascinated for years by the fact that people would buy a leather jacket and immediately soak it in water, show with it, etc. potentially ruining the fit of their jacket and/or the leather itself. The result speaks for themselves in most cases as they look great but from a real world wearing perspective but I am just curious what I should expect if I were to do this to one of my jackets. How much headroom on the measurements should I have before considering to attempt this?

What were the measurements of the sleeve, front, back, chest, etc of your lamb-goat-horse-cow jacket before the process and what are they now? How was it done (washer, shower, etc) and how did was it dried?

[Indiana Blooze]

Didn't take any measurements, but I did take after pics.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?p ... ht=#509264

[Browncoat]

I actually have a brand new unmolested Coyle Standard in a box in my closet and another that I gave a simple hot shower treatment. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law applies here and all of my cloth measuring tapes are lost.

I can tell you this however the jacket that I put in the shower did not shrink at all. The leather just changed a bit which allowed it to mold to my form. The sleeves rode up about 1/2 inch but that's only because I force the wrinkling process by wearing the jacket with the sleeves rolled up while it dried. The sleeves could easily pulled down again to original length but I like the look of them where they are.

[serrecuir]

DCMJ,

The thread Blooze posted above is a great reference for the jacket washing. I think I posted a reply or two in there after I washed my Wested. I didn't take any measurements or reference photos, but I can share how I did it. I filled a bucket half full with warm water and completely immersed the jacket for a good 10-15 minutes and stirred it around and mashed it up. You'll see the water change colors a bit as a result of some excess dye and chemicals. I ran the jacket under warm water until it ran clear, then rung out the jacket of excess water. I laid it out flat on a towel and let it air dry inside.

Yes, it did take several days to completely dry, but as it did, it gave me plenty of time to try it on and make sure the fit was ok and bunch up the sleeves to get a nice wrinkled effect. I was also able to reshape the pocket flaps and get a nice scallop-shape. But the jacket didn't shrink at all.

From what I've read from other jacket owners, the majority of the shrinkage came from placing it in a dryer and introducing heat to the mix.

Hope this info helps.

Kind regards,
Craig

[Don't Call Me Junior!]

Thanks kindly for the responses thus far. I had read that thread, Blooze, but thanks for providing the link. It was definitely worth rereading. It was after reading that thread initially that I started to think that actual numbers would be very useful as sometimes pictures don't show the whole story even when you think that they do. Look how many things that are key to the Raiders have eluded this group over the years! But your responses reiterate some useful guidelines anyway.

Almost everyone seems to agree- NO HOT WATER! That and the dryer seem to be the kiss of death when it come to shrinkage.

Serrecuir, so you had true zero shrinkage. That's the answer I'm hoping is possible. Was that a lambskin jacket that you did as well?

What I have in my possession to work with are two jackets that right at the limits as far as the chest and shoulder go. If I lost maybe even a half and inch I don't think I would like the fit very much. One is goat and one is lamb.

[serrecuir]

Serrecuir, so you had true zero shrinkage. That's the answer I'm hoping is possible. Was that a lambskin jacket that you did as well?

Yes, the jacket I washed is a lamb, and from the current fit, it didn't change at all. (or not enough to notice any difference) The sleeves and overall length still hit in the same places as before the washing. I didn't bunch up the sleeves too much, so they relaxed a bit when the jacket dried. I may rewash it and bunch them up a bit more. As I mentioned, air drying the jacket was really the key for me in getting it right. It allowed me time to try on the jacket and ensure that, as it dried, it wasn't shrinking up on me.

Kind regards,
Craig

[CM]

I washed my goat G&B in the machine with soap. It made no difference to the size at all, but it does look less new.

[Jens_Hoppe]

Earlier this year I thoroughly soaked a goat jacket in a bathtub of cold water. Left it lying out to dry (took some days).

It shrunk. To the point where I ended up buying a new jacket because the old one didn't feel comfortable anymore.

Glad to hear not everyone experiences this, but as a friendly warning - it can happen...

[Tyrloch]

I soaked my washed goatskin in warm water in the washing machine for about 15 minutes, and let it spin to get the excess water out of it. I then put in in the dryer at low heat for about 3 or 4 15 minute pops, checking it in between each time. When the jacket came out of the dryer, it was still fairly damp. I tried it on, and except for the wrinkling of the sleeves, there was no shrinkage at all. So I think that it's okay to wash your jacket if you just want to de-shine it, but stay away from hot water and med. to high heat in the dryer -- those 2 things seem to be the cause of shrinkage...

~Jace