I just bought Tibor's Wested vegetable-tanned lamb LC jacket. It fits me like a glove. I love this jacket!
I don't plan on doing any artificial aging. I am quite willing to let it age in any direction nature intends. However, I don't want to hasten its journey to the grave.
I do plan on wearing pretty much all the time, so what I'd like to know is how should I care for it to maximize its life (within reason). Does anyone have any suggestions.
I just use Pecards lotion and mine, and it looks like it's turning out fine! Though you probably should stay away from rain obviously, because especially with this jacket, water leaves temporary water-stains on the jacket like it would on a piece of cloth. Once it dries though, it's gone. However, I think my jacket has shrunk a little from being out in two or three rainstorms, as the zipper has curled up a little.
I suppose if you do plan on using it in the rain, you could always try Pecards dressing, but otherwise, lotion all the way!
Indiana Holt wrote:is this its original color? do you have some outside pictures without flash?
lovely hide and color,not SA,but something different!
I like it.
That is the color. It's chestnut. It's dark out now, but I'll try to get some pictures outside tomorrow. I love the color and wouldn't mind at all if it stayed this color, but I expect it will probably darken over time, and that's also fine by me. I definitely love the brown seal color as well, but I think this is just great.
It's a thicker lamb than normal and it feels awesome on.
DVD Connoisseur wrote:Great to see another veg-tanned Wested on the boards!
Thanks! I love this jacket!
How are you caring for yours? I'm also curious how much they cost originally. Or anything else you can tell me about the jacket.
Thanks.
The jacket you have is one of the jackets made from the same leather that Wested sent in to Bernie Pollak as submission for the contract to Crystal Skull. The jacket you have is their interpretation of the archive jacket Bernie wanted replicated for CS.
You'll notice that the jacket has some minor differences to the eventual screen jacket, the lower hem on the body has a finishing stitch, the Nowak doesn't.
Your jacket also seems to have had the sleeves lengthened by turning out the sleeve hem and sewing it around the cuff, Indy jackets do not usually have the stitched hem around the cuff.
I think originally this was slightly more than a standard jacket at about £165 which at that time and that exchange rate came to about $350. Only a few jackets were made in the Veg Tanned lamb 5 or 6 IIRC.
The jacket you have is one of the jackets made from the same leather that Wested sent in to Bernie Pollak as submission for the contract to Crystal Skull. The jacket you have is their interpretation of the archive jacket Bernie wanted replicated for CS.
You'll notice that the jacket has some minor differences to the eventual screen jacket, the lower hem on the body has a finishing stitch, the Nowak doesn't.
Wow, thanks. Great to know.
Your jacket also seems to have had the sleeves lengthened by turning out the sleeve hem and sewing it around the cuff, Indy jackets do not usually have the stitched hem around the cuff.
Tibor, the previous owner, had Wested lengthen the sleeves. Basically it looks like they just added some lining to the inside and re-stitched it. I just folded it back on it's original fold and it seems to stay just fine. I'll probably just sew the lining back to its original length at some point.
I think originally this was slightly more than a standard jacket at about £165 which at that time and that exchange rate came to about $350. Only a few jackets were made in the Veg Tanned lamb 5 or 6 IIRC.
What is 5 or 6 IIRC?
Understanding these jackets has a steeper learning curve than I would have thought.
Castor Dioscuri wrote:I just use Pecards lotion and mine, and it looks like it's turning out fine! Though you probably should stay away from rain obviously, because especially with this jacket, water leaves temporary water-stains on the jacket like it would on a piece of cloth. Once it dries though, it's gone. However, I think my jacket has shrunk a little from being out in two or three rainstorms, as the zipper has curled up a little.
I suppose if you do plan on using it in the rain, you could always try Pecards dressing, but otherwise, lotion all the way!
Does Pecards lotion darken the leather? What are the downsides of using either the lotion or the dressing?
Besides any changes in color, I'm also worried about the changes in the leather fiber. I've never owned a lambskin anything before, but I know that too much treatment on some leathers can cause them to tear much more easily.
Has anyone talked to Peter about the care for these or other jackets?
Here is a shot of my jacket nearing dusk. I didn't have a camera earlier. I think that the actual color is between these two photos, probably a little closer to the one where I'm wearing it:
I think the version I'm wearing looks very close in color to DVD Connoisseur's jacket, at least on my monitor.
Bilbe wrote:
Does Pecards lotion darken the leather? What are the downsides of using either the lotion or the dressing?
Has anyone talked to Peter about the care for these or other jackets?
The lotion is water soluable, so no, after it has soaked in and dried, it does not darken the leather like the standard dressing does. It doesn't last as long as standard dressing, and it's more of a cleaner/conditioner than a water resister application product. That would be the only real 'down side' I can think of the product.
Peter has always sold and/or supplied a product called Letap in the spray can. It's close to the Pecards lotion in design use, but it's a pressurized product that comes out as a foam then liquifies. You then rub it into the leather. GREAT stuff!
Problem is, it's proprietary and only available in Europe, and because of the new import laws after 9/11, we can't get it here in the U. S. anymore.
Michaelson wrote:The lotion is water soluable, so no, after it has soaked in and dried, it does not darken the leather like the standard dressing does. It doesn't last as long as standard dressing, and it's more of a cleaner/conditioner than a water resister application product. That would be the only real 'down side' I can think of the product.
Regards! Michaelson
I was just reading the seven-year-old thread by Leather_Loco on Pecard's products. So would I be crazy to use the Leather Dressing or even the Weatherproof Dressing on this jacket? I wouldn't mind if it got darker as long as I protected the jacket from water and staining _and_ it didn't damage the jacket in other ways.
Personally I used the Pecards leather 'creme' (actually jell) on all my goatskin jackets (regardless of tanning process), as it contains less beeswax, and helps stiffer leather soften up even better.
That said, though, it's just my personal preference.
You can use any Pecards product safely on your VT goatskin. I was just following up on your specific question about the lotion.
If you do contact Pecards, send your email to Eric's attention. He's 'Leather_Loco' here, and KNOWS us 'crazies' quite well. ;-)
