stripping a leather jacket

Discuss technique for prolonging the life of your gear or giving it that aged look

Moderator: Dalexs

Post Reply
Golden boy
Dig Worker
Dig Worker
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:06 pm

stripping a leather jacket

Post by Golden boy »

anyone have any experience with this?

I had a custom leather jacket made (U-Boat style)
nubuck
nice, plush, soft

treated it with obenaufs

now it reeks of it
didn't see that any where in the reviews of the product

I want to take some of it off, but dont know how to?

Can I machine wash it?

Pricey coat and dont want to make the same mistake with the Indy im having made..


-ty

-j
User avatar
Indiana Jeff
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 10212
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:59 am
Location: TX Panhandle

Re: stripping a leather jacket

Post by Indiana Jeff »

Leave it out in a well ventilated area and give it a chance to air out first. Maybe try taking a clean cotton cloth and wipe the jacket down to remove any excess.

I would leave washing it as an absolute last resort.



Regards,

Indiana Jeff
Golden boy
Dig Worker
Dig Worker
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:06 pm

Re: stripping a leather jacket

Post by Golden boy »

Indiana Jeff wrote:Leave it out in a well ventilated area and give it a chance to air out first. Maybe try taking a clean cotton cloth and wipe the jacket down to remove any excess.

I would leave washing it as an absolute last resort.



Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Problem is that it's already been 2 months Since i applied it...
Has a weird almost clammy feel.
Will washing shrink it?

~J
User avatar
ThatManFromRio
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 162
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:41 pm

Re: stripping a leather jacket

Post by ThatManFromRio »

From my own experience with a few jackets from different brands, gentle washing won't make the jacket shrink as long as you don't put it in the dryer.
If you let it dry in the open air , washing will only add some grain to the leather and help the jacket to better drape on your body if you wear it a few hours before it's totally dried.Be aware that some dye may bleed when you rinse the jacket, leaving some stains on the lining if it's light colored.
I've never had a nubuck jacket so I won't say there's absolutly no risk with washing your jacket , but you've already modified the original aspect of the leather with Obenauf, so washing it is just one more experiment ! ;)

PS: would it be possible that the Obenauf was rancid ? Sounds like a dumb question but I had it happened with another leather conditionner...
User avatar
Michaelson
Knower of Things
Posts: 44486
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 12:55 pm
Location: Out here knowing stuff and things and wishing I were with the family at Universal Studios Orlando

Re: stripping a leather jacket

Post by Michaelson »

Obenaufs leather products seem to be more oil based than anything else. As you well know, oil and water don't play well together, so washing your jacket isn't going to solve your problem here. It will just add another layer of problems to your existing situation.

I'd suggest you find a leather care expert/company and lay your question on them to see if they have any ideas.

I've never applied anything like a leather care product such as Obenaufs or Pecards to a nubuck leather myself, as it really doesn't lend itself to that kind of treatment.

It's a sanded cowhide and is supposed to be cleaned and protected with products specific to it and suede. The only difference between the two is suede is made from the inside of the hide where nubuck is made from the outside. It's strong and durable, but VERY easy to stain and difficult to get to release unwanted dirt and oil.

With the Obenauf treatment, you're kind of sailed into uncharted waters.

Here's what they say on their own website about use on nubuck:
About Soft Textured Leathers Like Suede and Nubuck
Soft textured leathers like suede and shearling lambskin are magnificent to touch and feel, unfortunately, they are also extremely difficult to clean and protect. Your best treatment for cleaning suede and soft textured leathers is a suede brush. Brush carefully and only when the leather is dry so you don't affect the nap of the leather. Stains are a challenge since you can't use any liquid cleaners without affecting the texture and possibly "matting" the finish. Try rubbing some cornmeal gently into the stain to absorb it and use your suede brush to remove it. Obenauf's Leather Oil and LP are appropriate for these textured leathers but any oil-type treatment is going to affect the texture and color. You can use Obenauf's Watershield as a waterproofing agent (be sure to test in a discrete area first) but the inability to restore the natural oils of the leather is problematic. So treatment will darken the leathers but they will last a lot longer and not stain as quickly if properly treated.
https://www.obenaufs.com/Leather%20Care%20Guide" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What you have to figure out is how to pull the excess product out of the leather....but even with that done, it will never be like it was when you first received the jacket.

Good luck!

Regards! Michaelson
Post Reply