Creased Wested ROTLA Hero in Shrunken Lambskin

[Cordell31]

Hi,

I recently bought a brand new Wested ROTLA Hero jacket in shrunken lamb and I have a question:

It seems really baggy on the back panel and has now developed a big crease at the bottom....is this normal? I've looked at other peoples pics and they all seem OK.



The other thing I'm not too happy with is the colour....it's like a milk chocolate. I expected it to be a little darker. Does this look the usual colour for the hero jacket?

[twistedotter]

Oddly enough, I came here to post almost exactly the same thing. It is definitely lighter than the ones I've bought in the past. I was going to describe it as more tan verging on grey, but your description of milk chocolate is pretty good. I, too, would like to darken it up, but I'm unsure how to proceed.

I don't have the crease, but I've had them in other jackets. Usually wearing it for some time will work it out. If not, I'm not entirely sure how do get that out.

[LRGS]

I have two of these Veg tanned shrunken lamb hero jackets. Both were too light when I got them. What worked brilliantly for me was to rub some baby lotion all over. Colour darkens beautifully and you get great caramel undertones showing through on areas of natural distressing. Sorry, no pics. I will try to remedy that. As for the crease, I'd like to see what it looks like.

[Cordell31]

Yeah it's definitely lighter than the pics posted on the wested website. I'm beginning to wish I'd saved some cash by buying the special hero jacket. It's cheaper and you can select what colour you want.
I've tried conditioning it today hoping it would go a little darker but it just dried the same. I did try posting pics but not sure how. it's mainly the big crease at the bottom of the jacket that's bugging me though.

[Cordell31]

Does the baby lotion dry evenly on the jacket? Also does it set well so that it doesn't grease up your clothes underneath?

[LRGS]

Yes, seems to absorb fine. No grease afterwards. I have had no issues on that front. I also used the same technique on a Wested Dr Who jacket in predistressed cow. It made what seemed to me to be a slightly artificial looking distress job into something that looked much more authentically aged.

[Cordell31]

Sounds good to me.....I'm a little nervous doing it but I could test it first on somewhere hidden (back of the pocket flap). Do you have any pics of yours?

[LRGS]

Never done this before so bear with me if it doesn't work:
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[LRGS]

I don't have a 'before' pic for comparison but I found an image online that looks exactly like the colour mine was when I first bought it: http://cafe-clover.blog.so-net.ne.jp/_i ... -0b59f.jpg

[Cordell31]

Now that's the colour I'm after. I've read somewhere though that baby oil can shorten the life of the stitching....not sure if that's true. I'll try to post a pic again....
http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/benke ... g.html?o=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Cordell31]

My shrunken leather never had that heavy shine on it like your second pic. I don't think it's quite as light as the pic I posted in person, but it's still lighter than the other pics posted here.

[LRGS]

Yes, your pic seems to show an almost rose coloured tone to the brown. Interesting. I'd give the baby lotion a try under the pocket flap as you suggest. Don't be afraid to lather it on.

As for rotting the stitching, that's a new one on me. Surprising if that's true, seeing as baby lotion is intended for babies; I can't imagine it would be too harsh on anything, really. I've had my jackets for years since doing this and wear them often. No such problems with stitching.
By the way, I think I gave each jacket two applications of lotion, so be patient.

I'm a big fan of Wested's shrunken lamb. I know some people say they can't get with the colour but I'm convinced that, with a bit of effort, you can get the colour you want. That's the beauty of veg tanned leather.

I've got a lot of indy jackets, a USW goat, a USW shrunken lamb, a Wested heavy horsehide, a USW bison, a G&B lamb and two Wested shrunken lambs. I'm greedy that way. The shrunken lamb jackets hit the spot for me and feel like a ringer for what I see at the start of Raiders in the jungle. I've also had more compliments from strangers about my SL jackets than any of the others. They're just so full of character.

Good luck. I'll be interested to see the results of the pocket flap test if you do this.

[LRGS]

Just re-read your last message. To be clear, I used 'baby lotion' not baby oil. Specifically, this:
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Baby-Loti ... 20-%20Baby

[Cordell31]

I re-read you posts and I was getting baby lotion confused with baby oil.....that would've been a problem if I'd used that.

I'll grab a bottle of lotion today hopefully and let you see the results of my test.

Yes the SL is a lovely jacket....any complaints (except for the colour) are really down to me. I ordered a size up which makes it great for layering underneath but also makes it look baggier than I wanted. This is probably what caused the lower back creased effect. I also think the back problem has only been there since trying the wetting the jacket in the shower technique. Hopefully over time it will sort itself out....I'm doing my wife's head in at the moment by researching it over and over. All I know is that I will have to wear the jacket ALOT if she will ever let me buy another in the future lol

[LRGS]

One observation from your pic: If the crease you're talking about is that horizontal(ish) hump on on the lower back panel, I have a theory: If it doesn't smooth flat when you press the jacket down by hand, it could perhaps be that the liner was stretched too tightly when it was sewn to the bottom of the jacket. That can cause the leather to ride up instead of laying flat. An easy enough fix at home. This was the case with one of my USW jackets. I forget which. Bison, I think.
Then again, it may be I'm looking at the wrong 'crease' and what I'm seeing is just the way it's laying.

[Cordell31]

I've coated my jacket once so far in the baby lotion...it's made it slightly darker, but not much. I'll reapply another coat today and see where I get. Not sure if I'm putting enough on. I'm rubbing it in until no excess sits on the leather but my SL is so grainy it takes me ages. Pics to follow once I've reapplied.

[LRGS]

I think I was quite generous in how much I put on, then left it there for a few minutes before removing the excess.

[Zoltar]

One of my Hero's had a back panel that was baggy towards the bottom, kind of sagged down a couple of inches up from the bottom. It looked pretty awful so I got Peter to replace the back and it came back looking just fine.

ZOLTAR

[Michaelson]

Folks, I just did a quick google search on 'using baby lotion on leather', and NO body recommends this EVER being used on leather.

One site states there is nothing in baby lotion to protect leather from UV rays, another points out there are suspended alkaline products in lotion that is added to treat 'live' skin and remove bacteria, skin being a living dynamic organ where leather is 'dead' and therefore would not benefit for the use....another states categorically using it attracts dirt....etc. etc.

I hope you haven't caused yourself problems here, as I have never heard of anyone using baby lotion on leather....and based on what I just read, I now understand why.

Regards! Michaleson

[LRGS]

Thanks, Michaelson. Interesting. I might have avoided using baby lotion had I searched the web first. I think it may have scared me off but I jumped in with both feet.

To be honest, I'm glad I did. The results I got were great (for me). That said, I probably wouldn't use it on my leather couch that has a polyurethane coating but it worked as well as I hoped on the porous veg tanned shrunken lamb.

I really haven't had a problem with it attracting dirt in the 4 years since I did this and I'll admit that I'm not particularly concerned about baby lotion's lack of protection against UV rays or that its bacteria removal qualities is pointless on dead skin.

This jacket stands up to some pretty rough treatment from me when I'm out and about. The more abuse it gets, the better it seems to look but I acknowledge that some people treat their jackets more kindly and might well choose a different approach.

Cordell: I hope you achieve the colour you want and I hope that whatever you do next works out fine. Incidentally, what size is your jacket?

[Michaelson]

Understood, glad you've had success with your jacket, and am not implying what you're doing is wrong....but providential wisdom advises against it.

I'd bet if you used saddle soap on your jacket, the water would come out black from the dirt attracted over the past 4 years, but as you say, for some, that's attraction for authenticity. It also can shorten the life of the jacket, but that's not a concern for many folks either.

I'm just adding this piece of information for others to consider as a point of full disclosure (this IS a gear discussion site ) when looking at treating their jackets that cost them several hundred dollars with a product not generally recommended or used in the manner suggested here.

Regards! Michaelson

[Cordell31]

One of my Hero's had a back panel that was baggy towards the bottom, kind of sagged down a couple of inches up from the bottom. It looked pretty awful so I got Peter to replace the back and it came back looking just fine.

ZOLTAR

Hi,

I e-mailed Wested and attached a pic of it. They said the first thing they'd do is to iron it flat (obviously taking the necessary precautions). However, I don't think that would fix this as it does seem baggy to me. You can flatten it out when it's lying down but as soon as you lift the jacket up it hangs down again.

LRGS,

The jacket never really got to the dark brown state that I'm after so I'll just have to live with it I guess. It's a size 44 chest (but I'm usually in a 42). I think that's why the jacket is baggier in general. Looking at the pic of you wearing yours, even your sleeves seem nice and fitted. Again, mine are quite baggy.

I've attached a new pic to show:

[LRGS]

If it makes you feel any better, I reckon your jacket looks closer to what the jacket looked like on location (rather than when the film was graded / colour corrected). Here's an interesting pic of the jacket in Hawaii. Looks bang on your colour. http://40.media.tumblr.com/58065ace6f20 ... 1_1280.jpg

[Cordell31]

I must admit it is a little darker now, and I always think its darker in colour in person. Seems to look a little lighter in my pics, even though I take them without a flash.

I'm gonna wear the #### out of the jacket now, in all weathers and hope it conforms more to my body. My wife tells me there's no issue with the back crease and that I always want perfection in everything. I think it's just that when I spend over £200 on something I guess I want it to be perfect....but with my luck there is always something not quite to my liking lol......

I won't add any more lotion to the jacket and see how it holds up. Have you worn yours in the rain? Does it wet and dry evenly?

[LRGS]

Yes I have worn it in the rain. It helps a lot with getting the sleeves to wrinkle and stay put. It does dry evenly. I wouldn't worry. The character of this particular hide, with its lumps and bumps and clay-like ability to mold to you will make some of this bagginess go away, I'm sure. It won't give you a dressy clean look, that's not hat this hide is good at. For that, I use my Wested Raiders in goat (which I forgot to mention earlier).
It's a nice jacket, yours. Persevere. Just wear it and don't baby it. You'll end up loving the thing.

[Cordell31]

Thanks for all of your advice....I have to admit I've only had it for a few weeks, and hardly worn it in that time. So I guess it's still going through its breaking in phase. Would be a shame to dismiss it so early on when it probably only needs a bit of wearing to sort it out.

[Michaelson]

Just curious....did you send this picture to Wested?



Regards! Michaelson

[Cordell31]

No, I sent this one to Wested....although I had laid it out and flattened the baggy back a little:

[Michaelson]

Ok. Thanks. Like I said, I was just wondering.

If you're just wanting an unsolicited opinion, the jacket looks to be too big for you. That's why it's so baggy in the areas you're concerned with.

The shoulder seam that appears in the 'worn' jacket photo above is a good 2-3 inches further down on your arm than it should be, causing all the bunched up material at the bottom of your arm around your wrist. It will also cause all the bunching of material in the back.

Borrowing one of KT's pictures with him wearing his new Wested cowhide, look where his seams and sleeves ride, but specifically note where his shoulder seam is sitting:



In your case, I don't believe wearing it in the rain, or anything else, is going to make it form fit to you anytime soon.

You may want to send the photo of you wearing it to Wested and ask how they think the fit looks to them.

The shots of the jacket laying on the floor show a beautiful jacket....but the photo with you wearing it shows a different story.

Like I said, just an unsolicited opinion based on the one photo, and not meaning to draw a dark cloud over the proceedings, but I think one you should consider.

It seems really baggy on the back panel and has now developed a big crease at the bottom....is this normal? I've looked at other peoples pics and they all seem OK.

Then again, I guess it isn't an unsolicited opinion, as based on what I see, and what I read, you're a size 42 and got a size 44. Extra material will be baggy and you will have the extra material crease on you, so the answer is 'yes', it would be 'normal' in that scenario.

What IS an 'unsolicited' opinion is that KT's jacket is a perfect fit and a great example of how our jackets SHOULD fit and look. JMO, though.

All that said, there's no way you can return it now, since you applied baby lotion all over the jacket, so may as well make the best of it and just wear the heck out of it and make it your own.

Regards! M

[Michaelson]

Thanks, Michaelson. Interesting. I might have avoided using baby lotion had I searched the web first. I think it may have scared me off but I jumped in with both feet.

Understood! The learning curve can be steep, and just when you think you've finally hit the plateau, you find you're just at the base of another hill.

I've been researching and reporting on this topic since we came 'online' with this hobby back in 1995. They used to call me the 'pristine Indy' back in the day because I pushed (and CONTINUE to push) topics about gear care so our stuff lasts longer than a year.

The point/counterpoint discussions over the years between manufacturers and users of products can make your head hurt. All you can do is tally up the data points and report your 'best guess' at times.

That said, just be careful using baby lotion around your seams in the future, if you continue to use it, as based on reading this morning at a Schott factory sponsored leather care forum back in 2007, it was confirmed that it's the alkaline in the lotion that eventually 'rots' or destroys the thread in a seam, so if you have a sleeve fall off in the future, at least you'll know why.

Regard! Michaelson

[Cordell31]

Thanks for the heads up Michaelson, it is a harsh truth but it is what I feared to be honest. I've e-mailed the pic to Wested along with my concerns...and I've asked whether it would be possible to resize my jacket to a 42 as I usually wear. I feel that this would solve a lot of the issues that I have with my jacket.
If they can't do this, or it costs too much I will have to take a loss, sell my jacket on and reorder my actual size. I'll keep the thread posted as to what they say

[Michaelson]

The best of luck, and keep us informed!

Regard! Michaelson

[CM]

I used baby oil on a jacket 20 years ago, it destroyed stitching and the leather tore in some folds after 3-4 months. It's a very unstable liquid. The colour did darken but like Pecards it faded back to the original shade. Unlike Pecards, which is beneficial, it was a very bad choice.

[LRGS]

I should reiterate: I used baby lotion, not baby oil.