To soak or not to soak. Water is the question

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Hi all. I’ve just received my Wested Legacy ROTLA jacket, and I love it. They show pictures, on all their legacy jackets, showing them weathered. Unfortunately it’s not possible to buy them like that. If I could, I would have.

I’m not confident enough to take sand paper, or a scouring pad, to mine. However I was contemplating soaking it with water. All the posts I’ve seen involve ‘hot’ water and tumble dryers. I’m not considering that, as I don’t want to shrink and ruin it. I was though wondering about cold water. If I wore it under a cold shower, for several minutes, then until it was dry, how is it likely to look afterwards? I’m assuming the creases would be more pronounced but not sure about anything else.

What else, if anything, is likely to happen if I use cold water. Are there any downsides? I’d be interested to hear from anyone, with this new lamb leather who has done this. From new it’s very smooth and matt. Almost a very very fine nappa. My last jacket was goat, and so by comparison very smooth and ‘shiny’.

I’m not sure I’ve enough years left, even wearing it every day, to get my jacket looking like Indy’s. However I’ll leave it at ‘wearing it only’ if water could ruin it. As always I’d appreciate hearing your collected wisdom and, of course, seeing any before / after pictures.

[tomek9210]

I used warm shower on my Legacy jacket. I showered the jacket for a couple of minutes and then let it dry. When it was almost dry, I wore it and pulled up the sleeves as much as I could. It shrank maybe a half of centimeter here or there, no big deal. The creases were more visible. I also shaped the collar and storm flap to be more opened towards the collar, as we can see it in the Raven bar scene. I definitely recommend the water treatment.

[xmasters]

20 seconds warm shower water on the arms/collar only is the most I would consider, for me.

I would not consider doing anything that soaked the whole jacket for several minutes or more unless I had deliberately purchased the jacket one size up from my usual size, as there will be some shrinkage and in my past experience jackets have been ruined and become unwearable this way.

Water is useful for shaping collars and getting some creases in the arms faster, but that's about it.

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

20 seconds warm shower water on the arms/collar only is the most I would consider, for me.

I would not consider doing anything that soaked the whole jacket for several minutes or more unless I had deliberately purchased the jacket one size up from my usual size, as there will be some shrinkage and in my past experience jackets have been ruined and become unwearable this way.

Water is useful for shaping collars and getting some creases in the arms faster, but that's about it.

Thanks to both of you. I think I read that water either brings out grain or causes a more mat finish. Is this right? I wouldn’t want to wet specific areas, and end up with them looking noticeably different to the rest.

[Wotalark]

Why not just wear it and go and do some garden/yard work, hump some logs, shift some rubble ? Natural weathering and unique to you !

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Why not just wear it and go and do some garden/yard work, hump some logs, shift some rubble ? Natural weathering and unique to you !

That is what I’m thinking. My only concern with that, is the likely ’stink’ associated with the sweat incurred.

[zeus36]

I got mine (lamb with cotton liner) used from the EU and it had a strong cologne odor plus the sleeves were a bit long. I wore it in a warm shower and a lot of dye washed out. Took off the jacket, rolled it up and squeezed the water out. Put it back on and pushed the sleeves above my elbows. Took it back off and set it outside in the shade with the sleeves still pushed up. The result was good creasing in the arms and more grain showing, plus no more cologne smell.

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

I got mine (lamb with cotton liner) used from the EU and it had a strong cologne odor plus the sleeves were a bit long. I wore it in a warm shower and a lot of dye washed out. Took off the jacket, rolled it up and squeezed the water out. Put it back on and pushed the sleeves above my elbows. Took it back off and set it outside in the shade with the sleeves still pushed up. The result was good creasing in the arms and more grain showing, plus no more cologne smell.

Thank you. How long did you wear it for in the shower? Did it shrink, so the sleeves were a better length, or was it the creases that did that for you? I also loved you using the word ‘cologne’. I’ve not heard anyone use it in such a long time. It’s a far more elegant word than ‘aftershave’.

[Hedji]

I've had my Legacy Wested for a few months now. One could say I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to the "sleeve bunching". I absolutely adore the crinkled look of the sleeves, so I purposely ordered mine a little longer to give me some length to work with.

Problem is, I also absolutely adore the supple soft texture of this relatively new jacket, and can't bring myself to water the sleeves yet.

Anyone else have any hesitation or experience with water changing the soft feel of the leather? A friend of mine who did water treatment described his as being "shell-like" afterwards.

[Arch Stanton]

Is water even necessary? I'm sure if you wear it around the house for a week or so with the sleeves bunched up like Don Johnson then the wrinkles will probably work themselves in. Or am I way off the mark here?

[zeus36]

I got mine (lamb with cotton liner) used from the EU and it had a strong cologne odor plus the sleeves were a bit long. I wore it in a warm shower and a lot of dye washed out. Took off the jacket, rolled it up and squeezed the water out. Put it back on and pushed the sleeves above my elbows. Took it back off and set it outside in the shade with the sleeves still pushed up. The result was good creasing in the arms and more grain showing, plus no more cologne smell.

Thank you. How long did you wear it for in the shower? Did it shrink, so the sleeves were a better length, or was it the creases that did that for you? I also loved you using the word ‘cologne’. I’ve not heard anyone use it in such a long time. It’s a far more elegant word than ‘aftershave’.

Just long enough for dye to stop running down the drain. A few minutes. The jacket was totally saturated with water.

[Michaelson]

With the humidity around Bayside in Miami where that Don Johnson photo was shot, I'm sure water still had something to do with those sleeves.

Regards! Michaelson

[Arch Stanton]

You seem to know a lot about that photo, Michaelson!

Tell us the truth, you used to have that poster on your wall, didn't you?

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

You seem to know a lot about that photo, Michaelson!

Tell us the truth, you used to have that poster on your wall, didn't you?

Find a man, of the Miami Vice vintage, who says he never ‘Don Johnson’d’ it, and I’ll wager you’ll have found a liar.

[Hedji]

Is water even necessary? I'm sure if you wear it around the house for a week or so with the sleeves bunched up like Don Johnson then the wrinkles will probably work themselves in. Or am I way off the mark here?

I've found it quite easily begins to bunch and wrinkle on the forearms, but it's mild. The look I'm really trying for is all the way up the sleeve as in the end scene of ToD. Now those are some healthy sleeve wrinkles! Beautiful.

[Tibor]

Wrinkly sleeves…

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Is water even necessary? I'm sure if you wear it around the house for a week or so with the sleeves bunched up like Don Johnson then the wrinkles will probably work themselves in. Or am I way off the mark here?

I've found it quite easily begins to bunch and wrinkle on the forearms, but it's mild. The look I'm really trying for is all the way up the sleeve as in the end scene of ToD. Now those are some healthy sleeve wrinkles! Beautiful.

Now that is indeed a sight to behold. I’m thinking put a piece of drainpipe up the arms, and slide the leather up along the entire length of the arm. Then slide the pipe out and sit on the sleeve. Do you think that idea has merit?

[Hedji]

Wrinkly sleeves…

“Danger! Danger, Dr. Jones. Take the left tunnel. Left tunnel!”

[Indiana Croft]

I’ve tried with my S&J T0D hero, and I have a manaquien.
Wet the sleeves and push them up, wrinkles, yes but they don’t stay ther, some but nothing like that beauty above.

Think I might try again, this time I’ll leave in on for several days and see what happens.

Croft

[Texan Scott]

Once, I waited for a rain shower and got a LC jacket in authentic lamb wet and it seemed to really soak it up. As it was drying naturally, did the wrinkled sleeve action, etc.

Generally, I don't recommend water because the leather is organic material and takes the natural oils out of the leather, but there was something different about rain water, better than regular tap.

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Once, I waited for a rain shower and got a LC jacket in authentic lamb wet and it seemed to really soak it up. As it was drying naturally, did the wrinkled sleeve action, etc.

Generally, I don't recommend water because the leather is organic material and takes the natural oils out of the leather, but there was something different about rain water, better than regular tap.

I know what you mean. I was out the other day, in my jacket, when it rained. I thought briefly about taking it off and protecting it somehow. Then I thought, isn’t that the tail wagging the dog?

[Smithy]

I've been into leather jackets for over 2 decades now and seriously collecting for the last 15 - I'm a member over on VLJ and was on TFL so you can look me up if you don't believe me

From all this time I will tell you the three best things for breaking in a leather jacket - this is without sandpaper, artificial ageing things which I personally think look fake and not the best. A naturally aged leather jacket will always look a million times better than an artificially aged one.

1) The first is to wear it in the rain. Getting a leather jacket wet will not harm it it the slightest, what it will do is prompt the grain to "pop" in high use areas and to get good wrinkling and moulding to your body. It's one of the best initial ways to break a jacket and get it to start conforming to your shape.

2) The next is to wear it to do things in, do some manual work in it, stack some firewood, mend a fence, change a tyre, etc, etc. The reason why vintage leather jackets look good is because they've been used. Perfect example is A-2s and other wartime flight jackets, they look great because they've been used, worn hard and not babied.

3) And the third is closely aligned to the second, don't baby your jacket. Take it off and throw it in a corner, sleep in it if you're travelling, essentially stop worrying about it.

The great thing with leather jackets is the less you molly-coddle them the better they look. It's really that simple.

[lantzn]

In my album towards the bottom you will see photos of my nowak CS on a snowy day when I first got it. It rains here, a lot in the PNW, so I wanted to protect it some. I bought some Obenauf’s OIL at our Cabelas store nearby. I treated it by soaking a small piece of cotton wash cloth in the oil and went to town rubbing the oil heavily into every nook and cranny. Sure it went from weighing 10lbs to 40lbs [sarcasm] but man did it look great!
It was a chocolate brown color originally and went deep dark almost black in some areas and the hide just went buttery soft with grain popping and wrinkles coming out everywhere. It also over time lightened a little in some of the areas but not much. I only treated it once and it’s held the look.

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It looks a lot like those photos of Indy jacket posted there colorwise.