Club Obi Wan

Hey Folks: "No Criticism of Wested intended, I love my jacket" but I got a weird problem? I've been the very satisfied owner of a terrific Wested Lambskin for about 4 months and I've got a Zipper side collar that refuses to stand up! I know it sounds nuts, but one stays up and the other eventually flattens out like a bad 70's shirt collar .

I know its crazy, but how would I correct this? Maybe Peter could make a suggestion. I actually have a local appolsterer/seamstress (What a blessing) in my small Northern town of 4500. She might be able to insert something into the bottom of the collar to make it stand up.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Warm Regards
Kilgour Trout

Thank goodness this thread has nothing to do with Colour eh!

I had a cowhide jacket a long time back I bought from Wilson's :ducks: I had a similar problem where the collar laid as flat as a pancake. I came up with an easy way to fix it, but I can't say it will work for everyone. Anyways:

I saturated the collar with conditioner

I formed the collar how I wanted it to look by molding it to the desired shape

Then I put clothes pins along the area(every 1/2 inch or so) to keep the shape while I hung it on a rack.

Left it on the rack for about 2 weeks.

When I took the clothes pins off the collar it retained the shape I had set it to....it eventually relaxed a litle bit, but it was a definate inprovement from when I bought it. It may not work, but its low risk to try ...The whole idea is that leather will conform/crease to repetitive motion/wear, so clamping it in place for a time ought to make it "remember" its new shape.

Bjones, this sounds quite interesting . What kind of conditioner would you suggest?

Kilgour Trout

Kilgour, try rebar and duct tape.

Hey Hey Jess! you know that's what my Uncle Red told me?
This must be apriori wisdom in all Red blooded Males eh!

Around Red Lake its also called 100 mph tape, meaning it stays on most Old floatplanes up to 100 mph. Speaking of which, the first of 30 of which are just starting to land on the bay outside my window (this is added to the regular 20 Beavers, Otters, and other assorted birds that live here. It's the beginning of "Norseman Days" (Not as some have said, to be a celebration in Swindiana Jones or VP) but of the Noorydyne Norseman workhorse of the North.

I'll try and get some photo's posted after the Weekend.

Going for a roll know..
Kilgour Trout

It's racers tape!

Indiana Jess wrote:Kilgour, try rebar and duct tape.

Duct tape:

"If the women don't find ya handsome, they'll at least find ya handy."

Could this be to do with the cut of the jacket, where the zipper flap meets the collar? My jacket seems to want to naturally tend towards lying flatter on that side, apparently due to the physics of the cut. My jacket is a Wested Raiders goat, and this "phenomena" is not too severe on it, although the slighted lack of symmetry usually drives me banana's

Down here in the south we call duct tape "Oklahoma chrome"!




have a nice day.

Try hanging your jacket on a hanger , zipped ALL the way up to the collar when you are not wearing it. During the warm months, this is what I do with mine, so the collars stand like they are supposed to (although I don't mind them laying down so much, it seems more screen accurate and they look more "lived in" that way). You could always iron the collar back into shape- just use a towel or wash rag in between the iron and the leather so as not to scorch the lambskin. Do it with a warm iron and slowly increase the heat(but not too much) until it forms the way you want then hang it and let in cool that way. Maybe this will 'refresh' the memory in the collar stand.

just a suggestion-



have a nice day.

Thanks guys! , I concur with LV about the physics of the cut. As I look at it there are some general weaknesses in the collar if "Not just perfect".

You know Texas, I didn't ever consider ironing before. I iron everything else I own it seems but I had never thought of leather as material before.
I think, "As you said" a warm iron, over a towel would be the safest.

But, I'd like to try the leather conditioner approach, once I find what that might be?

Thanks so much guys
Kilgour Trout

P.s....TR, "Oklahoma Crome" knocked me off my chair!!!

At the time I used the "Apple" conditioner/cleaner that Wilson's sold at the time. I think it would be similar to Pecard's lotion - it was water based. I don't think the type of conditioner would matter all that much. Regular pecards dressing would probably work. Since your jacket is relatively new, it hasn't been worn in too much that it won't accept a new shape. I think the key is to let it sit with the collar pinned like that for awhile.

The ironing idea sounds like a good idea as well, but I haven't tried it.