Club Obi Wan

...not that any of us are "dummies," except for maybe me.

I'd like to have this thread be sort of a guide to how one breaks in their jackets, or makes it look more "Indy." I think my jacket is coming along fine, but I've always heard of little tricks and things that people do to their jackets and some of them are pretty interesting. I'll edit this as more come in, making it a sort of guide.

If you have a trick for breaking in your jacket or making it look more "Indy," then post it here, with a brief description of how to do it, and what it accomplishes for you. They can be anything from sleeping in it to wearing it through the rain. What do you do to your jacket?

Thanks!

In Christ,
Shane

How to Break In A Wested
1. Take the jacket and scrunch / ball it up while not wearing it, and leave it in the closet, or underneath a mattress.
The result: This gives the jacket those little waves in the leather, the crinkles, and such that make it look less 'pristine.'

2. Wear it to bed!

3. Wear it in the rain and wear it while it dries. Pecard afterwards.
The result: Helps the fit!

4. Spin it in the dryer with NO heat.
The result: Drapes nicer, gets a little more loose.

5. Wear it, and don't baby it.

6. Lay it on small smooth rocks (with empty pockets) and stand on it, twisting your feet. (Make sure to check for glass, sticks, etc first).
The result: Doesn't really leave scratches but works great for dulling the shine that makes fine leather look like plastic and softens up the jacket.

7a. Place jacket under hot water in a shower, while trying to avoid wetting the lining and knits. Wipe dry, air dry, or preferably wear immediatley and a nice grain will start to show. Pecard afterwards.
7b. More drastic: fill tub with hot water and soak jacket for a few minutes to an hour, knead the leather for further softening. Set aside several days to dry. Pecard afterwards.
Do not let satin lining crease - difficult to remove.

At the FL, Tone suggested that I scrunch it into a ball and leave it in the closet when not being worn. This gives the jacket those little waves in the leather, the crinkles, and such that make it look less 'pristine'. I took it a step further and bunched it into a ball, then stuck in under the mattress. Creams and such help, too. Makes the leather supple, and keeps it from drying out.

Of course, there is the un-Michaelson way of artificial distress, but that's a matter of choice.

The BEST way to 'break in' a jacket is to just WEAR it!! Take up Geocaching!! That'll distress and break in a jacket! Trust me!

Go drinking with a bunch of high energy college kids and suggest that you all 'walk home'. By the time you get there, you'll have swam in rivers, swung off of road signs, and all kinds of things that artifically, yet naturally, distress your jacket.

I suppose if you are brave you could skip the drinking part and go straight to the after part...

Cheers
Craig

Sergei suggested wearing it to bed a couple nights. Won't make you popular with your sponse, but apparently it did wonders for his goatskin.

Regards! Michaelson

I suppose if you are brave you could skip the drinking part and go straight to the after part...Razz

Less dragging against the paving that way...

Get caught in a frog-strangler and wear your jacket while it dries. It does wonders for the fit. Pecard well afterwards. Spinn it in the drier, no heat. Nice and comfy for you, less for the jacket. This applies to my goat at least.

Regards,
Swindiana

What the Swedish gentleman said. Worked as a charm for my Wested lamb too. Downpour and tumble. Repeat if necessary.

Zip it up, put it in a laundry bag and throw it in the dryer. Set it on AIR/NO HEAT and tumble it for a few days. I did 8 cycles a day for 4 days. My goat loosed up nicely. It's not weathered but just looser and drapes better

Cheers,
Jeff

Tastes awful. I wouldn't recommend it.

Regard! Michaelson

Boy, your taste buds have REALLY gone down hill since you moved up North!

Regards! Michaelson

Breaking In a Wested For Dummies

Hey, I saw this book in a Barnes and Noble Bookstore a couple of weeks ago. I didn't buy it though. It was too short of a book to pay the price they were asking for it.

I read it while I was there in the store and I even memorized it with my Bufflehead photographic memory. It said, "Wear it." And, it was written by some famous knower of all things by the name of Michaelson.

I'd have to agree, wear the heck out of it,...what happens happens,..and don't baby it. Anything that happens to it will ad character. The only other thing I do to my non "fake" distressed Westeds, is an alcohol rubdown on the goatskin, because it is too shiny for my taste.
'Blues

Michaelson wrote:Tastes awful. I wouldn't recommend it.

Hey... Pecard doesn't exactly taste like pumpkin pie either. Trust me.

Drag behind a moving truck with it on?

Scandinavia Jones wrote:

Michaelson wrote:Tastes awful. I wouldn't recommend it.

Hey... Pecard doesn't exactly taste like pumpkin pie either. Trust me.

I second that... It could be a hit mixed together though.

Cool new avatar, btw.

Regards,
Swindiana

Scandinavia Jones wrote:

Michaelson wrote:Tastes awful. I wouldn't recommend it.

Hey... Pecard doesn't exactly taste like pumpkin pie either. Trust me.

You didn't bake it long enough.

Regards! Michaelson

Bake the jacket?

I didn't expect that type of jacket treatment coming from you my friend.

Oh, wait... The Pecard's. Now that I would.

Regards,
Swindiana

I used the drier method after wearing it for a few months. It wasn't broken in enough so I put it in the drier(no heat) threw several tennis balls in with it and checked it every 10 minutes to make sure it wasn't getting ruined. It's been in for a total of an hour and a half and is very soft now. I plan to throw it in again this season and may add more tennis balls too.

Swindiana wrote:Bake the jacket?

I didn't expect that type of jacket treatment coming from you my friend.

Oh, wait... The Pecard's. Now that I would.

Regards,
Swindiana

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote: You didn't bake it long enough.

Regards! Michaelson

That much is true. Sampled it straight out of the can.

Holy cow! I didn't expect to get more than maybe 10 replies. Woohoo for me!

Thanks guys - I've edited the top post to include all the (serious) answers so far. Keep em comin if you've got em!

In Christ,
Shane

Wear it everywhere, I wore mine to sleep when I first got it, wore it in the rain, and wore it dry, has well has the drier method, I also try to climb a mountain once a week with my jacket on, Its been rubbed against all kinds of rough surfaces, but all the time always giving it plenty of leather dressing, It's been a year, and my jacket is starting to look like an indy jacket.

Michaelson wrote:Sergei suggested wearing it to bed a couple nights. Won't make you popular with your sponse, but apparently it did wonders for his goatskin.

but what about his jacket

(edit: just kidding)

IndyMcFly wrote:Holy cow! I didn't expect to get more than maybe 10 replies. Woohoo for me!

Thanks guys - I've edited the top post to include all the (serious) answers so far. Keep em comin if you've got em!

In Christ,
Shane

So, you didn't think my answer was a serious one. I'll have you know that my answer was "wear it", and three out of the five responses that you posted start with the words "wear it". They are all copying my idea. :evil:

Okay, so Gator posted "wear it" before me. Forget about Gator, it's still my idea. He just copied off of my paper and types faster than me.

...... ......Ummmm......So, I said I read it in a book written by Michaelson. Forget about that, I lied. I made that stuff up. It's still my idea.

Your answer was in #5. I didn't want to put
"5. Wear it" and "6. Wear it and don't baby it"

I didn't count Farnham's as entirely serious, but it did sort of go along with the not babying it idea, so it's there too.

In Christ,
Shane

That was to placate me, I suppose. 8-[ Okay, I'm a happy camper, now.

IndyMcFly wrote:...not that any of us are "dummies," except for maybe me.


In Christ,
Shane

How to Break In A Wested
1. Take the jacket and scrunch / ball it up while not wearing it, and leave it in the closet, or underneath a mattress.
The result: This gives the jacket those little waves in the leather, the crinkles, and such that make it look less 'pristine.'

2. Wear it to bed!

3. Wear it in the rain and wear it while it dries. Pecard afterwards.
The result: Helps the fit!

4. Spin it in the dryer with NO heat.
The result: Drapes nicer, gets a little more loose.

5. Wear it, and don't baby it.

So far these are the best methods sans chemicals or nitty gritty paper.

Cheers,
Jeff

Swindiana wrote:

I suppose if you are brave you could skip the drinking part and go straight to the after part...Razz

Less dragging against the paving that way...

Get caught in a frog-strangler and wear your jacket while it dries. It does wonders for the fit. Pecard well afterwards. Spinn it in the drier, no heat. Nice and comfy for you, less for the jacket. This applies to my goat at least.

Regards,
Swindiana

Does this apply to wearing it and jumping into a shower for half an hour?

What a great way to waste water.

Swindiana wrote:Get caught in a frog-strangler and wear your jacket while it dries. It does wonders for the fit. Pecard well afterwards.

I have worn mine a couple of times in rain and after it and the jacket didn't need any Pecards.

Scandinavia Jones wrote:Hey... Pecard doesn't exactly taste like pumpkin pie either.

I love pumpkin pie.

Then you'll probably hate Pecard.

Well it felt pretty good, but petroleum distillates doesn't sound like an awesome ingredient for a pie.

You're just not used to American cuisine, VP......and don't start either.

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Here's my favorite method.....

It's very similar to how hides are artificially/"pre"distressed by manufacturers; the technique of running them through a drier or something with stones. Anyone can do this, because we all have a playground close by.

While at the playground (kids optional ) empty your jacket pockets and zip the jacket all the way up. Oh, take it off first Lay it flat in the small, smooth rocks around the play area equipment, stand on it and twist your feet back and forth for a while. Flip it over and repeat. Then, bury it with the rocks. Stand on the rocks and repeat the process.**VERY IMPORTANT** check the are you're going to use for sticks, broken glass or other debris. All you want are the small, smooth stones that are supposed to be there** It's a more gentle process than it sounds like; you're not griniding it on pavement, but on a soft surface that moves with the jacket. Like I said, it's very similar to factory predistressing. It's free, it's easy, it's quick and no harsh chemicals or sandpaper are needed. And anyone can do this very easily. It requires NO skill or creative ability, as do the chemical/sandpaper methods where you're doing one section at a time and trying to keep the whole jacket consitent. You're doing the whole jacket at once in a uniform fashion but because the surface moves at random you won't get any uniform or "directional" markings. It doesn't even really leave scratches, it just randomly removes the shine. It works great for dulling that shine that makes fine leather look like plastic. AND, it softens up the jacket, as with the "no heat dryer method". I've done this with three jackets; two Westeds and just yesterday a G&B goat. Works great every time.

I subscribe to the "wear it" school of thought. I just can't see deliberately damaging a brand new, CUSTOM leather jacket. I saw what acetone does, and it's a cool effect that doesn't seem to damage the leather. It just "distresses" the dye. I can understand that, after a few years, you'd want to break in a goatskin jacket, though.

I have a friend who can naturally distress ANY artiucle of clothing in about 2 weeks. Just by living his day-to-day life! My very own distressing machine.
C

Hot water method! 1. Place jacket under hot water in a shower, while trying to avoid wetting the lining and knits. Wipe dry, air dry, or wear immediatley and a nice grain will start to show. 2. More drastic: fill tub with hot water and soak jacket for a few minutes to an hour, knead the leather for further softening. Set aside several days to dry.

IndyMcFly wrote:Your answer was in #5. I didn't want to put
"5. Wear it" and "6. Wear it and don't baby it"

I didn't count Farnham's as entirely serious, but it did sort of go along with the not babying it idea, so it's there too.

In Christ,
Shane

We canucklheads have a manner of speaking all our own, eh. But yes, 'don't baby it' was the message--the rest just makes not babying it more fun

Cheers

Craig

rikitiki wrote:Hot water method! 1. Place jacket under hot water in a shower, while trying to avoid wetting the lining and knits. Wipe dry, air dry, or wear immediatley and a nice grain will start to show. 2. More drastic: fill tub with hot water and soak jacket for a few minutes to an hour, knead the leather for further softening. Set aside several days to dry.

Holy moley! Dude... you've done that to your jacket? As long as it works, I guess. Probably not the best thing for a new gearhead to try - wow. Got pictures?

Farnham - Yeah, I got it. Nothing like a twofour and some back bacon or maybe even some jellies to get your distressing started, eh? Beauty.

In Christ,
Shane

Don't wet your satin lining and leave it crumpled, the creases are hard to get out afterwards.

Take your jacket,bury it in the sand for a thousand years..

IndyMcFly wrote: Farnham - Yeah, I got it. Nothing like a twofour and some back bacon or maybe even some jellies to get your distressing started, eh? Beauty.

In Christ,
Shane

Attaboy

Cheers
Craig

rikitiki wrote:Hot water method! 1. Place jacket under hot water in a shower, while trying to avoid wetting the lining and knits. Wipe dry, air dry, or wear immediatley and a nice grain will start to show. 2. More drastic: fill tub with hot water and soak jacket for a few minutes to an hour, knead the leather for further softening. Set aside several days to dry.

I have tried this with my goatskin.....you have to wear it while it dries (takes a long time). When it dries it is very very stiff and needs a couple of pecard treatments to get that softness back, but BOY DOES IT LOOK GREAT!
-GC

Alrighty - added the hot water tub/shower method to the list above. We're at 7b! I'm not adding anything about the acetone because I'm not talking about artificial distressing but more like artificial breaking in. I suppose they are verrry similar, both making it look like the jacket is older and more worn, but we're not trying to make it look like it's scratched or faded, just so it drapes better, has less shine, etc. etc.

I just keep sleeping in it. I think it's looking pretty good.

In Christ,
Shane

No, No, No! All you need do is follow my simple method...

Step 1. Purchase the jacket
Step 2. Put the jacket on and zip it up
Step 3. Tell your spouse about your newest addition and how much it cost.
Step 4. Hold real still
Step 5. Let your significant other beat the snot out of you
and thats it. When you come to you will have a woderfully distressed jacket.

Those of you who've gone through the rain in your jacket (or showered in it), how long does it take to dry? Have you gotten the liner wet?



In Christ,
Shane

I don't know, I just put it in the closet and the next time I use it's dry.

Leave the jacket unattended around an inquisitive kitten for that "clawed" look. (Seriously, DON'T leave it around your cats with claws)

I just wear mine and toss it in a corner.

Be careful if you've got a full satin lining, though. After five years, mine's basically worn out. Go with cotton and the inner wear will match the outer wear a lot better.

Hmmm... okay. Yeah it's pretty much dry, but the shine is still there. It's just a little more wrinkly, and more stiff. I need some Pecards lotion. Anybody got some extra?

In Christ,
Shane

If you're rocking a goat wested then the only thing that's going to take the shine off in your lifetime is rubbing alcohol or acetone. That or standing outside in a sandstorm. Lamb westeds have much less of a shine and after being caught in a few downpours you'll be looking a lot less new.

Best advice, wear it, a lot, all the time. Wear it whenever the weather (whatever the weather) allows. In fact, where it sometimes when the weather doesn't allow (as in when it's too warm in gettysburg but you just won't take off your wested). Don't be afraid to rub up against some brick or concrete walls. Spread your jacket out on the ground and sit on it if you're out in a park or something. Use it, and it'll start looking like an Indy jacket.

Talking about sandstorms, has anyone tries rubbing a jacket with handfuls of clean sand (like kids play sand), it might leave some fine sand residue (like fullers earth) and it might gently remove shine.

Have a look at the gear care section under Wested lambskin and you will find my method for a four month old jacket.