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Wested recovery.

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:49 pm
by Captain Ron Solo
I purchased a used Wested Raiders on eBay last year and have come to realize that I don't really care for the distressing job that one of the previous owners had given it. Is there any way to re-dye the entire jacket and start over, or perhaps make the cheesy distress markings less noticeable? Thanks.

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:57 pm
by Michaelson
About the only thing you can do to recover the jacket is try Pecards Brown leather dressing and see if you can cover those areas that are really bad.

That's the problem when folks distress jackets artifically. It's one thing to present a jacket for sale that has natural aging, but it's the faux work that turns a LOT of folks off, and trying to recover the jacket ends up being a time consuming, and sometimes expensive journey.

Try the Brown Pecards first, and rub well into the distressed areas, allowing to soak completely in before buffing. It will at least tone those areas down, and you may end up with something you REALLY like.

Good luck!

Regards! Michaelson

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:02 pm
by Captain Ron Solo
Thank you very much, sir. I will try that, but where is the best / easiest place from which to get Pecard's?

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:12 pm
by Michaelson
Directly from Pecards.

http://www.pecard.com

Regard! Michaelson

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:51 pm
by Captain Ron Solo
Many thanks. You're a scholar and a gentleman. :)

Ron

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:58 pm
by Rundquist
Just FYI, I’m trying to get Koreana Jones to offer a jacket distressing service to you guys. I think that he did an awesome job on this jacket below. I myself am like many of you. I would be too chicken to ever attempt to artificially distress a jacket myself. If any of you guys are interested, drop him a PM. It might persuade him to seriously offer the service. Cheers


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Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:27 pm
by Captain Ron Solo
Thanks, Rundquist, but I think I fall in line with Michaelson's way of thinking. If I ever get around to buying a new Wested, I'm just going to let nature do it's thing. However, I can say that with confidence ONLY because I already have a Wested that's beat to h___. :) I'm actually hoping to get this jacket a little more uniform in color again.

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:48 pm
by randystokes
Don't be so quick to say you can't rescue a distressed Wested by re-dyeing. Take it from me -- I did it. Despite Michaelson's sage advice NOT to go the acetone route, I tried it on one of my Westeds. I did a crappy job. So, I checked around here in Phoenix, and found that Swan's Cleaners (which I'm told is a franchise) re-dyes leather jackets (and other leather goods). It cost me about $50, but it came out looking great -- and I had really removed a lot of dye from a number of places on the jacket.

I'm not sure what a re-dye would do vis-a-vis scratches, sandpapering, etc., 'cause I didn't get that far, but the re-dyed Wested looked good as new.

Randy

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:03 pm
by Captain Ron Solo
Randy,
I found a Swan's Cleaners here in Houston. I'll call them tomorrow to see if they can do it. I really appreciate the tip. I was hoping someone could do that. It's hard to say what this jacket has been submitted to, since I'm not the one who did it. There are not deep scratches or anything, so I think a re-dye will look good. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again.

Ron