Club Obi Wan

Now I used to have a leather jacket a few years back, but put it away when winter came. When I took it out again, the thing had went from being silky soft, to being unwearably stiff as a piece of cardboard. And don't even get me started on the mold!

I sent it for repairs, but it came out with all the flexibility of a sheet of plastic glass.

Leather gloves suffer the same fate.

On the other hand, my belt, which has seen me through years of adventures, and wallet, which has been through a decade, still looks, and feels brand new. And bear in mind that both have seen their share of impromptu showers.

The reason I bring up the belt and the wallet is to ask if there is a correlation there... Will wearing a leather jacket every single day do wonders for it? Or is there something else I'm not considering here... like the type of leather used for example.

Anyway, can anyone recommend how to prevent leather from turning stiff, or getting moldy? Since I'm getting two new Wested's, I'd hate for them to suffer the same fate as my old jacket.

I've had a wested for about 2 years now, and there are warm periods (like now) that it isnt really worn at all for a while. There's no mold on it at all (and I'm not sure why there is on yours?), and it's still relatively supple although it has become slightly dryer than it used to be. But as I understand it, a coat of pecards dressing or something will fix that up.

And my wested is goatskin if that helps. But I havent heard of other leather wested jackets becoming moldy or completely stiff?

All leather becomes stiff and moldy if it is treated the wrong way. Here's a few tips:

Always treat the jacket with leather dressing before using it the first time - let the leather dressing soak in for a day or so and wipe of any excessive dressing before use.

If the jacklet becomes wet/soaked; let it dry on a coathanger in normal room temperature in a well ventilated room - do not hang the jacket on or in front of a heat source in order to speed up the drying process (it will make the leather brittle)! If the jacket has become stiff from the drying (or if it has been soaked all the way through) then treat it with leather dressing as described abowe - make absolutely sure that the jacket is compleatly dry before applying the dressing!

Treat the jacket with leather dressing once or twice a year - depending of use.

Never hang a wet og damp jacket - or a jacket that has just been treated with leather dressing, in a poorly wentilated place (like a closet) - and never hang the jacket in a damp environment for longer periods.


/Jakob

actually I cannot agree with everything you said. IMO it's pretty unnecessary to treat the jacket before you put it on the first time. A good thing to do is to condition your jacket with pecards or other leather care-products before you lay aside the jacket for the summer. When fall arrives, the jacket has "swallowed" all the pecards and it's as good as new.

montana

Annother thing to add:
Hang you jacket on a coat-hanger that is long and wide enough to fit the jacket´s shoulders so that the leather in the shoulder area won´t stretch under the weight of the jacket. Best thing is one of these foam padded hangers or even a tailor's dummy.
If you are not wearing your jacket for a longer period I recomment to store it lying on a flat surface. If you have a sheepskin jacket you always have to store it lying, never on a coat hanger.

When your jacket is horsehide it´s natural that it becomes a little stiff when it gets cold or wet. But that should only be temporary when you treat your jacket right.

Resist the temptation to wrap the jacket in plastic when storing, try to use breathable suit hangers. Keeping it cooped up may cause the leather to bloom or mould if it is in anyway damp.

montana wrote:actually I cannot agree with everything you said. IMO it's pretty unnecessary to treat the jacket before you put it on the first time. A good thing to do is to condition your jacket with pecards or other leather care-products before you lay aside the jacket for the summer. When fall arrives, the jacket has "swallowed" all the pecards and it's as good as new.

montana

That depends entirely on the manufacturer - some manufacturers tend to deliver their jackets well treated with leather dressing while others doesn't. Either way a light coat of leather dressing helps the jacket to break in faster.


/Jakob

Agreed. It also depends on where you live as well. You don't have to worry about this in cool, dry areas, but if you live in, say, the South of the United States, it's humid, and new or old, leather likes to mold and stiffen.

I also treat every jacket I get as soon as it arrives.

Also, not only 'fight the urge'....NEVER, repeat, NEVER store a jacket in plastic. It just holds heat and moisture and invites mold and mildew to grow.

My favorite leather dressing as a multi-tasker is the Pecards leather 'jell' (they call it 'lotion'. it isn't) It softens the leather, helps restore it's surface tension, and adds a bit of weather proofing. Not as much as the standard dressing that contains bees wax...but enough that it will turn a rain storm away. That's the product I'd recommend wholeheartedly to the problem that the jacket in the first post was suffering from when you pulled it out of the closet in such sad shap.

Regards! Michaelson

Before I joined this site I never realized that my leather jackets should be treated. I have several leather jackets that I wear during the winter and put up during the summer with no treatment at all, and when it is time to wear them again I bring them out of the closet with no problem. From the weight of my jackets I would say they are all cowhide, except for the brand new wested lamb. Before I put my jackets up this winter I will make sure to give each one a bit of lotion loving.

Interesting problem, Castor Dioscuri.

FWIW, I've had my Wested for over two years now and I haven't done a thing to it. It been rained on and wet more times than I can remember. i've never soaked it through, but its been really wet several time. The cuffs and storm flap are finally starting to show some wear. Gotta love that goatskin.