Club Obi Wan

Help!!!

I ran into a minor mishap tonight with my Tony Nowak Jacket. I accidentally got some liquid hand soap on my sleeve cuff, and as I tried to wipe it off with a paper towel, it left behind an area on the leather that essentially looks like a 'clean' spot where the leather has been discolored.

What I mean is that the original color of the leather has a weathered look (Dark brown base, with light shades of black/smoky color). Basically as I let the sleeve dry, it looked almost like a circular scuff where the soap originally was before I wiped it off.

I feel like an idiot, but I really didn't know what else to do as I was in a public restroom. I didn't realize soap and a light wiping of a paper towel would essentially remove some of the coloring on the jacket.

Any suggestions on how I could repair the damage? It basically looks like the areas on my jacket that were purposefully distressed by Tony, but in a circular spot right on the cuff, which looks out of place.

I was thinking of applying some leather conditioner just in that spot to at least darken the brown leather color a little to even it out, but the light black/smoke color has been essentially wiped off. Am I out of luck in getting it back to its original state? Sorry for the long wordy description. I can post some pictures if the description wasn't enough. Please help?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Leave it alone. The more you 'mess' with it, the more aparent something happened.

The only way you're going to get 'immediate' relief of the appearance is to completely redo your jacket with something like Pecards to blend an even color, but that's not what you're wanting. You want that area to look like the rest of the antiqued jacket, so the best action in this case is no action at all.

It will eventually darken back up and blend back in with the rest of the jacket as the soap evaporates from the leather, and the edges are blended in with wear and regular use.

Patience, my friend, and that patience will be rewarded over time.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks for the response Michaelson. I appreciate the feedback!

I pretty much have conceded that as well. I plan to let it completely dry out, then apply some very light leather conditioner around the area and leave it be....

I agree... it's better to leave it alone!! I know it's hard but honestly I think it's one of those "I know it's there.. so it bugs me" type of deal.. just let it be and the spot will darken over time.

Agree with all the above posts, leave it. My son sneezed on my USW CE in the first week I had it, nailed the front with a large piece of snot. :evil: I wiped it off with a damp cloth, but there was a dark patch there for some time, I can still actually see where it was if I look for it. Soon enough your mark will darken and it will just become one of many marks that make the jacket yours

Asiana Jones wrote:I didn't realize soap and a light wiping of a paper towel would essentially remove some of the coloring on the jacket.

Yes, can you please take a clear photo of the cuff?

It sounds as if one of three possible things happened:

1) The soap left a whitish residue on the jacket. Since it is predistressed, the soap may be in the leather and not on the surface making it tougher to remove;

2) The soap removed some of the actual dye showing the lighter tones unerneath;

3) The soap bleached the actual surface of the leather where it came into contact with your sleeve cuff.

Just to play Devil's Advocate:

I am curious because some products continue to "work" after the initial application. I work with caustics and acids that appear to be harmless once they are spilled and wiped - but if not neutralized, they continue to work hours later. It is not uncommon to find a hole in a pair of pants the day after you get some on you.

Soaps can be caustic and while the effect would not be so obvious, you may want to neutralize the spot if it is the case to prevent it from getting worse. You should run it by Eric at Pecard Chemical Co., Inc. (INFO@PECARD.COM). This guy is an expert and knows how to treat leather.

Also, if possible, see if you can find out what kind of soap you got on the jacket. From that you can get a Material Safety Data Sheet that will list the hazards and components.

Example of a random antibacterial soap is here. Listed in the ingredients is sulfuric acid! Granted, not much and the pH is only slightly acidic, but you should always know what you are dealing with. Sometimes no action is the worst thing you can do.

You should run it by Eric at Pecard Chemical Co., Inc. (INFO@PECARD.COM). This guy is an expert and knows how to treat leather.

He's one of 'us', too. Leather_Loco.

Regards! Michaelson

I was dealing with him just the other day to get a new tub of Pecard... which has arrived this morning, by the way, Eric! Thanks!