how to apply Pecard's dressing?

[Shalloecoore]

Howdy folks! So I've been lurking for a while and slowly gathering info to guide me in my Indy Jacket purchase. Just yesterday I finally put in my order to Wested for a custom Raiders jacket in washed goat. So I figured I'd introduce myself and use my first post to ask a few questions.

The consensus seems to be that Pecard's leather dressing is the "goto" as far as treating Wested jackets. I'm interested in trying the hot shower treatment on mine once I receive it but had a few questions about how and when to apply the Pecards. Forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere but the searches I've tried weren't answering my questions:

#1. On the Pecard's website, they offer multiple types of leather dressings and conditioners. Its the leather dressing that is to be used correct? If so which one? There's the fashion leather kind, the classic leather kind, the antique leather kind...what do ya'll use? And where to you find it in the States (any chain stores carry it or do you have to order it?)

#2. When is the Pecard's to be applied? Do you put it on after the jacket has totally dried or while it is still somewhat damp? (talkin about the shower treatment here)

#3. How much do you apply? Do you add a heavy coat everywhere? Multiple light coats?

#4. Do you let a heavy coat soak in for a while then wipe off or do you apply a light coat and work it into the leather as you go?

Yeah, maybe I'm being just a bit anal here but I'd hate to finally get the jacket and then really mess it up a few days later.

Oh and thanks to all of you who have listed such detailed and illustrative tips, hints, measurements, and photos on this site, its been really helpful.

[scot2525]

You may find a few answers here.

viewtopic.php?t=7211

[Michaelson]

Of course I could say there has been thread after thread regarding this that you could do a search on.....but being the 'nice' guy I am.... ;-)

1. It depends on the leather your applying it too. Lambskin, leather lotion usually works best as it's water soluable. Lambskin is a tight grain, and regular Pecards won't penetrate very well, unless applied VERY VERY VERY lightly.

2. Only apply after the garment is completely bone dry.

3. Put on a light coating, and allow to soak in. If it soaks in really fast, put on a second light coat and allow IT to soak in. The leather will let you know when it's had enough. If it just lays on the surface, you can apply light heat from a hair dryer, liquify the excess, then wipe off with a dry cotton rag. Buff to a slight gloss.

4. See #3.

Personally I like the leather jell (they call it creme), but standard dressing is the gold standard.

Regards !Michaelson

[FLATHEAD]

Personally I like the leather jell (they call it creme), but standard dressing is the gold standard.

Regards !Michaelson

I will second this as well.

I like the Jell (creme) the best also. It goes on easier because it does not
have as much beeswax in it as the standard dressing, and as such, it soaks
into the leather faster and deeper.

Its also a heck of alot easier to remove the excess versus the standard
dressing!

Also, it seems to soften stiffer leathers faster and better than the standard
dressing.

And, when buffed, it does not put as much of a shine on the leather as
the standard dressing.

I have an Aero Redskin B-3 that I wear in the winter, and the jell not
only has softened up the horsehide arm panels so I can move around
better, but its been a god send with helping hide the little cracks that
are inherant with sheepskin jackets in their outer acrylic coating.

I use a q-tip, and put some jell on one end of the q-tip, and some brown
shoe polish on the other.

Then you just rub the shoe polish on crack, followed up with the Jell. Let
that sit overnight, and then buff it off. The crack is not only no longer
visible, but its also protected from damage by the Jell.

You can do this with any leather jacket to hide scratches and scuffs if
you want to. It also works on leather shoes, gloves, car seats, you name
it!

Pecards is good stuff!!

Flathead

[Cammer]

Here in Florida the sun shines nearly every day. To use Pecards on my jacket I just laid it out on the concrete driveway in the sun and started heaping globs of it on the leather. It soaked it up as fast as I could smear it around. The warm (hot) sun really sped things up a lot. I didn't have anything to wipe off when I was done, and I used a lot of Pecards. It really came out nice. Almost black when I was done, now it's looking really good - a good deep brown color with lighter edging where I've been wearing it. Some natural distressing is already setting in.

I used the standard dressing for this. I bought a 16 oz tub of it.

[bigrex]

Any handy dandy links for the lotion and the gel? How does it smell by the way?

[Cammer]

Any handy dandy links for the lotion and the jell? How does it smell by the way?

You can find Pecard's at http://www.pecard.com/

I don't remember any strong smell at all. I would say it's virtually odorless.

[bigrex]

Ok, I didn't know a cream (gel) and lotion was made by pecard. I was just familiar with the goop (dressing). I'll post the links then...

Cream:
http://www.pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc? ... pec-creams

Lotion:
http://www.pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc? ... de=lotions

Any handy dandy links for the lotion and the gel? How does it smell by the way?

You can find Pecard's at http://www.pecard.com/

I don't remember any strong smell at all. I would say it's virtually odorless.

[Castor Dioscuri]

How does it smell by the way?

While Pecard's does not smell very strongly, it still has a very distinct smell that I wouldn't exactly call unpleasant. It's nothing like the smell of shoe polish, at least not as strong nor (arguably) offensive.

[Carolina Tom]

Almost everything you read about leather care says petroleum products are bad for leather. I use Obenauf's LP. It is a beewax and propolis solution that will not soften the leather by weakening it as some products do. It also turns it a nice dark color. I just want to go on record and say that I am not an expert. I don't know that Pecard's is bad. I called Alden and they said it is safe to use Pecard's, I just prefer the Obenaufs. Regards-Tom

[bigrex]

Yeah, every leather conditioner product I've used so far has it's own weird smell. I haven't used Pecard's brand but the goop I was given for a whip is probably a similar concoction. It may even smell the same. I have a shoe dressing that has it's own smell as well. The stuff I was given for a whip smells vaguely like rotting saliva and the shoe stuff like diesel fuel shoe polish. Of course, I'm exaggerating to get my point across. The smell may be there but it is difficult to describe and the odor is not completely overpowering.

How does it smell by the way?

While Pecard's does not smell very strongly, it still has a very distinct smell that I wouldn't exactly call unpleasant. It's nothing like the smell of shoe polish, at least not as strong nor (arguably) offensive.

[MFC]

The Obenauf's LP actually smells quite nice. I have been using it on my leather gear for a few years now and have been very satisfied with it's performance.

-Matt

[FLATHEAD]

Almost everything you read about leather care says petroleum products are bad for leather. I use Obenauf's LP. It is a beewax and propolis solution that will not soften the leather by weakening it as some products do. It also turns it a nice dark color. I just want to go on record and say that I am not an expert. I don't know that Pecard's is bad. I called Alden and they said it is safe to use Pecard's, I just prefer the Obenaufs. Regards-Tom

Just about everything at one time or another will be labeled as "bad" for
you, or your products.

My father was in the Navy from 1946 to 1951. While he was in there,
one of the items he was issued was a pair of shearling lined goatskin leather
work gloves.

While in the Navy, he was instructed to care for the goatskin leather
parts of the gloves with mink oil.

Thats all they had back then, not like all the different leather care items
that we have today.

Some people say that mink oil is bad for leather. That it will rot out the
cotton thread, and even rot out the leather at some point.

My father who is now 81 years old, STILL has those shearling lined
goatskin leather work gloves! They are still wearable, and he has sewn
any little rips they get back together so he can keep wearing them.

And each and ever year since 1946 when he got them, he has applied
mink oil to them at the start of the winter to protect them, and make
them, as he puts it "water proof".

So, I don't think it really matters what you put on your leather products,
as long as you put SOMETHING on them to protect them from the elements,
salt, water, and other bad stuff out there.

Just ask my dad if mink oil is bad for leather, and he will pull out the old
shearling lined goatskin leather Navy work gloves, and you can be the
judge of whether it works or not.

Use what you can find, and what you can afford, and don't worry about
whether your leather care product might degrade your leather item 70
years from now.

You won't care at that point anyway.

Flathead

[Michaelson]

Understood, Flathead, but I have also seen (and owned) leather items when I lived in Florida that I DID use mink oil on (pre Pecards days), that DID rot, and in less than a year. It all depends on where you live, and what you're dealing with.

Personally, I'll err to the side of caution. In this day and age, I can't afford to replace too much of my leather gear.

Regards! Michaelson

[FLATHEAD]

Understood, Flathead, but I have also seen (and owned) leather items when I lived in Florida that I DID use mink oil on (pre Pecards days), that DID rot, and in less than a year. It all depends on where you live, and what you're dealing with.

Personally, I'll err to the side of caution. In this day and age, I can't afford to replace too much of my leather gear.

Regards! Michaelson

I know it can happen, as your own experience has shown.

I use Pecards on all my leather items, and even though some say that
petroleum products are bad for them, I use them with no ill effects.

As a matter of fact, I started using them because alot of museums
around the country use Pecards, or the other brand of leather conditioners
that are produced by Pecards but use a different name, on all their old
very expensive leather artifacts.

Thats good enough for me.

I have tired to get my dad to use Pecards, but he insists on using the
mink oil.

I have even shown him how much easier using the Pecards is, how much
cleaner it is, and how much less of a mess it makes, but sometimes you
just can't teach an 81 year old person anything new.

The only reason I have ever heard to not use the petroleum products
on things is if they get cold, and are allowed to freeze.

Petroleum distullates break down when frozen, and the product they
are used in will chemically change after its been subjected to freezing
temperatures.

I know any car waxes or polishes specifically state they are not to be
left out in the cold, and allowed to freeze if they contain petroleum distullates.

Perhaps thats why Pecards and other leather treatments are thought to
be "bad". When they are applied to leather, and then that leather is
subjected to freezing temperatures, the petroleum in them is thought to
harm the leather?

Who knows for sure. I think you are right, and it all comes down to ones
own personal experience.

If you find something that works. Use it. If you find something that
does not work, don't use it anymore, and try something else!!

Flathead

[Michaelson]

I have tired to get my dad to use Pecards, but he insists on using the
mink oil.

Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! ;-) He's happy! That's all that matters!

Regard! Michaelson

[Adey]

my tub of pecard's leather dressing arrived today, im going to apply it to my goatskin later, just apply with a cloth i suppose?

have to say the smell reminds me of the local cobbler shop lol, nice

[Michaelson]

Use your bare hands, or if you have access to disposal rubber gloves, even better. That way you can feel the areas that are dry and need the product the most. It will wash off.

Apply a VERY VERY light coat as you go. Light coat, then leave to soak in over night. Reapply if required the same way. Apply too much and you'll be using the old hair dryer/clean rag removal trick later.

Regards! Michaelson

[binkmeisterRick]

If you use your bare hands, you can use the excess on your fingers to shape your mustache.

[Adey]

thanks, lol now thats a tash!!!

[maboot38]

If only Pecards smelled link Mink Oil, we'd have a winning combination.

Michaelson, are you going to let that Mustache go uncontested?

[Michaelson]

Been there, tried that, couldn't walk through doors....so I trimmed it WAY back.

(truth be known, I personally use '360Style pomade' myself )

Regards! Michaelson