Stiff NEW Goat

[Eiti]

Hi

I got my Wested dark brown goat in march . Since that i have worn it every day . But it has still that vinyl feeling and is stiff as #### specially the back and the shoulders. I talked to Marc who send me Pecard Yell and the standart Pecard . I rubbed it into the leather but nothing happend .
So I went into a motorcycle shop and bought another leather spray that also doesn´t work. What else can I do to soften up my new goat ?

[Michaelson]

Two things.....it being goat, wad it up, roll it up in a ball, and when not wearing it, toss it into the corner of your closet. When you're sitting in front of the TV, wad it up and sit on it. Seriously. Goatskin is a tough nut to tame, but by doing this for a period of time, it will loosen up nicely. Then use ONLY the jell, not the standard Pecards. The jell will help it loosen up even more, but the standard Pecards has wax in it, and will only make it a bit tacky feeling. Those are the two best ways to get that goatskin jacket to be soft and loose as it can be in short order. (if REALLY in a hurry, zip up the jacket and toss into your clothes dryer with HEAT OFF. Allow it to run, and run, and run, and run. The drum will beat it into submission. Works too, just don't forget....NO HEAT!!! Lee Keppler and _ perfected this method. I saw Lee's at the last QM summit, and his goatskin FS was as soft as lambskin. If I recall, he just did the dryer trick, but it took a total of 45 hours over many weeks to reach that level. Just be patient.....it will submit. )Regards. Michaelson

[rick5150]

Try here for recent tipshttp://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8396

Many of us have used alcohol. A little for the jacket, a little for the person distressing the jacket.

Even if you are not into artificially distressing your jacket this should help with both the shinyness and the softness without "ruining" the jacket.

[ob1al]

In contrast to your problem, my new authentic goat is really pretty soft already after just a couple of weeks of daily wear. It was never really 'rigid' right out the box. I have heard several people here on COW state the extreme 'stiffness' of new goatskin, but this is most certainly not my own experience.

I found my last jacket, a dark brown cowhide, much stiffer than the goatskin in fact.

I wonder if it has something to do with the different process of dying authentic goat to dark brown goat? It's a long shot but something to consider I suppose?

To loosen up my cowhide, I did everything listed above - a short (heatless!!!) spin in the dryer turned inside out and wrapped in a pillow-case; lots of scrunching and wearing and so forth; several Pecards treatments helped also and it softened up very nicely, improving the drape and comfort of the jacket.

[Michaelson]

You are indeed the exception to the general rule of thumb. Count yourself fortunate indeed. Goatskin really hates give up easily when stiff. That said, you really appreciate the jacket all the more after all your efforts to make it more comfortable. Regards. Michaelson

[Minnesota Jones]

I ran mine in the dryer a few hours, and another tip some of us have done (I'm not the only one....) is sleep in the jacket! Zip 'er up, make sure the air conditioning is in full swing, and hit the sheets. Do this a couple nights. Trust me, it does work....

[ob1al]

and another tip some of us have done (I'm not the only one....) is sleep in the jacket! Zip 'er up, make sure the air conditioning is in full swing, and hit the sheets. Do this a couple nights. Trust me, it does work....

No, your not the only one Minnesota...I remember when I did just that with my very first Indy jacket, a buttersoft lambskin (so I couldn't really use the stiffness as an excuse! ) but it did help to 'break it in'!

[Swindiana]

I found walking around in a downpouring Helsinki wearing a backpack all day long softened mine up quite nicely.
Some parts are softer and some parts are stiffer. The inner parts of the sleeves are incredibly soft and the outer part is a lot stiffer. Maybe this could have to do with the inner parts coming from the belly of the goat like mentioned in another post?
I really like my jacket the way it is though it could use some dressing right about now to see if the stiffer parts will soften a bit.

Regards,
Swindiana

[IndyBlues]

I would go ahead in give it an alcohol rubdown, before applying the Pecards. The shiny surface of the goat is like a sealant, and it seems that when it is removed, the goat will **** that Pecards in very quickly. If you saw my jacket before I did this, you wouldn't believe it was the same coat.
It made the leather so much softer, and it has a very pliable feel to it now. It doesn't seem like it would stand up by itself anymore.
And since you are applying Pecards, you won't have to worry about the alcohol drying the jacket out.
BTW. What is that outer layer on the goat jackets, anyway???
Laquer??

[Captain D]

I've never used anything on my Westeds' to age it or distress it (other than fullers earth here and there), but this "sealant" that makes the Goatskin so shiny is what makes the Goatskin so water-repellant as we know it. However, by using the rubbing alcohol, wouldn't it deminish the Goatskin's ability to repel water as much as "before" the jacket was treated with the alcohol?

I'm not saying don't use the alcohol or trying to raise a stink about anything, lol, just interested in learning.....!

Kind Regards,
Captain D

[IndyBlues]

I agree, removing this will make the goat skin less water repellant, but then again, the leather makers probably wouldn't think we would be so knowledgable on treatments, as we are here at Indygear.
Now distressing the leather, to the point that you can see the bare skin under the color, that is even worse for it's water repellancy.

[Michaelson]

It becomes a proverbial sponge! Well stated, Blues! High regards. Michaelson