Aero Highwayman, dry and cracked problems

[Mark]

Hi All

Not an exciting one this but a problem perhaps familiar to many who own a horse hide jacket.
I have an Aero heavy horse Highwayman jacket in their poplular brown colour. It's 13 months old now and i love it. However, there are two areas (arm and chest/shoulder area) where the leather looks dry, dull and has many fine cracks on it, feels thinner too? (where-as the rest of the jacket has started to develop that lovely polished burnished and mottled look).
Being a little OCD as i am this really bothers me. In the year i'v had the jacket i have tried Fiebings 4 in 1 leather treatment and some good quality leather cream. This has helped a little but has also left my jacket a bit over conditioned.
Has anyone any suggestions how i can remedy this problem and remove some of the gunk i have covered my pride and joy in?
I hope you can help before i get desperate and consider selling it back to Aero for another! (Don't want to do this as cost me more money again)

Thanks Guys

Mark

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Contact Aero for advice rather than screwing it up more. Several years ago Aero had a jacket saturated with conditioner at a deeply reduced price on their 'used' page. It had been traded in so 'over conditioned' and sticky that they couldn't/wouldn't even try to get it off..and sold it 'as is'(if it ever really sold). I have seen other new owners discribing heavy FQHH as 'cracking'. Never quite understood that. I have quite a few Aero FQHH jackets that have..marbled..creased..and grained..but never 'cracked'. To me..cracked would mean..opening up cracks through the finish ruining the leather(as you sometimes see on leather jacket collars that are 50-60 yrs old). My oldest Aero FQHH(Highwayman)was purchased new in 2001 if I remember correctly. It came with a waxy finish..meaning that it was already 'treated'..or tanned with oils and fats within the hide..and layering gunk on top of that is definately overkill. It can take on a milky..white buildup that can be wiped/washed off..but returning with a foggy frosty effect seeping back out. It has been 'overdone'. Attempts to remove that excess can then damage the origional color and waxy finish..if not done correctly...carefully.. with patience and the right process. That's why I advise contacting Will at Aero.
After I had my Highwayman for several years..I lightly applied a little conditioner on the top of the collar fold where it had brushed against my neck somewhat and felt dry...but that's it. However..some parts of my jacket are now waxier than others due to wear...but not yet to the point of adding a total coating of conditioning 'grease' IMO. This FQHH from Aero is quite different than most leather jackets...leather car seats...sofas..etc. Even Aero doesn't recommend treating them with anything for 5-6 years at the least.
However many new owners feel like they must do something since normal leather surely must be 'weather proofed'. Sadly..it sometimes can lead to only a mess.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Here's a pic of my Hwymn at a little over a year old...

 

[HoosierDaddy]

a couple years ago (2009)...

 

[Mark]

Thanks Hosierdaddy for your helpful reply. The cracks on my jacket are not to the extent you describe rather very fine creases which look at odds with the rest of the jacket. My jacket has not been over-conditioned to the point you describe. Anyway, Amanda got back to me with my inquiry to trade-in value of my jacket (half price i originally paid) so i'm seriousley considering trading in for a new jacket. This time i'll request a more consistant/even look! To avoid these inconsistancies in leather texture/look is there a particular leather finish that is better, such as oil pulled, jerky etc?

thanka again for your advice.

Mark

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Mark
For me...Aero's regular hvy FQHH is the best. So unique...ages and marbles like no other. I do have steer...Vintage HH and oilpull as well. The Vintage HH is more relaxed and grainier. Steer is sometimes a little more pebblier in places. I have the old oilpull which is different than Aero's new OP hides. The new OP HH looks very nice with perhaps a little duller finish compared to the hvy FQHH.
Aero might have advice on extra conditioner removal...but I do understand..if you are not happy with the hide that you now have.
Here are some pics of various Aero hides....

http://www.picturetrail.com/aeroleatherusa

HD

 

[Tony B]

I think the cracking graining issue some people have with aero jackets might come form the cut of the leather If aero use front quaters which are an average of 16 sq ft, with a whole front half being 32 sq ft on average so they have to cut accordingly which will lead to the use of the axilla (the area around for want of a better word the armpit) this is more grainy as it moves more when the horse is alive whereas across the back of the shoulders doesn't so won't grain up as much when manipulated and tends to be thicker as it is the bit the weather hits . I have seen a horween hide new and it seems to be hard rolled and appears totally uniform and flat,so this graining is not apparent when new and only becomes visible once in use.

The only way to avoid this would be for aero to use twice as many hides to produce one jacket to make sure they go nowhere near the areas that might be an issue later on, which would mean one of two things, they throw half the leather out so would have to price accordingly or would have to use it for someonelses jacket so someone got a jacket made of nothing but this stuff. Even trying this, because of the way the hide looks when new, would just be quesswork and they might be wasting good and expensive leather for no reason.

The thing is horween dont use the full hide to produce chromexcell, they use the large flanks to make shell cordovan and the area round the middle is then used for "north of cordovan" tooling leather so it really is only the front half that gets used for chromexcel, so it isn't like a cow hide where you can have the big panels all made from the hide across the animals back to avoid the axilla which I was told years ago was always saved for the underside of the arm so the cow's armpit leather was under your armpit to allow the free movement that it lended its self to better. Becuase of the way the horsehide is chopped up this just doesn't seem to be an option.

 

[Rudie]

Please, post some pictures. Without pics all advice is moot because we might be comparing apples and oranges.

 

[ButteMT61]

There is an Aero A2 in Classifieds that shows this.
I wanted to buy it but that stopped me. It's a 48 and shows exactly this problem (as I understand it)
I'll link to pics when I wake up. No conditioning will fix this.
I'd talk to Amanda about getting it either fixed or replaced.

 

[Tony B]

Butte if you mean the one with the bloodchit that one is a goat jacket not horse, so it is meant to look like that. Just looked at page 2 ...it's sold.

 

[ButteMT61]

Butte if you mean the one with the bloodchit that one is a goat jacket not horse, so it is meant to look like that. Just looked at page 2 ...it's sold.

Nope. His other one.

 

[ButteMT61]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...de.-Crown-Zip-Sz-48-Magnificent!&goto=newpost

 

[Tony B]

I didn't see that one , what a pillock......at least you have the excuse that it is the crack of dawn over there ..it's lunchtime here and I still haven't woken up yet.

I see what you meat it's not pretty is it. That is one of the things that is making me twitchy about getting another aero FQHH as the jacket would have some long panels this might be unavoidable and it is something I dont think I could live with ...that and the fact that Will guessed the jacket would weight 14pounds which scared the living daylights out of me.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Hmmm...guess cracking means creasing..[huh]..a little to much I would say on this A2 sleeve....and $575 would have been a better price..in my view..for a mid weight HH A2...considering the Crown zip.
HD

 

[ButteMT61]

I wouldn't pay $400 (sorry, not meaning to be mean Les) for that and if it were mine, I'd contact Aero to get it fixed somehow. That is not normal, but I fear us larger guys will see this more often as the cut they need to cover our bigger bodies needs to utilize more of the HH - getting into some of the questionable areas. I got an email from John at GW explaining this with a diagram. I believe it's the downside of needing a bigger jacket. Hopefully my downsizing will help with this. There's simply less of the good hide to work with for us...

 

[dr.velociraptor]

I was going to order an Aero HH Highwayman or Half Belt in February but I have to admit the cracking on the arm of that A2 in the referenced links has me a bit apprehensive. If I drop $1000 on a jacket like that I would be quite upset to see that sort of wear on it. I've seen 60 year old HH jackets with less cracking on the sleeve.

 

[HorseHide]

Alternative solution - bigger horses.

 

[ButteMT61]

Alternative solution - bigger horses.

lol

 

[Todd M.]

There is an Aero A2 in Classifieds that shows this.
I wanted to buy it but that stopped me. It's a 48 and shows exactly this problem (as I understand it)
I'll link to pics when I wake up. No conditioning will fix this.
I'd talk to Amanda about getting it either fixed or replaced.

Hi, I'm one of the 12 that purchased the shaved front Quarter Horse Hide A-2 through Mark Moye (Aero rep USA). Offered to his deep pocket customers( bought mutable and very faithful customers). This was a very special batch of leather shaved to 3oz. with a tremendous amount of creasing, and to show the lighter Russet undertones in the creases "tough as nails". There is no cracking or dryness to the leather, mine is developing some of the nicest patina on a repro A-2. I would recommend snatching up that one if your looking for an A-2 with that 50 mission look in a very short time. The leather was to costly for Aero to buy in a large batch, I do recall.

 

[ButteMT61]

@ Todd M. I appreciate your input. I do. but looking at the pics, I see not only "cracks" (humor me) but bits of the corners of said cracks that look like chunks of top tanning coming off. Trust me, I'd love a jacket like this - even though I'm not a deep-pocket customer (at least I don't think so)
Dunno. Looks off to me. Thank you for the insights though.