Applying Obenauf's Boot Preservative to a leather jacket

[yellowfever]

Thanks for explaining. Great info.



That might be a problem. I would have to strip a lot of oils and waxes. A quarter of a jar to be precise hehe.
I think for now I'll leave it as is. Although I would have preferred it a shade darker, it's a nice looking jacket. Good enough to wear and enjoy it.

ha yeah! You’d need a lot of leather stripper. If you bought Saphir’s version (Renomat) in sufficient quantities, you might find buying a new jacket in the shade you want is cheaper!

 

[ton312]

It seems to me that RRL / Ralph Lauren is not 'TFL approved'. As @Monitor mentioned, they are not being discussed and when people do show their RRL jackets, they don't receive much praise. Some time ago I had one listed on the classifieds section. No interest at all.

I've easily handled a few hundred Ralph Lauren jackets. Some are really really bad but others are absolutely great. This Polo Ralph Lauren Hercules copy survived for 20 years and judging by the patina, it has been extensively worn. There must be something good about this jacket to survive this long, right?

I agree that RRL jackets in general are overpriced. They're not worth their MSRP imo. But what jacket is? Is a Himel worth it's price? Some people would disagree, yet we do discuss Himel here on TFL.

Is there a 'negative hype' around Ralph Lauren that I don't know about?

What's not to like about this jacket? Honest feedback is more than welcome

View attachment 310133

I told you before how my post of this jacket was received. TBH, had I really liked it, I would not have cared. There is certainly a level of snobbery in this particular corner of the lounge. I find it annoying and somewhat against the grain for what this place is supposed to be about (or at least what I think it’s supposed to be about). In the past ten years I think this sub-forum has morphed dramatically and in some ways it’s good and in others it’s become really narrow and boring.

 

[Marc mndt]

In the past ten years I think this sub-forum has morphed dramatically and in some ways it’s good and in others it’s become really narrow and boring.

I've only recently joined this forum so I don't know about how things were 10 years ago. But personally I appreciate diversity. By now I know quite a bit about Aero, Eastman, Schott, LW and the other usual suspects. But I also love to read and learn more about other makers. Whether they're strictly repro makers or repro fashion brands or the real vintage deal. As long as they're interesting to discuss in one way or the other, let's discuss them

 

[sweetfights]

Yeah, the white stuff... use the hairdryer to melt it a bit and soak it up with a paper towel. Best to stop if it’s getting the “bloom”.
I think it’s better looking, just a bit surprised too.

This technique works. Once saturated the residue remains until heated and removed, a.k.a "buffed out"

 

[red devil]

I told you before how my post of this jacket was received. TBH, had I really liked it, I would not have cared. There is certainly a level of snobbery in this particular corner of the lounge. I find it annoying and somewhat against the grain for what this place is supposed to be about (or at least what I think it’s supposed to be about). In the past ten years I think this sub-forum has morphed dramatically and in some ways it’s good and in others it’s become really narrow and boring.

Really? I felt it has openend up quite a bit, although I only joined in 2016

 

[Carlos840]

I told you before how my post of this jacket was received. TBH, had I really liked it, I would not have cared. There is certainly a level of snobbery in this particular corner of the lounge. I find it annoying and somewhat against the grain for what this place is supposed to be about (or at least what I think it’s supposed to be about). In the past ten years I think this sub-forum has morphed dramatically and in some ways it’s good and in others it’s become really narrow and boring.

How so?
When i joined in 2013 the only "allowed" jackets were Aero and 60% of threads where about A2s and B-3s.
The talk nowadays is a lot more open, a lot more honest, and a lot more varied IMO.

For instance, some people rave about Lost Worlds jackets. Their factory is not open to the public, I have not found any videos of their operations on line, I cannot find where they source their raw materials, nor can I find out anything about the bios of their craftsmen. Why? Without such knowledge, anyone buying a LW jacket today is potentially doing so based upon the brand name and past product. How is that any different than the public buying a Ralph Lauren product because of its name? I believe this is the double standard of which you speak, Monitor.

Not sure how you are getting there.
The LW brand is unknown to 99% of the population, most people know about Ralph Lauren.
The odds of someone buying a LW jacket just on name are slim to null, whereas i think most people who buy a Ralph Lauren Jacket do so because of the tag.

You are right, there are no videos of the LW factory, but there are pics around...
They source the leather from their own tannery, they actually buy horses themselves from brokers and have the skins tanned in their tannery rather than just buying leather straight away.

There is only one guy doing all the cutting and stitching, he has been working there since the mid 90s (94 i think).

If you own a LW, odds are it was stitched by the guy on the left:

 

[Will Zach]

^^
On this pic, is Stu wearing a LW jacket? The way it drapes, the leather looks pretty soft.

 

[Carlos840]

^^
On this pic, is Stu wearing a LW jacket? The way it drapes, the leather looks pretty soft.

No idea, but i assume he does, i can't imagine him wearing a GW or an Eastman...
Honestly their 3oz leather drapes really well.
You can ask for thinner leather without loosing your man card or getting shouted at.

 

[Coriu]

How so?

Not sure how you are getting there.
The LW brand is unknown to 99% of the population, most people know about Ralph Lauren.
The odds of someone buying a LW jacket just on name are slim to null, whereas i think most people who buy a Ralph Lauren Jacket do so because of the tag.

When I alluded to people buying Lost Worlds on brand name, was not talking about the general public, but rather the leather jacket connoisseur. Thank you for sharing the information about them. It sounds like a good story, but they do not leverage it. The message I receive when reading their website is "Don't believe everything you hear. There are a lot of incredulous people out there. But buy from us because...well, just trust us, we're the best." I'm being funny and those are my words, but that is how it comes across to me. If you are the best, demonstrate it objectively, ie via information such as what you shared.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

Great result! If you want a darker result I'd just get a bottle of brown leather dye, then take the obenoufs over in a metal container and heat it until it melts, then you add the dye drop by drop until you have the desired color. This worked pretty well for me in the past.

 

[handymike]

Genius idea!

 

[Marc mndt]

Great result! If you want a darker result I'd just get a bottle of brown leather dye, then take the obenoufs over in a metal container and heat it until it melts, then you add the dye drop by drop until you have the desired color. This worked pretty well for me in the past.

That's a great tip, Thnx!

 

[willyto]

I told you before how my post of this jacket was received. TBH, had I really liked it, I would not have cared. There is certainly a level of snobbery in this particular corner of the lounge. I find it annoying and somewhat against the grain for what this place is supposed to be about (or at least what I think it’s supposed to be about). In the past ten years I think this sub-forum has morphed dramatically and in some ways it’s good and in others it’s become really narrow and boring.

I don't find that to be true.

There's a lot more people in this subforum than before I think. Vintage subforum has died completely when it had been the golden forum and the Outerwear subforum has only gained popularity, more open minded people joining, more special designs, people take risks buying unique designs, more makers included, etc.

We have seen Green and red peacoats, Hipster 70s jackets, Half Belts, Cafe Racers, Cross Zips, Blue jackets, White jackets, Yellow jackets, Natural leather, Grizzlies, leather overcoats, leather sack coats, Barnstormers, cossack jackets,etc.

Before it was all Aero and A-2 jackets with some B-3 jackets praising the song of GW people joining the queue for an A-2. Now we have a lot more variety and people are more open to admiring what others like, people even look at A-2 jackets like they don't belong here.

It isn't more boring than when I first joined.

 

[handymike]

Yeah, we all used to think @nick123 was crazy for liking the Aero hippie jacket. Now look at the collars and designs we’re drawing from to create our own styles!

 

[ton312]

I agree that there are more makers being represented and that is a good thing a great thing actually. More styles too. I do find there is a faint air of snobbery that occasionally wafts in. It is not pervasive enough for me to discontinue using the site. If I didn’t enjoy this place I’d leave.

 

[ton312]

Yeah, we all used to think @nick123 was crazy for liking the Aero hippie jacket. Now look at the collars and designs we’re drawing from to create our own styles!

Well, I never thought that!

 

[Monitor]

Quite a few people who used to actively participate in Outerwear now moved to other sub-forums of TFL and never say anything here anymore. I often wonder if we ruined the place for them. War clothes talk toned down considerably while nobody even mentions trench-coats anymore.

 

[Harris HTM]

Personal observation after 9 years of reading this forum and 5,5 years of actively contributing: it has become far more open minded and ready to accept a wider range of makers. Either cheaper (5 stars, Platon, AVI) or quite expensive (Thedi, Himel, the Japanese brands). Ofcourse there are still brands that they don't receive a warm heartfelt welcome, but that's another story.
9 years ago it was mainly Aero, single piece back and horsehide leather as thick and rigid as possible.

 

[ton312]

Quite a few people who used to actively participate in Outerwear now moved to other sub-forums of TFL and never say anything here anymore. I often wonder if we ruined the place for them. War clothes talk toned down considerably while nobody even mentions trench-coats anymore.

Some members too. Like Butte. I always enjoyed his contributions and he was a fun guy to have on the site. He simply vanished.

 

[red devil]

nobody even mentions trench-coats anymore

Funny I was wondering in the last few months if I could pull off a trench coat, in leather of course