Cleaning a horsehide jacket?

[holdemchamp1225]

Greetings all,

Just picked up a vintage horsehide MC jacket and wanted to ask the procedure for best results for cleaning it. Should I use saddle soap and then condition with Pecard dressing or just use the Pecard and see if that is enough to clean and refresh the leather? I also heard of washing the jacket in a machine using a glycerine soap. I would appreciate hearing from the experts!!

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[holdemchamp1225]

No advice from the experts?

Sorry for posting again but just curious as there are no recommendations for cleaning a vintage horsehide jacket. Did I ask a touchy question? [huh]

Hope to have someone chime in so I can proceed without damaging this beautiful jacket. Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[scotrace]

There are a lot of variables.

How old and fragile is it? How dirty?

Put the saddle soap away. Forever. And certainly not in a washing machine.

The method used by the Smithsonian for the preservation and cleaning of dried and very old hides is here.

Easy does it. Try less dangerous methods first. Room temperature water with maybe a dot of mild soap, using as little water as possible. Always dry leather slowly and away from any heat source. Massage in Pecards over several days time after you're happy with it.

 

[Jabos]

I'm no expert, and I'm sure there are others out there with some special technique. I cleaned my grandfather's with saddle soap and then put on leather conditioner. This was in the mid 80s when I discovered it tucked away in a closet. The saddle soap removed a ton of grime from it. Anyway, after the saddle soap the jacket really soaked up the conditioner and looked great. I've used Pecards on it a time or two over the years and the leather is doing very well. I certainly wouldn't trust my jacket to any sort of wash as you mentioned. I think the saddle soap and Pecards would do the trick, and it is so much fun to uncover the original luster of the leather beneath the dirt. I use Lexol when I don't want the leather to be "darkened" as the Pecards can do. Just my two cents from experience.

 

[holdemchamp1225]

There are a lot of variables.

How old and fragile is it? How dirty?

Put the saddle soap away. Forever. And certainly not in a washing machine.

The method used by the Smithsonian for the preservation and cleaning of dried and very old hides is here.

Easy does it. Try less dangerous methods first. Room temperature water with maybe a dot of mild soap, using as little water as possible. Always dry leather slowly and away from any heat source. Massage in Pecards over several days time after you're happy with it.

Thank you for the wonderful advice!! I always thought saddle soap as ok to use. Anyways, the hide is NOT that dry and is VERY GOOD shape without rips or tears of any kind. The lining is dirty but is expected after 60 years. Do I have any options as to cleaning the lining separate from the horsehide shell itself?

 

[Warbaby]

There are a lot of variables.

How old and fragile is it? How dirty?

Put the saddle soap away. Forever. And certainly not in a washing machine.

Why not saddlesoap? I've used it for more than 40 years on a wide variety of leathers and have always gotten excellent results with it.

 

[cloudspotter]

saddle soap

hi guys,

obviously a lot of good hints to follow. i got a 40 years old biker jacket in very bad condition (leather was odd, hard and rispy, lining ripped and the whole beast was stinking) but it fitted me perfect, so i did:

- washing with good leather soap in my bathtub at hand warm temperature for some one-and-half hours with brush (do not ask how the water was looking like .. )
- let it dry lying on towels for 5 days in room temperature (do never ever hang wet leather - it will keep this hanging shape!)
- ripped the lining completely off
- treated with black conditioner one time, let it dry
- treated with clear conditioner (good biker leather conditioner) for two times with 2 -3 days rest between each treatment
- let it dry out a little in the fresh air (balkony) for two more days
- applied a little light silicone conditioner on shoulders and arms, then polished with girlfriends stocking (better use her old ones to keep her from freaking out!)
- gave it to the experts in town to refit with a lining of my choice

the result was breathtaking: it wears perfect, looks like vintage-new, smells wonderful like good, fine leather and the leather appears to be "healthy" and durable.

hope that will help!

 

[holdemchamp1225]

Thanks for the wonderful account of what you did "cloudspotter"...

I will definitely take your advice on some of the things you did. Although my jackets are probably not as bad the old MC jacket you have I still want to make it clean and vintage NEW like yours.

Cheers,

Bruce

BTW, do you have any pics of the jacket before and after the conditioning?

hi guys,

obviously a lot of good hints to follow. i got a 40 years old biker jacket in very bad condition (leather was odd, hard and rispy, lining ripped and the whole beast was stinking) but it fitted me perfect, so i did:

- washing with good leather soap in my bathtub at hand warm temperature for some one-and-half hours with brush (do not ask how the water was looking like .. )
- let it dry lying on towels for 5 days in room temperature (do never ever hang wet leather - it will keep this hanging shape!)
- ripped the lining completely off
- treated with black conditioner one time, let it dry
- treated with clear conditioner (good biker leather conditioner) for two times with 2 -3 days rest between each treatment
- let it dry out a little in the fresh air (balkony) for two more days
- applied a little light silicone conditioner on shoulders and arms, then polished with girlfriends stocking (better use her old ones to keep her from freaking out!)
- gave it to the experts in town to refit with a lining of my choice

the result was breathtaking: it wears perfect, looks like vintage-new, smells wonderful like good, fine leather and the leather appears to be "healthy" and durable.

hope that will help!

 

[CodeRed]

Leave it in the rain for a good part of the day first.

 

[cloudspotter]

hi holdemchamp1225 - hope it will work good with yours! actually, with this treatment you cannot do too bad anyway. it's good old handy craftmanship conditioning; i do mistrust all these "nasa-approved-spray-on-makes-anything-new-and-last-forever - products.

unfortunately, i have some distress with loading up pics at the moment - will hope to get that fixed!