cleaning a vintage leather coat...?

[havershaw]

Maybe I should be directing this to COW...but I just picked up a vintage 1940s German leather jacket yesterday. It's kind of long-ish (maybe like an aviator jacket?) but it has a belted back, and the leather is in pretty good shape. I think it's goatskin or maybe lambskin, but it's hard to say, since I can't read german!

anyway, it has a great patina to it, but the armpits...well, they have a LOT more patina, if you know what I mean. I don't want to change the look of the rest of the jacket - but the pits are really sweated through, and look kind of...yucky. Is there anything I can put on the jacket to clean those areas up a little? You can't really see them during normal wear, but I'd feel a little better knowing they were gone. I'd rather not treat the whole coat, if I could help it. Any thoughts?

 

[nightandthecity]

Eastman Leather Clothing and Lexol both sell a Ph neutral leather cleaner. As long as the leather is basically sound (i.e. not rotting, the surface layer is intact etc) it shouldn't do any harm.

Personally I recommend treating all vintage jackets every now and again with a top quality leather dressing like Pecard...it will darken the patina for a while but not for long. It'll do no harm and you run the risk of tears and splits if the leather is dry.

My own routine goes something like this. [1] If an area is really dirty, clean with Ph neutral cleaner, otherwise leave it alone - the following steps will lift most surface dirt anyway, and its a good idea to minimize exposure to water. [2] Apply one coat of potassium lactate solution (replaces any lost salts) [3] Apply One or two coats of Pecard or British Museum leather dressing, leave a couple days between coats.

If the jacket is basically sound this routine will really bring it back to life. I've restored many an apparent dog to classy coat status.

 

[havershaw]

Thanks!
It looks like someone had already treated this coat with something, or it was very well kept, because the leather is in perfect shape - not dry at all. It's somewhat comparable to a Wested in terms of softeness of leather, though maybe a little tougher.
Anyway, which Pecard do you recommend? I have the stuff for the Aldens (the paste) but I think something else is supposed to be good for the jackets. The big thing is that I don't want to mess with much of the patina, because there's just the right amount - if there were any less, it might look too new.

 

[BellyTank]

Is it...

...like this one..?

B
T

 

[nightandthecity]

right, if it is in really good shape and not at all dry it might be best to leave off the leather dressing - particularly if it has already been treated, as it is possible to overdo it.

But for future reference the best Pecard is their "Antique leather dressing" (actually, they sell exactly the same stuff under various labels, but if you get the "Antique" you can be sure it's the right one)

 

[havershaw]

BT, I'm not seeing anything...

I have the regular old stuff, you know, the standard stuff that comes in the tub. I might just apply a bit to that underarm area.

 

[BellyTank]

Sorry Havershaw...

Like this one-
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=3519&highlight=vintage+leather

B
T

 

[havershaw]

Those are some awesome coats.

Mine is similar to your russet-colored one, only there are more pockets in the front of mine and it's closer to an Indy color. Here are some photos:

see what I'm talking about with those pits?

the rest of the coat looks perfect. When my wife gets home, I'll try to get some photos of it on - it's quite a tailored jacket - even the armholes are skinny and kind of high. It definitely fits like any other 30s or 40s jacket I've owned. I got it at an antique store - for $20!

 

[MudInYerEye]

Very nice coat indeed. Please post pics of the results post cleaning/conditioning.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Even Leather Balm would work.

BT, I'm not seeing anything...

I have the regular old stuff, you know, the standard stuff that comes in the tub. I might just apply a bit to that underarm area.

What you have will work just fine. Leather Balm will even clean the salt out of the leather. Nice jacket!

 

[zeus36]

For those underarm areas, ordinary Saddle Soap will do the trick.

That's what it was designed to do for sweaty horse saddles.

 

[zeus36]

Like this one-
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=3519&highlight=vintage+leather

B
T

BT, did you find the coat pictured above to fit you or did it turn out to be too big?

 

[BellyTank]

I think it'll be OK- I'll test it this winter...

B
T

 

[scotrace]

The Funk

Those arms are victims of The FUNK

 

[shamus]

did you try just soaking the jacket? Those pits look like salt stains. I'd might try a soak, then a light conditioning.

And I doubt it's lambskin. Most likey goat (look for small grain) or steer/horse.

Nice jacket

 

[havershaw]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I've been working on my house all week, and wearing my beat-up work clothes, so the leather jacket has been in the closet. I'm going to try to clean it up this week, though, and I'll post some photos of how it came out.