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Do try this at home: leather jacket repair tips

Mich486

One Too Many
Messages
1,690
Top tips for polishing oxidised brass hardware?

As anyone ever used this product?
 

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Messages
11,183
Location
SoCal
My dad used to make me use Brasso and Never-Dull on both the Chris-Craft and the handles in his restaurant.
Needless to say, I let brass dull down these days.
 

Mich486

One Too Many
Messages
1,690
Ended up buying this as it came as a paste in a tube which I thought was easier to apply than the liquid Brasso:

IMG_1069.jpeg


It works pretty well:

Untreated

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Treated

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Now just another 15 button snaps and studs to go and 4 zippers….
 

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,900
Location
East Java
Top tips for polishing oxidised brass hardware?

As anyone ever used this product?
i grew up polishing household stuff with brasso, nobody made me do that but perhaps I was a weird kid, rather than playing with friends I polished a brass flowerpot into shine. I also polished some coin collection foreign coins my grandma gave me whenever she went home after holidaying in holland for few months. I think the key is the rag used to polish, I use cotton old t-shirt, and always changing spot when the previous spot has turned black from absorbing the patina. however now I hate polished brass, I love how my brass belt buckles look dull and darkening from patina, i sometime coat it with beewax even.
 

Canuck Panda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,819
Not sure how or why this tragedy happened, but is there any hope? Its on the outside elbow.

I fear that it's terminal :(

View attachment 545643
Fortunately not terminal.

Get a quote from AWL, there are many things they can do, from patching it up to full panel replacement.

Check out their previous jobs on Instagram. I've seen worse that's been brought back alive. I used them before in the old location. Reasonable pricing.
 

Leather Walker

Practically Family
Messages
622
Location
Barcelona
Another old zipper saved. Recently I took a flight jacket from the 1970s with a damaged Serval at the end. Not critical, but on its way to wear out if no one did anything about it. So I repeated the same method to fix it than before.

1. Find a thin piece of fabric with a similar color to the zipper thread.
2. Cut the fabric to cover the damaged area. I try to cover the original reinforcing film with this new fabric.
3. Glue it on.
4. Press on both glued sides to make the new piece as thin as possible. Remember that the fixed part must go through the slider and stay in the retainer box.
4. The final step is to apply Fray Check to stiffen the edge and act as a reinforcing film.

Repair_thread_behind_pin_rdcd.png


As you all have noticed, the other side doesn't look good. I will try to fix it at the same way, but there's less space to work in. Normally this part is not damaged, so I assume this jacket has been worn so many times that the zipper has ended up suffering. This is an old Serval, maybe from early 1970s, so many decades of living.
 

Bfd70

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,424
Location
Traverse city
same problem on my j24. Deena replaced the main. Had to force it as it grabbed higher on the chest and i was stuck wearing it.
 
Messages
17,556
Location
Chicago
Dirty shame. I get that hardware fails but a new jacket at damn near 3 large ought to do better than a thrift store grab bag piece. A lot better. I’d send it straight back and go get your C2 from Vanson back.
 

Fonzie

One Too Many
Messages
1,577
Location
Australia
Both my ELMC (Californian and Windward) had the Talon zipper slider explode on my hand as I tried to zip them up, doing it carefully too! and they’re new-ish jackets!

Somehow my Aeros with the same #5 Talon zipper are still going good, and they’re older and with heavier/thicker hide. Only issue is one has started to fray on the bottom of the tape, but the zipper itself is flawless.

It’s infuriating that a AU$2.300 jacket has these annoying issues, why on earth don’t they fit better quality ones?


I don’t even know where to get Talon #5 sliders from, nothing in Australia and so far no luck on EBay.

Any suggestions? Please help a brother lounger out.
 

Canuck Panda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,819
It’s the tracks. Those number 5 Talon repro tracks are not great. They will jam, and if use force then it’s zip replacement. The expensive jackets needs to come with conmatic or crown.
 

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