ever try to make a new jacket look "weathered?"

[green papaya]

whats a good way to make your new jacket look more vintage?

any tips on how to weather it a little to give it some character? I never liked the look a mint leather, the well worn weathered look like Indiana Jones leather jacket looks nice with some faded LEVI's

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I remember someone told me to put the jacket in a tumble drier with some rocks and no heat. Might destroy the drier, though. The best way i've found is just to wear it ... lots! good excuse for wearing a fine jacket.

bk

 

[Feraud]

You should visit Club Obi Wan. There is a wealth of information on jacket weathering. Everything from dryers to sandpaper to dragging yourself behind a truck. Good luck and post the results.

 

[scotrace]

Lots of ways

Depends on how nutty you are.

Fine sandpaper on logical wear spots (pockets, elbows, etc.).
Some leather conditioners, on some jackets, will remove some color if applied, left alone for a minute, then applied and rubbed. Probably just cheap jackets. This has worked with Lexol for me. YMMV
Rub it with dirt.
For extreme quick aging, Some of the flight jacket guys fill a tub with hot water, strip except for the jacket, and get in. Soak for a few minutes till the leather is good and wet, then get out and leave it on as long as you can stand a drying skin slowly sucking itself to your frame. Then remove, allow to dry for several days, and treat with Picard's.

Personally, I like them to look spankin' new as long as possible. And as the Good Baron pointed out, there's no substitute for honest wear.

 

[green papaya]

weathering tips

I think I'll wear it when I go hiking and walk through the thick brush and let it get natural scuffs from use

or wear it to the range and practice shooting my rifle from the prone postion on the gravel, to give it some charater

 

[rick5150]

The host of this very forum is the jacket-aging master! Check out some tips here: MK pretty much revolutionized the use of acetone and Fuller's Earth on these forums as a non-destructive way to age a jacket. Of course, the acetone will age your lungs if not used properly, but you cannot have everything...

What type of jacket is it?

 

[green papaya]

The host of this very forum is the jacket-aging master! Check out some tips here: MK pretty much revolutionized the use of acetone and Fuller's Earth on these forums as a non-destructive way to age a jacket. Of course, the acetone will age your lungs if not used properly, but you cannot have everything...

What type of jacket is it?

it's just a Cooper A2 that Ive had since 91" I wore it a lot but it still doesnt have any character? it needs more weathering!

this jacket has 15 years of wear on it, I even use to wear it to sleep on the floor to break it in when it was new.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

15 years?

it's just a Cooper A2 that Ive had since 91" I wore it a lot but it still doesnt have any character? it needs more weathering!



this jacket has 15 years of wear on it, I even use to wear it to sleep on the floor to break it in when it was new.

And apart from a few wrinkles, it still looks practically new! I've got one that's 4 years old and it still looks the same. I think it's the goatskin's natural prominent texture, signs of wear are just not so noticeable. Whereas with a relatively smooth hide like horse, you can almost see the graininess develop day by day. So maybe drastic measures are called for?

 

[airfrogusmc]

Some jackets because of the tanning methods will never weather and get the patina of some veg tanned jackets. Most modern leather jackets are chrome tanned and drum dyed. The drum dying soaks color all the way thru the leather so even if you wear off the finish will never get that great patina. Thats why McCoys and Aeros fetch big bucks. They wear and get that beautiful patina.

My RMNZ Dubow pocket after a year of hard wear.

 

[kronos77]

Why do I need to be wearing the jacket when I soak in hot water? The whole thing is gonna get soaked anyway, might as well just drop it in.

 

[JWG]

Just to "piggyback" what Allen said, that Cooper is a modernly finished jacket and in modern times tanning, finishing, etc.

It's tough to compare a modernly tanned/finished jacket to a vintage one since they are really two different animals so to speak.

I assume the modern military is looking for permanence.

As for artificial aging, to me it usually looks fake although I have seen some that look great. For the most part though just let it happen naturally.