Fnishing Black Leather?

[J. M. Stovall]

I have an old black biker jacket a girlfriend bought me back in '92 (during my Ramones phase ). It's a good quality jacket and has broken in nicely over the years, and I keep it moisturized with Pecards. My question is whenever I see old biker jackets from the 50s and 60s they look a lot shinier than mine, it's mostly a satin look now. Is there some way to achieve this patina to the leather? I noticed on the Pecards site they sell some products that say they are for shiny leathers, but mine was not like that new. Any suggestions?
thanks!

 

[Rufus]

Gabba Gabba Hey JMS..

It will depend what sort of make, and hide your jacket is, and how it was tanned.

A lot of 1980s bike jackets were of the 'mall' variety, using very low grade steerhide, and sometimes even lambskin.

These jackets quickly lose their finish, and can appear 'dull'.


A Good jacket, like the Ramones, will last you a life time.

Rufus

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Well this jacket came from a store that only sold biker wear. I remember it costing between $200-$300 back then, and I know it's cowhide. The finish looks pretty much the way it always did as far as I can remember. I tried looking up the maker online but couldn't find any info. I know it will never compare to those $1000 Buco repos, and I like it fine the way it is. It's too sentimental to trade up at this point.

 

[Rufus]

Well this jacket came from a store that only sold biker wear. I remember it costing between $200-$300 back then, and I know it's cowhide. The finish looks pretty much the way it always did as far as I can remember. I tried looking up the maker online but couldn't find any info. I know it will never compare to those $1000 Buco repos, and I like it fine the way it is. It's too sentimental to trade up at this point.

It sounds like it's got a fairly matt finish to the hide... It may be due to the price range, it's the softer, belly hide that's been used. A lot of imported jackets are made with it, and it doesn't have that glossier finish the higher jackets have.

I know exactly what you mean though..I wouldn't trade my Ramones jacket (mine's an old Highwayman jacket) for an 'upmarket' one either. It's the sentimental value!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Thanks for all the valuable info Rufus. And by the way, not only do I have Tankgirl pulled for my box, but I also check out your blog on a regular basis, it's in my list of "people's blogs that I must go to at least once a month." Great stuff!

 

[DBLIII]

Maybe this background info will help, though I don't know how you'd make a newer jacket have that older finish.
I have a Schott Perfecto from 1974, wore it on a motorcycle for years. It is broken in and the black is glossy. It's had Harley's (whoever at the time made it, I heard Pecards) leather stuff put on it maybe twice.
Next was a Bates brand of the same jacket, bought in 1992. It has maybe 30,000 riding miles on it. It started out glossy but now has a matte finish. Pecards does not make it shine more.

Both jackets are heavy, heavy cowhide. In fact, I got the Bates very cheap because the store said they couldn't sell them, nobody wanted jackets that heavy (so I bought one for my wife, too).

If you do want your jacket shiny black, Doc Bailey's Leather Black will probably do it. I'm sure it's online, I picked up some at Sturgis. It will stain, so apply it outside or in a garage or someplace where the floor doesn't matter. And, it's not a forever thing, it will go six months or so and then just kind of fade back to what the original leather color was. I use it on my leather saddlebags and it lasts all season. As I haven't bothered putting it on my jacket, I don't want to say that it will come out "just like" older leather, but I think it would make a difference.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Thanks DBLIII, I'll look into it!

 

[Edward]

...and the Ramones are never just a phase if you get it....

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I guess the phase was dressing like that (I'm a little long in the tooth for that now), but I still listen .

 

[Rufus]

Thanks for all the valuable info Rufus. And by the way, not only do I have Tankgirl pulled for my box, but I also check out your blog on a regular basis, it's in my list of "people's blogs that I must go to at least once a month." Great stuff!

Thanks JMS.. Hope you like the new Tankie Stuff..oddly enough Dee Dee Ramone is starring in our latest story..

 

[Edward]

I guess the phase was dressing like that (I'm a little long in the tooth for that now), but I still listen .

Heh... I know what you mean.... like many old punks, I find myself on the 'rockabilly retirement plan,' which kicked in a year or two ago when I finally had to admit the Marlowe midriff was reaching the sort of proportions where drainpipes really weren't flattering (think: Humpty Dumpty).

 

[Corky]

How to get a black leather coat to shine

I once owned a big double-breasted black horsehide leather trench coat which the Dutch use when riding cycles.

Sometimes, one sees The Bad Guy wearing one of these in a WW2 movie.

At a flea market in Amsterdam in the 1970's, I found a stall with a bunch of them for sale.

They guy in the stall had a whole pile of the trench coats, a tin of regular black shoe polish, and an electric shoe buffer.

He was rubbing black shoe polish (the semi-solid, not a liquid) all over a trench coat, then buffing it to a shine with the electric polisher.

I found one that fit perfectly and bought it from him for about twenty dollars.

I used the black shoe polish and a brush or electric buffer to restore the shine whenever it got dull.

 

[icecold]

You know, i think that the satin finish actually indicates better leather... The shinier the leather, the more it has been artificially smoothened/corrected. Assuming that Aero's leather is pretty good, i'm observing right now how the shiny black FQHH pretty quickly gets rather satin feel

 

[BigHairyFinn]

Yeah I can piggyback corky shoe polish is the magic stuff... just don't lean on posts... lol