Heavy horsehide break in

[tommygun]

Hi all..i know this has been talked about before, but i have a lost worlds heavy HH vest i love, but the collar driving in the car is painful. Yes, i wear it everyday i can, leave it in a warm car, wear it in the rain etc..My question is has anyone ever tried steam from a clothing steamer. It takes light wrinkles out of shirts an pants, never tried it on leather. It still stands on its own! I think because its a vest, it never fully gets up to body temp. Any ideas?[huh]

 

[thor]

Try running some hot water over just the collar and manipulating it into a more comfortable shape. Afew minutes of re-shaping after the hot water should do the trick.

 

[majormajor]

Try running some hot water over just the collar and manipulating it into a more comfortable shape. Afew minutes of re-shaping after the hot water should do the trick.

+1

 

[schitzo]

If I was you I might be tempted to try out this guy's methodology (taken from the sticky on Mould)


"I've corrected fairly lush coatings of mold by machine washing leather jackets. But it involves some technique. Here's my regimen:

1. Zip jacket, buckle all buckles and snaps.
2. Place in FRONT LOAD washer. Top load washers with the center agitator column may twist and tear leather.
3. Add a normal washload measure of Woolite
4. Wash cold
5. Remove by lifting from beneath-- without holding the now 25 pound jacket by any extremity.
6. Place on sturdy, heavily padded hanger. I pad wooden hangers with kid's foam pool noodles
7. Let dry a day, gently turn inside out, let dry a second day
8. Condition to taste. I paint on 3 coats of Lexol at 4 hour intervals, each heated to steaming in the microwave.

Your bonus for this is not only salvaging the jacket, but also the incredible grain and patina that washing bring out.

For those hesitating, I will repeat the statement I've made in previous posts: I have followed this procedure above for at least 30 jackets, including suede, goatskin, and horsehide. I have not destroyed one. Shrinkage is not an issue-- it's forced air drying and hot water that shrink leather. If anything, cold water washing relaxes the leather a bit."

 

[majormajor]

If I was you I might be tempted to try out this guy's methodology (taken from the sticky on Mould)


"I've corrected fairly lush coatings of mold by machine washing leather jackets. But it involves some technique. Here's my regimen:

1. Zip jacket, buckle all buckles and snaps.
2. Place in FRONT LOAD washer. Top load washers with the center agitator column may twist and tear leather.
3. Add a normal washload measure of Woolite
4. Wash cold
5. Remove by lifting from beneath-- without holding the now 25 pound jacket by any extremity.
6. Place on sturdy, heavily padded hanger. I pad wooden hangers with kid's foam pool noodles
7. Let dry a day, gently turn inside out, let dry a second day
8. Condition to taste. I paint on 3 coats of Lexol at 4 hour intervals, each heated to steaming in the microwave.

Your bonus for this is not only salvaging the jacket, but also the incredible grain and patina that washing bring out.

For those hesitating, I will repeat the statement I've made in previous posts: I have followed this procedure above for at least 30 jackets, including suede, goatskin, and horsehide. I have not destroyed one. Shrinkage is not an issue-- it's forced air drying and hot water that shrink leather. If anything, cold water washing relaxes the leather a bit."

Hey Schitz,

Are you sure it wasn't April 1st when this first got posted??:eeek::eeek::eeek:

 

[ButteMT61]

Hey Schitz,Are you sure it wasn't April 1st when this first got posted??:eeek::eeek::eeek:

lolWrong thread.

 

[schitzo]

Hey Schitz,

Are you sure it wasn't April 1st when this first got posted??:eeek::eeek::eeek:

Yes I am.

I fully get there's no mould to treat here, I am just saying that what it says in the very last line could well be true. For me it's plausible that this treatment would relax the leather a bit and if all else has already failed it could be worth a shot, no?

 

[armscye]

I was the author of that post. My 3oz competition-weight horsehide Vanson Enfield squeaked and rustled like an old rocking chair until I put it through the washer and reconditioned it. Now it's supple and silent. So yes, the front load washer treatment will help with break-in.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Sticking leather jackets in the washing machine has been a traditional way to help break them in for decades. I've been doing it for 30 years without any problems (front and top loaders) and I heard it from a guy who'd done it for years earlier. I never bother to treat the jacket after with Lexol or Pecards - usually they don't need it. And sometimes it takes 3 to 4 days for them to dry properly.

 

[Boyo]

Armscye, Any chance of you posting a picture of a jacket that has had this (washing machine) treatment?? before and after would be ideal.

 

[Seb Lucas]

The difference is often hard to see in photos. It's mainly how it feels.