Help me save my jacket...

[Griemersma]

Okay, so my favorite piece of vintage clothing is probably my old Hercules horsehide jacket. It gets more wear than just about anything else I own. Anyhow, recently I have noticed that the collar is starting to crack. I have been treating the jacket regularly with Pecards since I got it a few years ago, but apparently that has not been enough.

Does anyone have any advice about what to do? Is it just a downward spiral from here? I have seen leather repair kits advertised before, but am very skeptical. Does anyone have any experience with them?

--G.R.

 

[Tomasso]

Sorry to say but once leather begins cracking it's pretty much down hill. BTW, you'd probably get more responses if you posted your query in Outerwear.

 

[Tophat Dan]

cracked leather

Hello Griemersma...
I worked in shoe repair for a while and we did leather repair to an extent (motorcycle saddlebags cracked from heat and whatnot).
Unfortunately Tomasso is correct, once leather starts to crack, there is no real way to stop it. You may be able to slow it down though, and keep the jacket wearable for some time to come. If the leather is cracking where I think it is, where the collar contacts your skin and thus the salt from your sweat, the damage could be caused by the drying effect of that salt.

The only way to slow the cracking of the leather there is to give it some support, like putting Bondo and new paint over a rusted area of an old car.
Get yourself an awl, some contact cement, some waxed carpet thread, a #10 harness needle and some thinnish garment leather of comparable weight to the jackets own leather, then cut yourself a patch, glue it on and *carefully* sew a patch over the cracked area.

Everything you need to do it can be bought at one of Tandy leathers retail locations or ordered from the company, or you might be able to find a shoe repair shop in your area willing to do it, but try to talk to the clerk and find out if someone there is really experienced at hand sewing.

Well, hope I did some good with my first post. Good luck with your jacket!

Top hat Dan

 

[Griemersma]

Thank you for the advice. The protective patch idea just might work. I hadn't thought of that before. I also had the crazy idea that maybe a good tailor could remove the collar, flip it over and replace it so that the unworn underside is on top. Probably wouldn't work-- just a thought.

I think I will try to move this to the outerwear section-- thank you for the suggestion.

--G.R.

 

[Griemersma]

Help me save my jacket...originally in general attire

Sorry for the duplicate thread-- it was suggested that I move it to here.

Okay, so my favorite piece of vintage clothing is probably my old Hercules horsehide jacket. It gets more wear than just about anything else I own. Anyhow, recently I have noticed that the collar is starting to crack. I have been treating the jacket regularly with Pecards since I got it a few years ago, but apparently that has not been enough.

Does anyone have any advice about what to do? Is it just a downward spiral from here? I have seen leather repair kits advertised before, but am very skeptical. Does anyone have any experience with them?

--G.R.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Housekeeping

Bartender's are more than happy to move threads for you.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

How are you storing the jacket? Cool, dry and away from sunlight and strong artificial illumination is best.

Or maybe you're over-treating with Pecard's? I've seen it suggested that Pecard's should be used every 6 months, which i think is very bad advice.

bk

 

[James Miller]

Sorry to hear this.

Yes what every one said about the cracking is true. Once it starts, the cracking is there to stay. However, you can slow it down a great deal by cleaning it with Lexal cleaner then apply Lexal conditioner I mean really saturating the collar, then let it dry. Once the leather is dry you can re- apply some dye then try Tandy leather's Sheen over that area. This will help fill in some of the cracks but will need a few coats.

Like someone said above you can sew a piece of corduroy over the collar like they use to do on some of the old jackets from the factory, this will give your neck a place to rest.

Turning the collar around probably wouldn't work because most collars are two piece on the under side. Replacing the collar with new leather could work but you would need to re-dye the whole jacket to make it match. Good luck on restoring your jacket I have done a few myself. Just remember it's a jacket and all good things come to a end.

 

[feltfan]

Have you looked into having the collar piece replaced?
You don't say where you are, G.R., but if it were me,
I'd head over to my local leather jacket maker,
Johnson Leathers in San Francisco, and see what
they say about replacing that part (and how closely
they could match the look).

I wouldn't go to just any old Harley dealer or
Wilson's Leather store, though. Only a place
where you know they have a clue.