How do I "break in" heavy horsehide?

[Hammer Down]

I have a two month-old Schott 641HH. Since it is a cafe racer (no collar), the rigid leather is a bit of a problem in terms of comfort. When I drive my Jeep, it pushes up into my neck very uncomfortably.

I have rolled it a little in my hands around the top of the collar that pushes into my neck and under my chin, and this helped a little, but the whole front of the jacket is like a board and pushes the cafe racer collar into my neck when I am seated while wearing the jacket. It's not so bad on my motorcycle, because I sit more forward, but in my Jeep it is pretty much torture at this point.

MY QUESTION IS THIS: HOW AGGRESSIVELY CAN I BREAK IN MY HEAVY HORSEHIDE JACKET, AND HOW DO I BREAK IT IN? I saw a post on TFL that explained this a few weeks ago, and did not print it out. Mistake! I am quite interested in hearing about how leather workers "break" the leather, or if breaking the leather is ill-advised and could ruin the present look of my jacket, which is stunning (at least to me).

I have heard the "wear it everywhere" technique of breaking in a heavy/stiff leather jacket, but that is going to be a lesson in torture (at least while driving) because the jacket is so stiff and uncomfortable in the seated position. It can easily stand up on its own like a Centurian's armor. If at all possible, I would rather not use the front of my neck as a tool to break in heavy horsehide.

In case it would be helpful, here are some photographs of my 641HH:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...chott-Horse-Hide-Jacket&highlight=Hammer+Down

 

[GHQ1]

Have you slept in it yet?

Another technique is to put in on the bed under a blanket . .and then jump on it . .or do other things . .

Horsehide is a jealous mistress -- she demands your constant attention and fidelity!

 

[tonypaj]

The answer to your main question is that you can be as aggressive as you want to be. Unfortunately it cannot be defined any better.

Heavy horsehide is uncomfortable when bought new, just because it is like that by nature. Sure, you can put the jackets in dryers, give water treatments, you'll get all options here if you wish to search a bit. But at times heavy horsehide remains uncomfortable even after all the years or all possible aging processes.

I drive a Jeep, as well. A 99 Wrangler. I tried FQHH in many jackets, but I only have one left. The rest are lighter, more comfortable ones, A-2s, goats, lighter weight jackets, they just are easier to wear for my purposes. I tried to have my cake and eat it, but figured out after many expensive mistakes what my real uses for leather jackets are. I love the looks of heavy horsehide, but I'm not made for it.

 

[Peacoat]

Roll it up and sit on it, changing the direction of the roll every 30 minutes or so. Some put it in the washing machine on gentle with no soap to soften the leather. I have never done that, but it works for some. If I had the stiffness you describe, I think I would try the washing machine route. Let it dry naturally over a period of severel days so the leather doesn't shrink.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Wear it in the rain a few times. And definitely don't put it in the dryer.

 

[jcmjrt]

I used a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water to soak my new lost worlds HH jacket and then wore it. I also wore it in the rain which was easy to do since it was rainy season when I got it and it only took a couple of wears to feel reasonably comfortable.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

I used a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water to soak my new lost worlds HH jacket.

You guys have some serious cajones with these things you soak your jackets in. I don't think you could force me at gunpoint to soak my $1000 jacket in isopropyl alcohol. It may make the jacket break in a bit but it is classified as a solvent on any standard MSDS, who knows what effect that is going to have on the seams and leather 2-5-10 years down the line.
_________________________________________________________________

OP - If the collar rides up into your throat on the bike, chances are the jacket is a bit too big.

 

[billyb]

When I drive my Jeep, it pushes up into my neck very uncomfortably.

The very reason I ordered my Aero FQHH jacket at a length that stops at the middle of my beltline. Not sure your problem can be resolved by breaking in the jacket

 

[Tony B]

Pure neatsfoot oil, not blended with anything , lint free cloth and plenty of rubbing.

 

[caffeinated]

You might work on the lower part of the jacket in addition to the collar. I sat many a night with my Aero Cafe Racer flexing and rolling and kneading the torso portion of the jacket to get it to relax a bit so it wouldn't push the collar up into my neck when I am seated. I did the same with the collar and it's not as bad as it was new. I still do it sometimes when I just sitting around, because I like the feel and look of the leather. This is not something I would say outside this forum I'm sure, lol.

You have to decide for yourself if you are willing to try any of the solvents or oils to speed up the process. I sprayed some water on mine a few times and have been caught in the rain a few times on my bike, but I am not willing to use anything stronger.

Personal preference, but I bought it in large part because I want to observe and participate in this breaking in process. Water is something natural that the jacket will encounter in normal wear, rubbing alcohol isn't. So wetting the jacket and kneading the leather to make it more comfortable is not doing anything that will compromise the leather or create any unnatural wear patterns. That's my thought process anyway.

I still have the problem you have in the car though. I mitigate it by unzipping the jacket and pulling it down and making it comfortable before I set off.

Good luck, have fun!
Steve

 

[Hammer Down]

Last night, I put on a pair of goatskin gloves and kneaded the jacket collar and also rolled the jacket a little and pressed my knees on it. I really worked over the collar. It is much better now. The process also broke in my new goatskin gloves nicely! I am feeling better about the jacket now. It is still stiff, but better.

I have not tried wetting it, or putting oil or anything on it yet. I have gotten contradictory advice about oil. I wore the jacket into Langlitz the other day when I bought my gloves. The guy behind the front counter was very cool. One of the lead leatherers came over to take a break from his labor, and looked at the horsehide. He liked the one piece back on my jacket, and also the thickness of the hide. He said Langlitz has not gotten horsehide lately because of US laws about slaughtering horses. Both of the guys at Langlitz seemed a tad nostalgic about horsehide, like they missed working with it.

The guy behind the counter advised me to put the Langlitz silicone leather dressing on my jacket right away. I bought some, and took it home. But I have not put any silicone dressing on my jacket yet because other people on Fedora have told me that I could ruin the jacket with too much conditioner. I have had the jacket for about 5 weeks now. I bought it new from Schott.

 

[ButteMT61]

I put mine in a hot dryer for ~10 mins and got it hot. Put it on, and wore it. Did that 5-10 times. Now it fits like a glove. Still needs more time on me, but it helped with the initial stiffness. No shrinkage as it was dry. Don't use oils.

 

[Hammer Down]

Wow, that's cool, Butte. I like your gutsy daring. What do others think about putting a dry leather jacket in a hot drier? Mine is a tad too big. I guess if it shrunk a tad it would not matter, unless it shrunk in the wrong places.

I wish I could have tried on a 44 as well as a 46. I got a 46 but I think a 44 might have fit better. I have since realized that my jacket is supposed to be tighter for its style as a cafe racer jacket. It is fairly loose fitting for a cafe, but comfortable. 20/20 hindsight, I guess.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

Hammer Down,

Been there done that with jackets that were too big, just cut your losses and sell it before stuffing it in a dryer and trying to shrink her down. If the fit bothers you now it will never not bother you. As someone who rides I know that a bigger jacket can be irritating to ride with. Sell the jacket, you'll get a fair price for it, cut your losses and get something where you love the fit, if you don't, return it, don't compromise, not at this price point.

Good luck!

 

[HorseHide]

Hammer Down,

Been there done that with jackets that were too big, just cut your losses and sell it before stuffing it in a dryer and trying to shrink her down. If the fit bothers you now it will never not bother you. As someone who rides I know that a bigger jacket can be irritating to ride with. Sell the jacket, you'll get a fair price for it, cut your losses and get something where you love the fit, if you don't, return it, don't compromise, not at this price point.

Good luck!

+1 (and I agree with those that advise against oils, washers/dryers and most importantly, alcohol; aside from enjoying a good cocktail while wearing the coat I cannot see how a combination of alcohol and leather will ever end well).

 

[Jules]

What works for me is just wearing it as much as possible everywhere all the time.
Wear it as much as possible from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed and if you want you could even wear it in bed!
Can you get away with wearing it at work, if you can wear it everyday at work wear it as much as possible?
The other thing is try to get out in the rain and wear it as much as possible even if it gets soaked.
For me the only way to break in a jacket is to wear it ......as much as possible.
I would stay away from putting any of the potions and poisons on it unless you are 100% sure they wont damage the leather.
The down side to the wearing method of breaking in is it can take several weeks .

 

[Lando]

I've found that wearing you're jacket in the rain is the safest express to a broken in jacket. There are lots of other weird little things you can do, but they all carry a level of risk. My most broken in HH Jackets are the ones I've worn in the rain. Then I give them about a day to dry out, give them a light oiling, and they end up way softer. I asked a chemist friends about that and he think it's something about the acid content in rain that helps to break the leather down slightly, more so than tap water. That's my two cents on the matter. In the end though, its all just wear.

 

[Hammer Down]

Can you bottle me some NJ rain with the acid in it? I live in Oregon. The rain here is more pure than bottled water, since bottled water has plastic polymers in it. Anyhow, I will try your suggestion, Lando. What kind of oil do you use? Many thanks for your cool postings.

 

[Shiloh John]

Roll it up, sit on it like a car seat for a few days! And BICK 4 shall set you free. Apply liberally!!

 

[Daniel Hunter]

Tumble it in a clothes dryer on no heat for a couple of hours. It did wonders for my heavy steer hide Highwayman.