How to really soften stiff, thick leather? Extreme methods only!

[Monitor]

IMO This garment needs some kind of treatment then a lot of battering. The treatment might just be hot water and then a long time in a dryer ( no heat ) . They need to be beat into submission .. leave them in the dryer until they beg to come out or in this case until they’re on their knees !!

I've given 'em 10 rounds in the dryer, came out nearly good as new. I've been clubbing in them, spilled beer over one knee intentionally... Still feel new.

Just now I came up with this; Mixed 1 decilitre alcohol with a roughly equal amount of water (so that's two cups if I got my Imperial right?), poured in some acetone for good measure, added some Lexol I had left and finally mixed it all with lanolin. Waiting for Saturday to spray that shit all over them, p̶o̶p̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶E̶ have a few beers, embarrass myself all night and report back here with hopefully positive results.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Guiz, leather conditioners, oils, greases, lubricants, etc. are NOT an option for me. I cannot buy them. To me, these things are unobtainable. Household products are my only option. I cannot acquire mink oil. I cannot acquire saddle soap. I have never even seen saddle soap. [insert brand name here] product is precisely what I was trying to avoid with this thread.



Leather pants. Massively heavy and very stiff leather.

@yellowfever; The leather is naked, almost raw. No surface finish to speak of. I do believe there are some waxes in the leather as it has got that CXL vibe going on but I am not 100% sure plus heat doesn't seem to have any effect on it. The pants do not become softer, more pliable with

I have pants that are more wearable but I want to wear these because I really like them. Leather is stunning with character appearing with each wear. Also, I got them tailored to perfection, I really invested a lot of time in them, they're just too robust. The thing is, this helps a lot with the fit. They crease just perfect, look great... But spending an entire day in them is... Tiresome.

At this point, I know they would feel and look much better if fully broken in, borderline destroyed, but I ain't got the time to get there. By the time that happens, I doubt it I will be in any condition to wear leather pants.

Submerge it in water (INSIDE OUT! Rough side/Suede side out). LET IT SIT. Don't touch it. After a few days, take it out check to see if its soft enough, if so, hang dry. You can add a dash of hair conditioner if you want. Alcohol will also break it down, but it also dries it out more than water rots it out.
The goal is to break down the fibers from the flesh side, not the grain side. Tumbling works but it breaks down the grain side which isn't helpful in the long run, but what do I know. And HIGH electricity bill.
It's basically retanning at home with just water, and all the bacteria floating in the air. Very economical and environmental friendly.
You might or might not need a coat of oil when it's all said and done. If it's chrome tanned which I think most are you probably wont need any oil. But if it's got some type of veg retan, then a coat of oil would help to. PM me your shipping address I'll send you tubs of mink oil next time I get some. It makes crappy leather look good fast.

 

[Monitor]

Okay - Success!!

First off, the pants in question are made from 1.7 mm+ (or 6 oz) leather that I don't think was ever intended to be used for wear. We're talking apron like stuff or upholstery or leather like that. Very flat, stiff, no top coat, etc.

Thus I made the following concoction;

• 1 tsp of lanolin
• 1 tsp of Nivea cream
• 1 tsp of Obenauf's LP
• 3 tsp of Lexol
• 30-ish dl of 70% alcohol
• 80-ish dl water.

I boiled the water first and then threw in all the stuff sans alcohol. Waited 'till all the stuff melted and then additionally mixed it all up with electric mixer.

Once the cocktail cooled down, I added alcohol and poured it into the - And I learned the new word today - perfume atomizer.

Sprayed generous coating all over the pants and waited for it to soak up. Put them on after a while, which already felt much easier than the usual and sprayed them again. Repeated the process two times already and I gotta say, the pants already feel infinitely softer.

I'm guessing here that alcohol helps break down ingredients and further merges oils and all the other stuff together, thus helps the lotion soak into the leather even faster. Another thing I'm hoping it might do is break down the oils that were initially part of the leather & thus make it softer. Plus I understand that alcohol ought to evaporate almost instantly so no damage should occur.

Well either way, this did something as the jeans feel softer & approx. 0.5 cm wider.

I'll do one more treatment tomorrow and see what happens.

 

[ES335]

Quick, patent your brew!

"Monitor's Extreme Leather Slapdown, tame that stubborn hide FAST!"

 

[Monitor]

Lol it's still not proven! The trousers are 100x better but honestly, it could just be water... Who knows, really. I'm just glad they've softened up.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Okay - Success!!

First off, the pants in question are made from 1.7 mm+ (or 6 oz) leather that I don't think was ever intended to be used for wear. We're talking apron like stuff or upholstery or leather like that. Very flat, stiff, no top coat, etc.

Thus I made the following concoction;

• 1 tsp of lanolin
• 1 tsp of Nivea cream
• 1 tsp of Obenauf's LP
• 3 tsp of Lexol
• 30-ish dl of 70% alcohol
• 80-ish dl water.

I boiled the water first and then threw in all the stuff sans alcohol. Waited 'till all the stuff melted and then additionally mixed it all up with electric mixer.

Once the cocktail cooled down, I added alcohol and poured it into the - And I learned the new word today - perfume atomizer.

Sprayed generous coating all over the pants and waited for it to soak up. Put them on after a while, which already felt much easier than the usual and sprayed them again. Repeated the process two times already and I gotta say, the pants already feel infinitely softer.

I'm guessing here that alcohol helps break down ingredients and further merges oils and all the other stuff together, thus helps the lotion soak into the leather even faster. Another thing I'm hoping it might do is break down the oils that were initially part of the leather & thus make it softer. Plus I understand that alcohol ought to evaporate almost instantly so no damage should occur.

Well either way, this did something as the jeans feel softer & approx. 0.5 cm wider.

I'll do one more treatment tomorrow and see what happens.

I like the way you roll!

 

[yellowfever]

That does sound very thick hide for trousers (thicker than my vanson CW motorbike pants, which were a beast to break in) so now I better understand your pain! Glad your special concoction seems to be working. Pictures? Curious to see the results…

 

[Marc mndt]

Pictures?

2kg 5 pocket. This was before any treatment.

 

[Christoball]

Try rubbing Pecard’s leather cream (not the regular dressing but the cream) liberally on the inside/unfinished side of the leather, and a wax based dressing on the outside. Use a heat gun on low or a hair dryer on medium to warm the leather and hasten the absorption. Really knead and massage the leather while applying.

 

[Peacoat]

Try rubbing Pecard’s leather cream (not the regular dressing but the cream) liberally on the inside/unfinished side of the leather, and a wax based dressing on the outside. Use a heat gun on low or a hair dryer on medium to warm the leather and hasten the absorption. Really knead and massage the leather while applying.

He, for some reason, has no access to conditioners, so that won't work for him.

 

[Monitor]

He, for some reason, has no access to conditioners, so that won't work for him.

For reason that I live in Europe and buying US made conditioners from anywhere doubles the price 'cause of the shipping and potential import costs which may or may not occur. I'm not paying for that junk.

Plus, the conditioners we got here seem to be doing the same thing as famous ones. Petroleum jelly, wax, silicone & oil. What else is there, anyway?

 

[Will Zach]

Pretty much all the same. Urad is Italian, should be available in your neck of the woods, no? This is what they say about their Tenderly softener (emphasis mine):

"A softener that protects. Gives leather a soft touch.

Especially suitable on leather clothing such as gloves, pants and jackets, and for any color."

Not sayin that Monitor Miracle Whip (TM) is any worse, just sayin.

 

[Robson]

I live in The Netherlands and things like Neetfoot oil is also available in Europe, I use it to soften natural leather.

 

[ES335]

For reason that I live in Europe and buying US made conditioners from anywhere doubles the price 'cause of the shipping and potential import costs which may or may not occur. I'm not paying for that junk.

Plus, the conditioners we got here seem to be doing the same thing as famous ones. Petroleum jelly, wax, silicone & oil. What else is there, anyway?

Eye of Newt. But glad you came up with something that works.

 

[handymike]

Pretty much all the same. Urad is Italian, should be available in your neck of the woods, no? This is what they say about their Tenderly softener (emphasis mine):

"A softener that protects. Gives leather a soft touch.

Especially suitable on leather clothing such as gloves, pants and jackets, and for any color."

Not sayin that Monitor Miracle Whip (TM) is any worse, just sayin.

Tenderly’s softening results don’t last past 2 weeks, but the satin finish will last a lifetime.

 

[Monitor]

This Saturday I'll be testing an even more extreme Miracle Whip; Same formula except with added Uberlube - Silicon based intimate lubricant - into the mix. And more lanolin because lanolin is cool.

 

[JMax]

Aaaand, the smell of it all may help you at the clubs. Win-win.