One man's system: machine washing and conditioning vintage jackets

[Dr H]

Paul, tread very carefully with that AN-J-4 :-0
70 year old shearling needs gentle handling.

 

[John Lever]

Two recent disasters have made me stop washing jackets after over ten years of doing so. Sheepskin gets so heavy and weak when wet that if there are any issues at at the jacket will just disintegrate. Horsehide may be different due to the inherent strength. I now clean the inside fleece separately and when dry , the outer.

 

[jon11]

washing jackets in a machine, a brave man

 

[armscye]

Shearling

Comments in response to the questions that came in this weekend:

1. Yes, I end up putting a lot of conditioner on. But remember that Lexol is about 90% water, so the "solute load" of a painted-on coat of Lexol is probably less than the total applied weight of a rubbed-in coat of Pecard's. Also, washing pulls a lot of grungy oils out, so the Lexol must replace the previous oil.

2. I would never recommend my techniques for genuinely historical jackets-- the patina there is part of history. If you lucked into Chuck Yeager's original A2, the grit in the lining probably has particles of 1947 Muroc X1 prototype paint in it, so I certainly would not recommend washing that down the drain. By the same token, a spanking new Aero or Doniger probably doesn't need machine washing. I use these methods for vintage jackets that I plan to wear, not museum pieces.


3. I have never machine washed a shearling jacket, and I think I would approach it very carefully if at all. Sheep is not a super strong leather, a lot of shearlings are splits rather than full grain, and the weight of the jacket would be very substantial if the fleece were soaking wet. I might instead consider immersive hand washing (in other words, put it in a tub, use some woolite, soak it, rinse it and very carefully dry it).

As I said in my post, this is one guy's system-- what I did with my two hands and how it worked out for me. YMMV-- these are the interwebs, man. I don't plan to buy anyone a new jacket, but then again if my technique rejuvenates an otherwise trashed jacket of yours, you need not pay me.

 

[Raven2k360]

I know I'm reviving an old thread, but I have a question -- I've been using this method on a cheap jacket I bought (long story), and noticed that in the write-up, it's mentioned that the jacket should be drying glossy; I've put about 4 coats of Lexol on the jacket, and each coat has dried with a white film on the jacket, but it's definitely super-supple now. Is it possible Lexol changed their formula since this write-up, or should I keep going until the jacket is glossy after drying for ~a day?

Only differences so far that I've done is I haven't used the Woolite (would've had to buy the huge 30+ load bottle), I used my OxiClean detergent, and I've let each coat dry for more than the 4hrs mentioned before applying the next coat (roughly a day between coats - doing other things).

 

[zebedee]

This is all far too scary for me to even consider. I wipe jackets down with a damp cloth if they're getting grubby (hasn't ever really happened to many parts of a jacket's surfaces, but I don't ride), and, maybe once every five years, lightly apply Renapur to the inner collar area with a sponge if I think it's needed. I'd consider a professional (probably maker-recommended or even maker-performed) service if required. Just reading about the potential mistakes I could make... well, let's just say if I wasn't such a coward, I would run.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

No way would I throw one of my leather jackets ( vintage or not ) in the washer and then over saturate with Lexol attempting to get some kind of finish back. That's way too much Lexol to paint on a jacket. You'd never get the white film buffed off as it would forever keep seeping out.
HD

 

[Raven2k360]

Don't worry, this isn't a vintage or even remotely expensive jacket I'm doing this to... It's a cheap-ass perfecto style jacket from leatherup.com, I paid ~$70 shipped for it. I wasn't expecting much from the jacket in the first place, but it arrived really stiff (especially for thin leather) and with a plastic-like finish. That, and only wearing it a couple times, the stitching for the liner as already started breaking, so I'd already written it off...this is more of an experiment to see if I can make the jacket more serviceable, and to see what this procedure will do.

I've also washed a couple cheap used G1s I picked up on ebay (Aviation Leathers brand), and while they both were a bit stiff when dry, I've put a light coat of Lexol on one of them so far with a rag, and it's softened back up decently...may still throw a second coat on it. I had to wash at least one of them though, it came from a smoker (wasn't disclosed) and reeked when I opened the box...wanted to gag.

Not sure I'd wash an expensive jacket, but cheaper/used ones I'm not worried about. I've even washed my textile motorcycle jacket (has leather panels) without any issue.

 

[Seb Lucas]

A common way to ruin a jacket is to over condition it. You see it done from time to time by novices. The jacket ends up sticky or white for years and ends up on ebay.

I would never apply more than one light coat of Lexol or Pecards. I have washed many jackets over 30 years and I often don't put any dressing on them afterwards. It just isn't necessary.

 

[Claybertrand]

Several Loungers have asked if I can document the process I use for reconditioning leather jackets, which involves the unusual steps of machine washing, tumbling, and some unusual conditioning steps. Recently my flea market hauntings turned up a suitable candidate jacket, and so I am pleased to provide this tutorial.

Let me begin with the standard internet caveat YMMV, meaning that your mileage may vary. I have washed more than thirty flight and moto jackets over the past five years, without destroying one, so I am confident that it is not a destructive process for hard finished decent quality jackets. I have also used the process with suede, nubuck, and pigskin, but only with the additional step of washing the jacket in a mesh bag. And I've dealt with some weak linings and fraying seams that may have been exacerbated by washing, but the need for such repairs is not uncommon in any vintage leather.

My jacket candidate for this project turned up in central Connecticut on a fine Sunday morning. It appears to be well made private label jacket, in the style of the old Buco J100-- shirt styling, two zipped breast pockets, central zipper, a snug fit, and a light quilted lining with zip sleeves. I say private label because the supplied label does not define brand, and looks like it is intended to be displayed with a retailer's companion label adjacent. The jacket is almost certainly US made (Talon brass zippers, US rivets, no import tags, one-piece back) in a midweight cowhide that looks to have been sprayed after chrome tanning (the leather is uncolored at it center). My guess as to history is that it is a piece from the Seventies “On any Sunday” era, maybe made by Brooks, Beck, Reed, Excelled, or similar.

Here is the “Before” shot—thirty years worth of road grit and grime have matted the leather, leaving it with some nice patina, but also that flat, dull look.

View attachment 1058

As my Step One, after inspecting the jacket for structural issues that washing might exacerbate, I start by zipping the jacket, and buckling all buckles and snaps. The goal is to retain as much structural integrity as possible, to keep the general shape from being twisted, and to prevent unfastened metal fittings from puncturing the hide.

I use a FRONT LOAD washer exclusively. Without an agitator column that the jacket would wrap around, this type of washer is vastly more gentle on heavy items, and tends to do a better job of rinsing as well.

I have experimented with top load washers, but they are a poor second choice—you can get by placing the jacket in a mesh bag to prevent it from wrapping around the column, and then being twisted and torn (I lost a nice security-style nylon jacket this way once). But you won’t get the cleaning power of a front loader.
View attachment 1059
In Step Two, I then add a normal washload measure of Woolite. I use the colorfast Woolite in the black bottle, in order to prevent unwanted bleaching effects. On rare occasions, when dealing with a heavily oiled or very dirty jacket, I’ve switched to a half measure of conventional liquid detergent. But this generally strips almost all of the oils (the wash water looks like a milkshake), and leaves a much duller finish. There is also a fairly dramatic effect on the amount of restorative oil the jacket will subsequently drink up: a conventional detergent really dries the leather. I wash cold, usually using the delicates cycle to limit the amount of tumbling.

99 minutes later, I remove the jacket by cradling from below and lifting it. Remember, a wet jacket has lost much of its strength, at the exact moment it has quadrupled its weight.

I then place the jacket on a table, and gently shift it onto a sturdy, heavily padded hanger. I use wooden suit hangers padded with kid’s foam pool noodles. At this point, the wet hide will look fabulous-- thick and puffy at the seams because of the water— like an old Schott horsehide Perfecto.
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As an aside, I believe that the washing process has several positive effects that collectively transform the jacket. Washing removes the matted effect, thickening the hide the same way a kitchen sponge gets fatter when wet. It gets rid of all the grit that is dulling the finish and hiding the grain. It accents the hide striations. And it often tightens the stitching a bit, creating interesting puckering and patination at the seams.

As Step Three, I let the jacket dry a day, then very gently turn it inside out and let dry a second day, pulling out any pocket linings. This drying phase, by the way, is the proper time to shape the collar to any drape you like. My Cooper A2 collar looked ridiculous until I reshaped it while wet—now it has a great “Twelve o Clock High” military curl.

In Step Four, here’s the Big Reveal of my secret conditioning technique. I’ve experimented for years with essentially every leather conditioning compound out there, including but not limited to Sno Seal, Mink Oil, Pecard’s, Obenauf’s, Kiwi Leather lotion, various neatsfoot oils, and Urad. I’ve also talked to tanners, shoe repairmen, chemists, and the engineers at Audi (a client) who specify their interior leather. After all this research, and a couple of hundred experiments, I’ve circled back around to plain ol’ Lexol as providing the correct combination of penetration, softening, and visual benefit.

Here’s the short version of why: leather is basically spaghetti strands made of protein, lightly glued together with more protein, but then lubricated for flexibility by animal fats so the strands can slide over one another. When you tan leather, you remove most of the animal fats (since they decay over time) with a caustic tanning solution, winding up with what look like sheets of white or blue cardboard. Then, in a process tanneries call Fat Liquoring, you replace the lost animal fats with lubricants that won’t decay. Real tanneries tumble hides in heated solutions of oils that are emulsified with water to aid penetration into the hide. And Lexol is exactly that—an oil emulsified in a water base.
View attachment 1061
In my system, I lay the jacket out on a table (important— vertical hanging lets the Lexol run off), and then paint on 2-3 coats of Lexol at 4 hour intervals, each heated to steaming in the microwave. The heat seems to help the Lexol penetrate, and I begin to see grain enhancement within minutes after applying it. I have not, by the way, ever experienced Lexol soak through to the lining on any quality jacket—though it happened once with a thin pigskin mall jacket.
View attachment 1062
When the hide still dries to a gloss after a full day, I know I’ve stuffed as much oil into the leather as it is going to take. At this point, the jacket looks like a $29 vinyl item, but don’t panic. We’re going to undo that overglossed condition in the next steps.
View attachment 1065
In Step Five, I use several measures to get rid of the excess oil. The first step is to wipe the jacket down fairly vigorously with a damp cloth, turning frequently. You’ll see some color come out of the leather, even with a vintage jacket, but that’s normal. Then I zip everything back up, walk back to the laundry room, and put the jacket in the dryer—set to tumble WITH NO HEAT. I use about ten plastic dryer balls—nubbed plastic balls that are Europe’s alternative to fabric softener—and tumble the jacket for about an hour. I do not recommend tennis balls, since I’ve found their nap seems to absorb a lot of oil.
View attachment 1063
The tumbling softens the leather, beats the oil into the interior of the leather gently, and redistributes any areas that are overoiled. It also can leave the interior of the dryer very slightly oil, but I take of that by tumbling a towel for a few minutes afterward.

One more damp cloth wipedown, with special attention to crevices, and the jacket should look supple, with that satiny expensive-leather look, and a tactile “hand” that feels amazing.
View attachment 1064

 

[Claybertrand]

In know this is an old thread --- just ID'ing his experimental jacket. It is from Fidelity Leathers in Massachusetts. They mass produced these Cafe Racers in a couple of designs for a long time and they are fairly plentiful on line. I have 5 of them. Just an FYI.

 

[navetsea]

I wash my jacket in the washing machine but no detergent when I feel tired of their brand new look, cold water no detergent short cycle, and then hang dry in front of a standing fan overnight, the next morning it would still damp, I would wear it and knead it around to give characters, then after few days after new creases and shape are formed then you can condition it a little, gloss will come back after the leather is worn for few weeks in my case so no need for over conditioning in one go

 

[Peacoat]

I've put about 4 coats of Lexol on the jacket, and each coat has dried with a white film on the jacket, but it's definitely super-supple now. Is it possible Lexol changed their formula since this write-up, or should I keep going until the jacket is glossy after drying for ~a day?

I've been using Lexol on tack for 30+ years and haven't noticed any difference in the formula. If you have put 4 coats on your jacket, that is probably 3 coats too many. Wipe it down and leave it alone.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

I've done something like this to resize a jacket and a pair of goatskin pants I just got.

The jacket was a little too small.
I did not put it in the washing machine.
I put it in the bathtub and filled the tub with hot water until the jacket was covered.
The jacket took a few days to slowly dry out. As it went I would pull and twist and try to get the thing to give an inch or so here and there. The leather is super heavy duty and this took days. My hands were sore from the work.
In the end it does fit better.

The goatskin riding pants were a bit loose in the hips and thighs. I think the knees were also stretched out. These also had damage (a low speed crash I was told) and had visible scuffs were the dark brown was removed and showing the lighter leather underneath. No holes.
I also wanted to simply wash these and the liner. I used a drizzle of laundry detergent and massaged briefly. Soaking them the same way I did the jacket months earlier, I was hoping the hot water would pull and shrink the loose bits. Right away the dye started coming out in clouds. The goatskin never faded more than a shade or two (maybe slight less dark), but the dye then stuck to the scuffs and re-dyed those areas.

These I did put in the dryer for a few minutes at a time. Mostly to speed up the drying time. These also took about 3 days to really dry out.
In the end I pulled the legs back to the correct length and width.
They are still a bit loose but fit much better. The hips and thighs are much closer to my size and the knees returned to a normal shape rather than looking like I had a pocket for armor there. A little extra room seems reasonable since they are meant to be on a motorcycle in the sitting position.

This can work, but I really think you have to go in with full attention and acceptance that it might not change in the way you wanted it to. There is always that chance.