oops what have i done to my Highwayman!

[Mark]

Hi guys ,
I'm in need of some advice; I accidentally damaged my Aero Higwayman. I feel i right prat explaining this.....my wife noticed a small/tiny dent in the back of my jacket. I should have left it but did'nt. I thought i'd gently massage the area with my thumb to bring out/flatten the indentation. However, all i achieved was to remove the surrounding area of it's waxy sheen and colour. It looks a bit like a thumb print on a mirror, only way i can describe it. It bothers the hell out of me. I have applied Aero's rejuv. lotion, leather condioners and yesterday some dark brown shoe polish which has had the best results so far, but this seems to be temporary as it is easily removed. It is'nt like a normal llight scratch/scuff which you expect to aquire, it really is noticable (about the size of a 50p)

Any help would be hugely appreciated, i simply don't want to make it any worse.

Thanks
Mark

 

[Peacoat]

Call Amanda and see what she says. Maybe it can be repaired in Scotland. If so, it will be a simple matter to send it back as you are in the UK. I wouldn't do anything else to it without talking to Aero.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I second what Peacoat says! and remember to tell them what you have done so far.

D

 

[Tony B]

The best bet might have been to heat the leather very local to the "damage " to get some of the wax and oil to leaach out to the surface and then buff a bit but to be honest with you chromexcel is made to show wear and tear as much as possibe and that combined with what you have done to"fix" the problem might make it hard going.

I am not trying to sounds sarcastic when I say that but I have done that sort of thing enough times myself to know the stuff you do when trying to make things better is normally the very thing that makes it worse.

Can you get the stuff that you put on back off again to start afresh?

 

[Mark]

Thanks Tony and Davy,
I don't like to bother Amanda, particularly as i'm already keeping her busy with my A2 order! She has emailed me today twice and its a Sunday! What a woman she is.

I will resist messing around with my pride and joy and email Amanda at a later date.

Thanks to you both for replying.
mark

 

[Mark]

Hi Tony, yes i can Fiebings do a leather cleaner/remover that you use before applying there colour/dye. I'm sure it works well but i'm too scared to try it at least without consulting Aero. To be honest i'd rather pay and send it up to Scotland for them to sort if they can. I do fret that ultimatley i may have to have the entire back panel replaced! Of course i'm a little OCD about this, for most it perhaps would'nt bother them.

Cheers

mark

The best bet might have been to heat the leather very local to the "damage " to get some of the wax and oil to leaach out to the surface and then buff a bit but to be honest with you chromexcel is made to show wear and tear as much as possibe and that combined with what you have done to"fix" the problem might make it hard going.

I am not trying to sounds sarcastic when I say that but I have done that sort of thing enough times myself to know the stuff you do when trying to make things better is normally the very thing that makes it worse.

Can you get the stuff that you put on back off again to start afresh?

 

[Tony B]

No DONT PUT ANYMORE CHEMICALS ON IT, it is just that when you said the shoe polish was comming off I thought it might have been possible to wipe off.

 

[OneEyeMan]

Just buff the area with a soft cloth for a while till the sheen comes back
Or, you can do nothing and wear the hell out of it.
The sheen will come back by itself in time.
No more chemicals.
Just remember, Aero's Horse Hide is meant to be abused in all weather.
The worse it looks, the better it looks in my opinion.
Lenny

 

[Dr H]

+1
Relax and wear it and please don't fork out to replace the back panel, it's simply not worth it. The minute you start getting too concerned about surface finish a little of the pleasure in wearing a jacket goes IMHO. Short of a tear or brushing against a brick wall, wear it and it'll distress accordingly.
If it continues to bother you, sell it on and look for another either here, on VLJF or EBay - it's not a rare jacket and unless your dimensions are particularly large or small you should find a replacement.
Good luck with it.

 

[oldcrow82]

Like the others said, what you've done mark is what appeals to most of us about aeros chrome tanned FQHH. I would think that with a horse hair brush some buffing out to move enough of the wax and oils around, that you shouldn't even notice it. Don't replace the panel it will be fine with wear.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Yes...it would be a bummer to have such an obvious spot of color loss standing out in one place. My advice would be to now 'leave it alone' and take a picture of the spot and send it to Amanda. She can recommend a fix better than anyone. At least you'd know exactly what could be done...and that would relieve worrying about if it can be repaired.
HD

 

[2jakes]

I bought a tan leather jacket for a low price because the owner was disgusted with an dark stain on the front . Because I do oil & acrylic
landscape painting I was able to massage & blend the color to match the rest of the jacket. I used acrylic & when dry I used a shoe brush
& was able to bring back the sheen to the jacket. If you're not sure, leave it alone like the rest of the guys said. Good Luck to you!

 

[Mark]

Thanks for that, i was actually thinking of going over it again with a touch more shoe polish! However, i'll take all the advice given and leave well alone, apart from buffing it a bit.

Cheers

Just buff the area with a soft cloth for a while till the sheen comes back
Or, you can do nothing and wear the hell out of it.
The sheen will come back by itself in time.
No more chemicals.
Just remember, Aero's Horse Hide is meant to be abused in all weather.
The worse it looks, the better it looks in my opinion.
Lenny

 

[rick5150]

How old is the jacket? The reason I ask is that these jackets break in amazingly and eventually will have all kinds of character. You will wind up replacing panels all the time if every time the jacket is marred you are unhappy. Plus, by replacing the panel, you could risk a mismatch in color that may bother you even more.

I had a beautiful 1987 Monte Carlo SS in perfect showroom condition. I would park it at the end of a parking lot at the supermarket. I would cringe every time I drove through an area where they were paving because tar spots and gravel dings. I would buff out any light scratches the second I noticed them. After a while, I stopped driving it. I bought a salvage vehicle - a 1996 Jeep Wrangler and the Monte Carlo sat in the driveway because I was afraid it would get damaged. It looked great but it was no longer fun.

The jacket will be the same way for you. If you worry about it each time you get a scratch or mark on it, it will become a source of stress and will be safest hanging in the closet. Exactly the opposite of what this leather should be doing. Celebrate the uniqueness of the jacket because it will only continue to become ....more unique.

 

[Mark]

Thanks for that Rick, to be honest its more than just a scratch or scuff but i'm dealing with it by taking on board all your suggestions and leaving alone apart from bit of buffing. I can relate 100% to your car analagy. I have a 7 year old son who's nails are not cut as often as they should be. If i'v got my jacket on i find myself backing away from when he approaches me!!Terrible i know. You are right stops you from enjoying your pride and joy.
Cheers
Mark[
QUOTE=rick5150;1437607]How old is the jacket? The reason I ask is that these jackets break in amazingly and eventually will have all kinds of character. You will wind up replacing panels all the time if every time the jacket is marred you are unhappy. Plus, by replacing the panel, you could risk a mismatch in color that may bother you even more.

I had a beautiful 1987 Monte Carlo SS in perfect showroom condition. I would park it at the end of a parking lot at the supermarket. I would cringe every time I drove through an area where they were paving because tar spots and gravel dings. I would buff out any light scratches the second I noticed them. After a while, I stopped driving it. I bought a salvage vehicle - a 1996 Jeep Wrangler and the Monte Carlo sat in the driveway because I was afraid it would get damaged. It looked great but it was no longer fun.

The jacket will be the same way for you. If you worry about it each time you get a scratch or mark on it, it will become a source of stress and will be safest hanging in the closet. Exactly the opposite of what this leather should be doing. Celebrate the uniqueness of the jacket because it will only continue to become ....more unique.[/QUOTE]