Show your natural leather

[red devil]

I agree with Boyo. There's no way that I would buy a natural leather jacket as my first, second or third purchase... but when you get to the point where you're looking for something a little unique, natural leather is not a bad choice. Mine is looking better with every wear, it just brings out the character and grain. Haven't managed to get enough sun to trigger a change in colour but I'm aiming to wear it on my next trip to London, which is usually sunny. I might just get lucky...

Do you ride? Be it bicycle or motorbike? That would give it character quickly. If not just wearing it while driving your car would help

 

[Boyo]

Do you ride? Be it bicycle or motorbike? That would give it character quickly. If not just wearing it while driving your car would help

unfortunately for me this jacket came in April... which means for the most part leather jacket wearing season is essentially over until October.. I'll be wearing it then and we can see what develops.. until then i plan to sun tan it a few days more and finally condition it..

 

[Sloan1874]

Do you ride? Be it bicycle or motorbike? That would give it character quickly. If not just wearing it while driving your car would help

No, I'm relying on just getting out and about in it - I've managed to rid myself of any serious paranoia about wearing it. I rotate it with my Good Wear and Board Racer, the latter will probably drop away at the end of June and not reappear until September, so there's a good chance it'll start taking on some colour and character. One of the good things about living in this latitude is that we're never quite too warm or too cold for a leather jacket during summer, it's just a question of weight and lining...
Also, I discovered that Tenji Works has been trading in natural leather for a while. Some of jacket ageing is spectacular: http://www.tenjinworks.com/aging/index.php

 

[handymike]

The Tenjin stuff is beautiful, but a different tannery could mean that your results will vary.
I can't wait to see the progression of yours, @Boyo 's, and @sweetfights jackets though.

 

[sweetfights]

unfortunately for me this jacket came in April... which means for the most part leather jacket wearing season is essentially over until October.. I'll be wearing it then and we can see what develops.. until then i plan to sun tan it a few days more and finally condition it..

Keep us posted.
What are your plans for "conditioning" ?

 

[Sloan1874]

Yes, some of these jackets appear to have had a heavy amount treatment to get that bronzed effect.

 

[navetsea]

Only 4 months of wear not even fully exposed to the elements on these.

Mid january when they were new, the wallet is glazed and dyed in slightly yellow tone, while the beltclip was natural. I only treat them once with conditioner and once with mink oil, and suntanned once all done several months back as how we like to give special attention to new items, havent put any care since.

 

[navetsea]

Is it just me or natural suede despite being feared to be hard in maintenance doesnt age as visible as smooth leather does, maybe what i read about patina is caused by oxidation of oil in the leather is true, since we dont oil suede and also avoid getting them wet, just sun exposure alone wont do much tan and patina.

 

[sweetfights]

Only 4 months of wear not even fully exposed to the elements on these.

Mid january when they were new, the wallet is glazed and dyed in slightly yellow tone, while the beltclip was natural. I only treat them once with conditioner and once with mink oil, and suntanned once all done several months back as how we like to give special attention to new items, havent put any care since.

what type of conditioner did you use?

 

[navetsea]

what type of conditioner did you use?

Howard leather conditioner

I like it, smell like lemon consistency of a lotion, and i never see any built up residue on anything i applied onto, already my 3rd bottle in last 4 yrs to condition my jackets, shoes, etc. Also no permanent darkening ( at least not spontaneously) like obenauf oil, if in the long run eventually oxidates and darken the leather then perhaps it darkens but only on veg tanned natural hide , that bottle in the picture is transparent.

 

[Boyo]

Keep us posted.
What are your plans for "conditioning" ?

Since I really wont be wearing the jacket through the summer months I would like to get a solid 10 days of sun tanning on each side, then I plan to rub the jacket down with water ( following the Vintage Engineer Boots Blog) then finally condition it.
I've used Pecards in the past on a Mister Freedom Campus jacket that i had a while ago (didn't fit right).. it definitely softened and mellowed the orangey color a bit but it didn't darken it all that much. I may try Smith's Leather Balm on the Highwayman..

 

[Sloan1874]

After an unexpected encounter with a large bag of soaking wet laundry, my natural leather is well and truly 'bapltised' - particularly down the right arm. It's an interesting effect so i'm going to try wiping it all over with a fine cloth tonight.

 

[red devil]

I would suspect that if you just let it dry on its own, it should be back to normal. That has been my experience so far

 

[Sloan1874]

The jacket is so pale that the water immediately changes the colour.

 

[ton312]

The jacket is so pale that the water immediately changes the colour.

need a pic

 

[navetsea]

The jacket is so pale that the water immediately changes the colour.

if it is only water, then based on what happened to my wallet, it would be only temporarily, it would also raise the surface a bit like having a rash, but as soon as the water dry it would be invisible, oil might be different.

 

[red devil]

if it is only water, then based on what happened to my wallet, it would be only temporarily, it would also raise the surface a bit like having a rash, but as soon as the water dry it would be invisible, oil might be different.

Pretty much, I have wet my natural leather, seen it darken then after a few hours back to the original colour. As long as it's only water.

 

[Boyo]

 

[sweetfights]

View attachment 168186

That’s the way to do it!!!!

 

[Sloan1874]

View attachment 168186

Keep us posted on its development.