Types of leather finishings. RC Ponyboy

[livioli]

Could someone please explain the different types of leather finishings? And how it affects the ageing and the appearance of the leather.
I'm new to the world of leather jackets. Are finishings just a protective layer added to the leather? Or do they serve other purposes too?

I purchased the RC Ponyboy jacket and it's stated to have a water-based lacquer finish. Is this just an aniline finish?

Thanks in advance,
Livio

 

[Canuck Panda]

Nice pick up congrats. Post some photos. Ponyboy is nice jacket.

Don't worry about the leather, just wear and enjoy, it will be just fine and age well and form to you. There are so many different terms and people use them differently, even leather suppliers call things differently.

 

[AeroFan_07]

+1 You'll just get yourself confused, TBH.

There are also a lot of threads already on these sorts of things, just do a search and you'll find plenty to read.

Welcome and photos are always welcome.

 

[Dbtk44]

The finish is there to give a smoother "sheen" or slight (or more) gloss to the surface, to protect the surface of the leather to a certain extent...without a topcoat, leather is basically a sponge that freely absorbs liquids of any kind and spots horribly...and, to prevent the dyes from rubbing off or bleeding (when wet) on anything and everything it comes in contact with.

Lacquer and acrylic topcoats are pretty much the norm, sprayed on at the tannery. Lacquer isn't quite as common as acrylic, but still used. Either one will take on a patina nicely with wear over time, since they're flexible coatings. The "grain" pops, and as the topcoat wears a bit, you'll get certain "age" characteristics that are visually pleasing to us leather enthusiasts. No worries there!

Without the topcoat, your jacket would look like it's been dragged down 10mi of oiled dirt road in a few months of normal wear, would show stains from the oil in your hands and neck very quickly, and pick up stains and dirt of all sorts before you knew it. The topcoat is a barrier to protect from all this for the most part.
You definitely want a topcoat on a leather jacket if you ever plan to take it off the hanger.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Don't worry about it much. Rainbow Country makes beautiful jackets and uses nice leather.