Vintage G1 Restoration Help!

[jpk_NJ]

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My latest "project jacket" and first Navy G1 ever. From what I gather, this is a 1969 contract Vietnam era standard issue. And this specific one smells like the pilot ditched in the Gulf of Tonkin! No exaggeration and I've smelt funky smokey vintage before but even the leather has a dried saltwater like tack to it. At the very least, someone attempted survival swimming training in this. Pop the collar, tie the sleeves, and breath into your jacket, creating a flotation bubble.
Question to the lounge when dealing with this sort of funk, how would you go about it? I've previously done soaks/tub washes in woolite on other jackets but doubt that will work here. Also done the vodka spray bottle soak down to get rid of smoke which might help with this. Last resort I know of, spray down with pure vinegar and apparently when it drys, the vinegar smell is gone along with funk.
This wasn't a huge cash outlay so Im willing to gamble but given my military past I'd like to attempt at this being wearable by me. Ideas???

 

[Boyo]

Can’t really help with the smell and salt water stains....maybe toss it in the washing machine no spin.. wring it out, towel dry and then wear it fully dry?.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Never wring out a jacket it tends to rip stitching.

Just hang in mild sun for 3 days. Or wash in a front loader with some detergent. Or send to leather cleaner.

Some jackets can't be brought back.

 

[robrinay]

Simple risk assessment = it’s useless as it is versus you can wear it once it’s fixed therefore/ spray the jacket and lining with a strong ‘white/clear’ vinegar solution and then put it in the washing machine on a wool wash setting with gentle detergent and don’t zip it up or the weight may tear the front panels. Dry flat on a windy sunny day and Lightly Pecard or Vaseline once dry if needed.

 

[l0fielectronic]

I've found the Febreze sprays pretty good in dealing with vintage jackets, spray, air and repeat if necessary.
I guess every product has its limits though!

 

[Dahlan Netsch]

I've found what works best is to soak it in BAKING SODA and water. If it REALLY stinks, like a homeless person wore it, use the whole box of baking soda in a galvanized tub for a couple of days or until it stops stinking.

 

[seres]

...spray the jacket and lining with a strong ‘white/clear’ vinegar solution and then put it in the washing machine on a wool wash setting with gentle detergent and don’t zip it up or the weight may tear the front panels. Dry flat on a windy sunny day and Lightly Pecard or Vaseline once dry if needed.

That is my suggestion as well. When COMPLETELY dry, seal it in a plastic bag with an Ozone generator. Ozone is good at removing organic smells, like tobacco spoke and mold.

 

[jpk_NJ]

This one is definitely beyond the limits of Febreez. Not quite homeless but swam in ocean / never properly washed/dried after. Decided to try the wash sink soak with oolite and vinegar. Hand agitated it a bit, then toweled off excess water, no wringing. Currently drying and it doesn't smell like funk at this point, just vinegar. Hoping the vinegar is still doing its thing while its damp and once dry will be smell free. Fingers crossed. Surprisingly, the old mouton collar took the wash quite well. I was afraid it might start disintegrating

 

[Skyhawk]

You can clean the leather with Lexol leather cleaner. It is PH balanced so it won't harm leather. It will corrode metal though so keep it off the zipper. It is the consistency of shampoo.

Just work a small section at a time. Lather up well and then wipe with a clean wet rag, and then immediately dry with a towel. Move to the next section, repeat. I like to have a little tub of clean water to rinse the wipe rag out after a few sections are done.

Follow up with your favorite leather conditioner when the jacket is dry. I use all natural Renepur leather balm.

Regards,
Jay

 

[jpk_NJ]

Woolite-Vinager acid bath was successful!! Both funk and vinegar smells are now basically 99% gone. Just minor residue in the armpit gusset where the g1 has those folds. I can just imagine the original owner flying an F4 Phantom sweating his balls off as he has to eject! ha

Now onto the "bring back to life" phase as the jacket is basically stiff cardboard/plastic like goat right now. First coat of Chemical Guys leather conditioner on as I find this stuff absorbs faster than any other and requires almost no wipeoff. Then second coat with Pecards and let absorb for a couple days.

 

[Peacoat]

You have a "D" series which means it is goat and not the pressed steer. In that series many (but not all) of the jackets had the faux fur collar. As yours is mouton (and fading to a very nice shade), this jacket is definitely worth rehabbing. You are on the right track. I have had good success with Pecard.

 

[jpk_NJ]

It lives! Completely wearable now. I don’t even mind the knit holes really. Especially given that a new knit job would cost more than what I bought the jacket for

 

[Deacon211]

Beautiful work! That is a great looking jacket.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Peacoat]

Looks good. You could probably take it to a seamstress to have the knits repaired to keep them from further damage.

 

[Chevalier]

I’m hoping to get people’s thoughts & suggestions on this G-1 I just bought. I would like to restore it, but I am trying to figure out how much is original, and how much has already been restored/replaced. The jacket is a 7823B spec.

The waist knits are in ok shape. I was thinking about darning the holes rather than having the waist knits replaced, especially if they are the original knits.

The sleeve knits are so far gone, they will probably need to be replaced.

I’ll do another post about the mouton collar and zipper.

 

[Chevalier]

The mouton collar is in overall good shape. There are a couple of bare spots, but otherwise ok.

I think I will leave as is, unless anything needs done to stabilize the areas of loss.

Is this the original zipper?

Thanks for sharing any knowledge you have.

 

[Bahabp100]

View attachment 190178 '

My latest "project jacket" and first Navy G1 ever. From what I gather, this is a 1969 contract Vietnam era standard issue. And this specific one smells like the pilot ditched in the Gulf of Tonkin! No exaggeration and I've smelt funky smokey vintage before but even the leather has a dried saltwater like tack to it. At the very least, someone attempted survival swimming training in this. Pop the collar, tie the sleeves, and breath into your jacket, creating a flotation bubble.
Question to the lounge when dealing with this sort of funk, how would you go about it? I've previously done soaks/tub washes in woolite on other jackets but doubt that will work here. Also done the vodka spray bottle soak down to get rid of smoke which might help with this. Last resort I know of, spray down with pure vinegar and apparently when it drys, the vinegar smell is gone along with funk.
This wasn't a huge cash outlay so Im willing to gamble but given my military past I'd like to attempt at this being wearable by me. Ideas???

I have had great success after washing in soap and then vinegar water , by using an ozone machine for 2-4 hours (follow directions carefully)