Vintage leather motorbike coat in need of repair

[Kiekeboe]

Hello,

I am new to this forum, but this looked like a good place to start my search for help...

In 1991 in the Netherlands on a flea market , I bought an old brown leather trench/motorbike coat. I have worn it for a good couple of years, but around 2000 I moved to the UK and the coat went in a box and hasn't been worn since.

After several house moves last week I rediscovered the box and coat. I know it looks in a bad state, but I am wondering, and hoping, that it can still be restored to some degree so it can be enjoyed again...

Could anyone give advice on how to approach restoration of this coat as I do't really know where to start and I certainly don't want to make it any worse...!?

The coat doesn't smell mouldy or rotten. It just smells of leather and is really dry.

Additionally if anyone can tell me what kind of coat this is and possibly how old, that would be a big bonus, as I don't really know anything about the coat. I think it's a motorbike coat as it has the straps on the inside to tie the coat to the legs, but I have no clue about it's age... (?)

All your insights are greatly appreciated...

Paul

 

[Marc mndt]

Hello,

I am new to this forum, but this looked like a good place to start my search for help...

In 1991 in the Netherlands on a flea market , I bought an old brown leather trench/motorbike coat. I have worn it for a good couple of years, but around 2000 I moved to the UK and the coat went in a box and hasn't been worn since.

After several house moves last week I rediscovered the box and coat. I know it looks in a bad state, but I am wondering, and hoping, that it can still be restored to some degree so it can be enjoyed again...

Could anyone give advice on how to approach restoration of this coat as I do't really know where to start and I certainly don't want to make it any worse...!?

The coat doesn't smell mouldy or rotten. It just smells of leather and is really dry.

Additionally if anyone can tell me what kind of coat this is and possibly how old, that would be a big bonus, as I don't really know anything about the coat. I think it's a motorbike coat as it has the straps on the inside to tie the coat to the legs, but I have no clue about it's age... (?)

All your insights are greatly appreciated...

Paul

Looks like a 'Solex jas'. Popular in the Netherlands in the 60s.

I'm not sure what you mean with restoring. If that means giving it a coat of Urad I'd say why not. But if that means repairing, I'm not sure it's worth the investment. These typically go for €50 / €100 (in much better condition).

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

some people specifically look for that wearing down of color, varying shades, etc. It's called "patina" or "vintage" etc. If it's dry like feeling like flaking, cracking, etc. depending on the degree of it, a good leather conditioner will help bring it back and also round out the colors some. Pecards, Skidmore, vaseline, even a good hand lotion will do the trick if it just needs a little drink. Apply a couple coats and see what happens over a week or two. If it's cracked, crumbling, etc. then it's gone forever

 

[photo2u]

There life on that jacket. This looks like a cool coat.

 

[Yamahana]

Looks like a 'Solex jas'. Popular in the Netherlands in the 60s.

I'm not sure what you mean with restoring. If that means giving it a coat of Urad I'd say why not. But if that means repairing, I'm not sure it's worth the investment. These typically go for €50 / €100 (in much better condition).

View attachment 360132

Pretty cool looking coat like it is, as already stated probably just needs some leather conditioner. I like the description “motorbike coat”, has an eccentric, vintage vibe. I think I’m going to have to start calling some of my leathers a “motorbike coat”

 

[Peacoat]

Your ability to restore this coat depends on whether it has started cracking. If cracks have developed, there isn't much hope for it. But if it is crack free, then the coat probably will make it.

Start out with a quality leather conditioner and see what that does for the coat. It ought to do a lot if it is crack free. And a good conditioner should keep the coat from developing cracks.

Here is a link to a discussion on conditioners:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ultimate-leather-conditioner-comparison-on-reddit.101735/

BTW, welcome to the Lounge.

 

[TREEMAN]

This coat with a sidecar….

 

[Will Zach]

If the leather is not cracked/dried, I second @Marc mndt suggestion of a thin coat of Urad. The wear on this jacket suggests it will benefit from a thin topcoat and will still retain its great character. In fact, Urad may enhance it. Put Urad into the search field in this forum and you will see some before and after pics. If the leather is dried and not supple anymore, things get a bit more complicated. You may need to apply a true conditioner such as Pecards or Obenaufs first to restore suppleness.

 

[handymike]

Just know that Urad creates a glossy finish. If you prefer a waxy finish try Blackrock, but if it is dry- don’t topcoat until you condition/soften the leather.

 

[alish]

^^^ To follow up on this, Urad is more of a topcoat and does not deeply rehydrate the leather. One of the best products for deeply conditioning really dry leather is Skidmore's. Available on Amazon. I actually prefer to mix it with petroleum jelly at about 1:1. Slather it on and let it soak in for a day or two; then hit any areas again that need more - you can be pretty generous with slathering it on compared to how you would treat a jacket that is just being maintained from year to year. Hanging it in the sun to use some warmth to help it absorb will speed the initial absorption. After the second application, leave it to hang (well padded hanger, in a closet or wherever) for a week or more as this stuff will continue to do its magic for quite a while after being applied. At this point hit any trouble spots again, and then give it more time on the hanger.

Once the leather feels good all over, then you could apply a topcoat like Urad; or the Urad Tenderly or Blackrock if you want a less shiny finish.

It can be a slow process, but I've had Skidmore's + petroleum jelly return leather from being totally questionable to felling great and healthy - and this was on a 90 year-old jacket. Even if there are surface cracks it would be worth a try as long as you don't flex the leather very much until it has had a chance to fully re-hydrate. The damage happens when the dry leather is bent / stretched beyond what the dry, brittle fibers can handle.

I started using Skidmore's after reading on here and elsewhere that it might be the best option for tackling a jacket that already has some cracking and even for minor core rot / dry rot. It will not bring strength back to leather that is totally rotted out inside. But leather restoration pros who have been in the business for decades were the one who had recommended it, and they've seen it work in cases of minor core rot. I've had great success on bring back two different 85-90 year-old jackets. If there is enough strength / intact fibers still in the leather then it's all about rehydrating the fibers to allow the leather to maintain / regain the strength that it has.

 

[handymike]

Skidmore’s seems to be working well on a couple of my jackets! The thing to remember is that any coating will only penetrate a little way into the leather. Nothing I've used so far gets all the way through and deep into the skin. If the hide is dried out all the way through to the backside (roughout), the jacket is toast.

 

[alish]

Skidmore’s seems to be working well on a couple of my jackets! The thing to remember is that any coating will only penetrate a little way into the leather. Nothing I've used so far gets all the way through and deep into the skin. If the hide is dried out all the way through to the backside (roughout), the jacket is toast.

Good point. So basically if the leather is crispy feeling on the surface but not so dried through that it's totally stiff? And yeh, Skidmore's actually recommends treating really dry leather from both sides. Of course, this often isn't possible with jackets; but I guess on a jacket that has a ratty lining you could just cut it out and tackle the leather from the inside as well...

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

I think I've shared this story before but here goes again. The current Cal Leathers owner (Gwen) set up shop in the back of her dad's upholstery shop about 20 years ago. It's basically like a little kiosque inside the bigger upholstery warehouse. I purchased a 1950s Cal several months back, but it was pretty banged up. Cotton stitches were blown out and there was some minor road rash/flaking happening on the upper sleeves. I got to the place around lunch time so was waiting around for the Cal Leathers team to come back and do some touch up work. Got to talking with her dad, showed him the jacket, etc. etc. He's been in the leather business probably 50+ years and does mostly car upholstery, so you can imagine the beating some of that stuff goes through. He breaks out a case of skidmores and says lather it up, stuff in a black trash bag and put in the sun for a few days. So that's what I did. And ever since then, it's pretty much all I use. Did wonders like nothing I had ever used before. I think I'm on my 4th jar now as I went back and hit almost every jacket I owned.

Some caveats. I think with CXL, Pecards or more of a vaseline base leaves it softer but the idea to mix vaseline/skidmores is genius. I also remember, maybe it was Mike, mentioned he tried something in the black bag and didn't turn out well. So YMMV. The 7 or 8 jackets I've done the black bag treatment too so far (two 1980s Schott flight jackets, two recent Schott 100 series, three or four Cals, natural CXL Ridley and brown CXL Sheene) no issues, other than the CXL felt a little more tacky than the other leathers (that's why I think a dose of vaseline will help that).

Something interesting is that the conditioner is for wood. I never knew wood needed conditioning. Well I guess I did with Murphys Oil and that kind of stuff. But that's more topical. One day I'm going to lather some on a couple outdoor tables and what not. It's got me curious. But jeez, if it can soften wood, should be really effective with leather.

 

[Rich22]

If it feels dry, it needs rehydrating, and I'd use an oily conditioner to do the job. By the look of it, I'd personally use something that would deeply penetrate the hide, even if it doesn't feel especially dry!