What is the Hot Water Treatment and How to do it for Flying Jackets?

[Daze]

What is the Hot Water Treatment and How to do it for Flying Jackets?
I've seen it mentioned but not sure how it's done, I have a pair of jackets, Irvin and B3 copies and they are both incredible bulky, so would like to shrink the pile a bit

 

[robrinay]

I don’t think it will work on sheepskins. It’s usually used on steer and horse hides and on these it’s never an exact science - there are sometimes problems such as wrinkly zippers uneven shrinkage shrinking lining etc.
If you search TFL you’ll find lots of threads on it - here’s one from 2012
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-hot-water-treatment.66204/

 

[Daze]

Thanks for the fast response, and i certainly wouldn't dunk a b3 in a hot bath, but I have definitely seen someone talking about it and wool fleeces in one of the flying jacket or irvin threads, not the hot water soaking or shaping thing, it was about the wool pile only. Or if not hot water, how else could I shrink a pile?

 

[Steve27752]

What ever you do, do not try HWT on Sheepskin.

 

[Peacoat]

All of that shearling is there to keep you warm. Probably not a good idea to take away the insulating property of the shearling. If you don't like the jacket, sell it and buy something with a less bulky lining. I would be afraid to soak sheepskin. But YMMV.

 

[Corsair42]

Dont do it, you will ruin sheepskin and in all honesty you can achieve a similar effect by wearing your leather jackets in rain showers and keeping them on until they dry.

 

[Corsair42]

If you want the pile to curl up on a sheepskin, see above re rainshowers, just dont soak it. Leave it in a warm room to dry after a rain shower and it will stsrt to curl up and lose the fluffyness. This worked on an Eastman irvin I owned, just get it damp not wet and leave in a warm room, definitely dont put it on a radiator

 

[Peacoat]

Or you might try lightly misting the lining (shearling), wearing it and letting it finish drying in a warm room. That would probably give the same effect as the rain showers.

 

[Lebowski]

I don’t think it will work on sheepskins. It’s usually used on goat steer and horse hides and on these it’s never an exact science - there are sometimes problems such as wrinkly zippers uneven shrinkage shrinking lining etc.
If you search TFL you’ll find lots of threads on it - here’s one from 2012
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-hot-water-treatment.66204/

It doesn't work with goatskin neither, HWT makes goatskin brittle as an old carton. Never do any HWT with goatskin!

 

[Lebowski]

Thanks for the fast response, and i certainly wouldn't dunk a b3 in a hot bath, but I have definitely seen someone talking about it and wool fleeces in one of the flying jacket or irvin threads, not the hot water soaking or shaping thing, it was about the wool pile only. Or if not hot water, how else could I shrink a pile?

There isn't known any dependable way to shrink sheepskin (neither goatskin BTW). Water might ruin sheepskin to garbage, so never give a soak to any sheepskin. The only reasonable way to get more fitted sheepskin jacket - just to sell that roomy fitted jacket to buy anything more suitable to you instead of.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It doesn't work with goatskin neither, HWT makes goatskin brittle as an old carton. Never do any HWT with goatskin!

Hot water? No. I put all my leathers (goat, cow, steer, horse) in the washing machine with laundry detergent and wash gently in cold water. I have never hurt a jacket in 25 years and they often come out a bit softer and less shiny. Some people report shrinking but I've never seen it.

 

[Lebowski]

Hot water? No. I put all my leathers (goat, cow, steer, horse) in the washing machine with laundry detergent and wash gently in cold water. I have never hurt a jacket in 25 years and they often come out a bit softer and less shiny. Some people report shrinking but I've never seen it.

For goatskin only HWT is unacceptable treatment, cold water is quite O'k.
I don't like the idea of putting any kind of leather in washing mashine though, 'cause the leather won't have any shine at all after that procedures. I don't like it.
My humple opinion - washing mashine (with cold water only) is quite acceptable if the jacket looks dirty like a garbage, in this case washing mashine just gives a possibility not to put it into trash bin. Anyway washing mashine is a last resort for leather.
Raining is quite O'k for good leather, even for goatskin. But not for sheepskin.
No heaters near leather after that of course.
That's just my opinion, of course anyone might think different, no problem.

 

[Doctor Damage]

If you don't like the jacket, sell it and buy something [else].

That's the best advice for 99% of these sorts of threads and discussions, to be honest.

 

[Daze]

I love the jacket, and what i should have been looking for was the warm water treatment or hand-hot . Found it in the repro irvin thread. Just damping the inside shearling to let it curl tighter.
Then I'll be able to move my arms again 8)