What to use to clean/condition my goatskin A-2?

[Spoonbelly]

I have a Cockpit goatskin A-2 which is two years old. What is a good thing to use to clean/condition it? Is saddle soap still recommended? Thank you.

 

[442RCT]

I have goatskin jackets that are from the 60's, mostly US Navy G-1s, I have A-2s from Cooper, Protec, US Authentic, and Avirex. I recommend you just wear your goat jacket, in my opinion, it doesn't need any conditioner, honest wear will give it a great patina.

 

[djd]

Pecards or a similar leather treatment is great for reviving a tired jacket and covering scuffs

 

[too much coffee]

442RCT is absolutely correct; usually goatskin does not need anything. Because of where I live in southern Arizona with the brutal UV rays and temps (yes I do wear my leather jackets sometimes in the summer) I give my older jackets a small taste of Obenauffs LP. Warmed up and rubbed into a hot leather surface is all they need, and is all they get.

As far as cleaning, I don't worry about the exterior at all...........if I get caught in a dust storm, I hose it off. Anything else usually just remains on the exterior. Saddle soap is old school and MAY still be used if you feel you may need to spot clean the leather. It worked for me in the past on M1917 leather rifle slings, but maybe there is something better. Perhaps someone else can chime in.

Wear the heck out of your A-2 and just replace the lining every 5-10 years and you'll be good to go.

Regards,
coffee

 

[Peacoat]

Spoon, I don't know what you guys have been doing up there, but I can't imagine goat (or cow or horse) needing to be conditioned after two years. If it has lived in the sun and the rain a whole lot, and has dried out, then, as djd said, Pecard will do the job. If for some reason it needs spot cleaning, then a high glycerine content saddle soap might take care of it. As you probably have noticed by now, goat just doesn't develop much patina or show wear like the other leathers.

 

[ButteMT61]

Goat seems to be trouble-free really. I did some things on a 4 years old Aero capeskin A2, but it didn't change it, so I assumed it didn't need anything. The guys are right, wash it off with a wet washcloth and maybe a dab of some saddle soap or maybe a leather cleaner like Lexol - something inexpensive will do it fine.

 

[Spoonbelly]

Thank you for your replies. My goatskin A-2 is still as good as new. I was just wondering if in the future it did need something what I should use. Not doing anything sounds good to me. I do have to admit that I do like the smell of saddle soap. I usually wear this A-2 on rainy days. I wear my pea coats on all of the other days.

 

[aswatland]

I would agree with the others. Leave it as it is and when in ten years time it needs conditioning use Pecards. If it gets dirty in the meantime, then wiping the goatskin with a damp cloth should remove the dirt.

 

[regius]

guys, how do you recommend washing/cleaning the satin or cotton lining of leather jackets? i managed to dig my wet cloth with Tide detergent and soak wipe the lining without getting the rest of the leather too wet, but I really wonder how those "professional leather cleaners" wash a whole jacket.

 

[Faster]

Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenation. I've never used it on goat though.

 

[HackerF15E]

Like others, you don't really need to do anything to it right now. You can spray it down/wipe with Lexol or Pecards conditioner if you want, but it's certainly not required.

With respect to long-term cleaning, or heavy cleaning, I've had good luck with a cold water spin through the washing machine. I know it's a very controversial method, but depending on the jacket and what you want to accomplish, it might be an option for you. Your jacket isn't a historical heirloom, so you don't really risk anything even if it all goes drastically wrong.

My USAF issue Avirex was positively filthy after 9 months in Afghanistan "on duty" (and about 13 years before that, with a single trip to the dry cleaners a couple years ago). It was starting to look and smell seriously funky. A single run through the washing machine (cold water, no detergent) did the trick, with a nice air dry afterward and a healthy dose of Lexol. It smells nice and clean, and looks beautifully aged.

Here's the wash cycle -- that's some UGLY water!

Here it is...looking like it actually survived WWII, instead of the "milk runs" over Afghanistan it really has...

 

[Grizzly Adams]

The best product I have found for cleaning and conditioning leather is Leather CPR. I use it to recondition old leather jackets, shoes and boots, as well as regular maintenance of my MC leathers. Wipe on, wait a minute, and wipe off. Done. I buy it in the tub form.

Website is: www.leathercpr.com

 

[Jaguar66]

Here is my comment on Saddle soap. I just recieved a goatskin G1 jacket I won on Ebay, which had obviously been saddle soaped to make it softer. Aside from smelling like a box of Tide washing powder, it was so sticky, I swear I could have caught flies with it.

I had to wash off the saddle soap, then applied some Pecards. It is now on its way to softening up nicely.

Pecards will make the jacket soften up, and aside from it being a bit shiny for awhile, it won't adversly affect it.

 

[ButteMT61]

Here is my comment on Saddle soap. I just recieved a goatskin G1 jacket I won on Ebay, which had obviously been saddle soaped to make it softer. Aside from smelling like a box of Tide washing powder, it was so sticky, I swear I could have caught flies with it.

I had to wash off the saddle soap, then applied some Pecards. It is now on its way to softening up nicely.

Pecards will make the jacket soften up, and aside from it being a bit shiny for awhile, it won't adversly affect it.

The best time to do the Pecards (in my experience) is when it's warm/hot and sunny. It soaks in and there's much less buffing/wiping to do. Hope it comes out well for you.

 

[NickolasOwens]

Goatskin products are waterproof, they can be easily cleaned with a mild soap-covered pumice stone, but not rubbed. When your cockpit is completely dry, you can apply leather conditioner. Step-by-step instructions on how to do this https://leather-toolkits.com/types-of-leather/goatskin-leather/ and for the future how to care about it correctly.