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Did I do a bad thing? Anyway, it worked!

Messages
10,858
Location
vancouver, canada
I bought a nice jacket from Johnson Leathers that I posted about previously. When I posted a pic, someone said it would be better all around when the leather "relaxed." It hasn't been that cold lately, so I didn't have that many occasions to wear it and the leather (CXL cow) never *did* relax.

Anyway, I used to work in box offices and along the way I received a Christmas gift from a baseball team consisting of an authentic major league baseball bat (with my name burned in). I put the jacket on the bed and keeping away from seams, I gave it a good working over. The the result is "relaxed leather. It is sooooo much more supple now, like a well broken in leather jacket should feel like when you wear it. Ive been wearing it *a lot* recently and it definitely is way different.

I've never seen this technique posted so do other people do it sometime on a stiff leather jacket?? I can't believe I discovered a new thing.
I have watched YouTube vis from Japan showing them breaking in a leather baseball glove. They soak the glove in water and then beat the crap out of it with a rubber or wooden mallet. Watching them do it to this fine quality leather glove is painful. But apparently there is no better way to quickly "break-in" a baseball glove. No reason why it would not work with a fine leather jacket.....although I am not going to try it!
 

tropicalbob

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3,954
Location
miami, fl
Didn't anyone feel some sort of remorse about all this fake distressing? The day I got my Aero I sat on it a few times, but I felt like I was cheating (not to mention like an idiot) and that the jacket wouldn't reflect honest experience. Then, a few days later, I wore it when I went up to my brother's place to help him move furniture. After that, the front of the jacket was all marked up and it was pretty well broken in, but I figured that that was what leather jackets were for. Anybody feel just a teensy bit like a poser?
 

El Marro

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Messages
3,602
Location
California
Didn't anyone feel some sort of remorse about all this fake distressing? The day I got my Aero I sat on it a few times, but I felt like I was cheating (not to mention like an idiot) and that the jacket wouldn't reflect honest experience. Then, a few days later, I wore it when I went up to my brother's place to help him move furniture. After that, the front of the jacket was all marked up and it was pretty well broken in, but I figured that that was what leather jackets were for. Anybody feel just a teensy bit like a poser?
Not really. To be honest I feel much more like a poser wearing a stiff shiny jacket whose only wrinkles came from the box it was shipped in. I understand your point about breaking them in naturally though. I am an electrical contractor and I try to wear my leather jackets at work whenever possible. I have definitely gotten some strange looks from other tradesman I know, but the jackets break in and become comfortable much faster this way.
 

Vespizzare

A-List Customer
Messages
445
Location
Santa Monica, CA
I can't believe I stumbled across something totally new and helpful. The thought that I discovered something that even total heavy heads like Peacoat and Butte didn't know about is a mindblower. it's like in the play "The Starwagon," (Maxwell Anderson 1937) where a genius inventor is inspired by his assistant, who's really stupid. Nonetheless, all the off-the-wall comments generated inspire the brainiac into new thinking (BTW, the entire play is on YouTube). I feel like Jerry Lewis in France!

P.S. I have a foam mattress so the the bat really sunk in and pummeled the hide. It's possible that on a regular mattress the bat might just bounce off and not really punch into the leather that much.

P.P.S. A modest suggestion: perhaps this should be named the "Vespizzare Maneuver" going forward ;-)
 
Last edited:
Messages
10,181
Location
Pasadena, CA
I just found a rubber mallet. I'm going to try it. Might be more dangerous than a bat though as the area of impact will be much smaller. Hmmm, should I?
 

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