Help, Lexol dried out my Schott 618

[Sean_C]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping you guys can help me out

I just got a 1999 Schott 618 that someone had sitting in a closet all this time. Looked brand new and the leather is great condition. It didn't even have any arm creases yet!

But there was a really dry brittle spot on the upper right chest area of the jacket so I reached out to Schott and they recommended I use Lexol leather conditioner or Otter Wax Leather Oil in that area of the jacket. They said it would restore the dried out leather in that area to the same soft yet stiff feel of the rest of the leather on the jacket.

I saw more recommendations for Lexol and a lot of people swear by it so I got some online.

I used the directions on the Lexol and tested it on the inner back bottom panel of the jacket and it didn't seem to change the look or feel of the leather.

So I went ahead and applied some as directed on the brittle area of the jacket and now it looks super aged in that spot, way less smooth and even drier than before. I'm worried because it looks way different than the rest of the jacket now, in an obvious way.

The first two pics are the super dry and now aged looking side of the front chest area, and the last Pic is the right side where it's smooth and firm

Does anyone know how I can restore the smooth, somewhat firm and tighter texture of the leather?

Or is the jacket screwed and now it just looks crazy old in that spot? Lol

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Luc Punksblood]

I'm not the most experienced fella here so don't take my word for it right now but to me it just looks like typical hide variation.

I can't feel how dry it may be from the pictures but I also don't know what a "crazy old" Schott looks like.

I've currently got a 1.5mm veg-tan cowhide jacket, barely broken in that still stands on it's own, that looks similar. When I get home I can even show you the difference from upper arm to upper arm on my Lewis Leathers Memphis No.723 where one arm seems to just have a looser grain.

There's a chance it's always been that way in my limited experience. If it's no longer brittle your best off not worrying about it until the other side breaks in and probably loosens up to match.

In the meantime here's a visible difference on my daily driver - see the lapel compared to the chest which is the same as when it was delivered.

By all means hang around for a more informed opinion!

 

[Harris HTM]

I don't think Lexol or any other similar product would have caused the leather to dry out. Maybe it is the photo's but what I see is nice grain popping out. Keep in mind that with wear also at the smooth panels grain will decelop. Just wear and enjoy the jacket.

 

[Sean_C]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I see what you guys mean with more grain showing. My 118 has a lot of grain variation to the point where one arm looks completely pebbled and feels like totally different leather lol. I don't mind some grain variation

It's hard to show in the pics but the leather in the area from the first 2 pics had much tighter grain before using the Lexol, and it was just really dry and brittle to the touch with some areas looking like it would crack if I didn't hydrate the area.

But after using the Lexol, the area that had tight grain now looks like it does in the pics like it looks instantly aged in comparison the the rest of the jacket. And it's drier to the touch than it was before

There are even a few areas with white looking streaks. I didn't even leave the Lexol on for more than a few short minutes and I wiped the excess off and was super careful and gentle with the leather.

I wouldn't mind if it was just some grain variation but, it's like it looks super aged in that area in person and the rest of the jacket looks like brand new stiff soft tight grained leather..

I'm so disappointed lol and I feel like I messed up my new old stock jacket right away

 

[Luc Punksblood]

Have you considered using the Lexol all over and see if evens out?

Here's the sleeves of my Lewis Leathers Memphis that I mentioned.

 

[Luc Punksblood]

Whatever has happened I can't imagine it was your fault or that it's even necessarily messed up. If it was dry and brittle and you did nothing it could have split and been rendered useless. Rather have an aged looking NOS leather jacket or a cracked and split one? I'd chalk it up to bad luck or personal preference. I'm sure plenty of other potential owners wouldn't think much of it.

 

[KevinJV6]

Can you share a picture of the lexol you used?

 

[FlatCap99]

I’ve used a lot of leather conditioners, but admittedly have not tried Lexol. I pretty much only use Saphir now and in this case I would try their Renovateur first. They make really nice pigmented cream as well, but if you go that route take your time and finesse in it so you don’t end up with part of the jacket that’s shinier and deeper shade of black. It’s hard without actually having it in front of me, but like others said, this isn’t your fault. Sometimes jackets have panels that don’t wear like the rest of the jacket. If you do add more cream go in small amounts so you don’t get residue buildup.

This is one of my Aero Sevens. I have more wear on the left side because of how I drive. I use seat belt covers so the belt itself doesn’t wear on it, but I typically hold the wheel with my left arm and the jacket creases more in that shoulder area. You can see spots where the color fade is a bit more pronounced as well.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I see nothing at all on these pictures?

 

[Kenan]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping you guys can help me out

I just got a 1999 Schott 618 that someone had sitting in a closet all this time. Looked brand new and the leather is great condition. It didn't even have any arm creases yet!

But there was a really dry brittle spot on the upper right chest area of the jacket so I reached out to Schott and they recommended I use Lexol leather conditioner or Otter Wax Leather Oil in that area of the jacket. They said it would restore the dried out leather in that area to the same soft yet stiff feel of the rest of the leather on the jacket.

I saw more recommendations for Lexol and a lot of people swear by it so I got some online.

I used the directions on the Lexol and tested it on the inner back bottom panel of the jacket and it didn't seem to change the look or feel of the leather.

So I went ahead and applied some as directed on the brittle area of the jacket and now it looks super aged in that spot, way less smooth and even drier than before. I'm worried because it looks way different than the rest of the jacket now, in an obvious way.

The first two pics are the super dry and now aged looking side of the front chest area, and the last Pic is the right side where it's smooth and firm

Does anyone know how I can restore the smooth, somewhat firm and tighter texture of the leather?

Or is the jacket screwed and now it just looks crazy old in that spot? Lol

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

It’s not supposed to be smooth, and the leather isn’t ruined. As it breaks in, the grain will start to show—just like in your photos. Leather isn’t meant to look perfectly smooth and even on the surface. Cheaper, corrected leathers often appear that way because of a thick coating. If you don’t appreciate the natural grain, you might be better of not wearing leather honestly.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping you guys can help me out

I just got a 1999 Schott 618 that someone had sitting in a closet all this time. Looked brand new and the leather is great condition. It didn't even have any arm creases yet!

But there was a really dry brittle spot on the upper right chest area of the jacket so I reached out to Schott and they recommended I use Lexol leather conditioner or Otter Wax Leather Oil in that area of the jacket. They said it would restore the dried out leather in that area to the same soft yet stiff feel of the rest of the leather on the jacket.

I saw more recommendations for Lexol and a lot of people swear by it so I got some online.

I used the directions on the Lexol and tested it on the inner back bottom panel of the jacket and it didn't seem to change the look or feel of the leather.

So I went ahead and applied some as directed on the brittle area of the jacket and now it looks super aged in that spot, way less smooth and even drier than before. I'm worried because it looks way different than the rest of the jacket now, in an obvious way.

The first two pics are the super dry and now aged looking side of the front chest area, and the last Pic is the right side where it's smooth and firm

Does anyone know how I can restore the smooth, somewhat firm and tighter texture of the leather?

Or is the jacket screwed and now it just looks crazy old in that spot? Lol

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Looks ok to me here
but I cannot "feel" it

 

[Peacoat]

I don't see anything in the images to cause concern, but then you are the one with the close up experience.

I have used Lexol cleaner and conditioner on "English" tack–bridles and reins–with good results for over 40 years. There is nothing in Lexol conditioner that would dry out your jacket. Worry not.

 

[Sean_C]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Judy to clarify, I've owned leather jackets my entire life since my early teens and haven't had this happen before.

I know grain varies and I like grain variation. My 118 has one arm that looks like it's pebbled leather and the other side has tight grain, it looks super cool and I love it.

I know leather will break in and show grain eventually and look worn in. I have a lambskin leather jacket that looks like a faded denim jacket and it looks amazing.

The issue isn't just the grain in that area, it's that the leather didn't look anything like that before conditioning it and conditioning it made it look super aged right away. Leather conditioner has always done the opposite to leather in my experience. And it looks drier than it did before conditioning that area.

I wore it out and about today and in brighter lighting, it looks faded in that spot now. My wife even asked if the conditioner pulled color off or something because it's much more faded and looks like it either lost some color after conditioning it or has a white film on it now. I've used Saphir renovateur, Saphir Universelle, and Obenaufs Leather Oil on my jackets and boots in the past and have always experienced the opposite, and leather usually ends up hydrated and softer after conditioning it.

I'll add some pics to this reply so hopefully you guys can see what I'm talking about.

There's even a few areas where it's spotty and darker in the middle of a big area where it looks the leather is drier now, and it looks like there's a white film covering the leather in that area now.

I know the jacket will break in and show more grain everywhere, but with the jacket looking new everywhere else, it's just a jarring and obvious difference with that area looking so much more aged now all of the sudden.

And combine that with the color looking lighter in that area and a whitish film on that area, it really seems like a result that Lexol and leather conditioners aren't supposed to have

It just looked dry at first, now there's way more grain showing right away and a white film over the area, and it's even drier feeling than before. It was a totally different result than I've had with any other leather conditioner or any other leather jacket.

I'm a loss for what to do at this point aside from trying Otter Wax Leather oil or Otter Wax Leather Salve or something like Schott also recommend.

Has anyone else experienced conditioning a jacket and having this kind of result?

 

[jacketjunkie]

I have used Lexol on all different kind of leathers and none of them bleached out. You said this jacket is older and pre-owned right? Maybe it was treated with colored leather care before, there is plenty of leather care products that include color to fresh up fades. It is an old trick to use black shoe creme to polish up and re-darken a faded black leather jacket, too. Makes a used jacket you want to sell look fresher, too. My best guess, Lexol and your polishing washed out this previously applied leather care product that the previous owner shined up the jacket with. The good news: you can use similar products to fix the color fades and turn the jacket deep black again.

 

[marker2037]

I’m just not seeing anything besides grain lol

 

[ILB Frank]

Maybe it needs yet another treatment?

 

[KevinJV6]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Judy to clarify, I've owned leather jackets my entire life since my early teens and haven't had this happen before.

I know grain varies and I like grain variation. My 118 has one arm that looks like it's pebbled leather and the other side has tight grain, it looks super cool and I love it.

I know leather will break in and show grain eventually and look worn in. I have a lambskin leather jacket that looks like a faded denim jacket and it looks amazing.

The issue isn't just the grain in that area, it's that the leather didn't look anything like that before conditioning it and conditioning it made it look super aged right away. Leather conditioner has always done the opposite to leather in my experience. And it looks drier than it did before conditioning that area.

I wore it out and about today and in brighter lighting, it looks faded in that spot now. My wife even asked if the conditioner pulled color off or something because it's much more faded and looks like it either lost some color after conditioning it or has a white film on it now. I've used Saphir renovateur, Saphir Universelle, and Obenaufs Leather Oil on my jackets and boots in the past and have always experienced the opposite, and leather usually ends up hydrated and softer after conditioning it.

I'll add some pics to this reply so hopefully you guys can see what I'm talking about.

There's even a few areas where it's spotty and darker in the middle of a big area where it looks the leather is drier now, and it looks like there's a white film covering the leather in that area now.

I know the jacket will break in and show more grain everywhere, but with the jacket looking new everywhere else, it's just a jarring and obvious difference with that area looking so much more aged now all of the sudden.

And combine that with the color looking lighter in that area and a whitish film on that area, it really seems like a result that Lexol and leather conditioners aren't supposed to have

It just looked dry at first, now there's way more grain showing right away and a white film over the area, and it's even drier feeling than before. It was a totally different result than I've had with any other leather conditioner or any other leather jacket.

I'm a loss for what to do at this point aside from trying Otter Wax Leather oil or Otter Wax Leather Salve or something like Schott also recommend.

Has anyone else experienced conditioning a jacket and having this kind of result?

Can you try to brush it out and see if it is due to the waxes staying on top?

I've never used lexol but looked it up and they have two products: one for cleaning and the other for conditioning, by any chance you used the wrong one?