I need a little help / advise

[TLW '90]

I only really have 2 leather jackets and it's those 2 jackets that I need a help / advice with.

I have this 1990 dated Taylor's leatherwear Chicago PD surplus, my first leather jacket which I bought a couple years ago.

I do like the jacket but don't wear it as much as I'd like to because of the collar ( used to before getting into much more comfortable wool jackets ).
The collar feels kind of stiff to my neck and after wearing it long enough my neck gets a bit sore.
The leather seems supple enough in my hands so I don't know if it's just a matter of the weight and collar thickness ,or if it's something that conditioning and breaking can improve.

I remember putting some Bick 4 on the collar when I first got it ( hate the smell, tossed it out ) , but It seems like the top coat kept it from absorbing into the leather.


The next jacket is an old Fidelity Cafe racer I bought off Ebay last year.
My concern is with these back shoulder gussets, it seems like maybe they're permanently expanded from being a little too small for the original wearer, or maybe it's how the jacket was stored ?
Is there anything that can be done about this ?

the right shoulder doesn't seem as badly expanded.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

I only really have 2 leather jackets and it's those 2 jackets that I need a help / advice with.

I have this 1990 dated Taylor's leatherwear Chicago PD surplus, my first leather jacket which I bought a couple years ago.
View attachment 466858 I do like the jacket but don't wear it as much as I'd like to because of the collar ( used to before getting into much more comfortable wool jackets ).
The collar feels kind of stiff to my neck and after wearing it long enough my neck gets a bit sore.
The leather seems supple enough in my hands so I don't know if it's just a matter of the weight and collar thickness ,or if it's something that conditioning and breaking can improve.
View attachment 466859
View attachment 466860
I remember putting some Bick 4 on the collar when I first got it ( hate the smell, tossed it out ) , but It seems like the top coat kept it from absorbing into the leather.


The next jacket is an old Fidelity Cafe racer I bought off Ebay last year.
My concern is with these back shoulder gussets, it seems like maybe they're permanently expanded from being a little too small for the original wearer, or maybe it's how the jacket was stored ?
Is there anything that can be done about this ?
View attachment 466861 the right shoulder doesn't seem as badly expanded.
View attachment 466862

on the racer, easy fix. There's an elastic band that runs across the back which provides the tug to keep everything together. The elastic either wore out or came off. Any seamstress worth their salt can replace. In fact you can do yourself without causing too much damage. I'd suggest getting a double one put in, much more effective. Not doubled up, but spread apart a few inches going across so you have 4 points of tension instead of 2.

 

[TLW '90]

on the racer, easy fix. There's an elastic band that runs across the back which provides the tug to keep everything together. The elastic either wore out or came off. Any seamstress worth their salt can replace. In fact you can do yourself without causing too much damage. I'd suggest getting a double one put in, much more effective. Not doubled up, but spread apart a few inches going across so you have 4 points of tension instead of 2.

Thanks for the info.

 

[handymike]

@TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead is correct for the CR.
The other one looks great too. I suggest running the collar under hot tap water for 20 secs or so (you will feel it relax at a certain point). then shape the collar, put it on, shape it some more (away from your neck if you desire) and let it dry in a cool shady spot for a few days.

 

[TLW '90]

@TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead is correct for the CR.
The other one looks great too. I suggest running the collar under hot tap water for 20 secs or so (you will feel it relax at a certain point). then shape the collar, put it on, shape it some more (away from your neck if you desire) and let it dry in a cool shady spot for a few days.

How would I go about conditioning the leather afterwards ?
When I first tried some bick4 it didn't seem to absorb into the leather at all.

 

[Peacoat]

If the conditioner didn't absorb, then the water isn't likely to do so either. If it does, and the leather feels stiff, use Pecard to soften the collar.

 

[Monitor]

Regarding the collar, simply wearing the jacket eventually will make a difference but it might take a long time. The problem here is that the leather is clearly extremely thick and on top of that, it has been coated with an acrylic finish which prevents almost anything from soaking in. Except water but water won't do you much good. Applying water to leather will soften it up only for as long as it takes for it to dry and then it'll be even stiffer. Water is good for "sculpting" leather but not for making it softer.

Good news is that sweat does wonders for leather suppleness so like I said, just wearing it will eventually make the collar easier on your neck. But if you're looking for a shortcut... I'm afraid there ain't one.

 

[Will Zach]

Getting Pecards through an acrylic coating is very difficult. I used a hairdryer to liquify it and warm up the leather, massaged it with my hands to work it in, multiple times. I think some got through, but not much. Surface was still wet. I used a dry warm rag to wipe it off, hard, and it worked. I got a nice dry surface, but still don't think I got a lot of Pecards in.

 

[Jasonindenver]

Just a thought on the collar issue....

What about using a steam iron (over a wet cloth to help force warm moisture into the collar before shaping???

Experts please tell me if I am crazy.

 

[Will Zach]

^^
Not crazy, but if the iron is too hot, it will shrink and deform leather. I suppose warm setting should be okay. Hot not.

 

[handymike]

You are better off using a steamer.

 

[Monitor]

Just a thought on the collar issue....

What about using a steam iron (over a wet cloth to help force warm moisture into the collar before shaping???

Experts please tell me if I am crazy.

No. It's simple - Water, either in a liquid or steam form, stiffens leather. Like I said, water is great for moulding, shaping or getting creases in quickly but it won't soften your leather garments. Just the opposite.

Taylor's makes work-wear. Actual work-wear, such as your PD jacket. It's meant to keep the wearer dry so as @Will Zach stated, getting lotions and creams thru the coating is near impossible, even when fully liquefied thru heat application. Month or so ago, I've attempted to condition the legs of my Rivetts/Highwayman leather trousers which are too old to even have such finish and the cuffs are still greasy!

You can Lexol, though as it's the most watery of all the conditioners that I've tried but I can't promise you it'll do any difference at all.

Or you know what, even better: Try beating the hell out of it with that rubber mallet thing, whatever it is called. That might actually help tho I've never tried it so I can't be sure, of course.

 

[TLW '90]

Thanks for all the info.

Another question is have is regarding snap on fur collars.
I have no clue how these attach and whether or not this jacket could accept one.
I was thinking about how that would give my neck a little padding from the stuff collar edge, and of course would keep my neck warm.

 

[TLW '90]

I've been working the leather with my hands and " tenderizing it " with a rubber mallet all morning and I think I've made a minor improvement, but I'm starting to think that ultimately it's just the amount of leather in the collar that I'm experiencing.
I will keep working it and getting it shaped around my neck as best as I can hoping to improve the comfort.
I will admit that I did wet the leather a bit to help work and shape it which was probably not the best idea actually.

 

[TLW '90]

well since I did wet the leather which I probably shouldn't have done ( it absorbed warm water but not that easily ) I figured the leather is going to need conditioning.

All I have besides neatsfoot oil is Obenauf's so I decided to warm some up and see what happens.
Basically as expected it did not penetrate the top coat, however it did absorb in the few worn spots.
These spots were not very heavily scuffed either, and that gave me an idea I was having trouble getting the Obenauf's wiped off so I decided to just strip the top coat ( at least the very surface) off the collar and clean it with saddle soap till no more brown is coming off when I wipe it.
When it is dry I will condition the collar and I belive the only visible difference will be a surface with a little less shine. That is how it appears at the moment at least.

What I used to strip the top coat was a little bit of citristrip paint stripper on a rag ( used it on my Corcoran jump boots with good sucess) because I had it on hand and being natural/ citrus based I figured it would be safer for the leather than acetone.

I am assuming I probably did so many things wrong here, but there's no turning back and I felt it was either improve the collar comfort on this jacket or only wear it occasionally because I feel obligated to for spending $250 on it. The jacket has some sentimental value to me and I wanted to love it more as a jacket I can really wear so I took drastic measures.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Let it totally dry first. It may take some time depending on weather.

Radiant warmth helps to get those moisturizer into the leather, even when there is a heavy top pigment coat, it just takes longer. But let it completely dry first before conditioning it again.

About the collar I shape them using the clips, two to open up the front and one to hold back the back collar. Still not as comfortable as wool jackets but decent.

 

[TLW '90]

Let it totally dry first. It may take some time depending on weather.

Radiant warmth helps to get those moisturizer into the leather, even when there is a heavy top pigment coat, it just takes longer. But let it completely dry first before conditioning it again.

About the collar I shape them using the clips, two to open up the front and one to hold back the back collar. Still not as comfortable as wool jackets but decent.

Will do.

After I finished thoroughly cleaning the collar ( I did my best to wipe it quickly before getting the leather too wet) I put a drop of water on it which absorbed much faster than before and it's looking like I will now be able to condition the leather once it is thoroughly dry.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I am training a collar on an used shirt styled leather jacket I just got. Robust super thick leather, shirt style collar so I get the discomfort part. But they are very trainable. You can use a barrier cloth between the clip and the leather but these guys are made to last so. The bigger clips are actually softer bite so I prefer those over the smaller ones. Once the back of the collar is more rolled back it's very comfy.

 

[Will Zach]

Bold move stripping the topcoat, but it may just work if you don't care about the uniformity of surface appearance - leather with the topcoat may look differently than the part with no topcoat. But you used the right solvent to strip it - acetone is pretty harsh and may have stripped the color, too.

 

[TLW '90]

Bold move stripping the topcoat, but it may just work if you don't care about the uniformity of surface appearance - leather with the topcoat may look differently than the part with no topcoat. But you used the right solvent to strip it - acetone is pretty harsh and may have stripped the color, too.

It currently looks no different, but I may not have actually stripped much if it off if that's the case.

Put an air compressor to one of the snaps to see if I could force any moisture out, and it just inflated the collar.
I saw no water seep out which could mean it's still mostly sealed by the top coat, but it also doesn't really feel wet at this point so it could just be that.
It feels very slightly damp on the back but not wet.

Right now I'm just wearing the jacket sitting outside and enjoying some sunshine.