Leather jacket in the washing machine

[ProteinNerd]

Just did a hot water treatment last night on my Goodwear California Racer. It was about a half size to large and rode up in the back and shoulders when seated. I just wore the jacket into the shower and cranked up the hot water.

What type of leather is it? I thought GW primarily used Shinki which is Veg tanned?

 

[mr_lits]

It is veg tanned Italian horse.

 

[navetsea]

in the spirit of X-mas, I threw 2 of my jackets into washing machine front loader, no detergent, cold wash, 400rpm spin, delicate option, I didn't zip up the front, and threw both in, dunno if the color would affect each other,
the goat looks new after half year of continuous wear so I guess this will help, and the sheep I just want to try and see how much it will change post washing

will post result

 

[Superfluous]

^ Huevos grandes! Good luck with the experiment.

 

[ProteinNerd]

It is veg tanned Italian horse.

View attachment 40254

I was under the impression that veg tanned leather was was essentially destroyed (uncontrolled shrinking etc) by hot water.....

 

[navetsea]

Post washing report :
both jackets have been dried completely in front of a fan, I wore them when they were damp to help the fit, and also creating some interesting looking sleeve ends by moving around my wrists and some tidying. Nothing major, but they felt a bit snug, and record every new creases very willingly, maybe I will keep them like that for a week to get even more character before applying some leather dressing.

goat

sheep

 

[Colonel Adam]

I've read many conflicting things on this, so I'm certain that starting this thread will only yield more conflicting anecdotes. That being said, here we go?

I have two fairly new jackets that I'm interesting in softening up. If one of them shrank a little bit, that would be ok too.

So here's my logic matrix:

If the washing machine is alright for the jacket with no shrinkage; both can go in.
If it is alright for the jacket but will shrink it; one can go in, depending on how much shrinkage is expected.
If it is bad for the jacket, then neither go.

And, any techniques for this approach?

I've only been a leather craftsman for some thirty years, I've made everything from leather jackets to shoes and boots, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about; however, I would never put any leather garment in a washing machine. It will dry-out the leather severely, and although a lot of people use a number of products to soften it back up, there's nothing on the market that will repair actual damaged fibers. Also, leather's not the only thing a leather jacket is made of. Washing it can damage the lining and the stitching and anything between the lining and shell, etc. I know a lot of people say they've done it and it worked just fine, but unless you have money to burn I wouldn't do it. Instead, you could wet it and wear it 'til it dries (I assume you don't want to wait for it to age naturally), that's much safer.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Very new to these forums but felt I'd weigh in. My current A-2 is a lambskin and I treat it with a great deal of respect. It's as new, but has actually logged time in a B-17G . Not so much my older horsehide A-2 which logged many flight hours, but was artistically treated with very light sandpaper to prematurely give it the 1000 mission look. It worked very well and I figured that wear comes from abrasion so no issues. In reading a few replies, I would agree with those who suggest if a jacket doesn't fit, then sell it and get one that does. IT's not as if A-2's are really all that hard to find. If the jacket is significant (which would void the risk of putting it in the washer in the first place) a decent tailor specializing in leather should be able to adjust any garment. I feel the A-2 was historically issued and worn as is. It is highly unlikely they were tailored in the same manner as say a service tunic.

 

[rocketeer]

I've only been a leather craftsman for some thirty years, I've made everything from leather jackets to shoes and boots, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about; however, I would never put any leather garment in a washing machine. It will dry-out the leather severely, and although a lot of people use a number of products to soften it back up, there's nothing on the market that will repair actual damaged fibers. Also, leather's not the only thing a leather jacket is made of. Washing it can damage the lining and the stitching and anything between the lining and shell, etc. I know a lot of people say they've done it and it worked just fine, but unless you have money to burn I wouldn't do it. Instead, you could wet it and wear it 'til it dries (I assume you don't want to wait for it to age naturally), that's much safer.

100% mate.
If any garment has a wool based lining I would worry about that shrinking and the whole thing having sort of scrunched look for some time. Something I often worried about long before the Internet obsession with ageing things prematurely.