plasticy feel of jacket - USAF issued A2

[tmak]

Hello,

long time reader - first time question. I have what looks to be surplus USAF issued A2 - made by Avirex, I like it except as compared to other goatskin jackets i have the leather has kind of a weird feel - more plasticy or like vinyl then leather. Has anyone ever heard of any treatment i could apply to the jacket to get it more of regular leather feel?

Thank You.

jt

 

[Peter Mackin]

I have the same issue with a Gibson and Barnes horsehide A2...it's a really well made jacket that's ruined by the coating...I usually just wear this one when the weather is bad.i don't think the coating can be removed..

 

[Monitor]

Hello and welcome to the Lounge, tmak

Unfortunately, no, there's not much you can do to change the texture of the leather - other than perhaps wear the jacket a lot. How old is your jacket? Some jackets may appear exactly as you described it, plasticy or vinily when brand new, due to different reasons such as top protective coating and whatnot, but this usually wears off after a few months of wear.

 

[tmak]

Thanks for the Welcome,

the jacket looks pretty new - it has an NSN number which i looked up and it appears to be from the 90s. I was wondering if lightly wiped it down with some alcohol to remove any weird finish it has and then applied a good leather conditioner if that might bring back to more natural feel.

jt

 

[Monitor]

tmak, that usually would do the trick if the jacket was, say, one of the shiny Schott HH models, but since we don't know what kind of leather is your jacket made from, I would much rather if you didn't subject it to alcohol treatment just yet. Perhaps posting a few pictures of it might help, as then more knowledgeable members could share their experience with the leather in question.

 

[tmak]

I will try and post some pictures tomorrow when i have better light. Thanks for the advice - even though it was an inexpensive purchase from an internet auction website (i don't know if you are allowed to name specific websites) i do like it and don't want to do it any serious damage. by the way has anyone else had this problem of leather jackets multiplying? - i mean i started with one used leather jacket - a used Perrone Aviation hybrid a2/g1 and now i have an old Avirex g1 and a used Avirex USAF a2 and somehow a used US Wings a2 just appeared -

 

[nick123]

I will try and post some pictures tomorrow when i have better light. Thanks for the advice - even though it was an inexpensive purchase from an internet auction website (i don't know if you are allowed to name specific websites) i do like it and don't want to do it any serious damage. by the way has anyone else had this problem of leather jackets multiplying? - i mean i started with one used leather jacket - a used Perrone Aviation hybrid a2/g1 and now i have an old Avirex g1 and a used Avirex USAF a2 and somehow a used US Wings a2 just appeared -

You should register at the vintageleatherjackets forum. They deal more with the high end makers, but there's a lot of A-2 and flight jacket information there.

 

[Peacoat]

Tmak: Yes, leather jackets and peacoats magically multiply. It is a common phenomenon on the is board.

If it was an inexpensive purchase, you might try a steel wool treatment. Get some very fine steel wool, at about a #300 weight. Try it out on an inconspicuous part of the jacket to see how it works.

Using light strokes, you might be able to get rid of the glossy surface sheen and make it at least look better. It should put a satin sheen on the surface instead of a gloss finish. It won't hurt the leather any if you just take off the surface finish that you find unattractive.

While I have never done this to a leather jacket, I have used the very fine steel wool on many other projects, including leather belts. Worked a treat.

I have known of several people who used this method to give their older leather jackets good patina. In fact a friend of mine saw my older Schott motorcycle jacket and asked if I had used steel wool on it. I told him it was just the effects of natural aging. He told me he had used it on one of his moto jackets and showed it to me. Looked very similar to mine that had aged naturally for many years. Hadn't harmed the leather any. I wouldn't do this to one of my Aeros, Goodwears, Eastman Leathers, Johnson Leathers, Vanson or one of my vintage flight jackets, but for a jacket you don't like, and was inexpensive to begin with, it might prove to be just the ticket.

Of course you won't want to be going down far enough to age the leather, just take the sheen off.

 

[Fanch]

Personally I would leave the A-2 alone, forget about the shiny appearance, and just enjoy it. Sometimes I believe we have a tendency to overthink things.

 

[tmak]

Maybe i will just leave it alone except to wear it and not baby it - i went out a few hours ago for some errands and it was kind of drizzly and i first thought of wearing more of nylon windbreaker and then i thought no the A2 - maybe a little weather will do it good

 

[mikieson]

have any of you thought about dragging your jackets behind an atv in the grass/dirt letting it roll around and drag?? really makes the leather wear nicely and takes a lot of that squeaking "newness" away..

 

[IXL]

^^^^^ Otherwise known as the "Amelia Earhart treatment."

 

[Seb Lucas]

Personally I would leave the A-2 alone, forget about the shiny appearance, and just enjoy it. Sometimes I believe we have a tendency to overthink things.

I think that's true.

 

[Sloan1874]

Personally I would leave the A-2 alone, forget about the shiny appearance, and just enjoy it. Sometimes I believe we have a tendency to overthink things.

Isn't that what a good 75 per cent of this site is about?

 

[armscye]

Machine wash it. Several long threads on the process on this board. I've washed about 40 jackets, and nothing else does of better job of improving grain, enhancing patina, and reducing that synthetic look.