Removing "art" from leather jackets

[Stand By]

And if you look carefully, you can see the slight overlap in the varnish I used here .... but really, who's looking at that ?!

 

[morrison2951]

Va va va voom! Ha ha

 

[Stand By]

I suppose it's a similar technique to splinter camouflage - nothing in nature is straight and a strategically placed straight line draws the eye away from what you'd prefer to hide. That's the theory anyway.
Curves work the same way, it seems ...!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Thanks for your input, Stand By. Hmmm. My own opinion is that all "art" destroys a jacket. I find it vulgar, and that's why I want to remove it. But that's my opinion only. I'm not talking about nose art here, but the kind of thing an Iron Maiden fan would have put on in the 80s. Though nose art has always put me off wearing several of my A2s, which I ended up selling. I find wearing that stuff particularly vulgar and disrespectful, independent of the motives of the wearer. Again, IMO only.

And of course, thinking about this further, you could do what I mentioned above - and then paint on a better nose/jacket art design of your choice to replace the old one - and that would further detract from any slight imperfections that may be a leftover tell-tale sign that there there was a design there in the first place ...

Ed, the acetone is the principle solvent in nail varnish remover. They tend to add various vitamins and moisturisers these days, due to the drying and de-oiling properties of the acetone.

 

[Stand By]

To each their own, Baron. One man's meat is another man's poison, t'is true ...

PS. And it's just as well I'm not making my point further by posting the next project I drew up for Lucky Dog, then ....! Methinks you wouldn't like that one either... ;-)

 

[Edward]

Though nose art has always put me off wearing several of my A2s, which I ended up selling. I find wearing that stuff particularly vulgar and disrespectful, independent of the motives of the wearer. Again, IMO only.

In general, or do you mean the specific girly stuff? I find the latter historically and artistically interesting, but yeah, can't imagine wearing it out nowadays. My own odd foible, though, is that I'm fine with the fighter stuff, but the idea of wearing emblems from the bomber groups makes me queasy. [huh]

Ed, the acetone is the principle solvent in nail varnish remover. They tend to add various vitamins and moisturisers these days, due to the drying and de-oiling properties of the acetone.

Dammit, I knew it tasted differently these days....

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Doesn't give quite the right snort, neither! These modern fancy pants products have ruined it for us glue sniffers …

 

[Baron Kurtz]

In general. I don't think it "adds" anything to the majority of jackets. It's even worse when a nice 30s/40s jacket (like the one I'm nededing to clean - massive badly rendered eagle on the back) is bedaubed. Era issued and private purchase jackets are something of an anomaly as the paint has become part of the jacket, which is no longer just a jacket to some extent but more of an artifact. I too find art relating to specific squadrons or events quease-inducing. I can see what people are getting at with the showing respects to grandpoppy angle, but I just can't agree with them. It's like wearing medals or rank insignia that one has not earned.

In general, or do you mean the specific girly stuff? I find the latter historically and artistically interesting, but yeah, can't imagine wearing it out nowadays. My own odd foible, though, is that I'm fine with the fighter stuff, but the idea of wearing emblems from the bomber groups makes me queasy. [huh]



Dammit, I knew it tasted differently these days....

 

[Stand By]

In general. I don't think it "adds" anything to the majority of jackets. It's even worse when a nice 30s/40s jacket (like the one I'm nededing to clean - massive badly rendered eagle on the back) is bedaubed. Era issued and private purchase jackets are something of an anomaly as the paint has become part of the jacket, which is no longer just a jacket to some extent but more of an artifact. I too find art relating to specific squadrons or events quease-inducing. I can see what people are getting at with the showing respects to grandpoppy angle, but I just can't agree with them. It's like wearing medals or rank insignia that one has not earned.

I take your point ...
This is the front of my C3 - the squadron insignia I painted to the front right panel:


Sure, this gets worn under my ELC RW B-3, so nobody sees it ... but I don't have a problem with it as I feel that by wearing it, I'm serving to remember the USAAF 305th BS, 364th BG - that were based at RAF Chelveston just outside Northampton where I used to live before I moved from England, and they flew B-17s. They were there from September 1942 and were in the thick of things from the start to the very end - and they gave the Germans some serious stick throughout the entire war - but they took some really severe maulings in doing so, especially before they had fighter escorts.
And who's to remember them today and what they went through? Many of today's kids weren't even alive for 9/11 (a sobering thought!), so trying to get them to think about WW2 is nigh on impossible ... but they all lived and died and all that's left of RAF Chelveston is a field and a gate - soon to be built over with another housing estate where every house looks the same and everyone busies themselves with their modern lives. All that bravery and fighting and sacrifice ... and who remembers what history lies beneath their driveways that their German-made BMW/Mercedes/VW/Audi/Porsche or German-owned Mini or Triumph (FYI they also own Rolls-Royce (!), Daimler and Bentley) or Japanese car is parked upon (and nobody sees the irony or thinks this is necessarily a bad thing) ?
Anyway, that's just my opinion - and I understand others for not sharing it. I wouldn't wear rank on anything I wear (as that I haven't earned, you're right, Baron), but squadron insignia is fine by me.

And for what it's worth, my design for Lucky Dog no longer has the pin up girl - a second design won out - one that just has lettering. I'm hoping to post it later with a how-to-paint-on-your-jacket thread ...

And that's my last word on the subject, lest I deviate the thread further from its originally intended purpose, namely your seeking help in a solution to saving your jacket ... and I wish you luck.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Thanks for your input, Stand By. Hmmm. My own opinion is that all "art" destroys a jacket. I find it vulgar, and that's why I want to remove it. But that's my opinion only. I'm not talking about nose art here, but the kind of thing an Iron Maiden fan would have put on in the 80s. Though nose art has always put me off wearing several of my A2s, which I ended up selling. I find wearing that stuff particularly vulgar and disrespectful, independent of the motives of the wearer. Again, IMO only.



Ed, the acetone is the principle solvent in nail varnish remover. They tend to add various vitamins and moisturisers these days, due to the drying and de-oiling properties of the acetone.

I agree totally with you Baron, jacket art is in general vulgar, camp and embarrassing. It may well be historic and authentic, but then its vulgar, camp and embarrassingly historic and authentic.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The jacket in question, a lovely example of a standard British middle 40s-middle 50s jacket. But the egregious eagle really does ruin it. It also has the remains of BSA paintwork which doesn't bother me nearly so much. Also, there is a USAFE patch on the right arm which appears to be period made, silk stitched on a circle of OD. I assume that no-one can point to evidence that the eagle paintwork might be related to USAFE and therefore an integral part of the jacket (see my argument about the importance of meaningful modifications above). To me it looks like a quite recent and very poor stencilled piece of "art".

The egregious eagle.

Remains of "BSA"

USAFE patch

Original check cotton liner.

Until I get the "art" removed (acetone purchased) I'll wear it with my 1930s Levis "Type I" waistcoat.

 

[Smithy]

Yup, that's not good at all. Can entirely understand why you want to get rid of it.

 

[Stand By]

Yup, that's not good at all. Can entirely understand why you want to get rid of it.

Oh Lordy! I see the problem ...
Okay, so if painting over the offending design/s isn't an option, I'd suggest working it off with acetone.
As said previously, acetone is pretty potent stuff and should be used in a well ventilated area. As also said, it will strip the oils from your skin - but also be absorbed quickly into your body, so to spare your liver, I'd suggest that you use it as I do here at work - with mosquito forceps (available at hobby stores) and some 2x2 gauze (from a local pharmacy) or a small piece of cotton cloth. Go lightly and cautiously. I'd dab it at this stage, rather than than scrub it.

Then, having softened the hard shell of the paint, I'd start aplying the acetone more specifically on the design and use cotton buds/Q-Tips (see image).

I'd expect the offending art to not surrender easily, so if the acetone also removes some of the black finish of the jacket, I'd suggest something like Boot Sauce by Timberland. I use it on my ELC RW B-3 - at the inside cuffs where the leather rubs on the side waist-adjuster buckles and the finish is removed down to the bare leather. A quick dab of this (a little goes a long way) blends the original leather right back to the redskin finish toot sweet - it's just a slightly darker hue but with the age and wear of the jacket, it works a treat.
So I'd use some black Boot Sauce (or similar) to dye the exposed bare leather and work it back into the overall finish.


But that's how I'd do it ....
Good luck.

 

[Edward]

The BSA logo at the bottom I could see dating to the 50s.... which would make sense - the era before bikes got bigger, faster, and people started to think more about protective clothing, back when, to the best of my understanding, a lot of the bikes still in regular use were sometimes even pre-war (a 1935 machine was, after all, just an old bike in 1955). Maybe somebody's effort at a starter Rocker jacket (though without studding, chains, and any of the other things that gave so many of them that Tom of Finland look)? The patch I suspect is probably something somebody found somewhere as "an old patch". That eagle, though. Oh, my. I did at first think that it might be a nod to the Eagle comic book which originally ran 1950-69, but was revived 1982-1994, but it's not quite the same:

Unless there was another, later variation I can't find online. Either way, I remember a lot of that sort of thing on wannbe-biker wear of the 80s, and the style of art, that'd bee my guess.

 

[Stand By]

What a beautiful design that is, Edward !
And the faded BSA design I'd leave - it looks the part for the jacket IMHO.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

A short update. It's relatively slow going, but not dreadful. The eagle is about half gone, using cotton balls and acetone nail polish remover. This represents about 3 hours work, being careful to not take too much of the leather colour with the paint. Obviously there is residue (small flecks, mostly) of the paint left on the leather. Very little of the leather colour has been removed and drying is minimal. Conditioning should deal with it. NATC's suggestinon of a bit of boot blacking might come in handy too.

 

[simonc]

Wow hard going Pete.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

It would be easier if I just threw caution to the wind and started rubbin' like Aladdin but I fear irrevocable damage to the leather stain/finish. The paint is surprisingly tenacious.

Since the damn thing actually fits me, I'm double cautious to minimise damage.

 

[Stand By]

Nice going there ... as I said, I hope you'e using mosquito clamps for the cotton balls. Acetone goes right through latex gloves - which you'll feel in just a few seconds. Nitrile (chemical) gloves will buy you about one minute of protection before it works through and you feel that cool sensation ....
But very well done so far ... looks very promising! Great work.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes indeed. I'm fortunate to have a complete insect dissection kit on hand! (And enough experience of volatile solvents - ten years of it in "hot" labs - to take proper care)

I'm not entirely sure, Ed. There is evidence of at least 4 other patches on the arms of this one, one of them a chevron at the wrist, which could be the remnant of a rank patch (airman).

The patch I suspect is probably something somebody found somewhere as "an old patch".