Wash your jacket before and after pic

[ElMasChangon]

I used Lexol liquid leather soap. I've washed a Brooks racer before, you should take great care with the stitching and lining as the agitation and weight of the water can be too much for it to stand, as was also the case above for the stitching I repaired. I ended up having to replace the full lining of the Brooks, no real regrets though as its a much better jacket for it.

A nice man on here called @Carlos840 shared his process with me, he also has a couple of posts around it including this one;

#89

Thank you so much for your help! Definitely will keep the stitching in mind during the process. I have the liquid lexol soap and both lexol conditioner and pecard antique leather dressing as well.

Given your experience with the brooks, can I expect any substantial shrinking by slow/natural drying?

The lining is definitely going to be replaced. Also, I have the stiff leather windguard behind the zipper still attached.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I wasn’t going for shrinkage with the Brooks, more to remove the musty smell. I used warmer water with the Lesco and definitely seen some shrinkage.

If not substantial shrinkage, you may improve the fit if you wear it while still wet/damp. Guess it depends what your starting point is vs what you want to achieve.

 

[AeroFan_07]

You guys are now making me want to find an old jacket to toss in my tub with woolite and wash it out good. Sounds like a fun "quarrantine" excercise. I've had a few that seemed like they might have turned bathwater dark brown...

 

[navetsea]

during washing when drenching wet I see the leather stretch and sag a little, once dry normally it will shrink back into original shape, now I think the liner in the jacket help a bit during drying for the leather not hanging fully on its wet weight and permanently distorts, I have a goathide with removable liner and when I wash it the sleeve gets longer since it was not connected with liner so the wet weight and the leather being more supple when really wet stretch the sleeve a bit, so I kind of cuff/ roll the edge a bit while the leather still damp, and I like the look so I replicate it on another post washed jackets (roll the edge of the cuff up) even when they are not really stretched out since my preference in sleeve length change a bit during my stay here, now I like shorter sleeve than before so it works for me.

 

[ElMasChangon]

I wasn’t going for shrinkage with the Brooks...

If not substantial shrinkage, you may improve the fit if you wear it while still wet/damp. Guess it depends what your starting point is vs what you want to achieve.

You guys are now making me want to find an old jacket to toss in my tub with woolite and wash it out good. Sounds like a fun "quarrantine" excercise. I've had a few that seemed like they might have turned bathwater dark brown...

Aero fan, If nothing else, you get a clean jacket I suppose

For me though guys, I really want the best balance of body shrinkage to zipper deformation. It fits nice, albeit a tad big, but then it's still not fully broken in - ie the sleeves still need more creases in order not to be so long.

My goal I'd say is to bring in the whole body in more and make it feel snug like a second skin. Targets would be pit to pit from 20 to 19 and back collar to hem length from 27 to 26.

Given what I read, I would like to believe it's attainable via warm soaking and quick hot temp drying, then quickly applying conditioner. I do not mind the distressed look what so ever. I love character in my personal jackets.

Here's the candidate Brooks Cafe racer gold label https://imgur.com/a/fbaMb1V

 

[MrProper]

Before


After

 

[navetsea]

wow, it does shrink in yours, upper sleeve turns much nicer, and more fitted all around, did you wear it wet to dry?

is the leather vegetable tanned?

 

[MrProper]

wow, it does shrink in yours, upper sleeve turns much nicer, and more fitted all around, did you wear it wet to dry?

is the leather vegetable tanned?

No, it was a chemical hammer, which is why I washed the jacket. And of course with the underlying idea that the jacket becomes a little stiffer. I dried them in the dryer and then let them air dry completely. Every now and then tried on whether everything still fits. The plan worked.

 

[ElMasChangon]

No, it was a chemical hammer, which is why I washed the jacket. And of course with the underlying idea that the jacket becomes a little stiffer. I dried them in the dryer and then let them air dry completely. Every now and then tried on whether everything still fits. The plan worked.

Awesome results! Did you have the jacket buttoned up during the drying process?

Did you use woolite, leather cleaner, or soap/detergent of any kind?

 

[Carlos840]

Aero fan, If nothing else, you get a clean jacket I suppose

For me though guys, I really want the best balance of body shrinkage to zipper deformation. It fits nice, albeit a tad big, but then it's still not fully broken in - ie the sleeves still need more creases in order not to be so long.

My goal I'd say is to bring in the whole body in more and make it feel snug like a second skin. Targets would be pit to pit from 20 to 19 and back collar to hem length from 27 to 26.

Given what I read, I would like to believe it's attainable via warm soaking and quick hot temp drying, then quickly applying conditioner. I do not mind the distressed look what so ever. I love character in my personal jackets.

Here's the candidate Brooks Cafe racer gold label https://imgur.com/a/fbaMb1V

The thing is your zipper isn't going to shrink at the same rate as the liner or at the same rate as the leather shell itself.
It could all work out, or you could end up with a horrible wavy zipper and sagging liner.
IMO it's a risk not worth taking unless it's a cheap jacket you don't care about ruining.

 

[ElMasChangon]

The thing is your zipper isn't going to shrink at the same rate as the liner or at the same rate as the leather shell itself.
It could all work out, or you could end up with a horrible wavy zipper and sagging liner.
IMO it's a risk not worth taking unless it's a cheap jacket you don't care about ruining.

The liner is ripped in several spots so I planned on replacing that no matter what. My concerns are the same as yours for the zippers. For most people here though, they don't seem to be affected as much as I would have thought. Some slight wavyness doesn't bother me as there already is some in the middle.

Instead of shrinking, I'll go into this with the intention of cleaning it as to not be so aggressive in the drying process.

 

[navetsea]

you can lift/ prop the zipper area outside the warm water bath, maybe put a stick or something along the front of the jacket and hang it to the rim of the tub or bucket where you soak the rest of the jacket

 

[MrProper]

Awesome results! Did you have the jacket buttoned up during the drying process?

Did you use woolite, leather cleaner, or soap/detergent of any kind?

Yes exactly. Everything buttoned up and very little detergent. Spin at 800 rpm.
When drying, the jacket is turned every 20 minutes, as from the inside out and after 20 minutes again from the outside in.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Washed the Taubers HH straight zip jacket today, i estimate 50+ years old. Actually ran it twice on the Gentle cycle in my washing machine, second time with extra rinse enabled. In 2-3 days, it may be dried out. Turned it inside out to dry, felt a lot of disgusting grime as I did so. It be going back in for another round fully inside-out this time, we'll see.

Here is the jacket so you can see before photos, it now has a nice new brass main zipper: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ighway-patrol-motorcycle-jacket-40-42.100127/