water treating my A-2 to shrink it

[FriarTuck]

A question about wanting to shrink my A-2 a lil bit, having lost some weight.....I'm wanting to make the A-2 fit a bit better on me, i.e.....the arms are a bit too long, chest is too roomy now....BUT...I've sewn on a number of leather patches on this jacket. My question is this:will the water on the leather jacket have an adverse affect on the patches, causing them both to shrink unevenly? Also, is cold water or hot water preferred, and should I just wear it in the shower & hang to dry for a few days?

 

[aswatland]

Hot water treatment will shrink the jacket and the patches especially if you put it in the dryer afterwards. The patches should shrink evenly. However hotwater treatment will cause the zipper track to crinkle. I would simply sell the jacket and buy one which fits.

 

[FriarTuck]

Hot water treatment will shrink the jacket and the patches especially if you put it in the dryer afterwards. The patches should shrink evenly. However hotwater treatment will cause the zipper track to crinkle. I would simply sell the jacket and buy one which fits.

Yes, but will the jacket shrink at a different rate than the patches?

 

[Dr H]

I'm a materials scientist (polymer chemist) by training/trade and mismatch of materials properties is a big issue in lots of areas as they can behave very differently under the same exposure conditions.

It depends on the materials involved: the leather is an important factor (horsehide, goatskin, capeskin or steerhide). Depending on the grain structure, it will absorb moisture and shrink at different rates and to different extents. Finer grained leather (especially goat and to a lesser extent cape) shrinks less markedly than e.g. horsehide.

The patches are another matter - are they also leather or fabric? If leather, are they multilayer? Are they the same leather as the jacket?
The thread used to stitch them is another matter (modern synthetic or older cotton?).

The bottom line, from all these questions/considerations is that the jacket with the patches might not shrink together evenly.

I agree with Andrew - the best fitting jacket is probably the best route, but if you want to go ahead I'd advise removing the patches first, shrink the jacket and replace the patches. You won't necessarily be using the same stitch holes due to shrinkage, but there's a good chance that you might be able to.

Good luck!

 

[FriarTuck]

Thanks for your input. I think I best leave it be as some of the patches are leather while others are cloth & the A2 is goat. I know the leather patches are not.

 

[Fifty150]

I wear my jackets in the rain, and they don't shrink. So maybe hot water will do the trick for you. Back in the old days, we used to step into a hot shower with our 501 Shrink To Fit jeans, then stand in front of a space heater to dry them. That supposedly shrunk the jeans to fit to your body. I heard that some people wear them into a hot tub. Maybe you can wear your leather jacket into a hot tub and soak for a couple of hours. I don't recommend it. But you can try it and report back with the results. Get plenty of photos. I'm sure we'd all love to see you in the hot tub with your jacket on.

 

[bretron]

I say sell it and size down... but that's just me.

 

[ButteMT61]

I say sell it and size down... but that's just me.

X3. I can't jump on the shrinky-dink bandwagon...

 

[dr.velociraptor]

Even if you do manage to shrink the leather it will look like trash around the patches. This happened with a lot of my military uniforms, I would typically shrink down the patches and the uniform before sewing on the name tags or insignia for this reason.

 

[ButteMT61]

Patches, lining, zipper all can go south. Then you have an almost worthless blob of a jacket. Sell it else you regret it. I know lots of guys on COW have done things like this to their Indy jackets, but I'm not one that would take even a cheaper jacket and do that...

 

[scotrace]

It's hard to control rate of shrinkage of all the materials involved. I have a nice jacket that I tried to shrink across the shoulders with water. It worked too well. The lining didn't shrink at all. And now the lining sticks out at the bottom edge and at the cuffs.

 

[Jaguar66]

I wear my jackets in the rain, and they don't shrink. So maybe hot water will do the trick for you. Back in the old days, we used to step into a hot shower with our 501 Shrink To Fit jeans, then stand in front of a space heater to dry them. That supposedly shrunk the jeans to fit to your body. I heard that some people wear them into a hot tub. Maybe you can wear your leather jacket into a hot tub and soak for a couple of hours. I don't recommend it. But you can try it and report back with the results. Get plenty of photos. I'm sure we'd all love to see you in the hot tub with your jacket on.

It will take some heat during the drying process to help shrink the leather. I have used a dryer at the lowest setting, drying a pre soaked jacket with a dozen damp towels, removing it every 10-12 minutes and reversing the jacket inside out.

I have drawn up some jackets, including Good Wear, as well as an Aero. The zipper tape on the Aero (FQHH Halfbelt jacket) did not show the curling and wavy appearance, that will happen on A2s. I have not drawn up any goatskin, but supposedly it won't shrink as much. The Eastman horsehide A2, didn't shrink very much either.

 

[xt40]

I have not drawn up any goatskin, but supposedly it won't shrink as much. The Eastman horsehide A2, didn't shrink very much either.

ive shrunk a goat g1 and an aero b3. both shrunk quite a bit, now fit and have much more prominent grain than before.
I wouldnt hesitate to do it again.
you just soak the bits you want to shrink and leave the bits that fit dry and then blast it in the dryer. just be sure to take it out and try it on every few minutes.

i would be concerned about the patches so it might be an idea to remove them and then resew them afterwards.

 

[ButteMT61]

Just put my Aero FQHH HG-5 in a steaming hot shower for five minutes. Had a hard time getting it to soak, and the insides still dry as a bone. Drying it now - 8 mins at a time. First look, it's awesome! I was talking with an expert friend of mine who to me he'd buy it from me if it got screwed up, so here I am. Gotta say, maybe it's the quality of the Aero that makes this work so well. But after the first soak and 8-mins in the dryer, it's look great.
Will keep letting it cool and repeat until it's where I want it.

 

[John Lever]

Be very careful about cooking leather. I recently destroyed a very beautiful RAF jacket using this method and had to throw it in the bin .

 

[ButteMT61]

Be very careful about cooking leather. I recently destroyed a very beautiful RAF jacket using this method and had to throw it in the bin .

Not to worry - using a timer and being VERY careful. It's doing swell thus far. Cycle #3. Thanks for the warning - I'm shocked I'm even doing it, but this HG-5 was one tough, heavy bear and I had to expedite it's surrender

 

[FredG]

Store it in the event you revisit your previous weight. Get another and transfer the patches.

 

[ButteMT61]

My HG-5 has now finished today's fun. Four cycles of hot showering followed by two, 10- minute dryer sessions each time. Last one was inside out to get the liner/sleeves good and dry.
It's much better now. More pliable, and only got a tad smaller. I wore it after every dryer session to mold to me.
If needed, will repeat tomorrow, but it seems to have done wonders for it.

 

[too much coffee]

Good job Scott; glad it worked out for you!


coffee

 

[Windward]

My HG-5 has now finished today's fun. Four cycles of hot showering followed by two, 10- minute dryer sessions each time. Last one was inside out to get the liner/sleeves good and dry.
It's much better now. More pliable, and only got a tad smaller. I wore it after every dryer session to mold to me.
If needed, will repeat tomorrow, but it seems to have done wonders for it.

Would like to see your HG-5 . . . especially after the treatment
BTW: worthlesswithoutpics . . . !