Over the weekend I pulled out a footlocker and looked inside. There was a very nice lambskin G-1 flight jacket in it. Unfortunately, the old house has damp spots and the footlocker was in one of them. The jacket has a thin layer of grey mould on it, and the once buttery-soft lambskin is now a little stiff. (Not ‘cracking and falling apart’ stiff; just not as supple as it should be.)
So how do I go about restoring this jacket to ‘new’? I assume I can wash the mould off with a damp cloth. Then what? I have some Pecard’s Leather Dressing (which I used the other day on another jacket), and I think I have some mink oil around somewhere. Which is better suited? Is there another product that should be used before or after the dressing or mink oil?
Had this problem a couple years back with an old AMF/Harley coat and turned to our local leather club for help. What they suggested worked wonders; saddle soap with a little mild detergent, sunshine between cleanings but inside with air circulation, and once the clean was reached just a hint of mink oil basically rubbed into my hands and them hand-working the leather. So slow and gentle and a stage at a time for me and not trying to make it all happen at once. And I started at the top and worked my way down. It took about a week but the results were worth it; it brought an old friend back to life.
(For the really bad spots, mine wasn’t uniform in mold, I actually rubbed a little of the saddle soap on with a couple fingers and worked it in first and then did the liquid form. And YMMV but I have it filed away in the back of my brain for personal consumption.)
No mold in my case, but Nivea did wonders for the cracking leather of my great-grandfather’s trunk. I’ve applied similar remedies (“what’s the cheapest body milk you have? give it here”) to other leather items owned by friends and relatives, g-gramps’ trunk was the one in worse shape. If you don’t have mink oil but do have a handy, cheap body milk that might be worth a try.
Hope you don’t mind a hijack, but the weather has turned such that I’ve started wearing my down-filled leather bomber. I’ve had it at least 20-25 years, and it has been my main fall/winter coat for that entire time. Leather (and coat) are VERY heavy.
It is in perfect shape, and showing nice signs of wear - mostly along the backs of the arms, and by the pockets - but also along all the seams, etc. No rips or cracks. I have done NOTHING to care for it all this time. Never used saddle soap or mink oil, never had it cleaned. To the contrary, I’ve reveled in the fact that I could wear it in the rain/snow, just toss it in the corner, whatever.
I’d like to wear it for another 20-25 - and maybe leave it to my kids. So what - if anything - do you think I ought to do for a coat like mine?
I use Pecard’s leather dressing once a year. I suspect it would do wonders for your jacket, after you clean the mold off. Are there knitted components? Cuffs, collar, waist? That’s what I’d worry about most on a jacket that has been left in a damp place for years. The lining needs to be cleaned too. Basically, since the leather isn’t cracked, I wouldn’t worry about that. Wipe it down and use a dressing or oil, it will be in great shape in no time. It’s the fabric components that need extra attention. And I don’t have the knowledge or experience to help you there. Maybe just turning it inside out, airing out the lining, and brushing any dirty spots would do the trick.
That was going to be a question later, but since you mentioned it…
My Patrouille de France A-2 jacket has 20-year-old sweat in the (very nice, embroidered) lining. I thought about having it cleaned, but the back, and under the collar, are painted. I worry that having it cleaned would destroy the paint. (My mom had my first flight jacket, a USN BuWEP one, dry cleaned. It took the gold off of the nameplate.)
They do custom jackets of precisely the type you are describing, and they will reline and do other maintenance on vintage jackets.
They make my horsehide A2 that I have worn for twenty years, and they relined it and re-cuffed it once, very professionally. They take it apart completely and reassemble, using the original holes, so it looks like nobody touched it.
I’m certain they do the same, if not better, for vintage jackets.
I called the dry cleaner near the office. They say they do take leather, but they send it out. They only do this once a month, so it would be a month before I got it back.
I’ve been using Obenauf’s on all my motorcycle leather stuff for years. Decades, even. Works better than anything else I’ve come across.
I’d clean it with saddle soap and let it dry. Then leave it out in the sun for a while, so it gets nice and warm, and then apply Obenauf’s generously. Let it soak in for a couple of hours, then wipe off any excess.
