Any problems with dry cleaning original nylon ?

[Peter Graham]

When I got my Blue Anchor L-2B it was slightly grubby and it's been getting some heavy wear recently so has gotten somewhat grubbier. I'd love to have it dry cleaned but I'm a bit hesitant. Will anything nasty happen ? I know the decal will fade but this doesn't bother me. I'm worried that the colour will fade and something horrible may happen to the knits. Has anyone had original nylon dry cleaned and where there any adverse effects ? Cheers.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Peter, a reputable dry cleaner should be able to clean it with no problems.

 

[tamoko]

.

 

[dujardin]

i have already wash my original MA-1 surely more than 50 times and never get problem.
washing machine for one hour with cold water and a little ''soap gel for wool'', than just let dry in the air.

byeeeee marcel

 

[greyhound52]

I too have washed two L-2Bs which were real dirty when I got them. I used woolite and cold water on a gentle cycle. Then air dry. Results were very good with no shrinkage at all. You might get some fading on the decal but less than dry cleaning.

 

[Peter Graham]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I might use the washing machine method to minimise fading of the decal.

 

[Sid-Vintage]

Learned the hard way dry cleaning a B-15D years back when it came back with totally shrunk / wrecked collar fur. Had similar happen to fur trim on N3-B's as well. I'll never dry clean any jacket with fur collar or trim any more. As long as you're doing jackets with ribbing collars as on MA-1, L2, etc you'll have no problems apart from possible minor fading.

 

[Stony]

I had my BR L-2 dry cleaned, and like other comments in this thread, the AF decal faded almost to non-existance.

 

[Peter Graham]

I used the machine wash with Woolite method and it worked a treat. The decal did not fade any more than it already is and the jacket looks a lot fresher. Thanks guys.

 

[watchmanjimg]

I tried this last night with mixed results. One of my L-2Bs came out seemingly unaffected, while the other exhibited shrinkage in the body length. It's not a major issue as the jacket was on the short side to begin with and I probably wouldn't have worn it with civilian clothing, but it's obvious to me that washing these jackets is a risky proposition. I won't try it again. Although the nylon can be washed with no problem, it seems that the wool/rayon lining material is prone to shrinkage. I'd recommend spot-cleaning with a damp rag and mild detergent, with dry cleaning as a last resort.

 

[deeb7]

Although the nylon can be washed with no problem, it seems that the wool/rayon lining material is prone to shrinkage.

Exactly ... it's the lining that's the problem, in extreme cases it can shrink by several inches.

I bought one that had obviously been thrown in with a warm wash ... I could hold the lining taut, and the back would hang down below like a hood.

 

[watchmanjimg]

I had originally planned to leave this jacket the way it is, but I guess all is not lost even if I decide to try and fix it. I can always have the seamstress open the seams and put in a piece of lining material to lengthen the body and sleeves. In this case it wouldn't be a big deal as the knits can stand replacing and she'd have to pull the whole jacket apart anyway. I have several scrap L-2Bs on hand to source the lining.

 

[greyhound52]

Jim,
Interesting you had this problem. I have washed several L-2Bs with no shrinkage at all. I used cold water and woolite. Spray and wash also took out a lot of the stains as well.

 

[watchmanjimg]

George, it was the damndest thing. My '67 Satellite came out fine, but the '65 Alpha's lining shrunk enough to reduce the body length by almost 2 inches.

 

[dadgad]

Didn't have experiences with L2 jackets but a couple of MA-1 came out very clean and shining from a cold machine Wash with a drop of wool soap. Never suffered of any shrinkage at all.

 

[deeb7]

... a couple of MA-1 came out very clean and shining from a cold machine Wash with a drop of wool soap.

Were they difficult to dry, with the wool interlining?

 

[dadgad]

... a couple of MA-1 came out very clean and shining from a cold machine Wash with a drop of wool soap.

Were they difficult to dry, with the wool interlining?

I can't remember anything going wrong with it at all, no smells no shrinkage, nothing.

 

[deeb7]

I can't remember anything going wrong with it at all, no smells no shrinkage, nothing.

Thanks ... I'll try washing one, and spread it out on a towel to dry.

 

[dujardin]

hello,

i don't know if this will help.
i took some photos of my MA-1 that i wear for several years, i give her badddddddd treatments, did everything, wash her for tens and tens of times. :?

i only take care of his collector ''value'' since i'm member of this forum.

this is just ten minutes away

i think i will remove all the patch i request my mother to sew on her during my ''top gun period'' :?

byebyeeeeeeee marcel

 

[Willy McCoy]

From time to time I buy a nylon jacket from eBay. For greasy discoloration/stains I dab "Dawn" on to the area and rub it in with my fingers and let it dry some what. Then I run cold water in the sink with Woolite, stir and "sink" the jacket below the water line. Then let it soak for an hour or two. Then I agitate and rub the nylon together as well as squeeze the air bubbles through the nylon. Set it aside and drain the sink/refill the sink and work the soap out in the rinse water. Rinse again and let it air dry. If the still is a shadow of the stain after this I will take a diaper and rub some dawn into the nylon like a spot clean and give it a little more attention. Then rinse with a clean towel that is soaked in cold water to remove the soap. I learned the Dawn method after watching people clean oil drenched waterfowl with it to a happy end. Another good thing about hand washing is you can take care of the decal a lot better.