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dye leaching

Hawkeye

Member
A couple days ago i put a light coat of pecards on my recently aquired mid-war irvin. While applying I noticed that the dye in the jacket was coming out a little bit and "pinking" the pecards as I rubbed it in. The jacket has since been wiped down and seems dry, but if I wipe it at all with a light coloured chamois cloth it still comes away with reddish brown dye from the leather. Have I just not waited long enough for the jacket to dry, and will the dye eventually "lock" itself back in? I wont be wearing the jacket till at the earliest late september, but Im afraid of wearing the jacket in someones car and the dye coming off on the seats. Any suggestions?
 

shanghai joe

New Member
Hawkeye said:
A couple days ago i put a light coat of pecards on my recently aquired mid-war irvin. While applying I noticed that the dye in the jacket was coming out a little bit and "pinking" the pecards as I rubbed it in. The jacket has since been wiped down and seems dry, but if I wipe it at all with a light coloured chamois cloth it still comes away with reddish brown dye from the leather. Have I just not waited long enough for the jacket to dry, and will the dye eventually "lock" itself back in? I wont be wearing the jacket till at the earliest late september, but Im afraid of wearing the jacket in someones car and the dye coming off on the seats. Any suggestions?


what's your past experience regarding the union of pecards with irvins??
 

Andrew

Well-Known Member
I've never seen colour come off an Irvin before, with or without pecards. It was refurbed by Eastman wasn't it? I'd probably send Gary some shots and ask him if he remembers it and see if he has any ideas- perhaps the previous owner asked them to dye it to even the wear.
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Hawkeye said:
Any suggestions?

Miles is right, shelllac will seal it.

It actually looks blue in the avatar, excuse me for messing with your photo, but is this more the colour? ....

hawkeyeIrvinSM.jpg
 

Hawkeye

Member
yes, thats definately closer to the colour. The first photo was taken without a flash so it looked a bit darker. What is shellac and where can I get it? Is it like a varnish that will eventully crack like on B-3s?
 

shanghai joe

New Member
Hawkeye said:
yes, thats definately closer to the colour. The first photo was taken without a flash so it looked a bit darker. What is shellac and where can I get it? Is it like a varnish that will eventully crack like on B-3s?


not the normal healthy shade of brown common to irvins then?
 

Hawkeye

Member
shanghai joe said:
Hawkeye said:
yes, thats definately closer to the colour. The first photo was taken without a flash so it looked a bit darker. What is shellac and where can I get it? Is it like a varnish that will eventully crack like on B-3s?


not the normal healthy shade of brown common to irvins then?

In person it actually looks nicely brown, with some slight reddish undertones. I can't get some proper lighting or something for a truly accurate pic. My last Irvin was actually quite a bit redder in colour.

One thing to note is that the dye does not come off just by touching or even rubbing it with bare hands, only when rubbing a cloth across it. I never pecarded the last Irvin i had so I dont know if it would have been prone to this as well. Im hoping its simply because it still needs to dry for a bit.

One thing I just discovered, the one spot I have not yet pecarded, the main weather flap behind the main zip, does not exhibit this behaviour. I can wipe it with a cloth and no colour will come off.
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Hawkeye said:
What is shellac and where can I get it? Is it like a varnish that will eventully crack like on B-3s?

No, it won't crack, as you'd only be using one thin coat as a sealer. If you're not familiar with it, try an aerosol water protector spray instead.

I've never used Pecards, maybe it just needs a few more days to thoroughly dry.
 

Andrew

Well-Known Member
Hawkeye said:
One thing I just discovered, the one spot I have not yet pecarded, the main weather flap behind the main zip, does not exhibit this behaviour. I can wipe it with a cloth and no colour will come off.

This also suggests it's been overdyed at some time, that area is probably the original finish which ddn't get exposed to UV and life. Pecards won't remove the colour on an old Irvin, but it will collect any dirt on the surface which this colouring may be but i'd doubt it.
 
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