An Experiment That Could Go Sideways .. Time Will Tell.

[B-Man2]

Hey guys, a few years ago I picked up a repro French Cyclist ( Luftwaffe ) jacket for really cheap money. I have no doubt that it was made in Pakistan or some other middle eastern country, but the jacket wasn’t marked or labeled. The jacket looked ok but it when it arrived it was a god awful Taupe color that was the manufacturers interpretation of brown. The jacket fit well but it just wasn’t an acceptable color. The cost of returning the jacket would have been more than the purchase price so I kept the jacket and would wear it around the house mowing the lawn or working in the garage.
Well the color of the jacket finally got to me and out of desperation I tried something that I have never done before. Not being well versed or having the skills in washing down jackets with acetone or dying them with Fiebigs, I just decided to use Shoe Polish Wax and like a pair of boots you want to darken, I put two coats of dark brown shoe Polish over the entire jacket. I let the jacket sit for about 15 minutes and then buffed it out for the next 4 hours making sure to get every bit of Polish off the jacket so there’s no transfer of color to my car seats or furniture. Next I left the jacket sit outside in the hot sun for a day to help soften any wax I may have missed and buffed the jacket again. Now to be clear I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS TECHNIQUE TO ANYONE ! This could work out well or it could be a disaster. Only time will tell . But I wanted to share the results with you guys and get some feedback. Ok here’s the before photos;

And here are the after photos

Ok that’s the end result and I’m happy with it right now . Only time and my furniture and car seats will tell if this experiment went well or will go sideways on me. So please post any advice or comments. As always I appreciate all of you guys and your advice .
Cheers

 

[mulceber]

Really innovative idea, and the results speak for themselves. Definitely an option when dealing with a budget jacket.

 

[blackrat2]

So much better in that colour Burt, the original colour was arguably an acquired taste I guess

 

[Micawber]

Good work Burt, looks much better. Good idea to avoid wearing it on light upholstery when it's warm

 

[Johnnie Espresso]

looks like one of the "history bunker"s repros. I was tempted several times to get one of these, but their color always turned me off. Not a taste i`ve acquired yet.....
You did a great job on it, it looks much more like the real deal now.

 

[B-Man2]

looks like one of the "history bunker"s repros. I was tempted several times to get one of these, but their color always turned me off. Not a taste i`ve acquired yet.....
You did a great job on it, it looks much more like the real deal now.

You nailed it … the jacket came from the “ History Bunker”

 

[Yogie]

Looking great Burt. The new color looks much better than the original

 

[Johnnie Espresso]

You nailed it … the jacket came from the “ History Bunker”

That red lining is a giveaway

 

[Silver Surfer]

Ya dun gud. It may look even better with another pass or two with the polish. Kudos

 

[B-Man2]

That red lining is a giveaway

When that gets destroyed I’ll have it re- lined with something similar to the linings of period jackets .

 

[B-Man2]

Ya dun gud. It may look even better with another pass or two with the polish. Kudos

Thank Vic
It looks a little darker depending on the light . For instance here’s the jacket today outside with a few clouds blocking the sun.
Now it looks darker than when indoors .

 

[Kermit3D]

Burt, this is incomparable ! Great job.
Personally, I'd go even further...
It seems to me that Nick (D97x7) put some of his jackets in the washing machine (which was brave, to say the least) and got very good results with nice grain development.
Hurt it, it will look better !

 

[flyincowboy]

look definitely better like that

 

[B-Man2]

Thanks for your kind words Kermit. I would consider that but the jacket is really at my limits on sizing. If I did that I wouldn’t be able to get into it . So the best I can do is to wear the piss out of it and throw it in a corner and hope for the best

 

[ausreenactor]

Hey guys, a few years ago I picked up a repro French Cyclist ( Luftwaffe ) jacket for really cheap money. I have no doubt that it was made in Pakistan or some other middle eastern country, but the jacket wasn’t marked or labeled. The jacket looked ok but it when it arrived it was a god awful Taupe color that was the manufacturers interpretation of brown. The jacket fit well but it just wasn’t an acceptable color. The cost of returning the jacket would have been more than the purchase price so I kept the jacket and would wear it around the house mowing the lawn or working in the garage.
Well the color of the jacket finally got to me and out of desperation I tried something that I have never done before. Not being well versed or having the skills in washing down jackets with acetone or dying them with Fiebigs, I just decided to use Shoe Polish Wax and like a pair of boots you want to darken, I put two coats of dark brown shoe Polish over the entire jacket. I let the jacket sit for about 15 minutes and then buffed it out for the next 4 hours making sure to get every bit of Polish off the jacket so there’s no transfer of color to my car seats or furniture. Next I left the jacket sit outside in the hot sun for a day to help soften any wax I may have missed and buffed the jacket again. Now to be clear I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS TECHNIQUE TO ANYONE ! This could work out well or it could be a disaster. Only time will tell . But I wanted to share the results with you guys and get some feedback. Ok here’s the before photos;View attachment 77322View attachment 77323View attachment 77324View attachment 77325
And here are the after photos
View attachment 77326View attachment 77327View attachment 77329View attachment 77330View attachment 77331

Ok that’s the end result and I’m happy with it right now . Only time and my furniture and car seats will tell if this experiment went well or will go sideways on me. So please post any advice or comments. As always I appreciate all of you guys and your advice .
Cheers

Saved yourself thousands and replicated the look! Well done.