My first Leather jacket G-1

[Danny HKG]

Just got my first G-1 today,
it’s fit me well, and in good collection
Here is the photo of my flight jacket collection
View attachment IMG_7491.jpeg
Ps : Thanks for the advice of B-Man 2 and Mulceber of my last post.

 

[B-Man2]

Just got my first G-1 today,
it’s fit me well, and in good collection
Here is the photo of my flight jacket collection
View attachment 175473
Ps : Thanks for the advice of B-Man 2 and Mulceber of my last post.

Ahh you got the Pritzker …. Good for you.
It’s a rare jacket that will increase in value over the years that you own it . How was the condition of the jacket ? Any hidden or undisclosed issue with it ?

 

[Danny HKG]

Ahh you got the Pritzker …. Good for you.
It’s a rare jacket that will increase in value over the years that you own it . How was the condition of the jacket ? Any hidden or undisclosed issue with it ?

The overall condition is okay except for some cracking on the arm ,slightly fraying at collar,and holes at the knitted hem. The seller provided me with a new knitted hem, but I think I will keep it as is to maintain the vintage look. I just want to know how you maintain your jackets to avoid leather cracking and moldy at the collar. Does it need professional dry cleaning? Thanks !

 

[B-Man2]

No dry cleaners. I’ve found over the years that they just don't know how to care for vintage leather . If there’s an odor problem there’s ways to deal with that . Is the cracking just light surface cracks or are they a symptom of something worse like dry rot ?
If just light cracking use some products that will soften and nourish the hide. There are several of them . Post some close up photos of the cracking and we can give you some suggestions as to how to deal with the problem .

 

[mulceber]

Great acquisition! A bit of conditioning at the shoulder should help. If it’s really bad, you can send it to a renovation specialist and they can use leather glue to glue a thin patch of leather on the underside of the area.

 

[Danny HKG]

No dry cleaners. I’ve found over the years that they just don't know how to care for vintage leather . If there’s an odor problem there’s ways to deal with that . Is the cracking just light surface cracks or are they a symptom of something worse like dry rot ?
If just light cracking use some products that will soften and nourish the hide. There are several of them . Post some close up photos of the cracking and we can give you some suggestions as to how to deal with the problem .

It does have a slight odor, and I will try to place the jacket in a ventilated area for a day or two to see if that resolves the issue. Please see the photo of the cracking."

 

[Danny HKG]

Great acquisition! A bit of conditioning at the shoulder should help. If it’s really bad, you can send it to a renovation specialist and they can use leather glue to glue a thin patch of leather on the underside of the area.

Will try to use some oil treatment, to see if it can fix the problem, Thanks !

 

[B-Man2]

View attachment 175667View attachment 175669It does have a slight odor, and I will try to place the jacket in a ventilated area for a day or two to see if that resolves the issue. Please see the photo of the cracking."

Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons that I said it’s best to have the jacket in your hands and to examine it. The first photo is dry rot and that should have been disclosed by the seller . There is no way to repair this. The best you can hope for is try and stabilize the damage or send the jacket out for professional restoration which will be costly . If it were me I would try to return the jacket and get my money back . Sorry to bring bad news.

 

[Danny HKG]

Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons that I said it’s best to have the jacket in your hands and to examine it. The first photo is dry rot and that should have been disclosed by the seller . There is no way to repair this. The best you can hope for is try and stabilize the damage or send the jacket out for professional restoration which will be costly . If it were me I would try to return the jacket and get my money back . Sorry to bring bad news.

"Based on your experience, do you think this issue might spread? I think I will first discuss it with the seller and see the repair costs before making a decision. Thank you for your reply."

 

[Pilot]

By experience.. if not treated professionally, it will spread.. and the mothing ..plus the hair loss on the mouton.. same issue…( the neck has already been unprofessionally mended ).
It always comes to the same.. “low cost never stays low cost at the end..” Sorry for the bad news.

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

Klucel G

Klucel G is a leather consolidant that comes in powder form to assist in the prevention of the spread of damage caused by red rot and age.

www.preservationequipment.com

This stuff will stabilize the leather, then some light conditioning with something natural like renapur or pecards

 

[Danny HKG]

By experience.. if not treated professionally, it will spread.. and the mothing ..plus the hair loss on the mouton.. same issue…( the neck has already been unprofessionally mended ).
It always comes to the same.. “low cost never stays low cost at the end..” Sorry for the bad news.

"Thanks! I've just learned a lesson about trading vintage leather jackets; there is a lot of knowledge involved in vintage items. Anyway, I will discuss this problem with the seller. Thanks a lot for the information!"

 

[Danny HKG]

Klucel G

Klucel G is a leather consolidant that comes in powder form to assist in the prevention of the spread of damage caused by red rot and age.

www.preservationequipment.com

This stuff will stabilize the leather, then some light conditioning with something natural like renapur or pecards

Thank you, I will try this for the jacket

 

[Pilot]

"Thanks! I've just learned a lesson about trading vintage leather jackets; there is a lot of knowledge involved in vintage items. Anyway, I will discuss this problem with the seller. Thanks a lot for the information!"

Please also be kindly informed that the knits look “contaminated “ with mothing nests… changing the knits will not suffice.. the moths might also be elswehere ( eg inbetween the liner and the hide.. in the mouton etc.. ) .. dont place your contaminated jacket next to other woolen clothing.. ( other jackets with woolen knits pe )..
Use whatever anti-mothing products you have.. to get rid of the possible “breeding”…
The collar looks also already affected…hair loss for sure… .
Good luck.
EDIT: it was already discussed here… every incoming jacket… to be placed in a garbage bag… and then deep frozen for at least two weeks… to get rid of all ( possible) mothing..

 

[Danny HKG]

Thank you to all the experts here for the helpful suggestions!

 

[Silver Surfer]

I could suggest several remedies to fully restore the jacket, ie: replace rotted panel, fur knits, etc, but the eventual cost might out weigh the intrinsic value of the jacket. The only way to know what is involved is to send it to Steve or Dave to be fully evaluated. In doing so, you would already incur shipping costs.. point being, it adds up. I might add that I have seen full restorations done on basket cases by both of these guys. So it can be done

 

[Pilot]

I could suggest several remedies to fully restore the jacket, ie: replace rotted panel, fur knits, etc, but the eventual cost might out weigh the intrinsic value of the jacket. The only way to know what is involved is to send it to Steve or Dave to be fully evaluated. In doing so, you would already incur shipping costs.. point being, it adds up.

Exactly! Well said! Let the pros work on it.