All I did to the VTG's was this - soaking is unnecessary IMO, unless you want to mold the collar. It won't discolor the jacket if you just soak a portion of the jacket or whatever either, so do as you want with water.
Oils and stuff though - exercise caution, and err on the side of 'nude' rather than trying to oil it down within an inch of it's life, I've learned. Let the leather take on an honest color and patina as you go. It will not soak oil uniformly, and just get blotchy if you go too hard, so if you're gonna condition it, do so very lightly, wipe off excess from soaking in, and then let it dry to naturally mellow a bit too. I used regular body lotion, vegetable oil, and then neatsfoot oil. The oils are heavy and can cause splotching if you use too much. The splotches will wear out over time if you do mess up, but yeah, just oil and tan very slowly and don't try to rush it along too much, be conservative.
Oils and stuff though - exercise caution, and err on the side of 'nude' rather than trying to oil it down within an inch of it's life, I've learned. Let the leather take on an honest color and patina as you go. It will not soak oil uniformly, and just get blotchy if you go too hard, so if you're gonna condition it, do so very lightly, wipe off excess from soaking in, and then let it dry to naturally mellow a bit too. I used regular body lotion, vegetable oil, and then neatsfoot oil. The oils are heavy and can cause splotching if you use too much. The splotches will wear out over time if you do mess up, but yeah, just oil and tan very slowly and don't try to rush it along too much, be conservative.
