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Machine washing and tailoring my new leather jacket

post #1 of 7
2/7/13 at 4:08am
Thread Starter 

Hey guys

 

    I just picked up a new lambskin leather moto jacket made by Wilson's Leather for a killer price. I've been looking for a black moto jacket and this one seems to fit the bill, baring the fit and "finish", that is.

 

    I'm concerned that the jacket might tear just inside of where the sleeves meet the back of the shoulder as I have some pretty aggressive lats and it gets quite tight when I reach to adjust the stereo while driving, even when unzipped.

 

    My desire is to run it through the washing machine to break it in, get some texture and lose some of the shine, however I am concerned it may shrink too much and put me in more risk of tearing in the back. This is my first leather jacket and I'm not familiar with how resilient lambskin tends to be.

 

    After washing and probably hang drying the jacket I intend to bring it to my friend that is a professional seamstress and have her take the waist in for a more "V" shaped, fitted look. Then I'd like to have her bring the sleeves in at least an inch on each side. However, she is largely against bringing the sleeves in anymore than 3/4" saying they will tear in no time. It's hard to argue with her because of this being her job for 15 years, but I have tried on more expensive jackets with much tighter sleeves...

 
     I'd also like to have the polyester filling/ insulation removed however my seamstress friend staunchly apposes this saying the jacket won't sit right and it will look like a baggy leather shirt. I'm not sure whether or not to argue with her on this though as I feel as thought I have tried on many leathers without any insulation between the liner and the leather.

 

 

My questions are as follows:

 

1. Will washing and hang drying the jacket shrink it and increase the likely hood of a tear in the upper back?

 

2. Is removing the polyester lining a bad/ dangerous idea?

 

3. Am I really asking for it by bringing those sleeves in for a nice and fitted look?

 

4. Generally, how strong/ forgiving is lambskin?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Jordan

 

Also I posted some pics of how it is currently sitting right now if anyone wants to chime in on how it fits and whether or not I am out of line @ unicorntearsinfinity.tumblr.com 

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post #2 of 7
2/7/13 at 4:41am
You have a greater than 50% chance of completely ruining the jacket if you put it in the washing machine.
Lambskin is probably among the most fragile of all leathers. As to everything else, I'd take your friend's advice.
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post #3 of 7
2/7/13 at 10:49am

Return it immediately.  Do not run it through a washing machine.  Do you think it'll just come out magically the way you want it

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post #4 of 7
2/7/13 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbear View Post

Return it immediately.  Do not run it through a washing machine.  Do you think it'll just come out magically the way you want it

Are you familiar with this process?  http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/2009/07/washing-your-leather-jacket-by-peter.html

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post #5 of 7
2/7/13 at 3:02pm

Does that look like a washing machine to you.  

 

And yes, I'm actually familiar with soaking a leather jacket.  Trust me, soaking your wilson leather won't give you what you want.

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post #6 of 7
2/7/13 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbear View Post

Does that look like a washing machine to you.  

 

And yes, I'm actually familiar with soaking a leather jacket.  Trust me, soaking your wilson leather won't give you what you want.

No, however a lot of people have done write ups involving machine washing and drying for this process. Anyway I'm glad to be dealing with someone with experience on the subject. 

 

Why do you say to that exclusively about wilson leather? Is it the brand or the cut or...? I'm not even aware of what I don't know when it comes to leather yet, so any advice would be helpful

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post #7 of 7
2/7/13 at 8:24pm

Return the jacket.

 

The problem for you is that the Wilson's leather is cheap bonded leather, basically leather scraps mixed with plastics/vinyl and likely sitting on some canvas. Once you soak it and dry it, it's going to crack like a bitch since you'll have destroyed the bonding agents. And no amount of leather conditioning will help.

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