Shrinking a leather jacket?

[pinoy]

Hi folks,

I bought a used leather jacket, and the arms seem to have been stretched out (particularly at the elbow area) by the previous owner.

Is there any way I can shrink the jacket or restore it to its condition when it was new and have it mold to my body?

Thanks!

 

[warlok1965]

edit: never mind, wrong answer

 

[HEWSINATOR]

Wash, gentle, woolite black.

 

[Mazda]

I hope this is a joke or a bad troll attempt.

 

[Lostinthesupermarket]

This can't even go in Dumb Threads....it's not entertaining enough.

 

[wmmk]

you can actually take it to a cobbler, who could probably "tailor" it.

 

[pinoy]

Sorry if this comes off as a troll thread or as if I'm joking, but I just wanted to put it out there to see what people thought. I did some research and turns out some people have shrunk leather jackets by swabbing them with damp towels and using a hair dryer to dry the piece. Does anyone have any insight with regards to the reliability of this process? ..or if it even works?

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

Wow, if leather can shrink, cows must really fear precipitation. Imagine coming out of a rainstorm with your skin suddenly too tight.

 

[robertorex]

+1 on just taking it to a good tailor. That seems like it has a lower chance of ******* up than any of the DIY methods you're into.

 

[pinoy]

Originally Posted by Bam!ChairDance

Wow, if leather can shrink, cows must really fear precipitation. Imagine coming out of a rainstorm with your skin suddenly too tight.

i'm just saying because of wear the leather jacket has stretched out. Thus, I'm just looking to see if I can shrink it back to its original shape / size

 

[j]

Yes, getting leather wet and then letting it dry will shrink it. It may discolor it and if you overdo the drying process (using too much heat) it will dry out the leather and it may crack, etc. If it were me I'd try a product like Vanson's leather balm or Lexol - use some inside a seam or somewhere to see if it will discolor the leather, and if not, slather that stuff all over the jacket (so you don't get patches that are different colors) and dry the jacket, and see what happens. The moisture will allow the leather to change shape easily and the heat is what will shrink it, so hanging it over a radiator or some other gentle heat might be a good idea, but don't go nuts and throw it in the dryer or anything.

All that said it might be best, not knowing what kind of jacket we're talking about, to take it to a decent leather shop and see what they have to say.

 

[PLaydice]

Why dont you throw out your stretched out second hand jacket that DOESNT FIT, and buy yourself a new jacket. Mr "can i stretch leather?"

 

[slee1986]

^ +1 lol, or at the very least buy a stretched out second hand jacket that DOES FIT