End of Life of a Leather Jacket

[jchance]

It’s interesting to see what the end of life of a leather jacket looks like. I came across a leather jacket (Hercules/Oakbrook?) today that I thought is at the end of its life, or on life support. Even the belt is half-dead and hanging off the other end, with rusty belt buckle — watch for sepsis. (Of course someone bought it and wants advice on how to save it. Hence, this thread’s existence.) If you see jackets you deem beyond repair and ready for the trash bin, let’s post them here for discussion.

Another one I saw a while back — collector’s Albert Richard for Penney’s. Are these still worth buying for repro makers to use for pattern?

 

[AerGuitar]

Man, those look like scorched earth! That’s a little beyond what I would try to use for a pattern. Might make some cool wall art

 

[Guppy]

For biker zombie costumes this Halloween, I guess.

 

[BarryMcCockiner_PhD]

The only thing to do is to take it apart and try to salvage the pattern to have a repro made by a competent modern maker.

 

[jchance]

Might make some cool wall art

Interesting idea re wall art. I’d need to get it patched up before hanging it on my wall. The holes are too big and that’s too hobo-looking for my house. But I can see a leather-jacket shop or a museum displaying it as a piece of history, without any mending. However, that’s a different setting than a house that is meant to be lived in and at most display antique / vintage—not broken, trashy—stuff. Even a Wabi Sabi vase is displayed only after being mended with gold, for example.

 

[Mickiemac]

What one could do with such an ancient jacket is to transition it into rawhide chews for your canine companion (or donate to the local animal shelter) although proper preparation would be necessary to ensure no harmful contents.

 

[Joseph Hill]

if you can get it for free (or almost), it might be nice to cut up for patterns, or experiment when you don't mind a failed result. Sewing in new panels, experiment with greases, oils, dyes, etc. That's if there's no emotional attachment. A little while back, my beloved Frye harness boots finally gave out after about thirty years. Total welt blowout. They've had a few sole/heel restitutions, but I'm afraid there's not enough left to put back together this time. I can't part with them. So they live in the garage where the wife won't go. I've got some jeans I've had for ages that are still hanging together, but won't forever. Some of them quite special like the original ROY 'Buckle up *****es!' contest jeans that represent some powerful experiences in my life. I can't ever get rid of them, even after they become unwearable. They will sit in a drawer until I die, and the wife or kid can throw them away. They won't have any trouble with it, as they're trying to do it with all my stuff now.

 

[morrison2951]

It's dead then....

 

[Joseph Hill]

Properly framed and situated, tramp junk can be elevated to archeological treasure. Years ago I unfortunately passed on a piece that Mike Harris (Jeans of the Old West, you need this book!) was selling. It was a fragment of an early 20s Levis. Just a small section, but it had the perfect display elements; waist band, back cinch, patch. It would have made a perfect small framed artifact. Might be a little more imposing trying to case and frame a big chunk of leather jacket though...

 

[jchance]

Trash bin or collection? LA Sportogs. At least 2 leather panels are gone, not sure of the leather condition of the rest of the panels.

 

[Aloysius]

I think you're right. Archival work (whether museum or repro company or both) is the only real use case for these jackets that have dissolved.


I do love the button spacing on that last one; seems like it was very common on men's jackets and suits at that time. Not just the spaced two button cuff that you see here (and which American 3-button suits were famous for having because it meant salesmen could identify what kind of suit it was on the rack), but I have seen vintage suits with three button cuffs where each button has this spacing.

 

[cbez]

these are all prime condition according to the finds and deals thread

 

[AeroFan_07]

Only had it happen once - a Cal Leather that literally came apart in the wash (silly me forgot to use the delicate cycle). It was a mess, but in the end I still donated it for parts instead of completely tossing it.

 

[jchance]

Only had it happen once - a Cal Leather that literally came apart in the wash (silly me forgot to use the delicate cycle). It was a mess, but in the end I still donated it for parts instead of completely tossing it.

Donated to whom? Goodwill? Do you have pics?

I thought Cal, due to its thickness, is tough and would have survived one normal wash cycle.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Long, long gone. No pictures of the funeral.

Live moves along - was just a jacket.

 

[jchance]

Trash bin or collection? LA Sportogs. At least 2 leather panels are gone, not sure of the leather condition of the rest of the panels.
View attachment 742400 View attachment 742401

Me: “Outside of the two broken leather panels, how is the condition of the rest of the other leather panels?”

Seller: “I would just set your expectations low to be honest.”

I died… There’s no saving. It’s confirmed dead.

 

[Edward]

For biker zombie costumes this Halloween, I guess.

Ha, that's the first place my head went too.

What one could do with such an ancient jacket is to transition it into rawhide chews for your canine companion (or donate to the local animal shelter) although proper preparation would be necessary to ensure no harmful contents.

Vets over here are now discouraging people rom buying rawhide chews, though they're still legal to sell. But I agree, when they're no longer wearable, finding some other use is good. If they're not any good for patterns or parts, animal bedding isn't a bad idea. Back when my cat girls were still with us on this side, they used to love to sleep in one of my shearlings to the point where I had half an eye out in charity shops and the likes for one that was beyond really wearing, but might have made nice bedding for them. Our current dog regularly steals things from the laundry pile to sleep on; a jacket like that I might wear it myself or have the wife wear it around the house a bit to scent it and give it to him to sleep on then. He's not a chewer on non-food things, so I wouldn't be so worried about him eating something he shouldn't.

 

[jchance]

Seller still wants $114 for this:

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[baldipino]

Trash bin or collection? LA Sportogs. At least 2 leather panels are gone, not sure of the leather condition of the rest of the panels

I love this design but I personally think it's unwearable. Any replacement hide would no doubt be noticeable, especially to the eyes here on the Forum. And too much replacement invokes the Theseus' ship theory. However, I do believe this one is in good enough shape to use as a template for an awesome jacket!

 

[Biff42]

I learned about something called red rot and its impact on veg-tanned leather.

This discussion makes me think about impermanence and how temporary everything is. I'm now having an existential crisis