Blowdryer + conditioner on Lost Worlds leather (before, during, after)

deswaaf · Sep 24, 2020

The picture above is before any treatment. More about this jacket: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fit-pics-lost-worlds-suburban-42l-grainy-4-5-oz-fqhh.101666/

Let me begin by saying that I read a lot of advice against doing this, that the leather used by LW supposedly won't need any care for 20 years. I got this jacket second hand (or third, or fourth) and to me the leather felt like it could use this. Water drops penetrated the leather and left little dots, it was quite stiff in places and squeaky in others, and to be honest I was just curious how this grainy hide would respond. Hoping the leather will become softer.

I took my time for this (about 4 hours) and tackled the jacket panel by panel, dividing the larger panels into smaller segments. I started by heating the leather with a blowdryer on max level, when it was thoroughly hot I applied a generous coat of Grand National leather cream.

Due to the heat it turned liquid right away and the leather drank it up. I finished with another heating of the leather, liquifying the remaining conditioner on the surface before moving on to the next part.

Left it to cure, after 24 hours it looked like this:

Most of the conditioner has been fully absorbed, I buffed the jacket and it feels dry to the touch, not oily or sticky at all. The leather has softened up considerably. I finished with one last heating with the blowdryer. This seemed to make the grain pop some more and it melted any leftover conditioner on the surface deeper into the leather.

Doing this relaxed the leather a good bit, and gave it a fresh sheen. Good for the next 20 years I'd say! I will keep you guys posted how the leather evolves.

Cheers

Hh121 · Sep 24, 2020

the leather looks dull after treatment, LW hide will not absorb anything, at least that's my experience.

Jin431 · Sep 24, 2020

deswaaf said:
The picture above is before any treatment. More about this jacket: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fit-pics-lost-worlds-suburban-42l-grainy-4-5-oz-fqhh.101666/

Let me begin by saying that I read a lot of advice against doing this, that the leather used by LW supposedly won't need any care for 20 years. I got this jacket second hand (or third, or fourth) and to me the leather felt like it could use this. Water drops penetrated the leather and left little dots, it was quite stiff in places and squeaky in others, and to be honest I was just curious how this grainy hide would respond. Hoping the leather will become softer.

I took my time for this (about 4 hours) and tackled the jacket panel by panel, dividing the larger panels into smaller segments. I started by heating the leather with a blowdryer on max level, when it was thoroughly hot I applied a generous coat of Grand National leather cream.

Due to the heat it turned liquid right away and the leather drank it up. I finished with another heating of the leather, liquifying the remaining conditioner on the surface before moving on to the next part.

Left it to cure, after 24 hours it looked like this:

Most of the conditioner has been fully absorbed, I buffed the jacket and it feels dry to the touch, not oily or sticky at all. The leather has softened up considerably. I finished with one last heating with the blowdryer. This seemed to make the grain pop some more and it melted any leftover conditioner on the surface deeper into the leather.

Doing this relaxed the leather a good bit, and gave it a fresh sheen. Good for another 20 years I'd say! I will keep you guys posted how the leather evolves.

Cheers

Haven't owned a jacket long enough to think about conditioning treatment but that hide does look terrific. Thanks for sharing.

Monitor · Sep 24, 2020

Hh121 said:
the leather looks dull after treatment, LW hide will not absorb anything, at least that's my experience.

Yeah, ditto for my jacket, too. I tried to condition my LW vest, didn't soak in a single molecule of the stuff even when I used a blow-dryer and eventually, after I waited for a week, I had to wipe the vest down to at least make it wearable again. Well, it did lose some of the smell (had a bit of a musty odor) but otherwise... Dunno, discouraged me from using a conditioner on a LW again.

Your jacket looks great, OP!

Peacoat · Sep 24, 2020

Good job on conditioning with a great result. Don't know that I would have had the patience to spend 4 hours on it, though.

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Sep 24, 2020

I wonder if you took that last shot in the sun if it would pop more. Those first pictures are amazing, but the last is dulled for sure. In any case, you softened which is nice. And not eveyone necessarily wants a shiny jacket.

Will Zach · Sep 24, 2020

A slight shine is very good imo. Dull is bad. Super-shine is also bad - just my opinion. Perhaps you can buff it a bit to bring out the slight shine?

Psant25 · Sep 24, 2020

Looks great!

deswaaf · Sep 24, 2020

The last picture was taken in the shadow indeed, doesn't do it justice! here's one in the sun. (edit: I added it in the original post)

Will Zach · Sep 24, 2020

^^
Just about perfect.

deswaaf · Sep 24, 2020

Peacoat said:
Good job on conditioning with a great result. Don't know that I would have had the patience to sped 4 hours on it, though.

I'm a luthier and woodcarver, generally prefer to take my time with things

Very happy with the result indeed.

TREEMAN · Sep 24, 2020

Good job, does the jacket feel heavier ?

Will Zach · Sep 24, 2020

deswaaf said:
I'm a violin builder and woodcarver, generally prefer to take my time with things Very happy with the result indeed.

Can I send you my jacket?

deswaaf · Sep 24, 2020

TREEMAN said:
Good job, does the jacket feel heavier ?

Not noticeable, actually feels lighter because of the leather softening up, but I guess it weighs a few scoops of leather cream more than it did before.

Hh121 · Sep 25, 2020

What phone are you using for those pics? It's beautiful

Will Zach · Sep 25, 2020

deswaaf said:
The picture above is before any treatment. More about this jacket: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fit-pics-lost-worlds-suburban-42l-grainy-4-5-oz-fqhh.101666/

Let me begin by saying that I read a lot of advice against doing this, that the leather used by LW supposedly won't need any care for 20 years. I got this jacket second hand (or third, or fourth) and to me the leather felt like it could use this. Water drops penetrated the leather and left little dots, it was quite stiff in places and squeaky in others, and to be honest I was just curious how this grainy hide would respond. Hoping the leather will become softer.

I took my time for this (about 4 hours) and tackled the jacket panel by panel, dividing the larger panels into smaller segments. I started by heating the leather with a blowdryer on max level, when it was thoroughly hot I applied a generous coat of Grand National leather cream.

Due to the heat it turned liquid right away and the leather drank it up. I finished with another heating of the leather, liquifying the remaining conditioner on the surface before moving on to the next part.

Left it to cure, after 24 hours it looked like this:

Most of the conditioner has been fully absorbed, I buffed the jacket and it feels dry to the touch, not oily or sticky at all. The leather has softened up considerably. I finished with one last heating with the blowdryer. This seemed to make the grain pop some more and it melted any leftover conditioner on the surface deeper into the leather.

Doing this relaxed the leather a good bit, and gave it a fresh sheen. Good for the next 20 years I'd say! I will keep you guys posted how the leather evolves.

Cheers

Your time of 4 hours is in good agreement with another post I remember of applying Pecards Leather Dressing, which I believe has similar composition and consistency to the Grand National leather cream. That was 6 hours, working the dressing into the leather by hand, using heat of fingers and rubbing to melt the waxes. I think using a hair dryer is a good idea, I saw it mentioned before for applying waxy conditioners.

Will Zach · Sep 25, 2020

Monitor said:
Yeah, ditto for my jacket, too. I tried to condition my LW vest, didn't soak in a single molecule of the stuff even when I used a blow-dryer and eventually, after I waited for a week, I had to wipe the vest down to at least make it wearable again. Well, it did lose some of the smell (had a bit of a musty odor) but otherwise... Dunno, discouraged me from using a conditioner on a LW again.

Your jacket looks great, OP!

It is amazing how much a presence or absence of a topcoat affects absorption. My old HD Sportsters absorbed Obenaufs oil like there was no tomorrow, I could see the oil disappear in real time. On my Score jacket, which has a coating, Obenaufs just sat there on the surface and did nothing, even as I spread it with an applicator. Finally I panicked and started rubbing it in with my fingers - finally most of it went in, but there was some left on the surface. That residue was absorbed over a week's time while the jacket was hanging in the closet. Pecards may be even tougher to absorb having higher viscosity and being semi-solid. Obenaufs is a low viscosity liquid.

dannyk · Sep 25, 2020

Will Zach said:
Your time of 4 hours is in good agreement with another post I remember of applying Pecards Leather Dressing, which I believe has similar composition and consistency to the Grand National leather cream. That was 6 hours, working the dressing into the leather by hand, using heat of fingers and rubbing to melt the waxes. I think using a hair dryer is a good idea, I saw it mentioned before for applying waxy conditioners.

Ive done the blowdyer on boots, never a jacket. Has always served me well. Really works it in and keeps it in deep. Just dont leave the heat on too long or over do it. You can damage the leather or dry out its remaining natural oils. Doing it safe and smart has kept some of my boots looking great.

navetsea · Sep 25, 2020

the content seems like all concoction of different waxes I hope it doesn't flake off when you crease the leather or wear it during colder months, from reading the usage seems like it is meant for thicker leather that is not so much creased during wearing (boots, saddle, belt, headgear). if it does flake then you probably need to clean it with lighter fluid.

just my feeling if the leather is/ was a finished leather with top coat then it is better to recoat it with leather finisher some can be applied as you would condition a leather with cloth too, and if the leather is naked or waxy then probably adding wax to maintain it makes more benefit.

deswaaf · Oct 1, 2020

Hh121 said:
What phone are you using for those pics? It's beautiful

A Nikon camera

edit: a combination between an SLR and a digital camera, handy little thing that makes great shots.

Blowdryer + conditioner on Lost Worlds leather (before, during, after)

One of the Regulars

Banned

Call Me a Cab

*

Call Me a Cab

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

Call Me a Cab

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

Banned

I'll Lock Up

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics