Horsehide repair to Swedish trench

Hey guys,

just after a little advice. So, I bought a like new vintage Swedish horsehide trench. All good except I took in out on a few minus 2/3 nights and on one forgot gloves and my hands got so damn cold I couldn’t close the buttons again.

So I put a lot of pressure and pushed the button into the leather to close the jacket. I think my nail dug in a bit :/

Ive noticed a few days later I’ve damaged the leather around the button as per image 1 from the pressure; similar on another button but not as bad.

1.

It’s a bit annoying but I’ve had a go at sorting in pictures 2/3 below. I used a special marker pen for arts and crafts which colour matched.

2.


now in this spot leather (top coat) had been scraped off revealing a lighter underneath as per pic 1. Should I shave or snip this off or just add polish and flatten it back?

I assume you’ll laugh at this but I wondered if there’s someone in UK who could fix this so unnoticeable or do I just live with it?

Literally within a week of buying it hence the annoyance! Thanks in advance

Are you sure this is vintage horsehide you bought. If it's that easy to damage the topcoat, I guess these damages most be allover.

Marc mndt said:

Are you sure this is vintage horsehide you bought. If it's that easy to damage the topcoat, I guess these damages most be allover.

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I think it was dead stock as looked hardly used but yeah there is the odd mark, nothing major. It feels like horsehide but is softer than my Vicenza aero (slightly) - but that’s only a few years old. believe me I put it under a lot of pressure so could have torn it... but it has me wondering slightly. The seller did state a little uncertainty but that it was sold to them as 100% horsehide.

it is super heavy also - 3.5kg ish. My assumption is this is a constantly used area of the jacket and very old. But yeah any fix tips appreciated.

Marc mndt said:

Are you sure this is vintage horsehide you bought. If it's that easy to damage the topcoat, I guess these damages most be allover.

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I didn’t mention I think my nail caused this mate. I dug in by accident I think (numb hands). Thanks for replying just debating best fix/cover with the bit of top coat ‘hanging’

pretty sure horsehide - super heavy and thicker than Vicenza on my aero - the back has broke in like horsehide too.

If the the bit of topcoat is still attached, you might just try gluing it back on. But make sure to use flexible / elastic glue.

^^
I second that. In fact, I did exact same thing to a hanging topcoat flap on an old jacket that was annoying me. I mixed a bit of two-part epoxy, let it stiffen a bit, and put a tiny drop on an end of a needle. I put the drop in the gouge, pressed the flap down and voila. I don't think it is ever going to separate.

Fellas, much obliged thank you!
Yeah it’s annoying but I think worth going for the fix. Open to any other other suggestions but I’ll look into what I need - is that epoxy resin?

wishing you all a great weekend, stay well!

Yeah, I used a 2-part epoxy I had at home. Since you will be gluing a tiny flap of the topcoat, some rubber cement should work, too. Just a tiny drop should do. Press on it and make sure the flap does not separate while the glue is wet.

Horsehide is widely claimed by sellers as it is thought to attract a premium price. I’ve seen some really laughable adverts for horsehide leather jackets on eBay when the label clearly states it’s cow, or goat or deer (often in a foreign language)! I’ve also seen jackets claimed as goatskin with massive leather panels way bigger than any goat that ever lived... it’s obviously cow with a grain stamped on it. Some sellers seem to claim every single jacket they are selling is horsehide (or some other ‘special’ leather), even when some/all are obviously not. Some might just be ignorant, but I suspect most are wilfully so...The smarter ones cover themselves a bit saying “horsehide?” Or “looks like horsehide” or some other variation leaving some doubt/wriggle room.

Personally unless it has horsehide mentioned on the label or a separate horsehide label sewn on that clearly looks original/matches the era of the jacket then I’d assume it’s not, at least as far as paying any extra is concerned. Sure some old jackets (1950s or earlier) may very well be horsehide, but short of DNA analysis proving that I’d not pay any extra on the assumption it’s horse. Maybe there’s an exception to be made for old jackets with no makers or others labels where the design and style can be linked to a specific makers jacket known to be made from horsehide. Or jackets were there is a makers label present and it’s known that particular maker made horsehide jackets at that time, but did not mention horsehide on their labels or add an extra label. But typically makers using horsehide (even back in the day when horses and hence horsehide was more prevalent) seem to have been proud of that and made a point of of mentioning it on the labels (or by adding extra “genuine front quarter horsehide” labels)...

Many people claim they can tell the difference just by looking/the weight/feel... personally I’m dubious. Some years back under the William Lauder era (before he got jailed) Aero Leathers sold some steer hide jackets mislabelled as horsehide. No one noticed until the wider frauds were discovered at the factory and many loved those jackets characterful leather... when offered a free swap for horse I think some kept the steer hide jackets... from time to time here folk post close up shots of different leathers and ask people to guess which is which. Apart from the usually fairly obvious grain of goat or deer, it’s pretty hard to tell. There are so many tanning treatments and finishes etc so it’s not easy to know.

My advice, for what it’s worth, is if you like the look and feel of the leather then buy it and enjoy it... If you pay cowhide leather money for jackets not labelled otherwise then you’re all good... if it’s in reality steer, horse or unicorn leather then you did well... if it’s cow then you didn’t pay extra for something you didn’t get.

As to the damage, that is annoying. Maybe the leather is old and dry and needs some conditioning to make it more resilient? There are plenty of treatments available with a host of competing and confusing claims. You’ll find lots of info with a search on here, but for what it’s worth I think Obernaufs LP cream is as good a place to start as any and fairly easy to get hold of in the UK I think.

From your description, perhaps you nicked the leather with a fingernail trying to do the buttons up, nails can be very sharp and it can happen even with good leathers (one reason cats and leather jackets are a risky mix...). Getting it looked at professionally may be an option, but depending what you paid for the jacket it might not be worth while. They can glue and fill it and dye it. But it’s a high wear spot next to the buttons so might not be the most satisfactory and permanent fix for the money. I’d be tempted to try to fix it ‘good enough’ yourself. Hard to tell from the pictures, but if it’s a small flap of leather sticking up then get some leather glue and glue it back down. Otherwise carefully cut off any bits sticking up with a razor blade or very sharp nail scissors so you don’t keep catching them and make it worse. Then I’d use Saphir renovating cream to dye any bits to match. Or try ordinary shoes polish if you want to do it extra cheap.

If you want professional grade repair supplies or more info these guys may be useful:

https://shop.leatherrepaircompany.com/

Once you have fixed it as well as you can, I’d just call it ‘patina’ and enjoy wearing it!

I hope this is of some help, good luck.

Dear both,

thank you for the fantastic feedback. This jacket is made by Skinnarland - I checked for gettskin notes etc and wondered if steerhide. The jacket is like new and obviously vintage and I paid £250 (most listed are around £350-400 and I returned one the week before that was way more beat up than described).

it’s a lot of cost for the money and I may speak to the pros. My Mrs thinks I’m mad mind haha; the leather glue, epoxy and rubber cement all sound like great options thanks.

Yellowfever I agree on the hide debate. It hasn’t felt dry but it might be worth a good all over condition. Very best to you again.

No problem, glad it was useful. Good luck with the repair and enjoy your jacket.

yellowfever said:

No problem, glad it was useful. Good luck with the repair and enjoy your jacket.

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it certainly was. I’ve bought some bostik leather glue and I’ll get my leather honey out and treat the whole jacket as well. Add a little polish to the areas as well.

many thanks guys

ps. Yellowfever I checked out the vanson Luftwaffe. Certainly a belter

WildingKarateWolf said:

ps. Yellowfever I checked out the vanson Luftwaffe. Certainly a belter

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Yes, certainly is, I still miss mine. It was a total beast of a jacket with the old vanson competition hide leather and full heavy wool lining (they normally only do rayon now due to the weight). Even the pockets were leather lined! it was a tank.... but not for the shy or those who like lightweight jackets and a quick and easy break in! My stolen one is out there somewhere, I keep an eye out online maybe it will somehow return to me one day! (Tempted as I am to get another new one, not sure I could face the break in again, especially as I now have a lot more jackets to rotate so it would take a lot longer).

WildingKarateWolf said:

Fellas, much obliged thank you!
Yeah it’s annoying but I think worth going for the fix. Open to any other other suggestions but I’ll look into what I need - is that epoxy resin?

wishing you all a great weekend, stay well!

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epoxy resin is not elastic.

This is the stuff I use. Cheap, elastic and it does the trick.

jonbuilder said:

epoxy resin is not elastic.

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There are flexible epoxy grades, but yeah, most are rigid. Probably won't matter for such a tiny, cosmetic repair. In any case, if the flap can be glued back in place, that will be visually the best. Snipping it off and hoping to patch up the gouge so that the repair won't be visible is much more difficult.

jonbuilder said:

epoxy resin is not elastic.

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cheers Jon/will.

I bought a leather glue and have set it down and it’s hardly visible at all now. I’m treating the whole coat to some leather honey and it’s coming up great. I’ll finish it off tomorrow.

not sure how long term the fix will be given its wear buttons rub but I’m hopeful. Thanks again.

Ill drop a picture of the fix below thus far

Hi,

Kövulfix is a great glue for leather.

cheers Joakim