Do try this at home: leather jacket repair tips

[l0fielectronic]

Does anyone have any advice on repairing the following tear.

The jacket it one of these I picked up the other day. Its a little rough here and there but the price was low and it fits well so I'm happy with it, I just need to fix this in some way.

The leather feels solid enough, it is almost hidden by the collar when worn. From reading this thread I guess the best idea might be to try and trim the shearing behind and glue in a patch over but I don't know and I'm happy to hear any suggestions...

 

[Herrvallmo]

Does anyone have any advice on repairing the following tear.

The jacket it one of these I picked up the other day. Its a little rough here and there but the price was low and it fits well so I'm happy with it, I just need to fix this in some way.

The leather feels solid enough, it is almost hidden by the collar when worn. From reading this thread I guess the best idea might be to try and trim the shearing behind and glue in a patch over but I don't know and I'm happy to hear any suggestions...

I would leave it to a good tailor/leatherworker to stitch with a matching thread, it will probably show that it been repaired a bit, but wont get worse at least.

Maybe there is another technique to fix tears like that that I don't know of, but if I were in your shoes I would go for the true and tested thread and needle

 

[photo2u]

Does anyone have any advice on repairing the following tear.

The jacket it one of these I picked up the other day. Its a little rough here and there but the price was low and it fits well so I'm happy with it, I just need to fix this in some way.

The leather feels solid enough, it is almost hidden by the collar when worn. From reading this thread I guess the best idea might be to try and trim the shearing behind and glue in a patch over but I don't know and I'm happy to hear any suggestions...

How about adding a brown strip similar to the ones on the jacket to cover up the tear? Or maybe, if the location is feasible, an aviation patch?

 

[l0fielectronic]

I would leave it to a good tailor/leatherworker to stitch with a matching thread, it will probably show that it been repaired a bit, but wont get worse at least.

Maybe there is another technique to fix tears like that that I don't know of, but if I were in your shoes I would go for the true and tested thread and needle

Thanks. If this were an expensive jacket I'd look into having it professionally repaired, it does seem fair quality to me but also it has a couple of other minor issues and while I'm happy with what I paid for it I don't really want to put any more money into it, just want a wearable jacket.

Initially I did think of sewing it, but I was worried it might not look 'right' on this kind of jacket, also wasn't sure how well this material sews - if the stitches might just pull out.

I think I might try to glue along the seam and then add some stitches as you say - seems the simplest and I don't really like the idea of trying to shave off the inner sheepskin. Thanks.

How about adding a brown strip similar to the ones on the jacket to cover up the tear? Or maybe, if the location is feasible, an aviation patch?

Yes, that would work well - I think if I were better with a needle, or was paying someone - adding in another leather strip would be a good call, the tear is pretty much straight and it would look just like it were a section of the jacket. ...Maybe if my first attempt at a repair goes wrong I'll keep that in reserve.

Patch is a decent call too but it isn't in an ideal spot for one, thanks.


I think first instance I'm going to try running a bead of leather glue along the tear and seeing how it looks and feels after I've done that.

 

[Rick Dalton]

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice on how to care for a bit of wear that’s developed on the left shoulder of my Cal Leathers CHP.
This is a lightweight version of Cal — not the usual thick, heavy hides. According to the current owner of Cal Leathers, there was a time when they treated their hides with a special homemade conditioner before cutting and constructing the jackets. She believes this one is from that batch — the treatment was meant to keep the leather jet black and prevent it from developing a typical patina.

But it seems that after all these years, it finally started to show some honest wear.

The wear isn’t advanced — in fact, I didn’t even notice it before buying — and it doesn’t really bother me aesthetically. However, I really care about this jacket, and I’m a bit worried that if I leave it untreated, the area might eventually crack. I'd rather prevent any long-term damage than react to it too late.

For context, the previous owner treated the jacket with Pecard not long ago, so I’m also cautious about overdoing it with more product.
Is it possible that the Pecard will eventually wear off and reveal very dry leather underneath — or that more imperfections like this one might surface as the finish continues to age?

Any tips on how to handle or monitor this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[l0fielectronic]

So I went with the glue route, leather glue, added a little at a time until I'd closed up the tear. It feels quite solid and isn't that noticeable, so I'm just going to leave it like this for now and see how it goes. If it starts to come apart then I'll have to add in something else to support.

 

[Rick Dalton]

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice on how to care for a bit of wear that’s developed on the left shoulder of my Cal Leathers CHP.
This is a lightweight version of Cal — not the usual thick, heavy hides. According to the current owner of Cal Leathers, there was a time when they treated their hides with a special homemade conditioner before cutting and constructing the jackets. She believes this one is from that batch — the treatment was meant to keep the leather jet black and prevent it from developing a typical patina.

But it seems that after all these years, it finally started to show some honest wear.

The wear isn’t advanced — in fact, I didn’t even notice it before buying — and it doesn’t really bother me aesthetically. However, I really care about this jacket, and I’m a bit worried that if I leave it untreated, the area might eventually crack. I'd rather prevent any long-term damage than react to it too late.

For context, the previous owner treated the jacket with Pecard not long ago, so I’m also cautious about overdoing it with more product.
Is it possible that the Pecard will eventually wear off and reveal very dry leather underneath — or that more imperfections like this one might surface as the finish continues to age?

Any tips on how to handle or monitor this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Anyone?

 

[Herrvallmo]

So I went with the glue route, leather glue, added a little at a time until I'd closed up the tear. It feels quite solid and isn't that noticeable, so I'm just going to leave it like this for now and see how it goes. If it starts to come apart then I'll have to add in something else to support.

Looks great man! very well done repair

 

[jchance]

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice on how to care for a bit of wear that’s developed on the left shoulder of my Cal Leathers CHP.
This is a lightweight version of Cal — not the usual thick, heavy hides. According to the current owner of Cal Leathers, there was a time when they treated their hides with a special homemade conditioner before cutting and constructing the jackets. She believes this one is from that batch — the treatment was meant to keep the leather jet black and prevent it from developing a typical patina.

But it seems that after all these years, it finally started to show some honest wear.

The wear isn’t advanced — in fact, I didn’t even notice it before buying — and it doesn’t really bother me aesthetically. However, I really care about this jacket, and I’m a bit worried that if I leave it untreated, the area might eventually crack. I'd rather prevent any long-term damage than react to it too late.

For context, the previous owner treated the jacket with Pecard not long ago, so I’m also cautious about overdoing it with more product.
Is it possible that the Pecard will eventually wear off and reveal very dry leather underneath — or that more imperfections like this one might surface as the finish continues to age?

Any tips on how to handle or monitor this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Honestly this looks like normal wear (the topcoat of jet black leather is wearing off to show grayish core) to me, nothing to be concerned about. If you run your hand over affected area, and the leather feels too dry (that the last coat of pecard wasn’t enough, sometimes a leather jacket needs multiple applications), you can apply more conditioner. Otherwise, you can just leave it alone.

 

[Rick Dalton]

Honestly this looks like normal wear (the topcoat of jet black leather is wearing off to show grayish core) to me, nothing to be concerned about. If you run your hand over affected area, and the leather feels too dry (that the last coat of pecard wasn’t enough, sometimes a leather jacket needs multiple applications), you can apply more conditioner. Otherwise, you can just leave it alone.

Thanks so much — that’s reassuring to hear.

The area doesn’t feel dry to the touch, so maybe the Pecard did its job after all. I’ll keep an eye on it and reapply only if needed. I really appreciate the advice — I guess I just got a little paranoid since I like the jacket so much.

One quick follow-up if you don’t mind:
Would you recommend applying Pecard locally on just the worn spot, or putting on another thin layer over the whole jacket? I’m still pretty new to leather care, so I’d also be curious — in your opinion, is Pecard the best product for this kind of leather, or are there alternatives I should consider?

I’ve also heard that some people use shoe polish to touch up areas like this — would you advise for or against that?

And finally, just out of curiosity — is it possible that more of these worn spots could have been masked by the previous owner and might show up once the Pecard layer wears off? I don’t think that’s the case here — the leather looks great and deep black all over — but I figured I’d ask while I’m learning.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[jchance]

Thanks so much — that’s reassuring to hear.

The area doesn’t feel dry to the touch, so maybe the Pecard did its job after all. I’ll keep an eye on it and reapply only if needed. I really appreciate the advice — I guess I just got a little paranoid since I like the jacket so much.

One quick follow-up if you don’t mind:
Would you recommend applying Pecard locally on just the worn spot, or putting on another thin layer over the whole jacket? I’m still pretty new to leather care, so I’d also be curious — in your opinion, is Pecard the best product for this kind of leather, or are there alternatives I should consider?

I’ve also heard that some people use shoe polish to touch up areas like this — would you advise for or against that?

And finally, just out of curiosity — is it possible that more of these worn spots could have been masked by the previous owner and might show up once the Pecard layer wears off? I don’t think that’s the case here — the leather looks great and deep black all over — but I figured I’d ask while I’m learning.

Thanks again for your help!

Unless your jacket hangs out in the sun all day every day (motorcycle rider’s jacket), you’d only need to condition your jacket after 20 years or so. After that first conditioning, you’d want to condition the jacket once a year or two years, and no more.

The common issue isn’t that one undercondition, but rather overcondition, the jacket. Most of the conditioners would just sit on the top coat without penetrating into the leader unless the top coat has worn off like in your shoulder example showing the grayish core. Until your jacket feels dry to the touch, you’d want to condition just the dry part that would absorb the conditioner, because not all of the jacket’s top coat has worn off all over for the conditioner to penetrate to the leather.

Your questions fall under the normal questions that one who overconditions a jacket would ask. You should leave the jacket alone and wear it without much worries or concerns. It’s a leather jacket, meant to be used and abused, not babied.

Pecard is fine to use, many members here use it. But you’re also ok to use whatever you have on hand. I’m using a mix of beeswax and petroleum jelly because that’s what’s available around the house.

 

[r.biker]

Hi,

Does anyone have any tips for removing paint from leather without ruining the jacket?

I just received this amf harley vintage jacket which is in class condition apart from the paint stains...

Also these have a very stiff lower back section (I think some sort of insert)?? Any ideas on if this could be removed or should I leave it? The fit on it is so good but I dont really like the lower back being so stiff when the rest of the jacket is so soft and nicely worn in...

 

[jchance]

Hi,

Does anyone have any tips for removing paint from leather without ruining the jacket?

I just received this amf harley vintage jacket which is in class condition apart from the paint stains...

Also these have a very stiff lower back section (I think some sort of insert)?? Any ideas on if this could be removed or should I leave it? The fit on it is so good but I dont really like the lower back being so stiff when the rest of the jacket is so soft and nicely worn in...

I’ve had success removing paint with a nail file, sanding away the paint without touching the top coat of the leather. If you’re not comfortable doing that, it’s ok to just leave it alone, it adds character to the jacket and no one would notice from far away anyways. You’re the only one inspecting it up close.

Assuming no insert and just multiple layers of leather that become stiff, the stiff leather at the lowerback can be conditioned with any leather conditioner that contains lanolin. That ingredient softens the leather. You should only condition targeted areas and not the entire jacket to avoid over-conditioning. It may take multiple coats of conditioner to truly soften it. You should wait 8-24 hours between each coat of conditioner for it to dry.

If there’s a hard insert inside, you can undo some of the lowerback stitching to remove the insert, then restitch the leather. With a strong needle and some thread, it’s a pretty easy DIY job.

 

[Jiaward]

Hi,

Does anyone have any tips for removing paint from leather without ruining the jacket?

I just received this amf harley vintage jacket which is in class condition apart from the paint stains...

Also these have a very stiff lower back section (I think some sort of insert)?? Any ideas on if this could be removed or should I leave it? The fit on it is so good but I dont really like the lower back being so stiff when the rest of the jacket is so soft and nicely worn in...

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/how-i-repair-and-clean-up-paint-on-leather.109696/

 

[r.biker]

I’ve had success removing paint with a nail file, sanding away the paint without touching the top coat of the leather. If you’re not comfortable doing that, it’s ok to just leave it alone, it adds character to the jacket and no one would notice from far away anyways. You’re the only one inspecting it up close.

Assuming no insert and just multiple layers of leather that become stiff, the stiff leather at the lowerback can be conditioned with any leather conditioner that contains lanolin. That ingredient softens the leather. You should only condition targeted areas and not the entire jacket to avoid over-conditioning. It may take multiple coats of conditioner to truly soften it. You should wait 8-24 hours between each coat of conditioner for it to dry.

If there’s a hard insert inside, you can undo some of the lowerback stitching to remove the insert, then restitch the leather. With a strong needle and some thread, it’s a pretty easy DIY job.

Ah nice one thankyou! Where would you remove the stitching? Along the bottom at the back or internally somewhere?

And I do think I agree, I could leave the paint tbh, im probably over worrying about that and at the end of the day its a vintage jacket. Think this one is maybe 70s so considering age its in great shape.

 

[r.biker]

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/how-i-repair-and-clean-up-paint-on-leather.109696/

Wow great tip thanks for sharing this!

 

[jchance]

Ah nice one thankyou! Where would you remove the stitching? Along the bottom at the back or internally somewhere?

And I do think I agree, I could leave the paint tbh, im probably over worrying about that and at the end of the day its a vintage jacket. Think this one is maybe 70s so considering age its in great shape.

I don’t have the jacket, so idk what’s inside, but the easiest stitching to remove would be either left or right vertical line of stitching where I circled in red, either the outside stitching or the internal stitching (use your judgment). You’d want the hole to be large enough to remove what’s inside.

If you actually end up removing what’s inside, let us know what it is. I’m curious.

 

[r.biker]

I don’t have the jacket, so idk what’s inside, but the easiest stitching to remove would be either left or right line where I circled in red, either the outside stitching or the internal stitching (use your judgment). You’d want the hole to be large enough to remove what’s inside.


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Ahh cool, thanks for the tip! I think it's likely some sort of insert so ill give it a go

 

[ton312]

I moved the adjustment belts on my Cherub Leathers jacket up a few inches with rivets and an additional snap to more of a half belt position. Turned out well. I need to restock the original position but I am delighted with the more contoured shape.

 

[Carlos840]

I moved the adjustment belts on my Cherub Leathers jacket up a few inches with rivets and an additional snap to more of a half belt position. Turned out well. I need to restock the original position but I am delighted with the more contoured shape.
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Thats jacket is what i imagine an Elf riding a motorcycle would wear, i like it!