Sheepskin Flight Jacket Restoration

[Theo J.]

Just this morning I was 'gifted' (still not sure if that's quite the word) w/ a Navy M-445A flight jacket, which belonged to a friend's uncle. The good news: IT'S ALL THERE! Only hardware missing is one pocket button,\. The Bad News: it's damned-awfully fragile, dried-out, the zipper and side-adjustment buckles are corroded, and the sheepskin has cracked in places (one rear-shoulder panel has a hole in it), but the seams/stitching are all intact. Any advice from you bunch would be hugely appreciated (other than "make haste slowly"---I know THAT much).

 

[J.J. Gittes]

For restoring the moisture to the jacket to keep it from cracking, I'd say use Pecards. For the hardware, mask off the surrounding leather and use some WD-40 or some similar item. Apply with a q-tip or something like that to keep spillage to a minimum, . I have no idea on what to do with the hole, you will probably have to patch it up.

 

[aswatland]

What a nice gift. I have owned several of these jackets in the past. Once the shearling starts to crack and becomes fragile there is very little that can be done about it. Pecards will condition it, but the coating used on them makes the shearling prone to damage these days. Patch the holes and keep for display not wearing IMO.

 

[Theo J.]

response to suggestions re: flight jacket...

Thanks for your thoughtful replies. The particular leather conditioner (Peckard's) is new to me; in truth, I'm thinking of advertising on eBay with full-disclosure warnings re: condition. Mostly, I'd rather not have a salvagable historical item (even as a display-only piece) rot in a landfill. Thanks again!

 

[GHQ1]

Rotten sheepskin is rotten sheepskin

I had a rotted Irvin once and the only way to keep it from crumbling was to patch it at the upper shoulders with goatskin . . . First time I tried it on I accidently poked my finger right thru the upper back . . .

Ditto some M445 W&G flying trousers . . .The only thing I could save were the goatskin trim pieces . . .and some very nice pleated goatskin cargo pockets . . . The rest of it was little bits and pieces of . . .rubbish . .A sad end to a venerable pair of pants. . . .

 

[H.Johnson]

I am not certain why these USN sheepskin jackets (some of which didn't see much service relatively) appear in such poor condition. Possibly it is due to the tanning process, although examples I have seen are fragile without exhibiting the characteristic symptoms of 'red heat' due to bacteria infection. Exposure to salty air has been cited as a cause, but that would surely also apply to the RAF sheepskin gear used by FFA and CC, examples of which appear in very good condition. Most sheepskin, in any case, used to be salted to store it prior to tanning.

Some of the M-455, a and b clothing contractors had very good reputations for quality, it is unfortunate to see such jacket deteriorating so much. I have an W&G M-455a in very good condition and it is a prized possession.

 

[Theo J.]

The Jacket In Question...

Thanks for the posts/advice/perspectives. This particular jacket lived a pretty advanturous life; it was issued to Ross McCleod (sp?), who was a Naval aviator in the North Pacific and possibly in the Battle of the Aleutians. Afte the war, he was a bush pilot, and he ALSO wore the jacket while riding his motorcycle (may have been a Harley). After him, his adopted son wore it through college; finally, it ended up in his nephew's garage. I can see why the old dude's sorta tired these days...

 

[Tally Ho!]

May have been a Triumph...