Wash my Eastman A-2 horsehide jacket

I recently wash my eastman 27752 A-2 horsehide jacket
As I bought it on September I think, it was too new, thick coating, quite hard like a plastic.
and this one is only warhorse horsehide instead of Vintage warhorse horsehide (trademark owned by Eastman). It has less crinkly, broken, worn leather.
I dont feel comfortable wearing it. I decide to do some aging on it.

 

hopefully the pictures are uploading correctly
i use imgbb instead of imgur this time. imgur blocks upload from hk and china.
I applied cold water for the first time and wash for 10mins. the pigment came out slowly. I put my chest patch with it for i found its color too bright which i prefer deeper brown.
the jacket absorbed water quickly, in and out. Turned soft, dark brown.
I hang it up in my bathroom and used the fan heater for drying. The confined space is small it took around 6 hours to dry the jacket.
But the result is not desirable. The jacket resulted like a dry aged steak. not available for wearing, and the color change is minor, my knit is 100% wool, damaged for it is too vulnerable in low humidity

 

therefore, i do it again on the second day
i use hot water, around 50 degree celcius, wash for 5mins
the pigment came out quick, leather softened
this time I did not use a hanger, i put it on the floor and dry naturally. my room humidity is around 45% (measured by my air cleaner)
it takes around a day to dry the jacket
the pic i put on the jacket is around 70%-80% dried, the color turned gradually from dark brown to light brown, this process is really beautiful.
Since the hardening of the leather would speed up when the moisture almost come out. It is necessary to wear your jacket earlier to re-shape it tailored to your body shape.

 

12 hours later, which is 36 hours since 2nd wash
the jacket is 95% dried, only the pockets are not complete, (filled with some tissue is will do the work)
the color and the hardness become steady,and as I kept wearing it. the shape fit well to my body
Forgot to mention, I brush the jacket. Remember to brush the it following the direction of the creases, not randomly. It gives beautiful color changes as I wish since the pigment is not completely dried yet.








Compared to where it starts, I would say it is pretty successful and satisfactory.
After wash, it is little bit dry. I would apply the saphir lotion to soothen the leather for moistureproof and mothproof

 

because it is very thin and 100% wool, better mix with polyester. But its fine because i could find a supplier to replace one or fix it.
making this decision is not easy. But I have 4 eastman jackets. and my friend wash his toys mccoy a-2 and freewheelers centinela, i think i should give it a try lol. Fortunately the result turns out fantastic.

 

it is indeed necessary to reconfirm the measurements with the company before any purchases. I prefer relaxed fit on my coat and a-2 jacket, and slim fit for my motocycle jacket. As I seen from the pics, I think the coat fit you well. The shoulder area is not filled completely. I would suggest wearing a suit inside. Either business or casual suit do help to create a layering outfit. Hope this help.