How to restore leather

[Anonymous No.14638652]

>Bought motorcycle jacket (left)
>There are more effay options, but this one is for legit motorcycle riding
>Has armor so i wont get paralyzed that bad when suzie mows me down in the freeway with her ford fiesta while she is on her phone
>"Distressed" chemical aged leather
>How do I restore it so it becomes shiny and dark like the pic on the right

Why do people even buy it distressed? I wouldve bought it new given the option and distress it myself over the years, personal patina, nahmean?

[Anonymous No.14638681]

>>14638652
I dunno how to remedy pre-made "damage", if that's what it is and it's not simply cosmetic like a surface paint and not structural damage, but perhaps a leather conditioner?
Something like lexol? It's oily though, which is why it's effective: it's meant to emulate the tanning oils for when the leather was first produced pre-fuckery by the garment maker.
I'd do a search though on SF or some shit where there has to be at least some posts with more informed opinions on this. Perhaps there's a more recommended treatment than lexol which I've only ever used on furniture and shoes.

People buy pre-distressed because they are lazy, and because they want that worn-in look; they want to appear "well-travelled" without actually being so.
I think it's shit.

[Anonymous No.14639755]

>>14638681
From what I can tell it's just they chemically fade it, it's black but it's on it's way to gray.

Smells like a farm, real German Buffalo Leather!

[Anonymous No.14639969]

>>14638652
>chemically aged leather.

There's your problem. You can't un-age leather. Also, consider that companies sell 'pre-distressed' leather jackets so that they don't have to use premium skins that are flawless for the panels. Instead of throwing out skins that have scratches, uneven grain, etc., they'll pre-distress it so that the whole thing looks like shit instead of a few panels.

Your pic also suggests a genuine impossibility; the jacket on the right looks like horsehide, whereas the one on the left looks like cow. The two have different grains, which can be polished to different degrees.

For instance, lambskin has a very tiny grain compared with ostrich or even goat leather, so you can polish lambskin to look smooth as silk, but no matter what you do to goat leather, it'll always look like goat.

Sorry Anon, there's nothing you can do. Return the jacket, and get a Schott, Aero, Vanson, or something else. They all have armor options.

Distressed leather is great for fashion, but not for riding use. Let your travels produce the distressing.

>Pic is predistressed lambskin, with all the flaws.

[Anonymous No.14640284]

>>14639969
>Schott

Didnt know they made armored jacket.

Well I got some German leather grease and just lathered up the thing. Seem to have helped the fading and it is now softer. I used my hands and sort of massaged the leather. The buffalo leather smell is gone now tho and it smells like lanolin :(

Apparently they use this to make saddles look newer.

I wouldve picked Schott. Which leather jacket style would be considered timeless? Pic related? Or is it basic and out of time?

>Willing to shell $1K for a new jacket that I can rock for years.and age on my own

IMHO the distressed look looks better on brown than on black leather jackets

[Anonymous No.14640589]

>>14639969
dmc guy??

[Anonymous No.14641282]

>>14640284
I got a used schott a-2 bomber for like 150 bucks (was missing the detachable fur collar but I didnt want that anyway), the cow hide is surprisingly light, all the weight is spread out evenly along the jacket and its pleasant to wear.

[Anonymous No.14641304]

>>14638652
used schott a-2, b3, or cafe racer? i want to get a quality brown leather jacket for the winter.

[Anonymous No.14641493]

>>14641304
Cafe racer is a 3 season jacket imho. Bombers are more wintry.

[Anonymous No.14641502]

>>14640284
They did the last time I checked, but then again it's been a few months. Vanson definitely does, but ultimately it depends on your usage, your budget, and your body.

Regarding the leather grease; be aware that leather that has been produced for the past decade and a half or so does not require oiling. Even if you're buying the skin directly, it's rare to have a skin that isn't pretreated at least to the point where you don't have to do any preventative moisturizing. Furthermore, if you wear it normally, then the oil off your skin will be sufficient. It's only if you're riding it in the dusty dry desert on a bike, like Nevada or the Sahara that you have to take care of it after a year or so. But normal road driving won't dry out the jacket; only if you are constantly driving and getting soaked in the rain. It's all dependent upon the usage. Both dry and extremely wet circumstances affect the jacket, but average use is no problem.

Sorry, I know that seems contradictory, but it's because of how oil is impregnated in the skin, and what can cause it to be drawn out of the skin.

Regarding 'timeless' styles, the only timeless style is the one that fits your body the best. Pic related is definitely classic, but has been co-opted by so many different 'causes' that the associations outweigh the style when it's viewed by a normal person on the street. Your question has many answers...so it's tough.

Black distressed jackets work IF the distressing looks like it came from usage and age. Most distressing these days is either artificial or done by inexperienced hands, so it always looks odd. Perhaps on brown it looks better because the colour takes in more light than black.

>>14640589
Yes, it is I.

>>14641282
It's quite common; weight of the leather is not a guaranteed sign of quality, only usually the thickness of the leather. That's all.

[Anonymous No.14643009]

>>14641502
I wish I read this earlier regarding the grease.

Due to the leather grease or "lederfett" as the tin can says now it's darker, and softer, but feels a bit waxy and is bleeding black dye when I rub my finger on it, feels more like a saddle than a leather jacket. I steamed it lightly and put a shit ton of Lexol in it and it seemed to have made it smoother and back to its previous condition, still soft af though. Need that slide effect desu than sticky/waxy in case I go down on my bike and needs something that would slide.

[Anonymous No.14644088]

>>14643009
>bleeding black dye.
Never a good sign Anon...

>I steamed it lightly...
You WHAT????

You'll slide on it regardless of how lubricated it is due to the speeds you're going at, so don't worry about that. Anyway, if you wipe out hard wearing a leather jacket, the jacket is likely not going to be fully protective any longer. Usually the first things that go are the shoulder seams, but more likely than not things like the bottom of the main centre zipper (if it's done up) at the waist and things like that.

If I were you, I'd stop trying to 'repair' the jacket, and just leave it be. Wear it, enjoy it, and for fuck's sake stop worrying about it. The horror stories the previous generation told us about upkeeping leather is accurate to that generation's leather, not the modern generation leather.

A great deal of leather treatment is sold without actual need. They're not like leather shoes which constantly see rock salt in the winter, rain and dirt and shit in the fall/spring, etc. Those need to be washed properly, moisturized, and polished. A leather jacket is something of the opposite.

Think of it this way. The jacket never sees the ground. It never sees salt (unless you drive behind a salting truck). It will see rain, mosquitoes and bugs, and glorious sunshine. If you don't take a tumble, then that's all it'll see directly.

Wear it, enjoy it. It's likely to outlast you anyway, or at least, outlast your waistline.

>not related, but I've worn it so much I can't help myself. Also, it seems to trigger Anons here...

[Anonymous No.14644458]

>>14644088
>not related, but I've worn it so much I can't help myself. Also, it seems to trigger Anons here...

I give a pass to ((REAL)) leather jackets, it could be as cringe-y as you like it to be.

>You WHAT????

I just lightly used a handheld steamer around an inch or so away from the jacket... its dry now and feels much better. I also conditioned the fuck out of it.

But yeah its leaving a black residue all over the place. I went to the website of the store I bought the grease from and translated the German reviews, one of them says he uses a hair dryer to get the leather to open up and accept the grease. But I have short french-cropped hair (avoid helmet hair) so I have no hair dryer. Just the steamer.

You also ride? I am fairly new at this, so yes I wear the shoulder, elbow, and back armor on this thing. Which is why I love this jacket so much because it fits great even with armor on. The armor and fabric combination makes it so it looks good even with the armor in it, especially on me! Thats rare af!

[Anonymous No.14644483]

>>14639969
Is Aero generally well regarded by those more in the know about leather? Or is it a "beginner's mistake" brand, if you know what I mean?
I like some of their designs and their range of custom colors.

[Anonymous No.14644518]

>>14644458
Modern leather is impregnated with oils which makes them water repellent. The idea is that the space between the fibres is filled with oil. This becomes a problem if you, for example, get the jacket soaking wet and then blow dry it. The heat evaporates the water quickly, which draws the oil out of the fibres. If you let it dry naturally (i.e. no artificially quickened means), then the oil tends to stay put.

The steamer would have heated the leather up a bit, possibly melting the vaseline and lanolin in the lederfett; if you got it hot enough, I would guess (as these are only educated guesses without seeing the jacket in hand) that those chems either evaporated out or were displaced enough to change how the leather feels. No matter what, I still don't really like the concept Anon.

Yes, I do ride, but in truth I rode far more in my youth than I do now. Now it's purely recreational, you know, old man Sunday ride. For work I use a car, because quite honestly it's more comfortable and now I have a shittonne of things to carry with me. Also, riding is awful if you need to dress well at work.

>>14644483
Aero has a fantastic reputation; I've never owned one, but I'd buy a 42-15142-P from them in a heartbeat if I needed one.

Beginner's mistake brands, in no particular order:

Danier
AllSaints
Anything sold at Costco
Anything sold at Department Stores
Modern Hugo Boss (fine pre-1999)
Modern Belstaff (fine in Malenotti Era)

Leather is always a beginner's mistake unless you have guidance for your particular fit and the money to buy something proper.

>or have your tailor whip up something for you instead, which is ideal...