how to soften leather??

[Auryn]

I hope to garner some of the precious knowledge from all of you great folks here.
I am wondering, how do I go about softening up a leather coat/vest??

the leather is pretty thick (dont know the exact ounce weight), it was dyed (a mottled green/black color- already dyed and sealed when I bought it) and sealed (it has a glossy slick finish). I bought a full side from my local ( 1 hr away) Tandy store a few months ago and made my boyfriend a sleeveless jacket with it.
He loves it, its just very stiff.
How can we soften it up so that it has movement and suppleness without affecting the dye job??

I do have a tin of saddle soap and one of mink oil


any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

[Blue66669]

For the thicker stuff, especially after it's been sealed, it's damn near impossible to soften. I don't know if saddle soap or oil would help, mostly because it's sealed. I soften my leather by repeated use. Over and over and over again- my headpieces (which are 12 oz leather) are finally soft. Seriously, have him put it on and sit out in the summer sun for awhile. OOO, or put it on and go mow the lawn. The sweat is just enough moisture to give the leather some give. Just love your leather for awhile- it will turn into what you want it to be:P

[lady serena]

You can try this forum, they may be able to help.
http://www.leatherworker.net/forum/

[Auryn]

thanks guys
I 'say' that the leather is sealed because on the exterior- where it has the dye- its shiny and glossy
however on the inside, its still the bare leather- you know when you get the fluffy pill stuff that comes off on all your other garb.
does that help??

He doesn't have a lawn to mow, maybe I can convince him to wear it when he rides his motorcycle.

blue- I LOVE your leatherwork.
Once I get really working on leather garb- armor in particular- I hope you don't mind if I buy you about it.

[jcbanner]

Wearing it on his motorcycle would be a good start.  also the saddle soap will help put some moisture into it.  basically to make leather more flexible, add some moisture, (not water, that will stiffen it once it dries out) and beat the heck out of it.  I've even heard of people tossing leather into the drier on the coolest setting with a pair of old tennis shoes, but since its already been stained, that could ruin the finnish. 

Try using the saddle soap, then as it dries rolling and unrolling the vest, finished side out unless you want it to have a thousand tiny creases all over it.

[Auryn]

do i apply the saddle soap to the finished side or to the natural back side of the leather??

[Blue66669]

You would apply it to the inside. DO NOT PUT IT INTO THE DRIER!!!!! This WILL ruin your finish. LOL, I had no idea that it wasn't finished on the inside- guess I've been a Kzarian too long HAHAHA!

[Toki Bloodaxe]

Hi.   Okay, I have worked with leather for some years and I can tell you this: to soften thick finished leather garments, put them in the dryer on NO HEAT!!! with some old tennis shoes..the canvas and rubber kind are the best. tumble for some time and check the garment quite often. Do not let the garment get hot...heat will make the leather stiff. Saddle soap works good for softening some types of leather. But, saddle soap is also a finish, it contains waxes and oils that actually provide a finish for the leather. So, putting saddle soap on finished leather makes the leather more finished. I use saddle soap on my raw leather belts and pouches and I also use mink oil. It provides a great, soft finish that looks natural and ages well. Each piece of leather is unique unto itself and because of the way it was tanned it may take a bit of use or tumbling to eventually get it to soften up. Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.   

[Adriana Rose]

Just from my short experiance with leather the best bet is to wear it ALOT! Sweat in it! Move in it!
beat the living daylights outta it!

Try some neatsfoot oil too...

[Mythrin]

The bulk of my leather experience is with hard used saddlery.  I really like a produce called "Leather Therapy" which is a penetrating oil designed to soften leather that I have used to take old abused reins that were so stiff they were like a board and with a strong application of this and a lot of rubbing turned the reins soft and supple. In your case I would work the non-sealed back side and be careful that the oil is completely penetrated and bone dry before wearing so that any shirt would not get stained.  You can get this stuff through horse equipment stores and/or web sites but I will tell you it is not cheap just good

[Tammy]

You mentioned he's got a bike...well, my dad used to throw his leather jacket on the ground and ride over it. I'm not really recommending this...but thought it was funny to add here.
Seriously, don't HEAT the jacket, but DO abuse it lovingly.





*edited for spelling error*

[Auryn]

you guys are great
thanks
so it turns out my dryer does indeed have a no heat setting- I tested it with a towel first.
So I popped the vest in with my cloth tennis shoes.
Aside from the shoes blowing the door open a couple of times so far so good.
It is definitely making a difference in the feel of the vest.
Im thinking a couple of more hours in there should do enough of a trick
and then ill have him wear it as much as possible before faire.

thanks everyone

[duffy]

well i wear leather boots for work and used to hike a lot. i also ride a harley so i have some experience breaking leather in. i have had the best luck with soaking the leather and then wearing it to get it broke in. i have also lathered it in Vaseline and let that soak. trust me a couple 100 mile rides in pouring rain will soften any leather. either will work. water is a lot easier to clean up. the Vaseline i would do way before you plan on wearing it. slap it on let it sit a few days. wipe it down and let it sit for a while more. the leather will soak it in. do it on the inside and out, but the inside will probably absorb a lot more.