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how to repair tears in leather (horsehide oil pull)

photo2u

Member
Hello friends,

I am carefully looking into ways to repair my Aero dustbowl oil pull horsehide jacket.

The damage appears to be torn in the leather where the leather pockets come at the corners.

They are located in the lower parts in both pockets.

I think in utilizing VERY CAREFULLY leather glue?

Any advice in this matter is greatly appreciated!
George

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Steve27752

Well-Known Member
I would not use a glue that will set hard and over time crack................I would use the same colour thread and sew from either side over the split. Or if the jacket is 'New' return it to the manufacturer.
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
Yes sewing from the inside would work. You could also try a leather glue such as Barge Cement which works well on leather an is flexible.
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
amys leather glue works real well and is quite flexible, even years after application. if ya use it, ya have to hold the sides together for some 10+ minutes to guarantee that ya have it good and tight. here it comes....if the jacket is made from "oil pull", mission control, you have a problem. oil pull hides are as advertised, in that they are saturated with natural, and maybe not so natural oils, thus there is no adhesion between the hide and damn near any type of glue. after applying sun tan lotion to your kisser, try to stick a post it on your face. get it? how about 6oz hot rivets? naw, way too much work, and the weight? yikes, not to mention the drape. give the amys a try. it may hold. best solution is if the jacket is new, send it back to aero for repairs or replacement. yeah, sometime ya just gotta go to the paid professionals, ya know, like dentistry, colonoscopys, eye surgery, etc
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
I am curious, has any other person has heard of this type of damage?

Please advice,
George

I'm curious too, George.............how did this happen?
I only recall seeing this damage to one of our jackets 3 times in 30+ years of Aero
Once after a fracas in a Night Club
Once as a result of a customer coming off a bike at a rate of knots
Once to a pocket that got caught in a door handle "Rebel Without a Cause" style

Rubber solution glue works well with leather but previously glued sections can be problematic to repair

You'd be suprised to see how much glue is used by some of the "permium" leather manufatures, it makes top stitching SO much easier when the jacket is being made but makes doing satisfactory repairs (new zippers especially) really difficult.........that why we've stopped accepting Japanese jackets for repair
We do use glue, Copydex, but very sparingly and only to hold the folded back edges of the leather around a pocket opening, nowhere else, in fact just where the tear on your pocket has occurred, making this more unusual, the glue strengths the area slightly
If you are too far from God's Country (AKA Scotland) to post the jacket back to the factory for us to fix it, use Copydex.
Either way, it's not going to be 100% invisible
 

photo2u

Member
Ken,

Thanks for getting back to me. I have purchased several jackets from your company. Some have never been used like the anj-3 in my avatar. In true honesty, I do not think the damage was made by the user. I think it came with some repairs from the production line. I have this link to show a better angle of the previous repair:
mag image damage.jpg

As the owner of half belts, especially the long half belt, I have made a habit of not using the pocket. I like my jackets to look clean at the usual "wear and tear" locations.

I thank you for offering the opportunity to repair it. I live in California. I understand making a blind stitch at this location is time-consuming and gluing is an option to address this particular area.

I hope we can find a way to solve this mystery!
 
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Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Hi George

If you think this is a production fault/flaw it should be sent back to the factory.
Please send an email to me direct with the original invoice number or your full name & address Email is [email protected]
I believe we have an arrangement with a carrier to collect from a customer

Regards

Ken
 

photo2u

Member
Hello Ken,

I will continue this via personal e-mail. I am the person with the "Panchito Pistolas" Patches.


Regards,
George
 

Maverickson

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

Thought I might chime in on glue being used in the construction of new jackets. Right wrong or indifferent, in doing repair work I find quite often that glue was used and continues to be used as a construction aid.

That seen below is the original 66 year old sleeve seam being separated and the damage to the top coat that resulted when separating this particular originally glued seam.



Cheers, Dave
 
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Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

Thought I might chime in on glue being used in the construction of new jackets. Right wrong or indifferent, in doing repair work I find quite often that glue was used and continues to be used as a construction aid.

Exactly why we've stopped taking Japanese jackets in for repair..............although they aren't the only culprits.
A leather jacket should be constructed so it can be repaired and repaired and repaired, the more glue used the more impossible this becomes
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
Different materials and finishes have different considerations. For instance, “if you have a vintage motorcycle jacket, that’s going to be made of a different grade of leather that will be much harder and stiff than today’s jackets,” says Mesquita. “For that, you can definitely take soap and dilute it with water and apply it very gently.” On the other hand, “you don’t want to put anything on a lambskin leather jacket,” he says. Unfortunately it should not be cleaned at home and only cleaned professionally.

The issue with the jacket pictured above is that glue was used in the construction making a repair more challenging. How do your suggestions help with the repair of this one?
 

dmar836

Well-Known Member
Dave, That almost looks like the finish has bonded together at the stitch line. I would have thought glue would have migrated more or would have been more "inside" the topstitch to keep it invisible to the wearer rather than risking it right on the line. It just looks so precise, that's all.
I have seen leather and vinyl do this adhesion thing at the stitch line after many years of use. Perhaps I should look closer for glue but assumed it was just topcoats adhering since it is so often in areas one would hardly need the help of adhesives.
Ideas?
Dave
 

Maverickson

Well-Known Member
Hi Dave,

On that 1951 model G-1 seam you are looking at is a good example of Monarch's near zero seam allowance. That glued 1/4" or less portion is the seam allowance you are looking at is exactly what catches the blind stitch. The glue was no doubt temporary in nature but used all the same. There was only that little bit available hide to attach to otherwise. Part of the Monarch construction process. That way the visible top stitch work traverses over the top of that 1/8" to 1/4" seam allowance & then only picks up two layers of hide. A carry over from back in the day and what I believe utilized to both hasten the stitching process and save on materials. On the other hand, they did not always follow that same rule.

The odd thing about it is that their zero seam construction was done selectively. To bring this topic back into line with this thread original intent, Monarch's pocket construction is a good case in point. On the top and bottom portion (triangular ends) of the pocket & that portion of the pocket that George is having trouble with was actually totally removed. Simply cut off flush on all Monarch jackets I've encountered. In the end, there was no material left on the pocket ends to attach a bind stitch to and then only held fast when top stitched in place. Thus eliminating that possibility of what George has experienced with his jacket's pocket seen with that loose end .

Why it was done this way I can not say with certainty. But suppose part of their streamlining process. Just a good example of being selective with doing a zero seam allowance and this case on their pocket construction. On the other hand, electing to use the entire longitudinal portions seam allowance to remain in place & allowed for both the blind stitch and top stitch to hold the pocket in place.

You can see Monarch's selective zero seam allowance process in the example of one of my restorations (pre War Monarch Half Belt) below. Note that the pocket ends that George was having trouble with were removed from the factory on both the tobacco and slash pockets.



Other than totally removing that trouble spot that George is experiencing with his jacket, Monarch always attached their pockets the old fashioned way. A time consuming method of attaching the pocket in place and never using cement in lieu of the blind stitch process.

Cheers, Dave
 
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dmar836

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the detailed explanation. "Zero seam allowance" is a process I have never known about. Never noticed the triangles being cut either. I have seen other times, one of my Perfectos, in fact, where that little triangle is troublesome and is now popping out of the seam.
Interesting, when you start studying, replicating, etc., it's easy to assume that the old industry standards were always used. I'm learning there were many variations, still not shortcut hacks like we often see today, but actual variations for a good reason. Some tend to go unnoticed and even took more time and care than competitors. Thanks for bringing this up!
Dave
 
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