Capeskin Care

[fleet16b]

Having just picked up a capeskin Goodwear A1 , I was wondering about how to care and clean capeskin jackets as I have never owned one before
The jacket does not really need any conditioning at this point however, I would like to know good conditioning / cleaning products in case of staining etc
Opinions , advice , past experiences........would love to hear what some of you think.


Thanks in advance

 

[John Lever]

Cam,
Please don't do anything to that jacket it's perfect as it is !
The wear, scuffs and muck all add up to produce character. These greasy things in tins are to be avoided unless the leather is dry and cracking, they block the pores in the leather that allow it to breath.

 

[Dr H]

Hi Cam

Too early to have had any issues with that particular jacket, but extensive experience with several ELC capeskin A-1 jackets and a Doniger/McGregor capeskin (or perhaps cabretta) A-2.

The hide is very flexible and drapes well so you shouldn't need any softening steps that some thicker stiffer hides might require.

Unless you're Alan and have the water bug , you shouldn't need to treat that one with HWT either.

It has a really fine grain so when it gets wet (and that jacket has been in sun, heavy rain and snow) it dries out really quickly naturally.

So, the main culprit is dirt. Several members have reported grease spots (I think John Lever had a run in with mayonnaise at one point), but a dab of talcum powder is enough to adsorb the grease leaving it good to go.

Enjoy, can't wait to see the images and I'm really looking forward to that flight!

Cheers

Ian

 

[fleet16b]

Thanks Ian
My worries were as you describe , a food stain etc.
The hide looks like does not have much protection against food , aircraft oil etc.
Just wanted to be prepared in case.
Ofcourse I just had to wear it to work today :lol: and am really enjoying getting use to a new type of look and fit.
Looks classic with office attire
A very comfortable jacket compared to the A2 and as I suspected, I like the look of the A1 better( as does my wife)
Not to say I don't still love my HH A2 . It has been with me for many Flight hours now and has never let me down.

As for HW treatment, I agree that it does not need it .
My impression is that the capeskin may easily shrink , so I would not want to risk that.

 

[fleet16b]

Cam,
Please don't do anything to that jacket it's perfect as it is !
The wear, scuffs and muck all add up to produce character. These greasy things in tins are to be avoided unless the leather is dry and cracking, they block the pores in the leather that allow it to breath.

John , I agree whole heartedly with your advice...thanks

 

[John Lever]

Cam, if you get a very bad grease stain blot it first with kitchen paper before any solvents such alcohol. Ian can advise on this better than I can. My ELC had a stain from vinaigrette. I cleaned with something called Detachure a French solvent prohibited in the UK.

 

[ButteMT61]

I've a Capeskin Aero Bronco, and the advice above is correct - leave 'er alone and war the 'ell out of it!
Once a year I might take a light spray of Lexol to it to just wipe it down and get the year's dust off. Otherwise, it wears tough, and you should wait quite a while to do a real treatment on it. I've heard ~5 years is a good time to put something good on it. I'm only 2+ into it and it needs nothing...
Enjoy!

 

[fleet16b]

Good advice from all and much appreciated.
Since the jacket is new to me, I am being both protective and carefull with it....sort of like a new father :lol:
At the ,moment I am thinking of using it as a good casual jacket for evenings etc but.......

One thing about the A2 is that come the end of july going into August , it is too warm for wearing with a flight suit while flying. The A1 on the otherhand , I'll bet is a little cooler ....the perfect jacket that will be lighter but still give me slight protection against fire in the cockpit. Not for long but even an extra 30 seconds or so helps.
So with that said , it will probably get knocked around and abused like my A2 ( vintage aircraft flying tends to be hard on leather jackets)

Thanks
Cam

 

[zoomer]

Sorry to zombie the thread here, but my ELC A-1 some time ago acquired sweat stains that nothing would budge. Never had it professionally cleaned (I was kind of fearful that your average cleaner wouldn't know how to handle cape). Just wonder whether anyone else has had issues with perspiration on this leather.

 

[zoomer]

Heere's a pic. The real life color is much darker, and the contrast with the stains is not as drastic, but it's there.

 

[Atticus]

I've had my Good Wear A-1 since 2007. I've never done anything to it except wear it. And I haven't been too persnickety in how I wear it. Its got some bumps and bruises and a few beer stains on the right sleeve. Looks great.


AF

 

[zoomer]

that's a relief then. this jacket is too classy for anyone to mistake the wearer for a garbagepicker or grubby wino anyway, so why begrudge some of life's accidents?