• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

advice sought - a couple of nylon jackets in need of TLC

bbrfo

New Member
i've got an MA1 and an L2B from Buzz, had a while and worn extensively. it seems that the time has come to consider giving them some kind of wash. can i just hand wash them the same as a pair of decent selvedge jeans? is dr bronners soap ok with the nylon?

the MA1 is the D type, darker green, and in certain lights has wet/spill marks over the front, but in other light looks almost new! it's also a little on the small side so i can abide NO SHRINKAGE whatsoever. the L2B is less marked but the knits are a bit stretched/puckered and it would be good to tighten them up somehow.

any tips, words of experience/advice/caution, all greatly appreciated.

and let me take the opportunity to thank the community here for building such an informative site!
 

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
It’s possible, the nylon fabric lose its shine after wash. Better try that soap at inside of the pocket flap, before you actually wash it.
 

Dany McDonald

Well-Known Member
Hello,

Nylon washes very well in controlled conditions.

You can wash both jackets in the machine at gentle cycle (important*) with any mild soap. For stains and odors give them a gentle glycerin soap scrub inside out. Hang dry, no machine!

*The liner being wool or alpaca can become loose and feel harder or lumpy if the washing is too vigorous* Not a big deal but to take in consideration with originals.

Dealing with N-2/N-3/B-15 is a bit different cause you have to take in consideration that the leather part (Mouton/Coyote) can become very dry and shrink a lot after soaking or even disintegrate if dried too fast.
Some collars or trims are already too dried to go through a soaking and will not respond well to a machine wash.

Thats my 2 cents.

Hope this helps!
 

Dany McDonald

Well-Known Member
Oh, and about the knits, they may regain some tightness especially if you soak them (just the knit part) in hot water, but nothing beats a new set, depending on the overall state.
The holes can be easily fixed with a careful threading.

Example of sleeve fixing:



D
 

bbrfo

New Member
my hand has been forced by an unfortunate beer spillage, so i am right this moment testing some ecover brand wool & silk detergent on the inside of my L2Bs pocket
 

bbrfo

New Member
after a full soak and airing of the L2B, i'm very pleased with the results. no real noticeable changes to the colour, or shape/size/fit. it does feel slightly unfamiliar, sort of like when you wear your usual jeans after a wash. it's slightly wrinkled but not dramatically and, since i'm between irons at the minute, i'm gonna see if just wearing it helps the wrinkles drop/smoothen out.

Screenshot 2023-05-21 at 15.50.46.png


happy with the results from this detergent. not too expensive or hard to source for me either.

  • rubbed a little detergent on the more heavily marked areas (ie. the site of the beer incident)
  • bucket of warm but not hot water with half a cap of detergent
  • soak, press air bubbles out. leave for 15 mins
  • agitate/stir, leave another 15.
  • drain bucket, refill with just water.
  • repeat the 15 mins soak/stir twice
  • gently shake/lightly squeeze excess water. leave on hanger to dry, remember to put down towels underneath (lol)
fortunately for me there were no real stains or marks to worry about, just enough lightly soiled spots to make it look a bit "lived-in" (and then the big wet mark on the back from the beer). i'll probably repeat the process on the MA1 eventually but anticipate it will be trickier to air it out due to the weight of the lining, etc.
 

Dany McDonald

Well-Known Member
bbrfo, sounds like you found a nice recipe to deal with Nylon. If done properly it really cleans well. I just received an original SOUTHERN ATHLETIC CO. INC. N-3B first iteration, year 1955 and it needs a good cleaning too!

D
 
Top