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Keeping Your Jackets Looking Mint, What!!

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
I know what most of you are thinking right now, that the whole concept of keeping a jacket looking mint is blasphemy! But in spite of what most of you may think, there are a few here who actually get a little nervous when that high end ELC or GW jacket, that they bought last week, and paid $1500.00 for, turns up with its first deep scratch or abrasion mark from accidentally bumping into that brick or cinderblock wall . So for those of you who have experienced a mini trauma like that, ( yes friends , that includes me :rolleyes:) I would like to pass on a little maintenance tip that will help restore peace of mind and make the jacket boo-boos all better.
So for those of you who missed my first post on cleaning up” High Point Wear” on your jackets,I’m posting a link to what is actually a preliminary part of this post.


I suggest you read the above post first and then review this post as the next phase of learning how to keep your jackets in mint condition. Now in this post I’m working with a G-1 jacket and a high end boot cream polish named Sapir brown boot cream. Of course whatever jacket you’re trying to clean up, you would want to use the closest color boot cream that matches the jackets color .
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Now once you’ve calmed down after putting that first ding in that new jacket, It’s time to practice your new craft by taking a small piece of towel or rag, the Sapfir boot cream that matches the jacket and a soft buffing cloth and start the process . In the photos below you’ll see two areas that had some relatively noticeable scratches that I wanted to clean up .
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In both instances the scratches were obvious and detracted from the overall appearance of the jacket. The next step was to apply small amounts of Saphirs Brown boot cream and rub the color cream deep into the scratches .
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Once you’ve completed that, give the boot cream about 5 minutes to be absorbed by the scratches. When that’s done simply buff the area lightly and Viola!! The area looks like new. I subsequently went over the entire jacket and the jacket looks like a new issue USN flight jacket .
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So here’s the bottom line, most guys like their jackets to show wear and to have that 50 mission look, but if you have a jacket that for some strange reason mysteriously shrunk on you in the last 10 years and you’ve decided to move it on, you just might want to consider giving it a quick once over with the two techniques I’ve posted here. It might just mean the difference between a quick sale and a few extra dollars in your pocket .
That’s all I’ve got …. cheers .
 

ButteMT61

Well-Known Member
Good stuff - and I don't have an issue with babying my gear...it's expensive, I'm OCD (among other things) and I like mine to stay new (looking). I have a whole shelf of gels, creams, polishes, oils, etc. for all my stuff. Every time is an experiment to see what works best with what item, hides, colors, etc. I enjoy it really, so no need to apologize to me!
Thanks for the writeups, Burt!
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Good stuff - and I don't have an issue with babying my gear...it's expensive, I'm OCD (among other things) and I like mine to stay new (looking). I have a whole shelf of gels, creams, polishes, oils, etc. for all my stuff. Every time is an experiment to see what works best with what item, hides, colors, etc. I enjoy it really, so no need to apologize to me!
Thanks for the writeups, Burt!
Glad you liked it Butte .
 

Lord Flashheart

Well-Known Member
I've also tried this on some discolouration on the back of a Martin Lane G-1. This had a light streak running down the left side of the back and over the half belt. Especially noticeable was a small block midway up the back. I had to repeat the applications a number of times but the shoe cream has made a difference.

To the naked eye the discolouration has largely disappeared and that's especially so in artificial light but the iPad does pick it up a little in some light and it hasn't been easy to get these pics as the camera has picked up quite a lot of reflection. In the round though this technique has made a huge difference. I reckon you'd have to be looking for it to notice it.

Before:


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B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Nicely done Phil .
A definite improvement .
With a little time the area may slowly bleed through and need to be done a few more times to complete the covering up process .
 
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