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Pungent leather smell

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
I just thought about the smell or aroma of my jackets and I thought I'd pose the question of which leather has the most distinctive aroma. Is it Horse hide? I have an old forties Thunderbay jacket that just has that leather smell when it sits in my storage drawer and I have some other jackets that are not so much. Anybody notice this? I just love that smell of vintage jackets.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
That’s a good one . I like ELC warhorse.
Oddly enough I’ve got a original Perry that still has a distinctive leather smell, not sure if it’s horse or cow hide,
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
love the scent... my HH jackets don't have as strong a scent any longer but hell, they bottle that shit! :D
I may use it as aftershave! lol!
leather_frag_4_oz.jpg
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
my vintage goat Spiewak not only still has a nice leather scent but the added aroma of antique musk lol! its certainly a common "vintage scent" character that it takes on just like my 1944 B3A pilot summer gloves! they too are goat (capeskin) so I wonder if that's a signature scent of that Hide?
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Jeremiah
Did the different tanning processes used during the war, create different intensities of smell on the leather ?
 
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jeremiah

Well-Known Member
Jeremiah
Did the different tanning processes used during the war, create different intensities of smell on the leather ?
That I don't know.
I know tanning ingredients will tend to dictate the smell though. I notice an unmistakable odor from the vintage Goat G1s I have handled. I don't know if its the goat or the tannins, or both. I've never handled a vintage original A2 HH so can't compare. Chrome tanned leather does have a distinctive similarity though. Ken sent me some scraps of Vicenza (veg tanned) and they smell terrific as does the liberty samples I got from Andy. Who knows.
if one walks into any Tandy leather store you can smell an odor that only comes from Tandy leathers. They tan them at the Tandy Factory just for Tandy stores, so there is something to the recipe of "tea" that the hides soak in.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
That I don't know.
I know tanning ingredients will tend to dictate the smell though. I notice an unmistakable odor from the vintage Goat G1s I have handled. I don't know if its the goat or the tannins, or both. I've never handled a vintage original A2 HH so can't compare. Chrome tanned leather does have a distinctive similarity though. Ken sent me some scraps of Vicenza (veg tanned) and they smell terrific as does the liberty samples I got from Andy. Who knows.
if one walks into any Tandy leather store you can smell an odor that only comes from Tandy leathers. They tan them at the Tandy Factory just for Tandy stores, so there is something to the recipe of "tea" that the hides soak in.
Thanks J
Appreciate the info.
 

petermack09

Well-Known Member
Its like a strong plastic bag smell only much stronger ,,I have a couple of goatskin jackets and they don’t smell like this.I think they are put directly into a plastic bag when made and the jacket takes on that smell ,,just checked on it this morning and stuck it outside for the day ,,it’s lessened somewhat so fingers crossed it goes completely,,good news is family’s headaches have gone :)
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
Somehow this thread morphed from pleasant vintage jacket leather aroma to new jacket plastic stink. Such is the way with threads I guess. I remember a thread about the unpleasant plastic smell of a new Five Star jacket a gentleman received not too long ago. So that would be more of a fit for that sort of info. I'll see if I can find the link.
 
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