Posted by MyBomberJacket.com on 15th May 2017

Leather Care Top 5 Tips | Leather Jacket

So, you just purchased a new American Made Leather A2 Bomber Jacket or Navy G1 Flight Jacket. Congratulations my friend!

As a proud owner of one of America’s finest apparel creations, you are now wondering how you are supposed to take care of this wonderful specimen of legend and history. The first thing you realize, it’s not an Import, is it? This is real leather, the American Way, made by U.S. Craftsman in American Shops. In other words, this is the good stuff. It comes with legend, inspiration, folklore, its own personality and virile character. These are the jackets that Hero’s wore yesterday, and still wear today!

Tip 1: Conditioning. The Tannery has already “conditioned the Leather”, so why do some think it needs more conditioning. Cowhide and Lambskin undergo a sure process to soften and reach the luster needed for the product. Goatskin, which is becoming scarcer each year, comes conditioned as well, but for the A2 Bomber Jacket, goatskin will remain a tad stiffer because that is Military Tradition! You don’t want to mess with tradition, do you? By the way, imported goatskin is not used by the Military anymore. They have switched over to a softer cowhide that has a special look and feel to it that has been baptized by the U.S. Military Department of Defense as “goat-grain”. This is nothing more than a goatskin feel and touch that is stamped into the Cowhide leather at the Tannery.

Cowhide is king in the U.S.A. and both the Navy and Air Force are issued the Cowhide versions. They come pre-conditioned and no further conditioning is required. If you as the purchaser want a floppier look and touch in your leather, then buy a ‘used leather jacket’. They are out there, but finding the right size can be an issue.

American made Lambskin bomber or flight jackets are specially soften at the Tanneries and need no further conditioning. Plus, that special “aged lambskin look” is also supposed to be there. You are not supposed to make it look new. This is a “new jacket” made and specially conditioned to appear “worn and vintage”. Leave it alone.

Tip 2: Hang Your Jacket Up Correctly. The best thing anyone can do for a new Leather Bomber Jacket or Navy Flight Jacket is to learn to hang it up properly. Yes, this is very important. Use a good strong wooden hanger with a swivel hook on it. This distributed the weight of the A2 Bomber Jacket much more evenly and allowed this specially prized possession to last just that much longer and keep its viral look.

An expensive American Made A2 bomber jacket or leather flight jacket does carry some weight, so having that weight distributed as evenly as you can helps keep it in fighting trim. And if you are going to travel or not wear it for a while, use a “breathable covering” over it as it hangs in the closet or washroom. Personally, we don’t like closets for high end leather as this type of leather needs to breath, just like your skin. Don’t use a Plastic bag either. Over time, a plastic covering can dry the leather out.

Tip 3: Rain or Dirt, Bad Dust, Scratches. Splash from a street gutter, or splatter from the car in front of you get you dirty? Don’t worry. Just take a soft sponge or cotton rag and using some soft soapy water, gently clean it off. Then dry with a dry towel or use an old T-shirt.

A. If your Leather Bomber is soaked form rain. If you just washed an area of your Leather Flight Jacket. The ONE RULE is this: Do not use a hair dryer on your leather jacket! That is a huge No-No. A hair dryer is not made for that use. The damage can be immediate! Never-Ever use a hair dryer to dry a leather jacket.
B. If wet – lay the leather jacket on the couch and let it dry naturally. Patience is a virtue here and it saves that expensive Navy Flight Jacket.
C. Scratches – Lets go with the best unknown Trade Secret in the Leather Apparel Industry. Sometimes we just brush against the door jam and we later see a mark. The secret? Shoe Polish! Just like shoe leather, a little dab will do 99% of all minor scratches. Just a dab, rub it in. Need more, keep it up until the scratch fills. Lightly polish with a very soft cloth. Repeat as necessary until it looks new again. No one will notice you had a scratch and even you might forget where it is. Black or Brown often works wonders. Light Tan Colored Leather? You might need a kit and they can be purchased Online from several leather repair retailers.

Tip 4: Be smart where and how you wear this legend of history. An A2 leather bomber jacket can withstand a lot of abuse, but battery acid is not one of them. If you work around harsh chemicals, your jacket will not be conditioned, but rather eaten alive. Chemicals, such as battery acid will “eat into the leather” and that is not going to be fixed. Patched up maybe, but not like brand new. Usually, this start to show around the cuff area or from some wild splatter in the garage. If you are going to work on a vehicle, just wear something, anything other than a USA Made leather bomber jacket. Same goes when riding that motorcycle. Bug juice can be wiped off. However, you and your bike go down, the pavement or the gravel will not be kind to your jacket.

Tip 5: There are oils out there for all kinds of leather. If you need to use oil on any portion of an old bomber jacket, then get the oil for that kind of leather. Do not go with Mink Oil, or Baby Oils. Too heavy. A Leather Bomber jacket is not a baseball glove. Oil for premium leather jackets are very light and come in a light spray or in a wipe. Work into an area first before going over the whole jacket. See what the results are after a day of patience. Immediate results can be misleading.

To heavy an oil can add unnecessary weight to the leather and ruin it in seconds. So only use leather jacket oil that is manufactured for that purpose.