leather jacket collar gone stiff any treatment?

[rvtrav]

  Hello to all,
 
  I am hoping that some of you leather workers out there have a cure for my problem.
 
  I have had a cabelas hunting coat for years, still in excellent shape and a comfortable jacket for hunting in. Last year I assisted my nephew on an antelope hunt, and in the process got my jacket bloody, not really a problem, I have washed it many times without incident. However this time my nephew's wife washed it while we skinned the animal in the garage...and  afterwards the leather collar was stiff as a board and lost the 'fold' of being a collar.

   I have tried petrolium jelly, and saddle soap, and although the leather has softened some it is still stilff and will not fold down.
Does anyone have any remedies for this? anything that will soften leather to the point that the collar will fold again?

  It is a nice jacket, with many hunting seasons left in it I hate to give up on it.

   Thanks in advance, Rvtrav 

[james]

I use neats foot oil on deer hides after tanning.  It will darken the almost white buckskin but makes them soft and pliable It helps take the squeak out of new saddles too.

[GregP42]

RVTrav,

I use Dr. Jacksons hide rejuvenator on my leather, have for years. It works real good as I have a set of redwings that I have had since highschool that are still good and a pair of lowtop boots that are near 15 years old that are still in good shape. They start getting hard from being in the water etc I clean them up and rub in the Dr. Jacksons by hand and they soften right back up.

Greg

[rvtrav]

  Thanks Guys,

   I am trying the neats foot oil right now, I got some yesterday.

   Greg, Where do you purchase the Dr. Jacksons at? I cannot seem to find anything on it around here.

[Rancher]

Tandy stores used to carry it (if its the same product I'm thinking about), you might be able to order it online through them.  Ray Holes Saddle Butter is, IMHO, a better product but its very similar and you should be able to google Ray Holes Saddlery and order some online.

[GregP42]

  Thanks Guys,

   I am trying the neats foot oil right now, I got some yesterday.

   Greg, Where do you purchase the Dr. Jacksons at? I cannot seem to find anything on it around here.

RVTav

I got mine at Tandy Leather years ago, I still have part of a container that I still use. Not even sure where to get it now that I think about it, most of the Tandy leather places have closed up shop.

Greg

[oldandslow]

Believe it or not, WD-49 is your friend. I have wore out a bunch of welding gloves over the years. My left glove always got stiff and shrunk from the heat of holding it in front of my right when welding in position. I would soak the glove in WD-40 a couple of times and then let it dry for a couple of days. It would be much softer and usable again. No odor and didn't bother my skin. It worked very well on elk and deerskin gloves,not so well on cowhide.

[oldandslow]

I meant WD-40, don't know where that 9 came from.

[rvtrav]

  Thanks again for the tips,

   I may have to try the WD-40 (or 49) trick, several treatments with the neatsfoot oil still hasn't laid the collar down.

   I still can't imagine what she washed with, I have washed that jacket many times without a hitch, and whatever she used sure did a doozy on that collar!

[oldandslow]

She might have used hot water. Heat is really bad for leather. The hotter it has been the stiffer it will get and will shrink and crack. If it has been too hot it can't be brought back.

[Rancher]

How long was the blood left on the collar?  Blood can be used to stiffen leather if its painted on the leather and allowed to dry.  I've done that to stiffen leather tapaderos before.   I would try to avoid a petroleum based product on leather,  but thats just me.  If all else fails, wet the collar really good again to soften it back up, fold it back into place and allow it to dry.  You might have to fold it down and put something like a heavy book on clip it with clothespins or something to keep it in place, let it dry, and then oil it again.  Might be hard to get it to take water after its already been oiled, but its worth a try.