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Q: best way to unwrinkle a leather coat? ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: best way to unwrinkle a leather coat?
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: brainfloss-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 24 Dec 2003 13:29 PST
Expires: 23 Jan 2004 13:29 PST
Question ID: 290091
i wanna know what's the best (if there is one) way to unwrinkle a leather coat?
Please Be Very Detailed In Answering
Answer  
Subject: Re: best way to unwrinkle a leather coat?
Answered By: tlspiegel-ga on 24 Dec 2003 14:58 PST
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hi brainfloss,

I've provided several solutions in no particular order.  On a personal
level, what always worked for me was hanging the leather garment in
the bathroom.  Turn the water on hot.  Turn on the shower.  Let the
steam work out the wrinkles.  Take the garment out of the bathroom and
lay it on a flat surface, such as the bed.  Smooth the leather with
your hands.

In addition to the wrinkle question - you'll find references to many
other leather sites in my answer on the care and feeding of leathern -
everything from terminology, glossary, and history.

I'm sure the following sites will be very useful for you!  :)

OK... here we go!

Leather Care and Cleaning - When Wrinkled
http://www.northbeachleather.com/leather_care.asp#When%20Wrinkled

"Press with an iron at rayon setting by using heavy wrapping paper as
a press cloth on the right side of the garment. Press with a light,
quick hand to avoid overheating and shine."

===============================================================================


Trendy Leathers - Leathercare Information
http://www.trendyleathers.com/information.htm

"How do I straighten the wrinkles in my leather pants and coats ?

Normally, hanging your leather pant or coat from a hanger and gently
pulling the wrinkles would straighten them out. If that does not work,
you might try placing a heavy brown paper bag flat over the wrinkled
portion of your leather, and use an iron (with the lowest heat
setting) on the paper bag and gently iron out the wrinkles. Always
avoid using steam while using your iron on your leather."

===============================================================================


Leatherlollipop.com
http://www.leatherlollipop.com/leather_care.cfm

SEAL AND RUBDOWN 

"After you clean your leather garment with a damp cloth or a mild
soap, pat the surface with a clean soft cloth. Then give the leather a
fine dusting with baby powder to seal the pores. Finish with a rubdown
using a clean dry cloth to bring back the sheen. A wrinkled garment
can be hung in the bathroom while you shower. If the wrinkles don't
steam out by themselves, gently iron the garment at a warm setting
after layering clean brown paper between the iron and the leather.
Store your leather garment in a well-ventilated area and cover with a
cloth to keep it dust free. Avoid storing your leather garment in
plastic. Leather is porous and it needs to ``breathe".


REMOVING WRINKLES

"If you need to remove wrinkles from your leather garment, you may do
the following, but take great care.

To remove wrinkles you may use an iron but do NOT put iron directly in
contact with leather.  Use a 100% COTTON cloth in between the leather
garment and the iron. Do not use high heat with the iron either and do
not leave the iron on the garment for very long.  Use caution and you
should be able to remove the wrinkles yourself without getting this
professionally done.

You can also try using a blow dryer but do not put in direct contact
with leather. If the garment is not too badly wrinkled, then the blow
dryer may work.  Always use extreme caution and patience."

===============================================================================


Leather Apparel Association -- FAQ
http://www.leatherassociation.com/faq.html

"Q: My leather skirt became wrinkled during travel. Can it be fixed?

A: It can. Most wrinkles will hang out on their own, although it is
perfectly safe to iron leather. Simply set iron on its rayon setting,
use heavy brown wrapping paper as a pressing cloth on the right side
of the item and iron. Wrinkles should come right out. As always when
doing something at home, test on a small, inconspicuous area first."

===============================================================================


Leather Terminology
http://www.leather-bags-manufacturers.com/leather-terminology.html

"Altered Leather
Leather with its original surface of the skin or hide removed, because
of the imperfections in the original grain surface and a new grain
embossed into the leather.

Aniline Finish 
Skins that are drum-dyed for a soft feel and usually coated with
protein, resin, lacquer or can be waxed.

Boarded Leather 
Leather that is softened by creasing the grain by folding to and fro
across the hide.

Brush Colored
The application of dyestuff to leather being laid on a table, with a brush."

[edit]

"Trim
The removal of parts of a skin or hide not suitable for making
leather, such as portions on the outer edges.

Unfinished Leather
An aniline-dyed, naked leather with no additional application intended
to finish, color or treat in a way that would alter the natural
characteristics of the leather.

Weight
The weight of leather is measured in ounces per square foot."

===============================================================================


Leather Glossary (A to W)
http://www.aplf.com/en/glossary.asp?key_char=C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Term                    Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aldehyde leather -     Washable leather prepared mainly from sheep or 
lambskin splits. Usually degrained and tanned with formaldehyde. The 
natural colour of the leather is white.

Alum tanned leather -  Leather that has been tanned with a mixture, of 
which the essential active ingredient can be aluminium salt, egg yolk 
or flour. This type of leather is originally white.

[edit]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Term                     Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waterproof leather -   Leather that has a water-resistant property and 
therefor remains completely protected from the penetration of water.

Waterproofing -        The using of specific water repellent product 
such as hydrophobic lubricants, other than fatliquors, to enhance the 
waterproof level of the leather.

===============================================================================


Active Leathers
http://www.activeleathers.com/about.asp

Learn More About Leather

"Leather is one of nature's most versatile and sensual materials. It
offers comfort and
durability in a variety of beautiful finishes, textures and colors."

[edit]

"Leather fashions provide years of pleasure and long-lasting use.
Through our experience we've learned the best methods for maintaining
leather. The following information explains how leather is made and
the best ways to keep your leather looking its best for years to come.

The History Of Leather And How It Is Made

Leather has been made in various locations around the world for more
than 5000 years, and
the first tanners guilds have been traced as far back as twelfth
century England. Although
tanning methods have changed with new technologies, the end result is
a product that has
been valued for centuries.

The first step in the modern tanning method..."

[edit]

===============================================================================


Bomber Jackets
http://www.isf2003.org/bomber_jackets.html

"Leather often tends to become faded, wrinkled, brittle,and even
cracked with time, especially if it was stored improperly (bunchedup,
for instance, or exposed to too much light or heat). Mouton collars,
cuffs, and waistbands can rip or rot. Fortunately, there?s no need to
despair.  While many experts warn against do-it-yourself attempts at
cleaning and reconditioning (claiming that saddle soap, for instance,
strips natural oils from the skin and shortens the life of the coat),
a professional leather restorer often can work wonders with a garment
that has seen better days.  Renovating a badly damaged garment isn?t
cheap, but then, neither are new jackets. And in many cases, the cost
of repairs is reasonable enough to make refurbishing well worthwhile."

===============================================================================


The following site has a lot of good information - MPS Leather Help
zone - Leather Care Tips
http://www.leathercoatsandjackets.com/shop/customer/help.php?section=leathercare

STORAGE 

"When you first purchase you leather garment, put it on a shaped or
padded hanger and store it in a cool dry place. Give it plenty of room
-- it will wrinkle if crowded. And, of course, don't let it come into
prolonged contact with plastic or moth balls."

===============================================================================


Google search:

wrinkled leather garment
how to remove wrinkles in leather
leather is wrinkled
leather care
storing leather coat


Best regards,
tlspiegel
brainfloss-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars
Question answered with great research done

Comments  
Subject: Re: best way to unwrinkle a leather coat?
From: foot2head-ga on 28 Dec 2004 19:08 PST
 
We got a lambskin leather coat from Venus that had deep severely
creased wrinkles.  We found this site and tried ironing it with a
brown bag on a low setting with a fast light hand to little avail.  We
then used a thin pillowcase as our presscloth and had better luck. 
The deeply creased wrinkles leave permanent lines, but we were able to
get the creases out by using a heavier slower hand without harming the
brand new soft lambskin leather.  It a tougher ironing job than any
you've ever encountered before, so perhaps if you don't feel like long
slow work with gradual success, you could take you coat to a cleaners
with professional pressing equipment and hope that they have the
knowledge about how to treat your leather.

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