Sunday, March 18, 2018

READER MAIL - TANNING THE CAMPUS JACKET


Hey John,

I’ve been following you for a good long while and am ever inspired by your posts. I’ve got two questions I’m hoping you could help me with:

I’m planning to buy a campus jacket in the natural veg tan. I love the way yours turned out but 1) I live in Sweden where sunlight is not guaranteed and 2) I have no bust form to hand. Would it be safe to tan in limited sunlight and just let it do its thing through wearing it?

www.vintageengineerboots.com

Hi Felix,

I really appreciate your e-mail and kind words. I'm glad folks find some use out of my blog--something I started as a repository to archive my interests.

The Mister Freedom® Campus Jacket is just one of the coolest Cossack style jackets on the market. Not only does it carry the name synonymous with quality and cutting edge heritage designs known the world over, but the idea of spending good, hard-earned money on a jacket just to turn around and take on the task of bringing it to life speaks volumes to the incredible impact MF and the man behind it have on die-hard collectors.

Regardless of geographical location and weather conditions, there shouldn't be a problem tanning the jacket. Ever hear of someone developing sun burn even on a cloudy day? This is because a large percentage of ultraviolet rays can still pass through clouds. Tanning may take a little longer, but in all actually it's probably safer for the leather since the impact of direct heat from the sun will dry out tannery chemicals used to preserve it and prevent decomposition.


The bust form is just a convenience and is absolutely not necessary. I had one on hand and it happened to help a little. You will have the same result by laying the jacket flat, but rather than just simply turning the bust toward the light/heat source you'll  have to turn the jacket over and ensure any wrinkles are smoothed  out in order to ensure even tanning.

Laid flat on a table

The final thing is to avoid adding any products (conditioners, waxes, oils) until you reach the desired level of tanning. Prematurely introducing products to the leather will certainly slow the process and may even prevent a fully desired outcome. And I recommend avoiding submersing the jacket in water at all cost. Doing so will just leave the jacket with unsightly wrinkles

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