Leather Jacket Repair


A leather jacket is one such garment that always helps you to make a unique style statement. The best part of a leather jacket is that it is suitable for all kinds of looks, be it trendy or classic. Usually, a leather jacket can be used for several years. However, a rip, tear or holes on the jacket is a common occurrence. When you have one such problem you feel disappointed that you cannot use the expensive leather clothing any more. Do not feel disheartened, you can wear it all over again after repairing it. When you use the right technique for leather jacket repair, then there will not be any signs of damage left on it.

Repairing a Leather Jacket

Hole Repair

To repair a hole on leather jacket properly, you have to purchase a leather repair kit. It contain a patch material which is used for covering up the hole. The color of the patch should match with your jacket. For this reason, you must take the jacket along with you to the repair product manufacturer so that you can get a suitable match. Other contents of the repair kit include sandpaper, leather cleaning solution, leather filler, etc.

The first step involves thorough cleaning of the damaged part with a good quality leather cleaning product. Spray the product and then rub it with lint free cloth to get rid of dirt and grime from the jacket. If your leather jacket has a liner, then you have to remove it along the seam, so that the underside of the leather is accessible for repairing.

Place the jacket on a flat surface, put a piece of paper just below the hole and color the visible portion of the paper. The leather patch should be cut as per the colored section on the paper. Stick this patch to a small piece of canvas material with the help of adhesive. Once the applied glue is dry, fit the canvas backed patch into the hole from the back side using leather glue.

Then leather filler should be applied along the edges of the repair patch. Wait for some time so that it dries up. Sand the surface lightly with a fine grit sandpaper. Finally, you have to apply a few coats of leather repair products on the edges of the patch so that the repaired portions blends well with the adjacent area. Each coat of the product should be applied when the previous coat is dry.

Tear Repair

Here the repair job starts with leather cleaning with suitable products. Then put it on a flat and firm surface. If the size of the tear is small, hold the torn part tightly with your fingers and apply the glue with the help of a toothpick. It will be more convenient if you have a partner who holds the jacket during this task. If the size of the rip is big enough, then you need a backing to keep the gap together. Take a small piece of cloth and attach it to the back side of the jacket with a water-based glue.

Once the glue is dry, press the torn part in between your fingers to open up the gap. Apply the adhesive along the tear with toothpick and close it. Leave it untouched for some time so that the glue sets properly. To remove the dried glue that oozes out of the seams, sand the leather gently with fine grit sandpaper. Then use a leather cleaner to clean up any residues of glue.

Repairing a Broken Zipper

The zipper of a leather jacket with hood often breaks and you cannot use the jacket anymore. In such cases, you can replace the old zipper with a new one and use the jacket all over again. Cut the stitches of the old, damaged zipper with the help of a small knife or seam ripper. Take this old zipper to a shoe or fabric repair store to purchase a replacement zipper of same size, color and thickness. Place the new zipper on the jacket where it has to be stitched and then pin it up with a few safety pins so that it does not get displaced. Open the zipper and stitch both its sides on to the jacket with needle and thread. After it is secured, remove the safety pins.

Leather jacket repair is much simpler when the size of the rip or tear is small. Therefore, you should not delay the job unnecessarily and make it a major problem. You can prevent such damages with proper care. Instead of folding it, hang it on a wide padded hanger. To prevent the leather from drying out, you must apply leather conditioner after regular interval of time. Another thing that you must know is how to clean a leather jacket. A wrong cleaning technique can ruin the leather forever. You should wipe it off with damp cloth after every wear. If it is very dirty then take it to professional cleaners.

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