Featured How to "unstiffen" vintage fur?

Discussion in 'Textiles, Needle Arts, Clothing' started by Mill Cove Treasures, Oct 18, 2021.

  1. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    I inherited a vintage Persian lamb jacket. I put it outside to air it out and it poured. By the time I came home from grocery shopping, it was drenched. Now, it is stiff as a board. Any idea how to soften it up again? I searched online but didn't find anything or this problem.
     
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  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    A mild rain will not ruin your fur. Just hang the garment up to dry in a well-ventilated room away from direct heat. After it is dry, give the fur a vigorous shake. If your fur gets thoroughly soaked, bring it to a professional furrier for proper treatment.
     
  3. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    It was a torrential downpour. The fur is so stiff, it won't move.
     
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  4. Rufus@frockstarvintage

    Rufus@frockstarvintage Well-Known Member

    Have dealt with furs and vintage clothing for years and have been thinking about this since reading your post several hours ago....
    The only stiffness in skins I can recall has been due to incorrect storage and drying/dehydration which clearly is NOT your issue.
    Would you post a pic or two?

    Can you get to the back side or is it lined? Please wait for other responses - perhaps call or email a furrier?

    Animals get their fur wet all the time so it seems there ought to be a way to reverse the stiffness.....will give it more thought. Good luck, hope you can sort it out.
     
  5. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    Animals............are alive !

    when my leather golf gloves get wet...and then dry stiff.....I put them on....and massage and rub my hands together until they soften up.......
     
  6. Darkwing Manor

    Darkwing Manor Well-Known Member

    Ummm, not any more!
     
  7. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    :hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::p
     
    kyratango and Darkwing Manor like this.
  8. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    Just arrived home from an all day emergency. Will take some photographs tomorrow in the daylight. It is lined. The water was streaming out of the jacket. I hung it on the back of a chair and left in the shower to drain and dry. I thought that was less strain on the shoulders than keeping it on a hanger. It might actually stand up without any support, that's how stiff it feels.

    :hilarious::hilarious::hilarious: If all furry animals became this stiff after a heavy rain, they would walk like zombies.
     
  9. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    It depends on how the skin was tanned. Fur skins are tanned with methods that preserve the hair, and tend to be less water resistant than other types of leather. Tanning with alum/aluminum sulfate ("tawing") was a common method of preparing fine furs until quite recently. Unfortunately, the alum tanning agent can be washed out if such leather is soaked, resulting in a stiff condition such as you describe, almost like rawhide. The hair may also begin to fall out. If the fur was alum tanned, I am afraid it will not be salvageable.

    https://www.hewit.com/skin_deep/?volume=11&article=2

    https://www.leather-dictionary.com/index.php/Tawing_with_alum
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2021
    Figtree3 and Any Jewelry like this.
  10. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    20211020_123628post.jpg
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    Sorry it too so long. Things are a bit crazy here, a bit more than usual. Here are a couple of photograph. This is how it dried, wrinkles, folds and all. I really loved this coat. It was from a nice store too.

    @2manybooks. Thank you for the links. I'm so disappointed and angry with myself. It smelled like cedar and moth balls and I thought a day out in the fresh air would be enough to air it out. :banghead: :(
     
  11. DrPam

    DrPam Active Member

    I’m so, so sorry that happened to you, Mill Cove…but also appreciate learning from your experience. If it makes you feel any better you’ve helped others avoid a similar fate.
     
  12. Lucille.b

    Lucille.b Well-Known Member

    So sorry it happened. It's very hard to get mothball smell out. Some say it never totally goes away. And the stuff is toxic to humans and animals.

    Don't be hard on yourself. We've all been there.
     
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  13. reader

    reader Well-Known Member

    i sadly think it could be gone too but if it were mine and i decided it was gone i’d give it a last shot by first steaming it in the shower to add back some moisture for pliability and then I’d toss it in the dryer on air only with fabric softener sheets. Please only try this as a last resort as I’ve no clue if it will help but it’s what I would do.
     
    kyratango likes this.
  14. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Maybe it is an idea to take out the lining, and use a leather care product on the reverse side (leather) of the fur? You'd probably have to repeat it several times to feed the leather properly.
     
    reader likes this.
  15. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    Perhaps take it to a furrier, before trying any unproven home remedies that might make it worse (if that is possible). They might have a solution, or can confirm that there is not. In which case you could take it back home and experiment.
     
  16. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    Thank you everyone. I am going to contact a furrier and see what they have to say before I attempt anything else. I will post back once I have an answer.
     
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  17. kyratango

    kyratango Bug jewellery addiction!

    Gently malaxing it small areas by small areas (totally dry, don't rehydrate it!) while watching TV will certainly improve the stiffness of the skin.
    Exactly as the @komokwa leather golf gloves :joyful:!
    It deserves to be mended!
     
  18. Northern Lights Lodge

    Northern Lights Lodge Well-Known Member

    Gosh, that is too bad. I wish I had some answers for you. I don't know a lot about furs...
    Leslie
     
    Mill Cove Treasures likes this.
  19. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    I started working on one sleeve for a short time last night. It might work. It seems to be a bit softer and slightly more flexible. I didn't hear any cracking noises. I'm hoping that's a good sign.
     
    kyratango likes this.
  20. Lark

    Lark Well-Known Member

    that was going to be my suggestion . I have a sheep skin that got stiff. i jus worked the leather back and forth in a rolling action. It did soften up over time.
     
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