Help/thoughts on damaged admiral tunic

[Tretov]

Gentlemen,

I picked up this admiral tunic today from a local antique store. The jacket, dated 1963 btw, is in a miserable state as it has gone through some really rough treatment.

What has happened is that at some stage, someone has mounted a pair of shoulder boards with red bottom on the jacket and then at some stage, it has been washed. The red color of those boards was not safe for wash, and the red color went out onto the white cloth. Just look at the mess! :thumbsdown

I got the jacket at steal price - the question is - will the red color come off if washed and treated in a professional manner? I know there are a number if different specialized detergents in the market, but my first thought is to bring it to a professional cleaner - unless someone know of a miracle cure?

[toshik]

All I can say it's perfectly safe to take it to the Dry Cleaners and give it a try. I dry clean all of my new items also to kill moth eggs.

[Tretov]

It can't be worse, but thing is - in the pocket of the jacket was a dry cleaner paper, which means either a dry cleaner caused it - or a dry cleaner already tried. But I will bring it today to my local guy.

Looking at the pattern of the red stains, the reddish color seems to have appeared from the spots where the attaching thread has penetrated the shoulder boards.

[CtahhR]

I've had the same issue on a Naval uniform before (in this case it was washed with non-fast blue).

Long story short, get used to the red colouring as it is there to stay. Unfortunately white is the most problematic of colours.

A bit late to ask the quartermaster to issue a replacement.

[Tretov]

Well, this is Sparta. I bought a mild, yet very effective stain remover / color remover and let the jacket have a bath. Now there is not a single trace of the reddish crap on the tunic. The aged stains, which were way way older, are still there. That is nice. Now, the tunic is drying up, inside out, in a towel in the living room. I just hope the outer cloth does not get wrinkled.

[CtahhR]

Sounds like some extremely good fortune. Obviously the dye in the boards wasn't as stubborn as good old British wartime dye.

Sounds like it turned from a nightmare to a bargain.

[Tretov]

So, evening after. I had to wash it again as it had a really bad smell of the chemical solution. After the second wash, it has the slight touch of summer flowers, which will likely go away when stored with other uniforms. Anyway, the tunic is now slowly drying up, flat down on a table, on top of a towel.

There is a small wrinkling in the outer cloth, but it may disappear when I bring it to professional dry cleaner for pressing only on Monday. It seems this one may have been a success - a nice 1960s admirals parade tunic at the price of a better lunch for two.