Brill Bros G-1 Question

[Deacon211]

Hey guys,

I have been mucking about with repros mostly since I got the itch to improve on the, what I thought at the time was, shoddy G-1 I was issued in Pensacola in 1992. Eventually, I traded it in for a replacement G-1 in 2004 which was if anything, worse. The latest batch is very rubbery and just doesn't have the character of even my initial issue...for which I now pine! :roll:

Anyway, after a nice G+B M-422A and, more recently, a ELC G-1, I (mostly inadvertently) just won a 7823E series from 1973...if I'm reading the tag right.

That'll teach my wife to leave me alone with EBay!

I am wondering now, mostly out of curiosity, if the Brill Bros is cowhide or goatskin. I believe that both my issue jackets were goat, though I could be wrong. And I remember the poor unfortunates who were issued what we called "Pleather" though I think it was just a sort of pebbled grain pressed into the leather. Is there any way to tell which years the cowhide was made and by whom? I don't suppose it matters greatly as long as the leather is nice, but I'm just curious.

A search didn't seem to prove anything definitive.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221419540237

Here's the link. It's mine now so I don't imagine that there would be anything wrong with posting it.

Thanks guys!

Deacon

 

[a2jacketpatches]

I do believe these are cowhide with a goatskin texture heat pressed into them. They tend to be a little stiff.

 

[Deacon211]

I do believe these are cowhide with a goatskin texture heat pressed into them. They tend to be a little stiff.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting it. It at least looks like it has some character unlike mine.



That's ten years of wear...not much character.

I'll post it when it shows up though I understand that the E series isn't exactly collectible.

Deacon

Edit:

Incidentally, I took some pics last time I was in Pensacola. I think Judy's G-1 is cowhide...I still think it looks pretty good

 

[Jason]

10 years of wear and it still looks like it came out of the box 10 minutes ago? You need to really beat the heck out of it!
The close up shot of the zip tells me it is cowhide with embossed pebbling in it. Real goathide 'pebbles' tend to have more definition, sharper edges to the pebbles if you like.
I think you'll enjoy wearing the Brill as a daily beater.

 

[Deacon211]

10 years of wear and it still looks like it came out of the box 10 minutes ago? You need to really beat the heck out of it!
The close up shot of the zip tells me it is cowhide with embossed pebbling in it. Real goathide 'pebbles' tend to have more definition, sharper edges to the pebbles if you like.
I think you'll enjoy wearing the Brill as a daily beater.

Thanks for the ID!

LOL. That jacket went to war with me! It got covered in JP-5 and Hyd fluid, got sandblasted in the desert, shoved in every compartment on the airplane...and it STILL looks like that!

I don't know how they finish them these days, but it almost feels like rubber. Even my 90s jacket had more character and I really regret turning it in.

That's why I am looking forward to a recent vintage G-1. If I could get a 90s vintage one, I'd be thrilled. But even a cowhide jacket will be an improvement and, it still looks like it has been nicely broken in.

By the by, this is my Eastman...after 6 months. Quite a difference!

 

[Deacon211]

OK, she just showed up.

The leather is nice, probably cowhide, but nice enough that it is still an improvement on my late model one. I'm thinking a bit that it might be slightly small for me. I tend to sit between sizes in most things and G-1s seem to be no exception.

I'm of a mind to see if I can find a 48. On the other hand, my issue jacket was a 48 (which surprised me at the time...my first issue was a 44 and seemed to fit just fine) and I've always felt I was swimming in it.

Thus far, my Eastman has been the most perfectly fitting G-1 of any jacket I've ever owned. It's broad in the shoulders, roomy in the upper arms, but tapered in the waist and wrists.

Maybe I was born to fly Panthers and Corsairs

Anyway, here she is and thanks for the help!













Deacon

 

[269sqnhudson]

I've had a number of 1970s G-1s including a '71 & '72 Brill and a '76 Imperial. I actually think the Brills are goatskin, there's way too much variation in the pebbling to be embossed or so is my take on it. I think they use a heavy acrylic coating but I really don't think the 70-73 jackets are embossed. The Orchard jackets from the 80s and 90s are definitely embossed though.

Embossed grains tend to be used a lot on furniture and is quite obvious, very uniform pebbling. Your jacket has a lot of variation.

T

 

[a2jacketpatches]

I've had a number of 1970s G-1s including a '71 & '72 Brill and a '76 Imperial. I actually think the Brills are goatskin, there's way too much variation in the pebbling to be embossed or so is my take on it. I think they use a heavy acrylic coating but I really don't think the 70-73 jackets are embossed. The Orchard jackets from the 80s and 90s are definitely embossed though.

Embossed grains tend to be used a lot on furniture and is quite obvious, very uniform pebbling. Your jacket has a lot of variation.

T

By the looks of it I think you're right.

 

[Deacon211]

I've had a number of 1970s G-1s including a '71 & '72 Brill and a '76 Imperial. I actually think the Brills are goatskin, there's way too much variation in the pebbling to be embossed or so is my take on it. I think they use a heavy acrylic coating but I really don't think the 70-73 jackets are embossed. The Orchard jackets from the 80s and 90s are definitely embossed though.

Embossed grains tend to be used a lot on furniture and is quite obvious, very uniform pebbling. Your jacket has a lot of variation.

T

By the looks of it I think you're right.

Interesting. I guess that I don't truly think that I can identify cowhide by sight. I know what my goatskin jacket looked like, but if there were different finishes, different grades, etc, then I'm not sure that I'd recognize it in other G-1s.

The only jackets I would be fairly sure were cowhide were the terrible pebbled leather ones that some of my buddies got...sort of a stiff plastic feel and a pressed in texture without much grain.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

By the looks of Judy's G1 with the faux fur collar and what I can see of the grain, it's one of the cowhide jackets. I buy them if cheap enough just to patch up for a photo shoot. Last two were brand new condition, stiff as a board, and around 30- each. The last one about a year ago took a few ounces of apple brand leather conditioner and softened up a little but nothing like goat skin.

 

[Deacon211]

Well, all it takes is one taste.

I just got this off the Bay, a restored W+G from 1941 I am told. A little big, but it forestalls my worry that I'll outgrow it. Beautiful leather and a real nice vintage replacement collar.

Still, needs to mold to me a bit, but an incredible jacket...











Now, I'm in trouble...

Deacon

 

[bazelot]

Fantastic jacket. That jacket was restored with love and it is a perfect wearer, you won't be afraid to damage the original lining which would have been fragile

 

[Deacon211]

Fantastic jacket. That jacket was restored with love and it is a perfect wearer, you won't be afraid to damage the original lining which would have been fragile

Aero did a beautiful job with it. It looks like a new jacket with spectacular leather, not something twenty years older than I am!

I should look so good at 70.