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Epaulette accuracy- various repros compared to original Aeros- 21996, 18775, 15142

DiamondDave

Well-Known Member
The problem is, there is an original example of the jacket that matches. Royal Crown just blew the theory out of the water on that contract it seems...

Original 18775
View attachment 26655

Aero Leather 18775
View attachment 26656

-Jay

Jay,

Not really blown out of the water IMHO. 3 jackets made the correct way and one jacket that isn’t is not exactly proof positive of anything. When most of the extant examples follow the rules we have laid out one anomaly does not make a case.

Secondly, you guys need to understand that you have not been privy to all of the undermining and shifty comments by Ken over the years, and he has picked at most all of us. Ken is in no way a gracious or kind person. He has belittled and shit on my work for enough years that I, for one, am tired of it. What appears to you to be us ”ganging up” on poor Ken definitely has a historical reason.

DD
 

jeremiah

Well-Known Member
One more shot of the BK arco epaulet
73103A7F-AB4C-4656-8D7C-7E479A070291.jpeg
883351ED-4C74-48B7-9470-ACAFB2F2012F.jpeg
 
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ZuZu

Well-Known Member
epaulet.jpg


Wow- one photo that shows one line almost making the full "X". What you have here IS the anomaly- not the hundreds of other phot0s which show original jackets sewn the way I have illustrated. I want a repro which is typical of a contract- not a one off. What this photo shows very clearly however is that other feature which originals had and only two makers ( Diamond Dave and GW- as far as I know) get- can you see it?

26664

The other thing the post illustrates well is the brutal and strange stitching used on Aero products- if you look at originals you don't see the zig-zag stitching combined with big holes and little blowouts like I see on many Aero os Scotland producs. That's for a different post...
 

foster

Well-Known Member
I found a photo on my PC of the epaulet of an Aero (Scotland) A-2 I owned half a decade or so ago. I saved the photos from when I bought this off their website. This may not be representative of a current one, so keep that in mind.

aeroa2shoulder.jpg
 

Skyhawk

Well-Known Member
Jay,

Not really blown out of the water IMHO. 3 jackets made the correct way and one jacket that isn’t is not exactly proof positive of anything. When most of the extant examples follow the rules we have laid out one anomaly does not make a case.

Secondly, you guys need to understand that you have not been privy to all of the undermining and shifty comments by Ken over the years, and he has picked at most all of us. Ken is in no way a gracious or kind person. He has belittled and shit on my work for enough years that I, for one, am tired of it. What appears to you to be us ”ganging up” on poor Ken definitely has a historical reason.

DD

Good points.

Believe me, I get it Dave. In fact I have gotten it first hand.

- Jay
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
All this proves is how sloppy the sewing was back during the war
Hence the one hour jacket, even my two hour A2 is a neater
Who cared if the X was half lost in the rush, there were another 100 to do today
That's why there is so much variation in the sewing, even in the pics above
I'll tell the girls from now on not to give a f*ck if the X is badly sewn or I'll find them a really badly made WW2 original to copy slavishly as that seems to preferable to a neat finish
 

DiamondDave

Well-Known Member
K

Haha! Neat finish? When sewn together with a size 23 leather needle, neat is impossible. That is why the little explosions on the back side, and clearly why you do the finish stitch up the front incorrectly also. It would look like holy hell if you sewed the last stitch up the front with the jacket lining up, as is right and proper.

Keep digging, you’ll find a valid point eventually.

DD
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Jeff,
Thanks for pointing these Aero Scotland inaccuracies out. Interesting that the other Aero repro makers get this detail right and not the company carrying the name.

Which lot of X stitches should we adopt? There seems to lots of choices
Most folk here being handed an unused brand new 1942 jacket woulfd find "an error" in the detailing, This is a ludicrous thread
 

foster

Well-Known Member
I would think 60%-75% of the "X" showing seems to be what most of these photos (thus far) show. But I have not had access to handle as many original A-2's as you and many others on this forum. It almost looks like they made up epaulets the same and smaller sizes of finished jackets had more of the X not showing? Just making a guess and I could be wrong.
 
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