Can my ww2 era sheepskin be repaired when skin itself is tearing?

[Julian Bream]

Hi all,
I'm glad to have joined this forum - I was directed by a vintage furniture restorer

Can you help me with this - I've stopped wearing a much loved WW2-ish era vintage British flying jacket as the skin itself is beginning to tear in places.

Is there a restorer out there that can help or is it beyond the pale?

thank you for any help

Julian
East London

 

[Dumpster D]

Need photos please.

If the sheepskin is *that* old, it is not going to be a wearable piece unfortunately, too fragile. Display only.

Luckily you live in a time where it is possible to have a wonderful reproduction made if you so desire.

That would be ideal, to have a copy or 'clone' made of your original-ish jacket to enjoy wearing.

 

[B-Man2]

If your jacket is an original WWII USAAF Sheepskin , it most probably had an acrylic finish applied to the surface of the jacket . That finish has cause the skins to dry rot and crack and after 80 years the jacket is only suitable to display on a mannequin. Sadly that’s the reality of dealing with US Sheepskin jackets . As the poster above explained , it is probably time to invest in a repro of that jacket if you plan to wear it in the future.

 

[Dumpster D]

If your jacket is an original WWII USAAF Sheepskin

It's got some original 'ish' in there, don't forget.

 

[B-Man2]

It's got some original 'ish' in there, don't forget.

Not forgetting you D
Just saying that US sheepskin jackets are notorious for having dry rot in places and once that happens it’s going to start costing big bucks to restore them. So displaying them on a maniquinn might be the best option to preserve them a little longer as opposed to wearing them .

 

[Dumpster D]

US sheepskin jackets

I'm betting on Irvin style post war 50's...Ish.

 

[Julian Bream]

I'm betting on Irvin style post war 50's...Ish.

thank you all for replies so far - I've edited the post to make things clearer with photos. Reckon its British, possibly RAF could be 50s too - military issue. I'll love to know what you make of it and its provenance - and what's fixable. Much appreciated

 

[Pilot]

Pm please.
I can have it repaired.. repaired worse and especially IRIVIN‘s B-3‘s AN-J-4‘ M-445; M-444‘s and alike… not low cost..
Here it will cost the back and forth courier shipping to France or Germany plus the maybe carnet importing fees, plus approx 350 Euro repair costs.
At the end no one will notice any alterations or repair at all…
Lead time approx 3 months door to door…
If its within your budget time frame please feel free to pm…

Edit… I only use NOS parts zips and buckles and studs … if.. no repros nor fakes.. NOS only…
Also, I dont replace… I repair and or revigorate the original materials…

 

[denny@aero]

Drop me a mail - [email protected] we could fix this up for you using original WW2 fleece if any panels need replaced or new segments spliced in. Also all seam work can be done ( there are lots of replaced sections which stand out)
The zips are replacements ( and not very good ones) , these could be replaced, belt loops also look like they've been badly replaced .
There is a fair bit of work but jacket can be brought back to closer to original . We would take this sort of repair on during the summer months

 

[Micawber]

thank you all for replies so far - I've edited the post to make things clearer with photos. Reckon its British, possibly RAF could be 50s too - military issue. I'll love to know what you make of it and its provenance - and what's fixable. Much appreciated

Hi Julian,
What you have is an Irvin type jacket as issued to British and Commonwealth airmen during the Second World War and often worn in the postwar period. These jackets tend to be somewhat more durable than the USAAF counterparts but like yours were often patched to repair wear or damage and re-zippered at some point. Fortunately you have already had two offers of assistance which ought to bring the garment back into a solid condition enough to be worn - with care of course.

 

[Julian Bream]

Amazing guys
thankyou so much

 

[Dumpster D]

I wouldn't recommend wearing it, highly. It looks original WWII to me, it looks like it's later period with some nice shaggy 'Devon' fleece, my personal preference!! It's a nice Jacket, but it's too fragile IMHO.

Better off having it sent in, to have a completely new 'clone' of that Jacket made from scratch by someone, using all the original measurements etc, or simply buying a high quality repro jacket on the used market.

It's a good investment, might sound expensive but it's worth having a Jacket you can wear daily for the rest of your life, not some museum piece that will fall apart in your hands.

...It will just keep splitting at the back and shoulders like tissue paper.

 

[mulceber]

Yeah, agreed. It's a nice jacket, but it won't be for much longer if you keep wearing it. There are plenty of great repros out there at a variety of budgets, ranging from Eastman at the high end, down to Five Star at the low end.

 

[Grant]

If we're talking Irvins, in the past I've had great success having original Irvins restored making them very wearable. Aero of Scotland did an amazing job the last time I had this done using original sheepskin panels from Irvin trousers and sourcing original Air Ministry zippers. Sure there are repros out there, but there's nothing like an original Irvin. If it were mine, I wouldn't hesitate to get it repaired and wear it again.

If it was an American sheepskin jacket, I agree with the others - display only.