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Differences between A-2s and M422a/G-1s concerning wear?

Hi!
I wonder about the differences between A-2 and M422a/G-1 flight jackets when it comes to wear and colour changes?
Seeing a lot of pictures of original jackets and repro jackets, used A-2 jackets in my opinion often look very threadbare, where almost all edges (and other areas exposed to chafe) have lost their colour or at least gotten a lot lighter shade than the original colour. But old M422a/G-1s often look like they have a more uniform colour. Off course it's possible to see that they are broken in and well used, but the colour often seems to stay on.

What's your opinion on this?
Are there any fundamental differences between A-2s and M422a/G-1s when it comes to the tanning process etc.?

Best regards,
Swedish_Pilot
 

s4rmark

Well-Known Member
I think all M422A/G-1 jackets are goatskin. Maybe the tanning process of goatskin makes it more resistant to wear/ chaffing.just my 10 pence worth.
 

Skip

Well-Known Member
G1’s were chrome tanned after the 55j14, there may have been a few that were veg tanned as all wartime a2 and m422/an series of jackets were. Chrome tanning doesn’t show a great deal of patina as veg tanning does due to the process. Others here might explain the difference between the to processes but it’s the veg tanning that allows the weather beaten look to evolve in a relatively short amount of time

Besides all that navy jackets were goat not horsehide and goat is mighty tuff stuff
 
Thank you for your replies!
I guess the combination of goatskin and/or chrome tanning might explain the differences then.

Best regards,
Swedish_Pilot
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
G1’s were chrome tanned after the 55j14, there may have been a few that were veg tanned as all wartime a2 and m422/an series of jackets were. Chrome tanning doesn’t show a great deal of patina as veg tanning does due to the process. Others here might explain the difference between the to processes but it’s the veg tanning that allows the weather beaten look to evolve in a relatively short amount of time

Besides all that navy jackets were goat not horsehide and goat is mighty tuff stuff

But A 2s were chrome tanned surely. Most leather garments were from the turn of the century on because it made for much tougher more durable hide. It's just that goat leather wears much better. If you look at pictures of original A 2s made in goat they usually show much less wear.
 

Skip

Well-Known Member
I’m no expert, but many here more knowledgeable than I have stated that chrome tanning replaced veg tanning after the war not during or before

There are some m422’s in some threads here that members have posted all originals and you don’t get that particular patina from chrome tanning. Even goat A2’s look weathered because theyre veg tanned. I had a chrome tanned a2 and it never weathered like my veg tanned ones. Chrome tanning just doesn’t develop as much character

Later 7823’s (chrome tanned) scratch up and weather but don’t patina like veg tanned pre Korea examples. It’s just a different process of tanning
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
I think some people have said that of the goat USN jackets here but it's generally reckoned that all A2s were chrome tanned. I think today around 95% of all leather is chrome or more recently FOC tanned. That was true from the early years of the twentieth century on too. So personally I'd be very surprised if any US made jackets were vegetable tanned as late as that. In fact probably a lot more jackets are made of veg tanned leather now than before 1914 since it's become very fashionable. Even so it's still a very small proportion and only expensive jackets.

Chrome tanning was invented in the middle of the ninetieth century in Germany I think but perfected in the US in the eighteen nineties. It rapidly became the normal method to tan all shoe and garment leather because it was so much quicker and because the leather was much softer and tougher. It's less absorbent of water and won't shrink anything like as much as vegetable tanned leather when wet.

In recent years high end A 2 repro makers have switched to veg tanning because it does show wear quickly - which would be a big drawback for a government issue jacket of course - and because of the hype around vegetable tanning. It does tend to have a nicer surface finish to look at which develops patina, not to be confused with wear.

But it was Italian furnishing leather that first saw a big readoption of veg tanned hide beyond expensive handbags and luggage in the last twenty years or so. Because vegetable tanned Italian furnishing leather is beautiful to look at; and it spread to higher end clothing from there.
 
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