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FIVESTAR LEATHER A2 JACKET

ties70

Well-Known Member
IMG-20200229-WA0012.jpg


IMG_20200225_205752.jpg


IMG_20200207_0813324.jpg
 

mulceber

Moderator
Yup, agreed - looks like a repro from any other maker. The second jacket you posted may have a bit of "square shoulders," but it also looks like it's newer in that picture. I could be wrong though.
 

ties70

Well-Known Member
Yup, agreed - looks like a repro from any other maker. The second jacket you posted may have a bit of "square shoulders," but it also looks like it's newer. I could be wrong though.

Jan,

the light russet jacket was my second FS....long before the DONIGER.
Plus the DONIGER is a whole size larger. My shoulders are kinda wide, so the russet A-2 was close "to the limit"!

Ties
 

mulceber

Moderator
Right now he’s got good patterns for the Doniger, the United Sheeplined and the Cable 27753. Any of the above he should do well, although I don't think anyone's bought one of the latter two yet.
 
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tefouane

Well-Known Member
Right now he’s got good patterns for the Doniger, the United Sheeplined and the Cable 27753. Any of the above he should do well, although I don't think anyone's bought one of the latter two yet.
Thanks ! I'm planning to make a Flying Tigers Tribute A2, pilot C. H. OLDER, I still have ordered layered leather patches from Sean Collins and Nametag from Jim Buchanan. Which contract should I choose and which leather and knit color ? Thanks for the kind help.
 

mulceber

Moderator
Well, I'm biased: I sent Shawn the pictures and measurements from my original United Sheeplined and the Cable 27753, and I've been eager to see what his repros of them look like, so I'd say one of those two, especially since the Doniger collar is...an acquired taste. Personally I think the United Sheeplined is a very comfortable contract, so I guess I'd say that one in reddish-brown cowhide with light brown lining and seal brown knits.

That said, going for either the Sheeplined or the Cable would be a bit more of a gamble, since you'd be getting the first one he made. Just want to make sure you go in with eyes open. :)
 
Hi!
I wonder if any of you who have bought several A-2 jackets from Fivestar leather, could please give me some advise regarding the different contracts that Fivestar leather offer and how they fit?

Two years ago I bought a russet goatskin A-2 from Fivestar leather, and I recon that the version at that time was referred to as "Bronco".

But now I saw that Fivestar leather offer different contracts such as Werber and Doniger.

How do the patterns and the fit differ? Which of the contracts is the least trim one?

By the way, I'm considering to order a horsehide jacket this time.

Best regards,
Swedish_Pilot
 

mulceber

Moderator
I'd sit tight: Shawn's out of horsehide right now and should re-stock in the new year. In the meantime, he's hard at work putting together a pattern for the Dubow 27798 (a very comfortable contract, btw), this time based on a pattern taken from an original. He also already has patterns for the Cable 27753 and the United Sheeplined contract, both taken from originals (albeit, remotely). Both of them are very comfortable, but I don't think anyone's bought one yet, so you'd be the first.
 

Brent

Well-Known Member
Just throwing this out there, Buffalo Hide. Call me crazy nuts here, but as an extra non-authentic A-2 or ANJ-3 that hide looks fabulous from the pictures I've seen. Shawn nailed that one I believe. Then get HH when available.
Just saying
Regards,
 
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I'd sit tight: Shawn's out of horsehide right now and should re-stock in the new year. In the meantime, he's hard at work putting together a pattern for the Dubow 27798 (a very comfortable contract, btw), this time based on a pattern taken from an original. He also already has patterns for the Cable 27753 and the United Sheeplined contract, both taken from originals (albeit, remotely). Both of them are very comfortable, but I don't think anyone's bought one yet, so you'd be the first.
Thank you for your answer!

By the way, how does FS horsehide and goatskin jackets differ?
How do they differ when it comes to colour nuances, leather stiffness and thickness etc.? Would a seal goatskin jacket be perceived to be more "greyish" than a seal horsehide jacket?

/Swedish_Pilot
 

mulceber

Moderator
Horsehide is generally the more desirable leather in the VLJ community, but both leathers are extremely tough. Horsehide ages beautifully and develops great character in anywhere from 6 months to 5 years, depending on the hide and how hard you wear it. Goatskin has a pebbly quality to it, and it also ages very well, but on a completely different time scale: it requires far more time/abuse before it starts to really develop great character. I have a goatskin jacket that's nearly 80 years old, and it looks half that age. In the late '80s/early '90s, the Air Force brought back the A-2 in goatskin, and those jackets look great now. This is just my estimate, but under ordinary wear conditions, I would expect goatskin to develop great character sometime in the order of 10-20 years.
 
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Horsehide is generally the more desirable leather in the VLJ community, but both leathers are extremely tough. Horsehide ages beautifully and develops great character in anywhere from 6 months to 5 years, depending on the hide and how hard you wear it. Goatskin has a pebbly quality to it, and it also ages very well, but on a completely different time scale: it requires far more time/abuse before it starts to really develop great character. I have a goatskin jacket that's nearly 80 years old, and it looks half that age. In the late '80s/early '90s, the Air Force brought back the A-2 in goatskin, and those jackets look great now. This is just my estimate, but under ordinary wear conditions, I would expect goatskin to develop great character sometime in the order of 10-20 years.
Thank you for a great explanation!
I can imagine that I takes a while for goatskin to develop character. My russet goatskin jacket from 2018 shows hardly no wear and is still very stiff.

What about any colour differences between a seal goatskin and a seal horsehide jacket?
 

mulceber

Moderator
That’s really down to how it’s dyed, so there shouldn’t be much difference, although I guess different materials might take the dye differently. In general though, you can get the same colors out of both leathers. There are other people here with far more experience dying leather than me, however, so I’ll defer to them.
 
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