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If you can shrink em, can you stretch em??

johnnynotoes-1

New Member
Hey Cobblers....that sounds like some fine technique. I would have had to muse on the john for some time before doing that with a new Goodwear! Glad she all worked out.
 

Cobblers161

Well-Known Member
I was gentle-ish with it. After an overnight rest it's settled down to an extra 1/2" on the chest but the difference in overall 'look' is astounding. The only snag is a slight stretching on the waistaband knit, but I can live with that, the overall look is now more akin to some of those photos of originals, nice! ;)
 

fishmeok

Well-Known Member
Cobblers161 said:
The downside is my wife thinks I'm a freak, it was the carrier bag as a substitute for a shower cap that further developed her idea. She may be right.

Ditto... :D
They just don't understand important jacket-business. Or why I need to soak my '36 pattern flight boots and wear them around the house until they are comfortable ;)
Cheers
Mark
 
Cobblers161 said:
I was gentle-ish with it. After an overnight rest it's settled down to an extra 1/2" on the chest but the difference in overall 'look' is astounding. The only snag is a slight stretching on the waistaband knit, but I can live with that, the overall look is now more akin to some of those photos of originals, nice! ;)

Could we see some pics of how it turned out.

fedoralover
 

Cobblers161

Well-Known Member
No probs, just a few quick shots.... The spray on the underside of the right hand sleeve cracked pretty quickly(pre-soak I must add) and you can see in the pictures it's extensive but not detrimental to the jacket.

_SWH5103.jpg


_SWH5115.jpg


_SWH5106.jpg


_SWH5108.jpg


_SWH5112.jpg


_SWH5111.jpg
 

Marv

Well-Known Member
I recently accquired a very nice 1968 Martin Lane G1 size 46, however as we all know sizes can be different from maker to maker, it fits more like a 44 and is probably about an inch shorter on the body length that I'd prefer.
The jacket and the mouton collar are in pretty good condition as well as the liner and cuffs etc......so my question is and with this being goatskin, do you think it would be possible to soak and stretch the jacket to make it a true 46 fit in both chest and body length without damaging the mouton collar, cuffs/waistband and liner.
Not sure how mouton stands up to a good soaking or is it best to attempt to cover the collar with something water proof during the soaking process, once complete I would be looking to give the jacket a coat of pecards to replace any oils that may have washed out of the goatskin during the process.

Any hints and advice would be greatly welcomed....

here's a couple of pics as the jacket is now before any treatment...........

G1.jpg


G1a.jpg
 

better duck

Well-Known Member
Cobblers161 said:
The downside is my wife thinks I'm a freak, it was the carrier bag as a substitute for a shower cap that further developed her idea. She may be right.

You have to face it man: she is absolutely right and you / we are freaks, doing the things we do around repro leather flight jackets. It is only here that we can freely admit the things we think and do regarding this type of skin!
And mind you, I say this fully admitting I'm on your side of the fence:
I keep wearing my recently acquired GW Dubow in goat not only around but also in the house, I sit on the couch watching tele at night, and everyone asks me if I'm going anywere. I just answer them that it is such a comfortable jacket, and you see them thinking: how do we create a couple of extra inches between that guy and us....
My dear woman has already asked for John Chapmans e-mailadress to tell him how enthousiastic I am about his jacket ....
At least she recognises it as a rather harmless freakiness (apart from the damage to our savingsaccount, but she never ventures too deeply into what the actual cost of this hobby is (luckily enough :D )
 

jacketimp

New Member
better duck said:
Cobblers161 said:
The downside is my wife thinks I'm a freak, it was the carrier bag as a substitute for a shower cap that further developed her idea. She may be right.

You have to face it man: she is absolutely right and you / we are freaks, doing the things we do around repro leather flight jackets. It is only here that we can freely admit the things we think and do regarding this type of skin!
And mind you, I say this fully admitting I'm on your side of the fence:
I keep wearing my recently acquired GW Dubow in goat not only around but also in the house, I sit on the couch watching tele at night, and everyone asks me if I'm going anywere. I just answer them that it is such a comfortable jacket, and you see them thinking: how do we create a couple of extra inches between that guy and us....
My dear woman has already asked for John Chapmans e-mailadress to tell him how enthousiastic I am about his jacket ....
At least she recognises it as a rather harmless freakiness (apart from the damage to our savingsaccount, but she never ventures too deeply into what the actual cost of this hobby is (luckily enough :D )



spot on about the freakish bit......did anyone else mention obsessive bothering on the brink...
 

zoomer

Well-Known Member
I'm here with the family for the break. They have actually become a little touchy about my "leather problem." Apparently nice people don't wear these things as enjoyable objects - they're strictly to be used, and put away when not needed.

BTW, my Gibson '422A shrank back to its exact original size after 3 days.

So somebody up there's trying to tell me something. :|
 

srivats

New Member
zoomer said:
I'm here with the family for the break. They have actually become a little touchy about my "leather problem." Apparently nice people don't wear these things as enjoyable objects - they're strictly to be used, and put away when not needed.

Tell me about it ... most people don't differentiate between a A-2 and a motorcycle jacket anymore ... leather is leather and you are either a motorcycle rider, a punk or someone with a leather fetish. Pisses me off :evil:
 

groundpound

New Member
i absolutely ruined a d-1 by trying to do this. it shrunk to half of its size. call me a dummy if you must , but i wouldnt reccomend doing this to anyone.
 

flightmac

Member
groundpound said:
i absolutely ruined a d-1 by trying to do this. it shrunk to half of its size. call me a dummy if you must , but i wouldnt reccomend doing this to anyone.

This might be an ignorant question, but what kind of leather is your D-1? In the beginning of this thread people were saying goat doesn't shrink much and can even go back to it's original size. But Fishmeok said he shrinks/stretches his jackets a lot. I 'm guessing there are slightly different techniques for each type of leather. I wouldn't mind getting the right technique to adjust my goatskin jacket's size.
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
flightmac said:
This might be an ignorant question, but what kind of leather is your D-1?

D-1's are shearling, so sheepskin ... goat's are a whole other animal, and much more stubborn. :)

So you don't think it's too risky, messing with the A-2? I'm assuming this is the jacket with the replaced lining.
 

flightmac

Member
deeb7 said:
flightmac said:
This might be an ignorant question, but what kind of leather is your D-1?

D-1's are shearling, so sheepskin ... goat's are a whole other animal, and much more stubborn. :)

So you don't think it's too risky, messing with the A-2? I'm assuming this is the jacket with the replaced lining.

I'm still trying to decide. I'm also waiting on hearing back from Pop's Leather. I sent a message about the lining to Pop's Leather and they replied "polyester blend". I sent an email back asking for something a little more specific. BTW, I never asked for a new lining (specifically). But I should have known if you put in the underarm pieces, then something has to be done with the lining also.
 
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