jacket fade

[Silver Surfer]

too impatient to find Burts jacket fade thread, so, wth, I just thought to post some pix of my early production etc werber. as can be seen on the inside of the wind flap, under the pocket flap, and back of the collar, the diff in color between those areas, and the rest of the jacket is pretty dramatic. the knits have faded as well, and over the years I've had to darn them a couple times, also, it is often suggested that ya "beat the hell" out of your new a-2.....I did, and do. its still my go repro a-2 to in warmer spring or fall weather....rain or shine.

 

[Pa12]

Speaking of beating the hell out of a jacket, I had a minor trailer break down the other day on the ramp of a local airport. I was picking up a couple drums of avgas. I crawled under the trailer wearing my Platon dubow. Was only under there for a minute. When I took my jacket off I noticed several of the high spots were right down to un dyed leather. So if you want some quick character, you could roll around on the asphalt for a minute

 

[Micawber]

Speaking of beating the hell out of a jacket, I had a minor trailer break down the other day on the ramp of a local airport. I was picking up a couple drums of avgas. I crawled under the trailer wearing my Platon dubow. Was only under there for a minute. When I took my jacket off I noticed several of the high spots were right down to un dyed leather. So if you want some quick character, you could roll around on the asphalt for a minute

Been there, done that more times than I care to remember, sometimes intentionally too.

 

[Pa12]

Been there, done that more times than I care to remember, sometimes intentionally too

Reminded me of a trip through the Rockies when I was a kid. Hit a big rock at night which broke the exhaust. Mid 60’s , when men always wore suits. There’s my old man, in his suit, under the car working on it.

 

[Pa12]

too impatient to find Burts jacket fade thread, so, wth, I just thought to post some pix of my early production etc werber. as can be seen on the inside of the wind flap, under the pocket flap, and back of the collar, the diff in color between those areas, and the rest of the jacket is pretty dramatic. the knits have faded as well, and over the years I've had to darn them a couple times, also, it is often suggested that ya "beat the hell" out of your new a-2.....I did, and do. its still my go repro a-2 to in warmer spring or fall weather....rain or shine.View attachment 83407View attachment 83408View attachment 83409View attachment 83410View attachment 83411View attachment 83412View attachment 83413View attachment 83406

Wow. Under the pocket flap is aaaalmost seal. That’s a lot of fading.

 

[Greg Gale]

That's a beautifully worn-in jacket, it aged just like an original!

 

[B-Man2]

Outstanding job Vic !
Hell! … why am I wasting my time trying to fade my jacket . I should just send it to you!

 

[Grant]

the original Talon puller is a nice touch!

 

[Silver Surfer]

Not to worry, Burt. With time, sun and wear, your a-2 will get there. Ah, yes, when possible, I like to swap out repro pullers for originals…..if they fit, and run smooth. Just one more add kinda thing.

 

[ES335]

too impatient to find Burts jacket fade thread, so, wth, I just thought to post some pix of my early production etc werber. as can be seen on the inside of the wind flap, under the pocket flap, and back of the collar, the diff in color between those areas, and the rest of the jacket is pretty dramatic. the knits have faded as well, and over the years I've had to darn them a couple times, also, it is often suggested that ya "beat the hell" out of your new a-2.....I did, and do. its still my go repro a-2 to in warmer spring or fall weather....rain or shine.View attachment 83407View attachment 83408View attachment 83409View attachment 83410View attachment 83411View attachment 83412View attachment 83413View attachment 83406

Wow... ya just can't ask for more. IMO.

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

It's got the look of Yeager's Monarch about it with the fade.

 

[Flightengineer]

Amazing jacket

 

[bseal]

the original Talon puller is a nice touch!

Ya dun good.

 

[CombatWombat]

Jeez I'd be returning that to the manufacturer.....
I love how people on here talk about "patina" and "character" like it's a good thing having a jacket that's only 8 years old looking the same as a 80 year old jacket :rolls eyes:

 

[Silver Surfer]

hmmmmm......get your self a nice pleather jacket. it will look new and shiny forever.

 

[B-Man2]

I think the best way to explain why the faded beat up version of Vic’s jacket is so awesome, is to show a comparison of it to an original Werber 1729 jacket . So here ya go.

Pretty damn nice I’d say .

Original Werber 1729

 

[Grant]

Agree Burt. Sometimes haters just gonna hate.

 

[Dany McDonald]

I may have misunderstand what CombatWombat is trying to say, but character and patina have to be somewhat natural if the goal is trying to achieve what many years of wear do to leather. Especially the look of ori A-2s.

Vic's jacket is nice for sure and I actually thought it was one of his top originals... But in some cases weathering or treatment sometimes look just like a faded attempt to fake the passage of time.

No hate here!

Dany

 

[ES335]

I may have misunderstand what CombatWombat is trying to say, but character and patina have to be somewhat natural if the goal is trying to achieve what many years of wear do to leather. Especially the look of ori A-2s.

Vic's jacket is nice for sure and I actually thought it was one of his top originals... But in some cases weathering or treatment sometimes look just like a faded attempt to fake the passage of time.

No hate here!

Dany

I see exactly the same sort of thing in the high-end guitar market. Some prefer whats called "reliced," or artificially aged finishes- and pay a substancial premium for that look and finish. To my eye- and based on my hands-on 40+ year experience playing the crap out a few over hundreds of club and bar gigs- you just can't get an convincing "aged" patina or look with out putting the actual time in. It looks noticably fake to me without having been earned over decades.

But to each his own, life is short; so suit your own needs and desires. Your jacket is stunning, sir... wear it in good health.

Phil

 

[mulceber]

Eh, to my mind giving a jacket some sunlight doesn't count as artificial aging. These jackets got plenty of sun and rain when they were in use. And yes, many of them looked pretty beat up after the war. Putting a repro out on a deck may not be "natural wear" to quite the degree that "just wearing the piss out of it" is, but it's not really artificial aging either - that's when you get out the wire brush, sandpaper, acetone, and all those nasty things.