Ongoing care for an Irvin jacket by a Leathercraft

[Hankfury]

IMG_1175

• Hankfury
• Oct 17, 2016

Hi all,
I am new to this forum so hello! My first post is for any info any of the members may be able to offer on the current condition and ongoing upkeep of a jacket I have just acquired....
I 'think' it is an early Leathercraft "Irvin" jacket from the 1970's, but am happy to be guided...
Any info offered would be gratefully accepted but my main query is to its condition? I appreciate it is wearable as is but would like to know what, if anything would enhance its appearance and how to sympathetically maintain it for the future....
Thanks in anticipation
Hankfury.

Hankfury, Today at 4:40 PMReport
Reply

 

[Peter Graham]

Yes, it looks like an early Aviation Leathercraft Irvin. I owned one a few years back. Great jackets. It's appearance looks enhanced enough as it is but if gets overly dry or stiff, this is great stuff. http://www.antiqueleatherdressing.co.uk/ Also, don't store it on a hanger. Lay it flat.

 

[MikeyB-17]

I agree that looks like one of their early ones-later on they started adding pockets and moving away from the original Irvin design, and they're not really considered a particularly authentic version these days-although a well-made and warm one. Fine for open-top sportscar drivers, but not for folk seeking a more accurate repro. One of these earlier ones came up a while ago, and I was pretty interested, but couldn't come up with the readies at the time. Agree with the Pecard's, but only very sparingly. It gets greasy and hard to get rid of if you overdo it.

 

[Hankfury]

Thanks for the replies guys....
Much appreciated

 

[coalman]

Hi Hankfury,

The jacket looks superb, I seem to recall the early jackets were made on the original machines aqquired from the Irvin Company along with the licence to use the logo.
As you know the sheepskin used is near to the originals just like the early ELC merino ones, just a shame that the jackets are very near to black in colour.
Best persons to ask on here are John Lever and Roughwear otherwise known as Andrew regarding care for Irvins
Regards
John

 

[John Lever]

I bought one of these when I was a student after having saved during a summer break job. I think it cost about £170, in 1976. These early ones have an inpenetrable outer coating. Years later someone at Thruxton told me they just put any old Crap on the old skins left over from years before and the jackets were really bad.. The only way I could make mine wearable was to remove the acrylic with petrol/gasoline.
So to cut a long story short you may not be able to feed the skin as you can't get to it.

 

[Roughwear]

The early ALC jackets were their best by far. Although they based their jackets on original designs they have never been 100% accurate reproductions. I always treat my original Irvins with Pecards Antique Leather dressing, applying it sparingly with my fingers and rubbing it in.

 

[Hankfury]

Hi Coalman,
Thank you for the heads up on my recent purchase. I have admired B3's for possibly 40 years but have never searched for them in earnest. I found this in a market in London just last week.... it was one of two early ALC's amongst a rack of generic copies, mostly dreadful copies so the two early ALC Irvin's shone. I am happy to put up with the the "old crap" finish as the man from Thruxton put it as it is what it is. I do understand the pleasure of owning things in unadulterated condition (I collect vintage Omega watches amongst other things) but am happy to have a B3 which is not a collectors piece but something to wear in the spirit as worn in their glorious past. Isnt that how the best ones got their patina in the first place?
I have no idea what original or early ALC Irvins swap hands for but this one hasn't doubled in value since John bought his after saving all through the long hot summer of 1976.
Maybe I should go and purchase the other one?