Good Wear Werber A-2 after hot water treatment, etc.

Here is my Good Wear Werber aged with hot water and other "items". See my GW Tuskegee topic for hot water details. The hide looks pretty red on the close up, this is not the color of the jacket, the fuller shots are the correct russet of the actual jacket. It was pretty dark outside, I think the flash went off on the close up. Anyway - This is with the new russet HH from Japan but not the duller, darker brown. The fit is trim but since I wore it damp for about 5 hours, its very form fitting but I have lots of room. It stretches when wet, adding in room in the movment areas. Yet to replace the nametag. The jacket did have a shoulder decal but it was a casualty in the hot water process. Sorry I don't have more pics. My wife took these and after she finished she said: "time to get over this jacket thing" - the NERVE!!!







before I got my hands on it:

http://www.goodwearleather.com/photos/Werber_07_46/

Very nice looking.

Looks great mine should be here tomorrow or Thursday....

What a fantastic job! Again, better than any time worn ELC in my opinion.

Weasel_Loader said:

What a fantastic job! Again, better than any time worn ELC in my opinion.

Click to expand...

True, (and no offence John J), but whilst i've run hot water over some of my jackets i'd never try soaking one- I prefer a more subtle ageing.

Btw, I'd love a jacket with JC's nametag on it!

Btw, I'd love a jacket with JC's nametag on it![/quote]


splendid jacket, but i will never try this procedure on mine; i'm affraid of myself; maybe if someone with experience do it for me ????

there are for sure now at least 2 jacket with name tag J.C. CHAPMAN

byeeeeeeeeee

I think John had not really intended on selling this jacket and had planned on having it as his wearer, hence his nametag. When I asked him about selling it to me, he was a little aprehensive but decided to let it go. This is a good thing as he obviously really liked it. I will put my nametag on there at some point when I have time to make one.

I am sure most sane people would not throw these jackets in a tub of hot water and hot dryer but I must admit, I love playing with these and I like an aged look. I can't seem to tease my brain otherwise. If the jacket looks new, it just does not look like a real A-2 to me. That said, many an original A-2 is/are still in great shape. My 2 originals are very study and the Monarch has less wear than these repros. Also, for me to break these jackets in as I would like would take YEARS as winter here is very short and I wear more than one jacket of course! Sometimes, a hot water job LOOKS like a hot water job and that's not so good but I don't think its the case with these (at least for my tastes). This said, John's jackets do look terrific - PERFECT - right out of the box and I still have some that have not/will not get this treatment. I like a variety of looks/fits. If one can, why have one A-2 when you can have ten?

My GW Bronco arrives tomorrow (I think) and I asked John for a large(ish) fitting one assuming I would be doing some hot water work on it. Its the newest of the new HH, the dull brown and I am looking forward to seeing how it holds up to my abuse (if I decide to go down that road)

I have hot watered/dryer"ed" about 30 jackets and I only have had one very small mishap. As I was stopping the dryer, my daughter walked up to me and asked a question, I was distracted and the wet jacket sat still in a very hot dryer for about 20 secs. A little bit of the finish came off. I was able to fix it. I have never had a jacket over-shrink. Oh yes, one other mishap, after doing this treatment to a Good Wear with the older Horween HH, the jacket developed quite an odor, it went away though. So, a pretty good track record. If the leather isn't terrific to begin with, don't bother. I remember manipulating the heck out of a characterless "house" Eastman and there was just nothing there! Spent hours, tried everything. The flip side is it was a great experiment in what these garments can "take".

I like how you've got that half popped collar thing going on like you see in many of the old photos.

thanks - soak the collar with water (a sponge), shape it, clip it in place, let it sit overnight - done!

This question probably belongs in another section but seeing as we're on the subject, does anyone know how cowhide reacts to the "hot water treatement" compared to horsehide?

pretty much the same. It also depends how it has been milled, treated. I have had good luck with cowhide. Goat - not too much luck.

Hi.
I'm new to the group, and what I've read in the past ten minutes assures me I've come to the right place.

I just thought I'd add my experience with the "hot water" treatment. About a year ago I purchased the Eastman Rough Wear 1401 repro driect from HPA. I worked with Charlie on this one but I insisted on a size that was too big for me, over Charlie's mild objections. I had two motivations for this: one, I'm at that age (52) where my belly can expect to undergo rapid expansion and that way I could grow into this very expensive jacket; and two, I wanted a jacket that was "issued" to me, the same way an air corps cadet would have gotten his, rather than hand picking the perfect jacket. I told Charlie to pull the closest size 46 to where he sat, regardless of which repro it was, and send it to me. This turned out to be the 1401. I will never do that again!

The jacket hung on me like a tent and I knew that I could subsist on beer and pizza for the rest of my life and never grow into this jacket. But since that was what I'd asked for, I figured HPA was under no obligation to warranty the jacket.

So in a desperate effort to shrink the jacket, I tried the extreme hot water treatment. I threw the jacket into a washing machine, hot water, no detergent. Pulled it out at the end of the cycle. So far, so good. I placed it in a dryer under gentle heat with a couple of dry towels. Opened the door every minute or two to check the progress. When I noticed the collar was starting to shrivel, I pulled the jacket out, hung it on a chair overnight, truly thrilled that I had gotten what I'd wanted.

Wrong! Though the jacket was now a true size 44 (what I'd intended), it had become misshapen. The waistband no longer hugs my waist (even though I've had a very snug new waistband installed by a tailor), and the jacket is loose around the waist like an army field jacket and not a flight jacket. The collar, though deformed in the way we see in a lot of vintage photographs, is permanently deformed and lifted up in the back one or two inches. There was some slight weathering of the horse hide giving me the patina I want, but all in all, I think I've ruined a near $1,000 jacket.

I will never do the "hot water" treatment again.

My advice is this: work very closely with the manufacturer when you select your jacket. Let them know everything about your current physique, and about what you expect your physique to become. These guys are pros and want your repeat business, so they will work with you to provide you with the jacket you want.

I have "before" and "after" photos if anyone's curious.

I have decided that I'm going to save my pennies and get a Good Wear Werber as soon as I can. I will work very closely with them on this.

Hope this advice helps somebody!

Cheers,

Herk115

I am affraid these jackets are not supposed to go into a washing machine. I am surpirsed there was not more damage. A hot or warm water treatment is soaking the jacket for a few minutes in the sink or bathtub while working the leather with your hands. As far as drying, some use a dryer, others let things air dry and all parts in the middle. Sorry to hear about your ELC. Yes, get a size that works for you. Also, you will be really happy with a Good Wear.

I tried machine washing a cheap $ 25 Banana Republic A-2 look-a-like cowhide jacket in an attempt to shrink it. The finish on the jacket prior to washing was artificially 'distressed' by the manufacturer. After washing and tumble drying this jacket, it didn't change one iota...maybe cleaner, but size and finish on the jacket remained the same. I concluded cheap jackets are bulletproof against the elements. :roll:

CBI said:

I am affraid these jackets are not supposed to go into a washing machine. I am surpirsed there was not more damage. A hot or warm water treatment is soaking the jacket for a few minutes in the sink or bathtub while working the leather with your hands. As far as drying, some use a dryer, others let things air dry and all parts in the middle.

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I've only used the shower as the effect would seem to me to be closer to that of a heavy rainshower. I can only think Herk heard of rather than read about the Hot Water Treatment and misinterpreted what it entails; though I know members here have also thrown their jackets in the wash I'm not sure any have subjected a high end A-2 to the experience.

yes, the shower is good. I wear the jackets after they are about halfway dry from the dryer to get the wear/body shaping that would/could happen after a rainstorm.

Can you explain the shower treatment,
Do you get in to the shower and let the water run on it.?
Does the temperature matter ?
For How long ?
What level of shrinkage occurs ?
After the water stops do you hang it up ..for how long before wearing it ?
Alan

wear in the shower, warm water, until soaked, not much shrinkage unless put in the dryer. Move around while wearing the shower to get some body shaping. A good techniqe however be sure to work the jacket with your hands after you take it off. Its easier to work it with your hands just placing it in the tub.

When you soak a jacket does the inspectors stamp and AAC stamp in the lining wash away?

no- still there