33-1729
Well-Known Member
Given the variety of posts about tanning and grain I think we’re bucketing together stuff that really needs to be split out for clarity. The type of hide and how it’s processed is a big factor. Just to consider one factor ...
The flying jacket leather thickness specification values I can find list 0.025” as a minimum to 0.045” as a maximum for goatskin, cowhide, and horsehide. Actual values documented in Mr. Eastman’s excellent book, Type A-2 Flight Jacket Identification Manual, show goatskin on the thin side, horsehide on the thick side and cowhide somewhere in the middle. I don’t know what the original horsehide specification said, but I would guess it was widened to include the thinner cowhide and goatskin when they needed to increase production output for the war.
Goatskin was last to be used on the A-2 because the skins were originally considered too thin, though it met the necessary success criteria for tensile strength, elongation, etc. The original full grain goatskin would not have been split, nor buffed and sanded into the smoother top grain as either treatment would make it even thinner (the specification 9-95 Leather, Goatskin (for Flying Clothing) specifically states "full grain, chrome tanned, dyed leather"). Top grain is weaker than the starting full grain leather too. So, for goatskin the pebble grain there is is the pebble grain you got.
Cowhide is split down for use, providing a uniform thickness and weight (like the ideal center of the thickness specification window when manufacturing large quantities, though a wee bit thicker is better from a strength perspective). The occasional smooth patches we see on cowhide may, in part, be from this additional processing. The specification 12028-C Leather, Cattle Hide (Chrome Tanned) specification also notes “holes, heeled grain scratches, scars, small brands and grub holes are permissible if the serviceability of the leather is not impaired thereby.” This allowance is unique to cowhide.
Horsehide doesn’t appear to be split down for use, but the specification 9-94 Leather, Pony Hide (Chrome Tanned) states the horsehide “shall be free from obvious imperfections”, i.e., no obvious holes, scratches or poor grain. So for horsehide grain is good, but other defects are not. Cowhide appearance was permitted to vary quite a bit with even scarring permitted, so this is a key difference between cowhide and horsehide.
There are lots of variations across the thousands of jackets produced, but I would think the best heavy pebble grain chance was with horsehide or goatskin and then do you want a thicker or thinner jacket? (A horsehide jacket could be 80% thicker than an equivalent goatskin jacket.) Comments on this site suggest thicker original horsehide is preferred (or thick cowhide on reproductions). Yes?
The flying jacket leather thickness specification values I can find list 0.025” as a minimum to 0.045” as a maximum for goatskin, cowhide, and horsehide. Actual values documented in Mr. Eastman’s excellent book, Type A-2 Flight Jacket Identification Manual, show goatskin on the thin side, horsehide on the thick side and cowhide somewhere in the middle. I don’t know what the original horsehide specification said, but I would guess it was widened to include the thinner cowhide and goatskin when they needed to increase production output for the war.
Goatskin was last to be used on the A-2 because the skins were originally considered too thin, though it met the necessary success criteria for tensile strength, elongation, etc. The original full grain goatskin would not have been split, nor buffed and sanded into the smoother top grain as either treatment would make it even thinner (the specification 9-95 Leather, Goatskin (for Flying Clothing) specifically states "full grain, chrome tanned, dyed leather"). Top grain is weaker than the starting full grain leather too. So, for goatskin the pebble grain there is is the pebble grain you got.
Cowhide is split down for use, providing a uniform thickness and weight (like the ideal center of the thickness specification window when manufacturing large quantities, though a wee bit thicker is better from a strength perspective). The occasional smooth patches we see on cowhide may, in part, be from this additional processing. The specification 12028-C Leather, Cattle Hide (Chrome Tanned) specification also notes “holes, heeled grain scratches, scars, small brands and grub holes are permissible if the serviceability of the leather is not impaired thereby.” This allowance is unique to cowhide.
Horsehide doesn’t appear to be split down for use, but the specification 9-94 Leather, Pony Hide (Chrome Tanned) states the horsehide “shall be free from obvious imperfections”, i.e., no obvious holes, scratches or poor grain. So for horsehide grain is good, but other defects are not. Cowhide appearance was permitted to vary quite a bit with even scarring permitted, so this is a key difference between cowhide and horsehide.
There are lots of variations across the thousands of jackets produced, but I would think the best heavy pebble grain chance was with horsehide or goatskin and then do you want a thicker or thinner jacket? (A horsehide jacket could be 80% thicker than an equivalent goatskin jacket.) Comments on this site suggest thicker original horsehide is preferred (or thick cowhide on reproductions). Yes?
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