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Anyone interested in Fivestar horsehide? 3 shades in progress..
- Thread starter ties70
- Start date
Smithy
Well-Known Member
And that's all that matters. Sorry if they discussion annoys you or rubs you up the wrong way. We're just discussing a facet of these jackets that interest us.
I think part of the problem with repros is that we have this idea that they are exact facsimiles of the jackets they seek to be when in fact they can't be. The originals where made at a different time, under different conditions, even the chrome tanning methods used were different. Even the highest quality repros are at best homages to the originals and will never be exactly the same.
Skyhawk
Well-Known Member
Yes the USN M422a jackets were chrome tanned. The pigments and chrome tanning were different so the colors did fade on some. Some others were actually made in a chestnut type color and other lighter shades of brown, like the early Churches. By the end of the War, they were all seal.
The chrome tanning was very strong on most the USN jackets. There are a lot of them still in great condition today. There was no need to re dye them at depot. That USN goat would not have aged enough for that during the war.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
I was going to send them some money... Bitcoin has been going off...
mulceber
Moderator
So, this is Shawn’s repro of the 1939 Werber (one of the earlier patterns where he was eyeballing it, instead of taking patterns from originals), but the russet horsehide looks like it has some great character out of the box. The drape also looks closer to the originals than many of the high-end makers:
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flyincowboy
Well-Known Member
Nice jacket with the right hard to find zipper!
Morecowbell
Member
Does anyone have a seal brown 5-Star with Olive knits? That's the combo I'm thinking of for an A-1 but its hard to decide. My samples are pretty small and the seal brown goes well with all the brown knits. In the pic below the olive blend is on the left, russet wool on the right, seal wool on bottom and seal blend on top.
And thanks to Sergey for all the pics, very helpful. I'm a fan of dark brown but this its really dark. Fortunately my wife likes the seal/olive combo!
And thanks to Sergey for all the pics, very helpful. I'm a fan of dark brown but this its really dark. Fortunately my wife likes the seal/olive combo!
WingAndaPrayer
Well-Known Member
I have seal steer
WingAndaPrayer
Well-Known Member
I have to say this chrome tanned steer of his drapes pretty darn close to what the originals look like. I like a very tight fit to mine so it’s hard to see but the drape is obvious when it’s unzipped. I might be in the minority here but I like my new jacket to look, well, new. I want an even color with no blotchy spots like you get with veg tanned jackets. I want my jacket to look like an original in 80 years, not after 16 weeks haha.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
That alone makes this a contender!
Morecowbell
Member
Thanks - yes, that helps. Good to see different color combos with the dark seal, that's a cool choice.
I'm pretty intrigued to see what a new jacket is like. The original hh A-2 that I have is not super stiff but its also not very supple either, certainly looks nothing like those pics of A-2's back in the day, even though its pretty thin, right at 1 mm or a hair less. The fit is also kind of snug, although it fits me in terms of shoulder width and sleeve length. Its more noticeable than my other modern cut jackets, but that might be fine if it was more flexible...interesting!
mulceber
Moderator
From originals I've handled, I'd agree with your assessment of them. My understanding is that these jackets started out being relatively supple (though still tough enough to stand up to abuse), but grew a bit stiffer with age.
