Stony
Well-Known Member
Thought to chime in on vegetable verses chrome tanned hides as related to being used to build USN type jackets. From my perspective the last USN flight jacket to utilize vegetable tanned hides was the 1950 B - G INC 55J14 model G-1 jacket. They show up on the occasion. Stony has a good example of a B - G INC & can be seen here https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/b-g-inc-from-uss-randolph.21032/.
From the few examples I have seen this B - G INC was not made exclusively using only vegetable tanned hide. Rather a mix of both chrome vegetable tanned hides were utilized during that contract. Not to mention, one of the last jacket makers to use the M-422A type front (front panel that raps around underneath arm pit before connecting to the back) & small back panels. But cut like a G-1.
Not to mention. the last model USN jacket I've encountered that was constructed using a mix of both nylon and cotton thread.
The B - G INC was truly a transitional USN jacket
I believe the B-G Inc. I used to own that's on JC's CD was vegetable tanned as it had the same type of patina my current one has.