Simply not true ELC propaganda

[mulceber]

So..are ANY leathers today tanned in the same way as in 1939 ?

Best bet is Shawn’s tannery in Pakistan…

 

[John Lever]

Best bet is Shawn’s tannery in Pakistan…

Yes but at what cost to the environment ?

 

[Dany McDonald]

If you watch old films both documentary or Hollywood of the time the leather always looks supple, shiny, loose and just so cool. I think the whole notion of having to wear those jackets to death before they were "broken in" is bullshit

Leather tanned with chrome is a more supple than full vegetable tanned, that may explain your perception from the original era and on the notion of chrome used more widely than veg.

D

 

[Smithy]

So..are ANY leathers today tanned in the same way as in 1939 ?

Not that I konw of for supplying leather for jackets or shoes.

Traditional chrome tanning methods are ridiculously more hazardous to human health than modern ones.

Even third world countries don't use old chrome tanning methods for the most part.

 

[Juanito]

So..are ANY leathers today tanned in the same way as in 1939 ?

I would guess that somewhere in the world, where environmental concerns and regulations are non-existent or ignored, people are chrome tanning and pigment finishing leather. Pakistan? China? Whoever makes the leather for Lost Worlds here, perhaps?

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

Pakistan and India.
At china , modern chrome tan or chrome/veg tan.

 

[ZuZu]

Best bet is Shawn’s tannery in Pakistan…

Somewhere in Pakistan or Asia or South America- but 5 Star seems to use uniform and thicker stuff. You would have to know what to look for and to have suppleness be a prime consideration. IMO

 

[entertainment]

What is the tanning process for the very supple Horween HH?

 

[mulceber]

I think its combination tanned.

 

[entertainment]

I think its combination tanned.

This is something I have been wondering about. Were some of the hides on old jackets both veg-and chrome-tanned like chromexcel? Perhaps not an either/or proposition?
This blog post is very interesting about the tanning process for Chromexcel.

Chromexcel® — Horween Leather Co.

Chromexcel. One of my favorites, and probably my single favorite if I had to choose one. The picture above gives some idea of how long the formula has been around (and this journal is full of different trials and doesn't even contain the original, standardized recipe).

www.horween.com

 

[Micawber]

And there was me thinking that the difference in tanning processes had been done to death in here before, or did I dream it?

Never mind, I have more important stuff to obsess about.

 

[D97x7]

"Lies, damned lies and marketing"

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

And there was me thinking that the difference in tanning processes had been done to death in here before, or did I dream it?

Never mind, I have more important stuff to obsess about.

Not obsessing, just a very interesting aspect of vintage leather jackets which we're all a fan of.
Nailing it down will allow people to make informed choices when picking a repro, rather than being mislead by Eastmans marketing.

 

[John Lever]

Question
Is it just Eastman?

 

[P-47 thunderbolt]

Na, all high end makers use veg tan as it's a strong likeness to vintage leather, and develops nice character.
But others don't make such bold statements in their marketing. BK do make similar claims with their liberty horsehide.
I have nothing against veg tan, if that's the nearest you can get then that's fine, just don't appreciate the lie

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

At least at Shanghai, there are some shops providing service as ‘apply shiny on your leather jacket’.

 

[Juanito]

Yes but at what cost to the environment ?

I don't think the discussion is about the environment, just as it isn't about the animals killed to provide the skin.

 

[Juanito]

Sim

Na, all high end makers use veg tan as it's a strong likeness to vintage leather, and develops nice character.
But others don't make such bold statements in their marketing. BK do make similar claims with their liberty horsehide.
I have nothing against veg tan, if that's the nearest you can get then that's fine, just don't appreciate the lie.

Similarly, Platon while not specifically stating that the leather is veg or chrome tanned, states that their leather is exactly like that of originals. Having owned three Platon jackets, I can tell you that it isn't.

J. A. DUBOW MFG. CO.

 

[John Lever]

I don't think the discussion is about the environment, just as it isn't about the animals killed to provide the skin.

But it absolutely could be the reason such methods are not being used.

 

[Smithy]

This has been talked about before but they use veg tanned because it gives a better appearance and likeness to original chrome tanned jackets, problem is that it doesn't drape like an original A-2 would have draped when new. It's worth remembering originals today will have stiffened with age so they won't drape the same as when they were issued.

Nobody, and that means nobody uses leather exactly the same as originals because people don't tan jackets the way they did back in the 30s and 40s.