Well the other question is... did you pull the reed?
As far as I can remember, Brian uses reeded sweatbands. I know mine from way back when has a reed. That little piece of wire can definitely keep the dimensions of the sweat while it dries or at least keep the shrinkage to a minimum.
Search found 353 matches
- Fri Sep 06, 2024 2:26 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Sewing in a Smaller Sweatband?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 252
- Thu Aug 29, 2024 12:00 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: New Here and new BK jacket
- Replies: 22
- Views: 745
Re: New Here and new BK jacket
Well that Liberty HH is very hardcore. Congrats on having one of the most expensive Raiders jacket options But it seems to drape well and definitely takes the wrinkling.
- Sun Aug 18, 2024 1:43 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Retrofitting Side Buckles
- Replies: 22
- Views: 1258
Re: Retrofitting Side Buckles
The best way I've found to blacken buckles is to gun blue them. Steel bluing is the best known but you can do it to brass as well. Several simple at-home concoctions exist to produce a nice black oxide finish.
- Wed Aug 14, 2024 2:04 am
- Forum: General Gear (Lee's Place)
- Topic: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
- Replies: 354
- Views: 178033
Re: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
I imagine the J Crews will come back at some point the next few months. They have improved them lately the past few iterations with Vibram soles and the release before last was CXL. We'll see what's in store. I bet they're trying to play catch up with all of the heritage boots going on right now.
- Wed Aug 07, 2024 1:26 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Retrofitting Side Buckles
- Replies: 22
- Views: 1258
Re: Retrofitting Side Buckles
Well the other option is to find some buckles you like and get the rotary tool out put a cutting wheel on it and just cut a gap in the bar. When in doubt make your own.
- Mon Aug 05, 2024 12:09 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Retrofitting Side Buckles
- Replies: 22
- Views: 1258
Re: Retrofitting Side Buckles
Well the strap has to attach to the middle bar. I can't remember with the Westeds if that bar is held onto the rest of the buckle by a loop that's soldered or braised closed or it's just pressed as a type of butt connection. But either way that's your target. If the ends of that middle bar are just ...
- Tue Jul 23, 2024 11:45 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Indy Jacket as ladies fashion
- Replies: 5
- Views: 460
Re: Indy Jacket as ladies fashion
Looks like a cheap ebay knock off. Those like to use the belt buckle and notches on the strap. Not to mention the lines and angles cut with zero subtlety or artistry at all.
- Mon Jul 22, 2024 7:40 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wested - Current Custom Wait Time (July 2024)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 293
Re: Wested - Current Custom Wait Time (July 2024)
Yeah that's closer to what it was pre-covid. And it is the middle of summer; lead times would increase in September-October in the Halloween lead up. But I've long suspected their move away from pre-made OTR jackets had more to do with reining in overhead costs etc in the wake of the covid shakeup t...
- Sun Jul 21, 2024 9:05 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: 20yo Wested Horsehide, Meet Pecard
- Replies: 9
- Views: 747
Re: 20yo Wested Horsehide, Meet Pecard
My only question is, how are the threads holding up? Wested notoriously uses a finer thread than the should and a common problem over the years with their HH jackets is the threads snapping, especially in the shoulders.
Looks good, tho. Especially after spending so long on a hanger.
Looks good, tho. Especially after spending so long on a hanger.
- Tue Jun 11, 2024 10:46 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Federation V?
- Replies: 10
- Views: 854
Re: Federation V?
Well I wonder if the overall revamp Akubra is going through now is involved as well? I mean, the manufacture never seems to have recovered from covid (importing rabbit fur all the way from Europe always struck me as odd, especially considering the major bunny problem in Oz in general) and now that i...
- Sat Apr 27, 2024 2:20 am
- Forum: General Gear (Lee's Place)
- Topic: Potential New Boots
- Replies: 7
- Views: 599
Re: Potential New Boots
They'll be a very wide toe box and a stitch-down construction. And not be the most comfortable thing out of the box.
Don't get me wrong, I love my JGs, but they wouldn't be my first choice for an Indy boot.
Don't get me wrong, I love my JGs, but they wouldn't be my first choice for an Indy boot.
- Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:51 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Todd's v Wested
- Replies: 5
- Views: 577
Re: Todd's v Wested
Well it's funny because I think the revelation from the original Raiders jackets that surprised most of *US* wasn't the leather but was that they used the same trouser buckles like the ToD jacket. I mean that was a good 30+ years of a lot of us magnifying screenshots and looking through catalogs and...
- Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:48 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Jacket
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1091
Re: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Jacket
The collar looks pointier than the standard Wested... unless they've changed it recently. Everything else about it does scream Wested, and to my eyes it looks like cowhide. It's a good question, especially because I do like the jacket. It has my preferred features.
- Sat Jan 20, 2024 12:06 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Jacket
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1091
Re: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Jacket
It looks brand new there, like they just pulled it out of the package. At first glance it looks like a DoD but that back shot has the "orthodox" strap configuration like LC and CS. I want to say a Wested standard Raiders or LC/CS but the collar there doesn't seem to fit either. My guess is...
- Sat Jan 06, 2024 12:32 am
- Forum: General Gear (Lee's Place)
- Topic: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
- Replies: 354
- Views: 178033
Re: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
Yeah the heel looks like a solid piece of rubber but it appears to be nailed on, ie simple to replace. And it does -look- like a true goodyear welt, so when the sole goes it should be easy to replace with a Vibram or whatever you choose. It's not as if Alden's cork-infused rubber compound is all tha...
- Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:07 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: S&J 38 in Cow a tad too fitted
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2592
Re: S&J 38 in Cow a tad too fitted
Put the sweater on and wear it. Wear the **** out of it around the house, flexing where you need it bigger. I wouldn't necessarily recommend water; it could actually shrink it once it dries and not to mention it tends to bring the wrinkles out. That's not really the look of the LC jacket like on the...
- Fri Dec 29, 2023 12:19 am
- Forum: Gear Care & Distressing
- Topic: Weathering Goat (advice wanted)
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1316
Re: Weathering Goat (advice wanted)
Well it's not so much that goatskin is "hard" to weather, it's that it takes to it differently from most other finished leathers. The surface wear doesn't really "patina" the way bovine or horse or sheep (or kangaroo or kudu etc) leathers do. It tends to maintain a sheen and the ...
- Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:13 pm
- Forum: Guns & Holsters
- Topic: Wartime Indy Weaponry
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2244
Re: Wartime Indy Weaponry
Well Indy was an officer and he would not have been regularly equipped with a Garand, let alone a BAR. Depending on how hard-hitting the unit he was attached to was, if it was a regular US Army unit, he'd have had either a Thompson or M1 carbine but later in the war -maybe- a grease gun... but even ...
- Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:39 pm
- Forum: Guns & Holsters
- Topic: What choice would Indy make?
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1286
Re: What choice would Indy make?
Yeah the extractor would not grab on to it properly; I could see it not even properly clearing the round under it during feeding and possibly not letting the barrel tip correctly in addition to jamming during extraction. The only way I could see it even chambering is a single load directly thru the ...
- Wed Dec 20, 2023 12:38 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: My Last Crusade jacket
- Replies: 48
- Views: 12640
Re: My Last Crusade jacket
A Wested Legacy LC? That's the one I think they got the most accurate to the original, especially the undercoat.
- Fri Dec 01, 2023 10:45 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wolverine wested jacket advice
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2748
Re: Wolverine wested jacket advice
Well a cafe racer like the Wolverine jacket is meant to fit tighter than an Indy jacket. The general advice with most leather jackets, especially motorcycle type jackets, is to size down. It'll stretch and fit better with time. But it's also important to remember that Hugh Jackman is also like 6'2&q...
- Fri Dec 01, 2023 10:40 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Akubra Hat Company Sold
- Replies: 21
- Views: 11113
Re: Akubra Hat Company Sold
Yeah the Campdraft is much more durable than the Stratoliner. Haven't bought one since 2016 I believe and after the covid supply issues and major restocking problems Akubra and its dealers have had the past 2-3 years I've wondered if the felt has suffered in any way, but regardless an Akubra will al...
- Fri Dec 01, 2023 12:58 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Akubra Hat Company Sold
- Replies: 21
- Views: 11113
Re: Akubra Hat Company Sold
Yeah, that's what I'm worried about is them going Dorfman, or at least Stetson and anything under $200-300 is generally wool and inferior. Now I don't necessarily think they will as they're in a unique position now in the hat world, as in vertically integrated and they make their own felt. I don't s...
- Fri Dec 01, 2023 12:59 am
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Akubra Hat Company Sold
- Replies: 21
- Views: 11113
Re: Akubra Hat Company Sold
We'll see what comes of it. Not sure what they mean by reorienting to be more "fashion forward." Felt hats go in and out of popular fashion but the utility market is always there. I sure hope they don't lower the quality and durability to be a more " fashion" felt or start offeri...
- Sat Oct 28, 2023 12:55 am
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: New Agnoulita Templar fedora
- Replies: 8
- Views: 3412
Re: New Agnoulita Templar fedora
I've seen them around on Etsy and such for years. It's a better looking hat than I would have thought. Has a CS-like look. If it's a fairly thick rabbit and sort of Fed-like in weight that's a bonus -- as much as I appreciate the Harrison it is pretty thin and prone to warping. The thicker the rabbi...
- Sat Sep 16, 2023 11:51 am
- Forum: General Gear (Lee's Place)
- Topic: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
- Replies: 354
- Views: 178033
Re: All of the "Close Enough" Boots?
Yeah TBH those Parkhursts do look like they're superior to Aldens in pure materials and cobbler terms. It kills me to say it too as a natural-born Chicagoan and Horween aficionado, but honestly I think Alden has been using a lot of the cheapest CXL they could get, sort of like factory seconds, which...
- Fri Sep 01, 2023 12:06 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Cockpit, anyone?
- Replies: 45
- Views: 34515
Re: Cockpit, anyone?
Well the general rule with leather jackets is to size down if you're unsure. They will stretch as needed with break in. Indy jackets -- the good and properly made ones -- are generous in specific ways without being oversized. For most other leather that's made on a more standard form it's best to si...
- Sat Aug 19, 2023 12:21 am
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: First Run Adventurebilt Value??
- Replies: 9
- Views: 3255
Re: First Run Adventurebilt Value??
Yeah, I've noticed more flipping lately on ebay. Though it's often Wested DoD and Legacy jackets they got the measurements wrong on. There used to be a major glut of USW jackets on ebay in the 2010s; I picked up some for like $80 practically new back around 2016. The hats get a little trickier becau...
- Fri Aug 18, 2023 3:17 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: First Run Adventurebilt Value??
- Replies: 9
- Views: 3255
Re: First Run Adventurebilt Value??
And I would also add that we're likely at peak market, probably nearing the end of that peak, and this is very likely the last time we'll see an Indy hat/gear peak. As more of a buyer than a seller -- I wear my hats out -- I'm actually anticipating a nice price drop in the next 12 months or so. Kind...
- Sat Aug 12, 2023 12:18 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Recommendations for leather dye to distress Original Lambskin Wested LC
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1175
Re: Recommendations for leather dye to distress Original Lambskin Wested LC
Well you have to go lighter than the top coat, which is a dark brown. Dark brown on dark brown defeats the purpose. The LC jacket had a sort of orange, rusty undertone. So get whatever dye you'd like, just make it lighter and/or redder. And if you have to, mix two dyes; maybe a medium or light brown...
- Sun Jul 16, 2023 9:40 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Was a goatskin jacket ever used on screen in an Indy movie?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 8786
Re: Was a goatskin jacket ever used on screen in an Indy movie?
As a USN vet and proud wearer of an authentic (and earned) G-1 and all around goatskin aficionado I remember pretty much begging Peter to make a goatskin Indy for me WAY BACK when. I was pretty much ecstatic when G&B came out with the Expedition. But yeah I never really understood the aversion t...
- Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:05 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wested Hero Legacy Turning Grey During Distressing?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1245
Re: Wested Hero Legacy Turning Grey During Distressing?
Yeah, it's normal for chrome tanned leather to be grey -- in the industry it's called "wet blue" and it's just the way it is. Depending on the leather and the quality, some will have a base dye put down that may or may not have permeated all the way through and then most will have a top co...
- Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:43 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Bill Kelso's Relic Hunter
- Replies: 1587
- Views: 283356
Re: Bill Kelso's Relic Hunter
Same pattern, different leather and hardware. As discussed ad nauseam in the Wested threads.
- Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:09 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: So - who made the Screen used jackets for DOD?
- Replies: 12
- Views: 5041
Re: So - who made the Screen used jackets for DOD?
Well the simplest answer would be deconstruction. The original pieces are in a much more fragile state nowadays and besides, disassembling a piece that is worth considerable sums at auction isn't the smartest move. Costume design and manufacture are very different trades, along with tailoring, etc. ...
- Wed Jun 21, 2023 12:54 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: So - who made the Screen used jackets for DOD?
- Replies: 12
- Views: 5041
Re: So - who made the Screen used jackets for DOD?
It was made by the production costume dept, almost certainly based on a Wested they got a hold of and tweaked to suit their needs.
- Wed Jun 21, 2023 12:51 am
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: DOD hat is in a new color!
- Replies: 18
- Views: 5225
Re: DOD hat is in a new color!
Well at least they're confirming my suspicion the past two years that the felt and the ribbon are different from the "traditional" colors. But beaver felt has become extremely expensive of late. If you notice, HJ isn't offering beaver on any of their Indy hats ATM. The film hat could be be...
- Tue Jun 13, 2023 10:58 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Is Herbert Johnson the holy grail of indy fedoras now?
- Replies: 591
- Views: 139544
Re: Is Herbert Johnson the holy grail of indy fedoras now?
Yeah, looks like I jinxed it with the price. They don't even have beaver listed -- I wonder if they're too low in stock now or if it's now a special order and they don't want the general public getting sticker shock. It's too bad. I had been seriously planning on getting a new hat this year, but I c...
- Tue May 30, 2023 10:42 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Is Herbert Johnson the holy grail of indy fedoras now?
- Replies: 591
- Views: 139544
Re: Is Herbert Johnson the holy grail of indy fedoras now?
Well the thing is, with Thomas at AdVintage and Brian at Screencapped -- along with the others, probably -- being forced to dramatically increase prices because of the cost of felt these days, it's made HJ much more competitive in the marketplace overall, especially considering the lineage. I always...
- Thu May 04, 2023 12:36 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: How is the fit on the Wested Dial of Destiny or Legacy LC jackets?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1582
Re: How is the fit on the Wested Dial of Destiny or Legacy LC jackets?
AFAIK Wested's Destiny jacket is identical to their standard Raiders but with slightly different pockets and that bigger collar and the reversed straps. I believe others inquired about the same thing and Wested's response was just that; the fit of the Destiny is the same as the Raiders standard.
- Tue Apr 11, 2023 10:38 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: US Wings is the official licensee for jackets
- Replies: 50
- Views: 50603
Re: US Wings is the official licensee for jackets
Well it makes sense given the long association with Disney and the stunt show. But I'm not sure what the market is for $700 jackets among the general public. And unfortunately I guess USW had to remove their regular branded Indy jackets from the lineup for the time being.
- Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:09 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wested lead time? Now an order-problem question
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2550
Re: Wested lead time? Now an order-problem question
I've been noticing a lot of these kinds of complaints lately. Reminds me of years ago -- I never really had a bad experience with Wested, but I swear it was like a 50/50 crapshoot back in the day with many people's orders. They seemed to really tighten up the operation a few years back before covid,...
- Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:07 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: My Indy jacket odyssey – Wested ordering and sizing – NEED ADVICE!
- Replies: 17
- Views: 3670
Re: My Indy jacket odyssey – Wested ordering and sizing – NEED ADVICE!
27.5" is approaching car coat length for someone that's only 5'9". I would rethink where you think the Indy jacket should fall and how it should fit. I'm 5'10" and my LC is 25". Also, if you're a 46" chest, then I would stick with a size 46 and not size up. In the end, you'...
- Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:00 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: My Indy jacket odyssey – Wested ordering and sizing – NEED ADVICE!
- Replies: 17
- Views: 3670
Re: My Indy jacket odyssey – Wested ordering and sizing – NEED ADVICE!
You're probably not used to it. At a 46 chest you're used to wearing what an XL? Most jackets in that size are probably 28-30" in the back. That's the problem with the USW jacket; most people with a 46" chest are taller than average, hence the arm length. And leather not being a textile ma...
- Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:26 am
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: Making a Hat Block
- Replies: 15
- Views: 1844
Re: Making a Hat Block
The trick is to use the right filament to withstand the blocking process. Most 3D printing filaments can withstand temperatures around boiling point, and steam is, well, above that and sometimes superheated well above that in the case of steaming devices. Polyamide can take temps above boiling, but ...
- Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:05 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 40? a help! thread
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3077
Re: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 40? a help! thread
Yeah, back in the "old" days -- 3+ years ago -- they would stock a certain number of OTR jackets in the most common sizes in the three standard skins (lamb, goat, and P-D cow) so they could be dispatched same day. And restock as needed. But that's a big outlay of capital without knowing wh...
- Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:49 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 40? a help! thread
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3077
Re: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 42? ...need measurements, and a help! thread
Sorry to hear that. I hope it works out for you. But isn't the standard Raiders jacket a non-custom/stock jacket? They should be able to swap that out for you. At least, in the past they would have. Yeah in the past they would have just grabbed it OTR but now they're treating every order as custom....
- Mon Mar 06, 2023 12:46 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 40? a help! thread
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3077
Re: Who has a Wested Standard Raiders in a 42? ...need measurements, and a help! thread
The measurements Wested gives for the standard OTR jackets is accurate in my experience.
- Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:48 pm
- Forum: The Fedora
- Topic: The EXPLORADOR fedora - photo gallery
- Replies: 347
- Views: 68822
Re: The EXPLORADOR fedora - photo gallery
It could be difficult to reblock due to the hole since the stretching could make it worse. But I have seen miracle work done patching holes -- glue applied from the inside and a hidden suturing akin to what plastic surgeons would do plus using a little felt dust from sanding an innocuous area to cov...
- Mon Feb 27, 2023 12:10 am
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wested Raiders Jacket advice....
- Replies: 39
- Views: 6938
Re: Wested Raiders Jacket advice....
The film jacket was lamb, or more properly, sheep. Wested doesn't truly stock a leather that matches all the qualities of that leather. The Legacy will give you the right color and the shrunken or washed lamb will give you texture (not exactly SA texture, but something).
- Sat Feb 25, 2023 1:45 pm
- Forum: Leather Jacket
- Topic: Wested Raiders Jacket advice....
- Replies: 39
- Views: 6938
Re: Wested Raiders Jacket advice....
Just get the Legacy, that will answer most of your questions on its own. But the Legacy leather is smoother than the SA leather, it's just that it's got the undertone to distress correctly. If striations et al are *really* important then go with a regular Hero in washed lamb. If the buckles are real...