Joeyeah_right wrote: I may need to get the sleeves let out a bit, if i can. they could do with being an inch or two longer, and there is definitely enough leather in the sleeves to give me an inch or maybe an inch-and-a-half, so if i can find a tailor who is willing to give it a go i will probably do that. Other than that I am very happy with the jacket!
Joe
A good trick worth trying before calling in the tailor to lengthen your sleeves is a really simple water stretch. This leather stretches real nice. I've posted this method before in another thread, did it myself on my Todd's standard and would highly recommend it on your Bantu.
Find a large size water bottle, gatorade bottle or similiar: something that can be inserted into the sleeve through the arm hole, but because of the taper head of the bottle, wedge itself into the cuff.
Soak the sleeves to the point they are, well, soaked...dripping if you prefer.
Insert bottles with just enough fluid inside to add maybe a pound of weight. That's probably more than necessary, but go ahead and be like Indy, dump some out until you think it's enough. You're really just looking for tension to keep the leather from shrinking or returning to it's original length.
Make sure the inside liner isn't bunching up at the cuffs. Your limit of stretch is the amount of "free" liner material in the sleeve. Any that is bunched up in the cuff is going to limit your gains.
Hang till dry.
I think you should gain up to 2 inches without much problem.
An easy test is to just get the sleeves wet and put the jacket on. I bet the cuffs will end up at almost your knuckles. You can guage from that if you'll gain enough, and if too much only allow it to dry to a point under light weight, then take the weights away and let it dry the rest on it's own.
Hope that helps.