Page 9 of 33
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:35 pm
by Indiana Williams
AGGGHHH!! I got the tracking number and its sitting at the local fed ex facility but it wont be delivered till tomorrow and I cant go physically pick it up. :evil: Its killing me
:shrugs:
guess tomorrow will be it.
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:54 pm
by JulianK
Someone remind me again what the hide is on these? I recall cowhide but I can't be sure.
Cheers.
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:56 pm
by Michaelson
Yep, cowhide.
Regards! Michaelson
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:01 pm
by JulianK
Thanks Michaelson.
Curious how they would compare to the Wested cowhide. I'm a little torn. I really like these and I'm going to be in LA in September so I can pop in and see Tony....but I'm not overly thrilled about the texture of my Wested cow.
Arrgghhh!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:35 pm
by crismans
I've never owned a Wested cowhide so I can't compare there but the Nowak cowhide is very soft and pliable.
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:56 pm
by PSBIndy
I used to own a Wested cowhide Raiders.......it was real nice.....tough but very soft. It's not up to the same level in my opinion as my TN, but a very decent jacket nevertheless.
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:28 pm
by weaponx24
I forgot to post yesterday that I too talked to Tony and he said my jacket will be here tomorrow (Thursday) as well. I am extremely excited! Only thing is Tony didnt give me a tracking number, he just said I'd have to be here to sign for it. No big deal, Im sure if I call him he'd be more then happy to give me it. I want to, but then again I dont, because then I'd be checking to see where its at every 5 minutes!
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:50 am
by Indiana Williams
weaponx24 wrote:I forgot to post yesterday that I too talked to Tony and he said my jacket will be here tomorrow (Thursday) as well. I am extremely excited! Only thing is Tony didnt give me a tracking number, he just said I'd have to be here to sign for it. No big deal, Im sure if I call him he'd be more then happy to give me it. I want to, but then again I dont, because then I'd be checking to see where its at every 5 minutes!
Thats cool. I bet you'll get your jacket before me though cause of the time difference. Yea, the tracking numbers are like a double edged sword. You want to know where it is but at the same time you end up contantly checking.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:51 am
by Mulceber
Indiana Williams wrote:weaponx24 wrote:I forgot to post yesterday that I too talked to Tony and he said my jacket will be here tomorrow (Thursday) as well. I am extremely excited! Only thing is Tony didnt give me a tracking number, he just said I'd have to be here to sign for it. No big deal, Im sure if I call him he'd be more then happy to give me it. I want to, but then again I dont, because then I'd be checking to see where its at every 5 minutes!
Thats cool. I bet you'll get your jacket before me though cause of the time difference. Yea, the tracking numbers are like a double edged sword. You want to know where it is but at the same time you end up contantly checking.
That's gotta be the next technological advancement - instead of you checking, it sends you a text message every time there's an update.
:junior: -M
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:14 am
by Indiana Strones
crismans wrote:I've never owned a Wested cowhide so I can't compare there but the Nowak cowhide is very soft and pliable.
Perhaps Nowak quality is higher, but Wested novapelle is cowhide, and it's very soft and pliable as well.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:00 pm
by Kaplan
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:09 pm
by Indiana Strones
I agree with Tony...
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:25 pm
by Indiana Strones
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:35 pm
by Kaplan
Thanks for all your input. Let me be a little more clear. I like Tony. I do NOT agree with Tony on the Pecard issue. And I LOVE the way my jacket turned out. If you guys think it looks worse than it did before, then please elaborate. I'd like to hear it.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:52 pm
by Indiana G
ha ha! someone finally grew a pair and did the pecard treatment to a TN...and shared the results! good for you kaplan and thanks for letting us pecard fearing population in on your findings.
like i've always said, you can't tell how good a jacket is unless it's being worn, but i will say this. i think your jacket looks great. it looks more like the movie jacket for sure and i was contemplating doing the same to mine a couple of weeks ago....but i just couldn't do it. i didn't want to take away any of the distressing as i liked that too much....eventhough it was toned down in the movie for sure. i've waited too long for a predistressed offering and i'm not going to erase that just yet.
the jacket turned out nice and dark as expected. how bout some pics of you in the sun? perhaps jumping from one jeep to another?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:54 pm
by Mulceber
SPR wrote:I don't have a problem with Pecards, I just think the jacket looked better before, no offense. I have Pecards, and the only thing I use it on is my Aldens. I don't use it on my jackets, and I don't think they need it. I have worn some leather jackets for years without any kind of leather conditioner, and never had a problem. JMO. I think your jacket looks fine, but I prefer the way it looked originally. Enjoy your Nowak jacket, I think he makes the best Indy jacket out there. Once again JMO.
You definitely should. Just looking at the threads on the gear care forum is enough to send the message that pecards is for ALL your leather gear....well, except maybe sweatbands... :junior: -M
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:58 pm
by Indiana G
Mulceber wrote:SPR wrote:I don't have a problem with Pecards, I just think the jacket looked better before, no offense. I have Pecards, and the only thing I use it on is my Aldens. I don't use it on my jackets, and I don't think they need it. I have worn some leather jackets for years without any kind of leather conditioner, and never had a problem. JMO. I think your jacket looks fine, but I prefer the way it looked originally. Enjoy your Nowak jacket, I think he makes the best Indy jacket out there. Once again JMO.
You definitely should. Just looking at the threads on the gear care forum is enough to send the message that pecards is for ALL your leather gear....well, except maybe sweatbands... :junior: -M
and your whip handle
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:21 pm
by jacksdad
I like the after pictures of Kaplans jacket myself, it looks more like the movie..... darker and I think I would do the same if I get a Nowak except the water and dryer.I think the darker looks better and more SA. to each his own I say.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:46 pm
by Kaplan
This is an argument that historically has no end.
I don't use pecards liberally and I would never put the stuff on one of my G&B's until they are old enough to really need it. I don't think that shoes need pecards either (unless you have a pair of predistressed shoes.)
However, I will be the first to put it on any predistressed leather. Not only to protect the already broken surface, but to improve the richness of the color.
Tony may have said that his leather didn't need anything out of the bag, but it is obvious to me that the Bernie Pollack's crew felt differently. The results are on film.
I am also convinced that Tony Nowak doesn't know about our history of color correcting gear as fans.
I remember someone asking Marc Kitter if his Henry factory hats would come open crown or pre-bashed. He said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Do you think these factory guys could ever do a crease job as good as a fan? No way!"
I wanted Tony Nowak to make me one of his fantastic jackets. He did, and I am very satisfied with it. I think he's a very nice guy with EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE, and he's extremely talented. He knows how to make an Indy jacket and I don't.
Sure, he got the contract for the movie, but I was an Indy fan and gearhead well before that.
So, I have no problem following my own convictions. Personally, I feel that what I did to the jacket was awesome. And I KNOW that other people have been wondering what a TN jacket with pecards looks like.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:56 pm
by Kaplan
_ wrote:Kaplan wrote:...but it is obvious to me that the Bernie Pollack's crew felt differently. The
Hmmmm.... I asked Bernie. There was no "crew" and the jackets were not treated with anything. Bernie is his own crew. The jackets were used as Tony delivered them. I had an opportunity to see some of the jackets while shooting was happening at Universal, and they looked just like the jacket I took out of the bag when mine was delivered.
He did nothing to distress them at all?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:02 pm
by Kaplan
_ wrote:
Tony did the distressing on all the jackets.
Per Bernie and per Tony...
Wow... things really looked different on film. I guess it all goes back to the old wested's authentic lamb being SA but looking too light brown in real life.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 3:05 pm
by Don't Call Me Junior!
_ wrote: and they looked just like the jacket I took out of the bag when mine was delivered.
Hey _,
You mentioned in another post that you wore your jacket while it was raining one evening. In addition to the sleeves "creasing nicely
" and the fantastic drape getting even better did your jacket also darken up a bit as well?
I've been wearing my TN fairly regularly since I received it even when it's in the upper 80's or even 90's but I ride a motorcycle to work most days so I have a little bit of an excuse to not be ridiculed when people see me wearing it when it's hot out. Anyway, I got caught in a pretty good rain storm a couple of weeks ago and the jacket became noticeably darker to me even after it had completely dried. Not as dark as Kaplan's does mind you but definitely darker than when I received it. Did that happen to yours as well? Or am I just imagining things? Either way, it definitely seems to have contributed to the break in process being expedited a bit.
BTW Kaplan, your jacket does look really great! You definitely have more cujones than me! In anticipation of receiving the jacket I bought some more Pecards so that I would be able to treat it upon arrival but when I mentioned that I was thinking of doing that to Tony during one of our last conversations he said, "No, no no! You don't need to treat it! If it gets something spilled on it just wipe it off. If it gets wet just let it dry. If it gets dirt on it just leave it. It all adds character to the jacket. This jacket is meant to be worn and have the %@#$ kicked out of it! The jacket I am making you is made exactly in the same way I made the jackets for the movie. It's your jacket and you can treat it if you want to but if you want it to be just like in the movie you won't want to do that!" If the man said not to do it I wasn't going to do it. Still I was just waiting to see the results of someone as daring as yourself and just have to say I am definitely impressed by your bravery and the fact that you got the results you wanted!
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:05 pm
by Treadwell
Kaplan, I think what you did looks great. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. And good.
What did you treatment do to how the leather feels to the touch? Is it still "fuzzy"?
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:21 pm
by Rundquist
Most new leather jackets don’t “need” an application of Pecards as long as the leather is good and was tanned properly. However, predistressed hides are usually pretty dried out from the tanning process. It’s up to you whether you want to nourish the leather and keep it from breaking down or not.
There is one thing that hasn’t been brought up with regards to a new leather jacket and that is the fact that a light application of Pecards will “loosen” the leather and help with the break-in process. Cheers
PS- The dryer on "heat" method is not recomended for those that want to keep the structual integrity of the leather fibers. The dryer with no heat is fine. At least Kaplan Pecarded it first before he put it through the ringer. I'd probaly lightly pecard it after as well. If the jacket feels dry then it should be done.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:52 pm
by Kaplan
Rundquist wrote:
PS- The dryer on "heat" method is not recomended for those that want to keep the structual integrity of the leather fibers. The dryer with no heat is fine. At least Kaplan Pecarded it first before he put it through the ringer. I'd probaly lightly pecard it after as well. If the jacket feels dry then it should be done.
I did the high heat dryer thing because I am between a 42T and a 44R. So I generally buy a 44R and shrink it a bit. I did the same thing with my two G&B's minus even the pecards, and after over a year without any leather conditioner I couldn't be happier with them. So, I have done this three times and have yet to see any ill effects other than the shrinking that I had intended.
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:30 pm
by Rundquist
I got you. It's just that others might try it and get unintended shrinking. It just needs to be clear that the jacket will shrink. Cheers
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:14 pm
by Indiana Williams
Just wanted to report I got my Nowak #165. I had seen the jackets at his shop but I still was amaized at the craftsmenship of mine. He nailed the fit. The sleeves are the same legnth of Harrisons jacket but Tony took a few inches off the body and it looks great. I love the distressing on it too. It really makes it look like Im wearing Indy's jacket and not just another leather jacket. Im not home at the moment but later tonight Ill post a couple pics. I also like how he signed the fed ex box, Im going to save it as a momento. I also love the bag it came in. I plan on stuffing it with cotton turning it into a pillow. I like the inserts that he included with the COA too. I had seen a bunch of them in a box last week so I figured they came with the jackets. All I can say is if anyone is interested but has reservations, dont pass up one of these bad boys they are built like tanks and made with superb craftsmenship. I cant thank Tony enough for quickly getting me my jacket. it was a week ago yesterday I met him and placed the order and now Im wearing my own jacket. Like I said though Ill get those pics up as soon as I can. Im happy to be a proud new Nowak owner.
Best Regards,
Joe
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:03 pm
by crismans
Very interesting thread, Kaplan. I had been all up for putting some Pecards on my TN before my last conversation with Tony. He told me the same thing about not putting anything on it. Now, while I agree, the leather is such good quality, it might not need anything (at least for years), I really like the way the Pecards brings out the grain and texture, added to the fact that the jacket does
look darker on screen.
After talking with Tony though, I had decided against it. Now you go and pull the trigger...
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:38 pm
by weaponx24
WOW! I cannot say enough about my new Nowak jacket....number 24 of 777....It's just absoultely incredible...Im at work now so I'll post pics later. Its unbelievable...Tony NAILED IT!
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 1:39 am
by PSBIndy
I put Pecards on mine. It made the leather even more supple than before and darkened it somewhat...which I like.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:36 am
by KrYpToNiAn1
PSBIndy wrote:I put Pecards on mine. It made the leather even more supple than before and darkened it somewhat...which I like.
I think we will all agree when I say:
;0
s.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:48 pm
by Indiana G
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 1:45 pm
by Indiana Williams
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:15 pm
by Indiana G
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:22 pm
by Dutch_jones
Its funny isn't it how much it looks like the movie jacket out of the box.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:28 pm
by nicktheguy
Yeah, I love the way they feel so comfortable the moment you slip them on. It's a great jacket.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:44 pm
by Don't Call Me Junior!
I never tire of looking at the pics of the new jacket arrival post. I view and post this forum from my iPhone most of the time so I haven't really ever posted pics of my gear. A little lazy I guess. One of these days....
I agree, Dutch. It is nice seeing jackets that looks like the film used jackets without anyone having to do something extra to achieve the look. It was almost disappointed when I got my Wested lamb and realized that it would take some serious wearing of ig before it started to get that Indiana Jones vibe going. The TN has it right out of the box!
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:47 pm
by Don't Call Me Junior!
_ wrote:I think the rain may have "knocked-down" some of the predistressed finish and made it appear darker, but I did check against unexposed areas and the underlying pigment was fairly unchanged. JMO
And it was not more than mist/sprinkles. I grew up in Seattle, and there it would have been considered a partly sunny day...
Thanks for looking, sir! I only asked because the front of the jacket looks darker to me than the back (since I was on the motorcycle it got wetter on the front than on the back which stayed virtually dry) and I did not recall that large a difference when I received it.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:56 pm
by Indiana Williams
Heres a few more pics.
Outside in shade
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0445.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0446.jpg
In sunlight
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0448.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0447.jpg
Heres a few of how it looks on me(granted these arent the clothes id usally wear with a jacket like this I just wanted to post of how the fit looks on me)
Unzipped
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0452.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... edback.jpg
Zipped
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... CF0454.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... edback.jpg
I really do love this jacket. If you had told me I would own one of these jackets a month ago I would have laughed. The main reason I love this jacket is the distressing. Tony did a fantastic job on my jacket. He really gave it that 100 yr old adventure ridden look. The smell is another thing.When I was at his shop I noticed it and wondered, 'This is what Wested must smell like'. It must be the leather but I found that every Wested Ive handled has the same aroma. but the Nowak has a different one. I guess Im just one of those people that appreciates the smell of leather.
I also like how the handwarmer pockets go deeper then wested and I like the extra inside pocket. I wore all yesterday even though I was sweating bullets. I cant wait till the fall when it cools down and I can wear my Nowak and not look I just ran 5 miles. I asked Tony about how many jackets are left but he doesnt know off the top off his head. He keeps records of which numbers have been sold but out of the 777(except for 522) he doesnt know how many are left. He told me when they're gone they're gone
I think we should compile a list in this thread so we can see which numbers have been spoken for by members from COW. Im actually suprised this allready has been discussed? Anywho, Im proud to be in the Nowak club and own one of these fine jackets to me it was worth every penny.
Best Regards,
Joe
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 4:11 pm
by Don't Call Me Junior!
Regarding the numbers, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed to find out some of the numbers that people who ordered way after me were able to get. I ordered before the movie came out. When it came to numbers he told me to pick a number and he would tell me if it was still available. So we weren't wasting too much time I came right out and asked if single and double digits were available. He told me that they were not available so I picked something higher. I'm a little sore about it but I'll eventually get over it.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 4:25 pm
by ulldarborealis
Joe
The jacket looks great, now I can't waite for Nov 6 to come fast enought.
When I phoned Tony last week and asked about ordering a jacket, that I would be down in Nov if he would be sold out by then he said NO.
I even asked if I could pay for it now and meet him in Nov to get mesured again he said NO that he would still have them.
So from now till Nov my fingers will be crossed that he does not sell them all.
Richard
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:03 pm
by Indiana G
ulldarborealis wrote:Joe
The jacket looks great, now I can't waite for Nov 6 to come fast enought.
When I phoned Tony last week and asked about ordering a jacket, that I would be down in Nov if he would be sold out by then he said NO.
I even asked if I could pay for it now and meet him in Nov to get mesured again he said NO that he would still have them.
So from now till Nov my fingers will be crossed that he does not sell them all.
Richard
lets see.....to do list......take out loan and buy remaining TN indy jackets.........
.....just kidding
Edit
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:02 am
by Chewie Louie
Don't Call Me Junior! wrote:Regarding the numbers, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed to find out some of the numbers that people who ordered way after me were able to get. I ordered before the movie came out. When it came to numbers he told me to pick a number and he would tell me if it was still available. So we weren't wasting too much time I came right out and asked if single and double digits were available. He told me that they were not available so I picked something higher. I'm a little sore about it but I'll eventually get over it.
Yeah, I agree that didn't make any sense. If I ordered my first jacket before the movie came out and was randomly assigned #107, how is that someone who order a month or two after me was able to get a double digit number? That is my only knock against Tony, which really is no big deal, just a head scratcher. Anyway, for my second jacket (knowing then that I could pick my own number) I went with #500.
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:50 pm
by Treadwell
Reposting this questin for Kaplan.
Treadwell wrote:
What did you treatment do to how the leather feels to the touch? Is it still "fuzzy"?
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:24 pm
by Castor Dioscuri
Treadwell wrote:Reposting this questin for Kaplan.
Treadwell wrote:
What did you treatment do to how the leather feels to the touch? Is it still "fuzzy"?
I'll try beat Kaplan to the punch...
I find that applying Pecards to a predistressed jacket will lessen (if not remove completely) that 'fuzzy' texture that it starts out with. Not only that, but sometimes just a little bit of wearing will take out the 'fuzziness' as well.
With my Wested Novapelle, it felt like a felt hat out of the box. A quick treatment of Pecards dressing later, and it lost that 'fuzzy' feeling. With my Nowak, I brought it along for a bit of Summer travel (nothing too outdoorsy, although at one point I did ride a WWII Duck into a lake!), and now, compared to my unused Nowak, it feels a lot less velvety.
The whole issue of the double-digit Nowak jackets is rather puzzling, though a quick question to Tony should resolve that! If you ask me though, I would guess that maybe someone had reserved the first 100 jackets in advance, but later decided to back out for whatever reason?
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:11 pm
by Kaplan
Treadwell wrote:Reposting this questin for Kaplan.
Treadwell wrote:
What did you treatment do to how the leather feels to the touch? Is it still "fuzzy"?
I'm sorry, I must have missed this one. The answer is, yes. It does loose its fuzziness. In fact after pecards the jacket surface feels like any ordinary non-distressed leather.
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:52 pm
by Treadwell
Thanks, guys!
I was kinda hoping that's the case. I'm hoping to get the funds together to order one, and I'm gonna join the ranks of crazies who will be "ruining" the screen accuracy by getting it unweathered and treating it.
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:02 pm
by crismans
Well, you have to add me to the list of blasphemers who have Pecarded their Nowak. I had thought about it just because I wanted the added rain protection and I liked the darker color. I went light with it and it really didn't take out a ton of the distressing.
Before:
http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 140053.jpg
http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 140054.jpg
And after taken from my basement lair:
http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 260058.jpg
http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 260059.jpg
http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 260060.jpg
Comments are welcome but don't be too harsh!
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:48 am
by Castor Dioscuri
Kaplan and crismans, you guys are going to be the catalysts of a Nowak-Pecard revolution!
Seriously though, that jacket looks absolutely killer. It actually achieves the impossible, and makes a Nowak jacket look BETTER! Looking at your photos, it's EXACTLY what I imagine an Indy jacket should look like!
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:13 pm
by crismans
Castor Dioscuri wrote:
Kaplan and crismans, you guys are going to be the catalysts of a Nowak-Pecard revolution!
Seriously though, that jacket looks absolutely killer. It actually achieves the impossible, and makes a Nowak jacket look BETTER! Looking at your photos, it's EXACTLY what I imagine an Indy jacket should look like!
Thanks very much. I really like how the jacket turned out. One time what I had in mind actually came to pass.
Besides, I think I got pretty good results.
