Club Obi Wan

There are some behind the scenes shots in the recent unsanctioned "Raiding" documentary on the making of the movie that show this very color. As usual, lighting makes a big difference. Very rustic and vintage looking. I like it a lot. I'm inclined to let this one age naturally ... maybe use Tundrarider's "sleep-in-it" method. I think mine is due Monday, Tuesday at the latest.

It looks a lot better than previous batch, which looked like old washed goat they used to offer. Color and texture looks spot on, check it yourself: http://www.theraider.net/showimage.php? ... ns/r94.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; http://www.theraider.net/showimage.php? ... ns/r95.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How does it compare to standard lamb in thickness? If it was only darker I would consider it.

Hmmm- the new shrunken lamb does look a bit different than mine. Here is a pic I just took:

CRB wrote:...treated it with neatsfoot oil which has darkened it slightly but it's still not dry yet....

You may want to do some searches on hear about neatsfoot oil. Here are a couple of particularly interesting posts on using it on Indy jackets:

Michaelson wrote:...Bugs are attracted to any leather treated with animal by-products and will devour it with enthusiasm and relish (and maybe a side order of fries).

Folks in dryer climes and north of the Mason-Dixon line seem to have less problem with this. Must be the humidity in the South that adds to the problem.

I 'had' leather items MY grandfather treated with mink oil or neatsfoot when living in Ohio and no problems at all, but as soon as I moved to Florida they were bug magnets and quickly damaged.

Regards! Michaelson

viewtopic.php?p=764664#p764664

and later on:

Oildale Jones wrote:So yeah, um, that oil thing we were talking about? Turns out neatsfoot wasn't the right way to go with this jacket. It's slowly starting to develop a none-too-pleasing odor. (And every time I see it, I hear "pH-balanced dressings" in my head...)

Any recommendations? Can I machine-wash it and start over? Supposing I can, what (if anything) would you recommend that I apply?

Humbly yours,
OJ

viewtopic.php?p=776167#p776167

Just something to consider...

Neatsfoot=Ick...

This is Pecards and Lexol country!!!

Nebraska Schulte wrote:

CRB wrote:...treated it with neatsfoot oil which has darkened it slightly but it's still not dry yet....

You may want to do some searches on hear about neatsfoot oil. Here are a couple of particularly interesting posts on using it on Indy jackets:

Michaelson wrote:...Bugs are attracted to any leather treated with animal by-products and will devour it with enthusiasm and relish (and maybe a side order of fries).

Folks in dryer climes and north of the Mason-Dixon line seem to have less problem with this. Must be the humidity in the South that adds to the problem.

I 'had' leather items MY grandfather treated with mink oil or neatsfoot when living in Ohio and no problems at all, but as soon as I moved to Florida they were bug magnets and quickly damaged.

Regards! Michaelson

viewtopic.php?p=764664#p764664

and later on:

Oildale Jones wrote:So yeah, um, that oil thing we were talking about? Turns out neatsfoot wasn't the right way to go with this jacket. It's slowly starting to develop a none-too-pleasing odor. (And every time I see it, I hear "pH-balanced dressings" in my head...)

Any recommendations? Can I machine-wash it and start over? Supposing I can, what (if anything) would you recommend that I apply?

Humbly yours,
OJ

viewtopic.php?p=776167#p776167

Just something to consider...

To be fair (to neatsfoot oil), I had treated a "roughout" jacket with neatsfoot, which was a bad move. There's still an odor up close, but it hasn't gotten worse. (Can't recall whether I washed it again.) I had no complaints about neatsfoot on my Todd's lambskin. (My leather guy said to let it soak in overnight and then wipe off the excess with a towel.)

That said, now that I've used Lexol and Obenauf's, I'm never going back.

Mmm...Obenauf's.

WOW!! I love the look of that leather and the color is so warm looking. I wouldn't hesitate picking this one up, but I'm suffice with my Hero Crispe lamb at the moment. It provides just the right amount of warmth and feels as if it could last a long, long while. Not to mention it has darkened up and broken in quite beautifully.

Congrats on the jacket, CRB! I think you made a fine purchase and can't wait to see more pictures of it. Just give the jacket a chance and wait until it fully breaks in; it looks like it may be worth it, judging by the way it looks already.

-Bdgsi11

Nebraska Schulte wrote:

CRB wrote:...treated it with neatsfoot oil which has darkened it slightly but it's still not dry yet....

You may want to do some searches on hear about neatsfoot oil. Here are a couple of particularly interesting posts on using it on Indy jackets:

Michaelson wrote:...Bugs are attracted to any leather treated with animal by-products and will devour it with enthusiasm and relish (and maybe a side order of fries).

Folks in dryer climes and north of the Mason-Dixon line seem to have less problem with this. Must be the humidity in the South that adds to the problem.

I 'had' leather items MY grandfather treated with mink oil or neatsfoot when living in Ohio and no problems at all, but as soon as I moved to Florida they were bug magnets and quickly damaged.

Regards! Michaelson

viewtopic.php?p=764664#p764664

and later on:

Oildale Jones wrote:So yeah, um, that oil thing we were talking about? Turns out neatsfoot wasn't the right way to go with this jacket. It's slowly starting to develop a none-too-pleasing odor. (And every time I see it, I hear "pH-balanced dressings" in my head...)

Any recommendations? Can I machine-wash it and start over? Supposing I can, what (if anything) would you recommend that I apply?

Humbly yours,
OJ

viewtopic.php?p=776167#p776167

Just something to consider...

Just what sort of bugs are we talking about?

I've never had any problems with neatsfoot at all, quite the opposite, it makes leather slightly more supple (not really that much) and gives it a slight darken (which is what I was after here).

I'll get pictures up soon enough. The sleeves on mine are about 1" too long, I have had sleeves shrink on me before from Wested so ordered long, and that combined with the off-the-shoulder pattern of the Hero means that the sleeves are long. My back length is about 0.5-1" too long also (again in anticipation of shrinkage). But this leather doesn't seem to behave like any lambskin I've come across before so perhaps it won't shrink much at all.

Although I was initially a little a bit disappointed at the jacket, I'm now coming round to really liking it. I think that's mainly because it was quite different from what I was expecting. Now I am seeing a jacket that is very like what I see in Raiders. I'm not particularly fussed about SA OCD, so I was expecting a 'slightly-worn-look' lamb that I could wear for "smarter" occasions. This lamb really looks like it's been on adventurers a number of times already. I do realise that that is exactly what a lot of COW members want, so for that reason I can't recommend it enough. It's just I wasn't expecting it.

On the positive though, the sleeves are fantastic - they are slim and not baggy like some other Indy jackets I've had. I think they are better sleeves that both my Belstaff and TNO (although I do acknowledge that those were CS jackets), but again - very, very like what I see in the movie. I do still think the collar is a bit too big. I spoke to Gemma beforehand but she said they can't alter that as it's in their design, which I completely understand.

CRB,

WOW! Your jacket has the texture that I see in the film jacket.
Can't wait to see the rest of it!

I agree with you 110% about the sleeves.
Best arm ariticulation out of any Indy or any other leather jacket I've ever owned.

So here's some photos taken this morning, had to use the flash as it's a dull day (but the previous photo was with flash, so at least it's like for like).
These photos show the bumpy/tough surface and also how the colour has darkened (which I much prefer):

Now that looks like a Raiders jacket. Colour looks nice darker now. Nice jacket!

How much of that texture is due to the soaking? It's a shame you didn't take more "before" photos to give us a better idea of what to expect if ordering this hide.

It really wasn't much of a soaking, not even 10 seconds under a shower. Here's a shot of the back before. It does mark fairly easily by the way, to answer your earlier question.

I actually like the lighter colour, but that's just me. It looks very 'crunchy' though; is it still stiff and cardboard-y CRB?

The original colour you see there was using a flash, so it would be a bit darker in reality. The colour it is now will lighten again too over the course of the next month or so, neatsfoot does that. The jacket still smells very much of Wested leather for those who mentioned the smell issue earlier. And to coin a phrase - "there's no flies on me!".

It's a really hard leather to describe, it is a soft-crunchy, slightly less crunchy than when new. I'm just taking it now to shorten the sleeves, and when I get it back I'll take some photos of how it looks worn. It does look better worn I might add - coat hangers do jackets no justice whatsoever. The sleeves and shoulders bunch very nicely like the movie - I've been trying for years to find out how to get that look and now I've worked it out. I'm pretty confident once I break this in fully, in a few months time it will be a really nice jacket.

Thanks for the extra pic and info!

CRB wrote:So here's some photos taken this morning, had to use the flash as it's a dull day (but the previous photo was with flash, so at least it's like for like).
These photos show the bumpy/tough surface and also how the colour has darkened (which I much prefer):

so, is this the "new arrival" batch of shrunken lamb or is this goat as someone had previously mentioned?

It's the new arrival of shunken lamb

Everything's looking VERY nice, CRB... Excellent job!


I've been wishing you good luck and nothing but the best of results with this jacket and it looks like that's exactly what you're getting!

The time and effort you're putting into this look to really be paying off... Congrats!

Will do - the jacket is currently away having the sleeves shortened but will be back soon, watch this space ...

Couldn't resist ordering one...

Good to hear. I see someone is selling a 44 Wested shrunken lamb over at filmjackets.com - the leather shows exactly what mine is like.

Hmmm, need to be a member to see the pics. I'll just have to wait for mine to show up

As promised here is a photo of the jacket now that the sleeve length is correct. Like I said I wasn't a huge fan of this when I first received it, but after adjusting the sleeves, wearing it for just one day, a 10 second soaking and a coat of neatsfoot oil, I've now decided I really like it !

At long last, after trying 8 different Indy jackets, I've finally found one that I think looks like what I see in Raiders.



COW photo policy prohibits me showing any more photos in this thread, so I've set up my own one here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55067" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I received my shrunken lamb hero jacket a few days ago. CRB's is an excellent representation of how it looks. The leather is awesome.

I would say as far as screen accuracy goes, it's has the look but isn't truly accurate. It is more rugged looking and grainy than what I see on the screen. Compared to the dark brown lamb of my previous Wested, it's definitely much much more of a tuff guy leather. It's about twice as heavy and tuff feeling, despite being lamb. It's smooth but more solid in most areas and it weighs a lot more and holds in a lot more heat. Different areas of the leather are different colors and textures and weight. But somehow it all works and looks really awesome. I love the leather. It lays right and appears to hold shape a lot more than the dark lamb of my previous jacket. It's thicker than the original movie jackets seemed to be, but it still lays well across the chest and the wavering effect of the zipper is cool. The way they cut the hide across the chest just works to produce that same look you see in the movie.

I love the slimmer cut sleeves. They are perfect. I was worried they might be too narrow, but they are just perfect. The seam on the top of the shoulders fits a bit towards the back on the jacket I received. This may just be a fit issue in my case.

The way the different parts of the hide were placed in the jacket was really nice. Stretchy leather where needed, and the more solid stuff in the right places too. The gussets under the arms and the extra stitches here and there make for a nice rugged jacket. It's rugged all around compared to my old jacket and looks like it belongs in the great outdoors. Great job to Wested. Great product!

I'm having some real trouble with the sizing though and have written Wested to do an exchange. I was pretty careful with my measurements when I ordered but it all turned out wrong anyway.

I'm athletic slim build and measure to a 38-39 on my chest. My previous jacket from 2005 was a 40 that fit me perfectly at the shoulders if a bit big across the chest at 23" seam to seam under the arm pits. Shoulders seam to seam are 19".

I ordered a 40 again in the hero thinking it would be wider at the shoulders for the off the shoulder look, yet narrower 80's cut through the chest for a more true fit, and smaller at the base, also as in 80's cut. In reality the hero cut fits 2" bigger across the shoulders at 21", for an off the shoulder look, as expected, but it's not any narrower anywhere else, including at the base of the jacket. The action pleats are shallower but the cut is virtually the same as my previous jacket was in all dimensions of both the front and back panel. This means the slimmer fit is only in contrast to the shoulders.

This says to me that if I would have ordered a 38 I would have got a better fit this time around. The shoulders would maybe not be off the shoulder as much, and I would have gotten a narrower fit everywhere else as I wanted. I didn't want to order a 38 in what I thought would be a slim fitting jacket, but now I see it isn't slim fitting, just wider shouldered.

My main problem is that Wested made both the sleeves and the back an inch longer than I had ordered. With the front of the jacket being about 1.5" longer than the back, this is much too long for me, and well below my waist. It's an inch longer than my older jacket in the front, despite the back measurements being the same. That's how the pattern works and if I had known that I would have ordered the back even shorter than I had. I had wanted the back and sleeves shorter than my old one by one inch each, but the front is even longer and the back the same. The off the shoulders aspect adds an inch to sleeve length and I had wanted the sleeves the same or shorter than my old one, so I had taken an inch back from my old measurements. I received the same length as my old jacket but with the off the shoulder sleeves, the result is my sleeves are at least an inch or more too long.

I've just written them for an exchange and sent them pictures of the incorrect measurements I received. I'm sure I'll hear back soon. I had a great experience with them in 2005. I actually got married in a Wested. I'm expecting they'll take care of me again.

Apart from trying to figure out the sizing issue, I would really recommend the product. It's rugged, has the right look and is more rugged than my older Wested.

Benjamin

Any pics?

What is the measurement of chest armpit to armpit?

My main problem is that Wested made both the sleeves and the back an inch longer than I had ordered. With the front of the jacket being about 1.5" longer than the back, this is much too long for me, and well below my waist. It's an inch longer than my older jacket in the front, despite the back measurements being the same. That's how the pattern works and if I had known that I would have ordered the back even shorter than I had. I had wanted the back and sleeves shorter than my old one by one inch each, but the front is even longer and the back the same. The off the shoulders aspect adds an inch to sleeve length and I had wanted the sleeves the same or shorter than my old one, so I had taken an inch back from my old measurements. I received the same length as my old jacket but with the off the shoulder sleeves, the result is my sleeves are at least an inch or more too long.

This is probably my biggest hesitation with ordering one of these. It seems like the measurements or fit can be a bit unpredictable. I'm trying to figure out the back length versus the front length on these jackets. Some have posted measurements that indicate that they are the same (which is not typical for Wested, but in keeping with the Hero jacket that Nowak inspected). But now you post that the front length of your jacket is 1.5" longer than the back length! That would not look right at all. Also, you mention that the jacket itself is no slimmer than a standard 40, whereas others have posted measurements indicating that indeed they are a slimmer than a standard jacket, with about 2" of room in the chest over the marked size, as opposed to 4" that are generally standard for Wested. Finally, throw into the mix that the sleeve length doesn't work anymore because of the broader shoulders, and you now have a lot of potential for some ill-fitting jackets.

I've got similiar worries Forrest For the Trees So I've got an idea and request to Hero owners: let's post some measurements - armpit to armpit, back and front length and so on. This way we can gather some info about it, I won't count on Wested communication because I've tried numerous times with bad luck.

As per the Nowak, back length and storm flap length should be the same. 23" back length, 23" storm flap length. Like the Nowak, the Wested probably hangs off the shoulders a bit, which brings the back length down to .5"-1" longer then actual measurement once worn.

My personal experience, is that the lamb leather shrinks AND stretches depending on wear etc. So I like 24" back length jackets, I ordered 24" on my Nowak, which shrunk to 23.5" which then hangs off my shoulders to bring the fit down to where a 24" back length jacket fit. Then as per the rule, my storm flap length was 24" as well, which shrunk slightly to 23.5"ish, and it fits perfect.

This is a guideline, don't follow these exactly and complain if it doesn't work for you. It worked for me, twice.

Sorry, no pics. I still need to find time to set something up with photobucket or something. But pics will look just like the other ones recently in the forum. It's the same look. I'm returning this one anyway.

Ok, jacket zipped up and laid flat on the bed. Armpit to armpit, seam to seam on my 40 is 23". That's 6" additional room for a 40!, and no smaller or bigger than my original Wested from 05.

The back length is 25" when I had ordered a 24", and the storm flap is 23.5". When the jacket is laid flat out, the front of the jacket falls 1.5" below the back of the jacket.

The shoulders on this one are 21" seam to seam when laid flat on the bed and zipped up, as opposed to 19" on my original jacket. 19" fits me right at the shoulders so if a size 38 would fit me at 19" I'd be happy because everything else would be slimmer. The off the shoulder look is exaggerated on this one from what I see in ROTLA so a smaller size would be great. I just ordered a 40 expecting a smaller jacket than my original. No luck with that.

The back portion of the action pleats is about an inch shallower than my old one, but the portion that wraps around from the front (so to speak) doesn't taper as much as it goes down to the base like my older one does. Somehow, and I haven't figured this out completely yet, the straps are set so that I can tighten this one up a bit more than my older one, despite that former fact. But there's more leather down at the base, not less. I think it may be the new buckles as opposed to my old D rings.

If ordering the shrunken lamb, I wouldn't count on any shrink. It's a different type of leather than any lamb I've ever seen before. I guess you could say it's already shrunk.

Anyone wear a 42, bl25, sl 25.5, shoulders 21"? If so, I have your perfect fit right here!!! I'm returning it to Wested once they write me back. It's been a few days now.

Ben

Yeah, 23 inch pit to pit is way too big for a 40. At most i would expect to see 21.5 inches laid flat...they may have sent you a 42...

Hope this helps somehow...

Ordered size 42
- measured ~22.5" armpit to armpit, but not sure if I did correctly.
- 20.5" shoulder to shoulder on highest point
- 18" at the middle of the front at height of chest

Ordered BL 25.5", measured 25" (storm flap: 25")

Ordered SL 26", measured 26"

I'm still happy, despite that the back is a little bit shorter. It even fits better this way.

Your 42 is smaller than my 40!

Ben

Yeah, but there may be still a mistake on my side by not measuring correctly.

BL, SL and front isn't a problem, but still not sure if I got the armpits.

My 42 hero measures 23" from armpit to armpit (this is measuring to the top of each side seam)

Zip it up, lay it flat on a bed front up with sleeves flat and out to the sides. Measure the distance between the side seams across the front of the jacket from armpit to armpit.

For the shoulders, I did the same thing.

CRB wrote:My 42 hero measures 23" from armpit to armpit (this is measuring to the top of each side seam)

Yeah, that's what I almost got now, too.

That's crazy, some of jackets measure 2 inches of room, some 3 and some 4. I don't know what is going on with that.

Whipartist, it sounds like your jacket just wasn't cut properly. Seeing as the back length is too long and the chest size is too big.

What you are describing about the front length in relation to the back length, however, is correct for this pattern. The front and back length should be about the same. The effect is that the jacket appears to be long in the front, but shorter in the back, when worn. This is what drove gear heads crazy when looking at the film jacket on screen. No one could agree about how long the jacket was supposed to be. From the back it looked short, from the front it looked longer, hanging below the belt buckle. When Nowak's Raiders jacket came out, folks realized that the front and back were about the same length.

I don't mind the difference between front and back. It does seem more screen accurate. I just need a smaller jacket. I hope Wested writes me back soon. I'm anxious to get another and hope it's a perfect fit this time.

Ben

To me it seems ya'll measuring differently. I think pictures on where you measure would do the trick.

You guys have to remember that this jacket is WAY different then a 80's cut or a special Rola cut. The of the shoulder look has nothing to do with it being cut wider across the shoulder. The get the ''off the shoulder'' feature in the jacket they need to cut neck base lower in the back and the arm holes pushed forward to the chest. This way the jacket becomes a ''forward'' moving jacket as the original jacket needed to be. When measuring the ''armpit to armpit'' on this type of cut the chest will seem slimmer but that is because the center pit seems are moved forward on to the chest. And the ''off the shoulder'' feature will also make the back hang lower the front.

There is NO need to compare the HERO with a standard raiders, 80's or special rola jacket. It is like comparing apples to oranges. It ain't a ''normal'' cut jacket. It's a ''prop costume'' cut to get the right look for the hero of the movie. Hence the name given to the jacket ''HERO''

I can agree about different way of measuring the chest. But still, why is there difference between front and back lengths?

I think since the jacket hangs lower in the back due the ''off shouldering'' a little extra on the front would be needed to even it out. I don't know. I'm just guessing here. 1.5'' is alittle too much IMO. I guess it all depends on body types.

TheExit148 wrote:As per the Nowak, back length and storm flap length should be the same. 23" back length, 23" storm flap length. Like the Nowak, the Wested probably hangs off the shoulders a bit, which brings the back length down to .5"-1" longer then actual measurement once worn.

My personal experience, is that the lamb leather shrinks AND stretches depending on wear etc. So I like 24" back length jackets, I ordered 24" on my Nowak, which shrunk to 23.5" which then hangs off my shoulders to bring the fit down to where a 24" back length jacket fit. Then as per the rule, my storm flap length was 24" as well, which shrunk slightly to 23.5"ish, and it fits perfect.

This is a guideline, don't follow these exactly and complain if it doesn't work for you. It worked for me, twice.

Same experience here. Every jacket I've ever had has gotten wider and shorter as the leather stretches/shrinks, so I took this into account when ordering my jacket.

I ordered my Hero with a 23.5" back (which is what I received) and after wearing it, the back is now 23" long (exactly the same length as the stormflap). It is a size 42, and originally had a pit to pit measurement of 22.5". It now measures 23" across.



The way I measure from pit to pit is:

Zip the jacket all the way up and lay it face down, arms straight out to the sides. Make sure it is a flat as possible and everything is even.
Tuck in the pleats and flatten them out.
Now measure from the edges of the leather (NOT the seams) right below the lowest point of the arm hole.

The side seams on these jackets are rarely in the exact center and will usually give you an inacurate measurement.

Holt,

I hear what you're saying about the originals, but my jacket isn't cut that way from all I can tell. The neck is actually cut higher in the back than my old one, not lower. This makes the seams on the top of the shoulders' actually fall towards my back, not the front. It's sort of odd and to keep them on top, you have to wear the jacket with the collar up against the back of your neck. The shoulders are cut 2" wider than my older jacket of the same size, and that's why they hang off in my case, as I measured them.

As far as 80's cut, I guess I was using the term wrongly.

Ben

Ben,

The seams on the top of the shoulders are supposed to fall towards the back.
That's just part of this jacket's design.

Thanks. Yeah I see it's intentional because it's on all the hero jackets I've seen pictures of, so it must be a part of the pattern. Watching Raiders, the effect doesn't seem to be quite the same, but I don't mind it really. It's just different than what I'm used to. I just wish I had a jacket here that fit already.

Ben