What are the current Wested mods...Help on a new order...

[JohnNdy]

Ok...ever since I saw that Chris King post a while back I can't help but look at my year old Wested Goat and see nothing but negatives. I thought I had THE screen accurate jacket when I ordered it...boy have I learned. With that said, this is an itch that needs to be scratched, and I am gearing up for a new Wested order...this time...mark my words friends...this time I will have it...no more jackets Ok...so I was wondering, does Peter currently offer some of the Chris King mods as standard...such as pocket size and placement? Could I tell Peter that I wanted the "Chris King Pocket Mods," or would I have to specify myself? Finally, here is the list in progress of mods I want on my jacket...I would love to hear from you screen accurate fellows to see if I am on the right track, or whether I am missing someting...here goes:

Hide: Lambtouch Cow (I want a nice drape, but sturdy)...I know Michaelson has raved about the Lambtouch...is the color good? I have seen too many westeds that look black...I want a rich brown.

Pocket Dimensions: pocket 7 x 7, 7 x 8 with the flap...make them squarer rather than rounder...my current pockets look like tea cups

Pocket Placement: 2 inches from hem, one inch from storm flap seam

Hardware: Nickle Zipper all the way down to bottom, Black slides for straps (I can put these on myself)

Other Mods: - Back Panel all the way to the shoulder-seam
- UnderArm Gussets
- Slightly tighter fit in the arms and chest, my
current Wested looks a tad loose, especially
in the arms

As for the side vents, I was gonna leave those alone unless someone can let me know how to make them more screen accurate, I have heard people refer to a "v" shape...what exactly does that mean? Is that from the shoulder seam down into where it opens? Is there a way to get more of this V shape?

Ok...there it is. I would really love some help in this department...for someone who said he was gonna only have one jacket (and don't we all say it at one stage?), here I am a Disney and one Wested later...ready to do it all over again...Thanks in advance...

-John



[/b]

[Mike]

John,

When I first got my Lambstouch, I thought it was black. You can read my review after some time to mull it over at: http://www.indygear.com/community/forum ... php?t=1945

I was told that Wested is famous for looking dark at first, and it has indeed settled into more of a brown color. But I did apply some Isopropyl Alcohol (70%) to it to reduce the shine, and the brown has really started to come out now.

If you're back in D.C. for the holidays, you'd be welcome to have a look for yourself if you wish.

Mike

[JohnNdy]

I would love to check it out...I will keep you posted as to when I get back in town. As for the rest of the post...anyone know if there is anything else that I should request? Is the pocket placement right? Someone wanna measure their expo for me ? That placement looks dead on.

[Indiana Joe]

To quote Lee from when he got his,

"One inch from stitching of storm flap, and 1 1/2" from bottom."

I have a post-mod Expedition as well and those are the measurements of my pocket placement.

Let us know how it works out!

I.J.

[Sergei]

And a picture says a thousand words. This is the diagram that MK developed and on his website.



-Segei

[Indiana Joe]

JohnNdy,

Did you include the new "authentic brown" color?

I.J.

[Indiana Joe]

Well, here's what I've but together for my order so far---

Underarm gussets.

Cargo pockets: Positioned 1 inch away from storm flap seam and 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the jacket hem. I would like each cargo pocket to be 8 inches long x 6 3/4 inches wide. The pocket flap to be 3 inches from the top of the rolled seam to the lowest point of the flap.

Zipper: Nickel zipper. I would like for the track to extend almost
to the bottom of the jacket hem.

Lining: Satin in the body and sleeves. Only the collar stand with leather
facing.

Back panel: Top of panel extends all the way out to the inside edge of the
sleeve seam.

Side straps: Dark, gun metal rectangular slides.

Collar: No wider than 3 inches at the tip.

Inside pocket: No snap nor zipper.

Anyway, that's my take on it so far.

I.J.

[Indiana Philip]

Don't forget to ask for a personalized leather name tag. I think they will put it wherever you want, but it looks really good right above the inside pocket. It is leather with gold letters, and can have your name, or your COW name, or whatever you want on it.
Indiana Philip

[Magnum]

this time...mark my words friends...this time I will have it...no more jackets

Well that sounds familiar. I think even _ has said that a couple of times.

[schwammy]

Hardware: Nickle Zipper all the way down to bottom, Black slides for straps (I can put these on myself)[/b]

Where do you get the black slides, John?

I wonder if you need to be more specific on the zipper. I saw Indy007's Wested, which is fairly new since it had the scalloped pockets, and his nickel zipper looked way too large and modern for my taste. I don't know if there's a smaller-gauge nickel zipper that more closely resembles the aluminum zipper used onscreen, but it's a point worth pondering.

One item I've noticed but never heard anyone complain about is that the Raiders jacket had silver-colored snaps on the pockets, which you can see in this shot:



Most jackets I think come with dark snaps.

[Magnum]

When I requested silver hardware on my Wested (zipper, buckles) the snaps on the pockets were silver as well.

[JohnNdy]

Schwammy, the slide issue always bugged me beyond belief so I finally did something about it. I ordered rectangular, 1 inch slides from the tandy leather store - and a small bag arrived with about a dozen slides in it. Because these were gold, I had one more step. I used a brand of Opaque black Rust-Oleum spray paint that is specifically designed to paint on metal (boats and cars), it is a part of the "Camouflage" series (for those who enjoy making their cars look like military vehicles for hunting and such). I sanded the slides I wanted to use with some fine grit sand paper to roughen it up to give it "teeth" so the paint would adhere better. After 3 coats of paint they were good to go. I used some rubber coated pliers (so as to not scratch the paint) to open the slides just enough to slip them on the jacket. Done. I couldn't be more pleased with my black slides...

-John

[schwammy]

Oh, the legnths to which we will go...