Club Obi Wan

this could be interesting, pics are a must

Just one of my LC dark brown lamb skin pockets
I´m unassured whether I should show you the rest or not

Maybe you should clarify as to the most naturally distressed jacket or artificially distressed jacket.

Artificially distressed!

Btw, what did you use to distress your jacket?

I followed the MK method using acetone, 220-grit sandpaper, and ice water sponge buffing. Altogether about four months of gradual on-and-off work to achieve the look that I desired.

Y'know, WW, I really like that jacket! I wish I'd seen that back in the day when I distressed my first jacket. I felt like I had gone overboard, but if I had seen that, I wouldn't have felt so bad. That's some serious distressing, but in the end, it came out great!

Here is my Wested Custom Lambskin. I was given this jacket while shooting Treasure of the Templars in Scotland. It was distressed by Ken Gawne himself in the same style as the Westeds we used in Templars.

whipwarrior wrote:Artificially distressed!

Great distressing job Warrior! That's a wonderful LC style jacket I must say and the fit is perfect. Great stuff!

Here are some better detail shots:

Bogie, mind scaling your pics down to 640x480? Thanks.

Thy will be done Bink.

Dale wins.

-Rabittooth

Indeed he does, hands down. Other than the pre-distressed Wested _ owns or used to own. I thought my jacket was heavily distressed until I saw that. Dale, how many trucks have you been dragged behind??

Holy smoke
I think I better set to work

WW, do you mind if I save those pics?

whipwarrior wrote:Here are some better detail shots:

hmm, well, obviously this one wins

others, please dont be shy to show yours after seeing this, whats your weathering look like?

WW, do you mind if I save those pics?

Have at it. Save away!

P.S.- I used the Smithsonian shots as my main reference when I worked on that jacket. Good stuff!

I'm thinking Panda bears...

I think Dale wins, hands down for most distressed jacket.

If you're going for a Raiders style of distressing then you have to be subtle
about it. Mine has had many alcohol rubs followed by acetone and different
grits of sandpaper. Oh...and Fullers Earth goes a long way.


Without Fullers.

Nice fedora on the mannequin! Is that an AB?

Thank you, sir. It's an Optimo in Pecan.

I haven't seen anything yet that a real good coat of Pecards won't fix.

Regards! Michaelson

I have never used Pecards on a jacket, but it gets a nice coat of Letap once a year or so.

Good stuff too!

Regards! Michaelson

kinda related, but if indys jackets are always distressed in some way(they are) why would/should we bother to condition them?
this is actually a serious question...do we think indy actually worried about such things?

We're comparing real world with fictional world. No, Indy does not care, of course. He ruins one jacket, the costumer just hands him a replacement.

In OUR case, though, we want to make the jackets look good, but not continue to disintegrate due to the 'abuse' they've received in the distressing process (one, as anyone who has been here any lengh of time, knows I do not participate in myself). Once that surface has been cracked or removed in the sanding/acetone process, the underlayer is totally exposed to the air and weather. It dries out, cracks, and without some sort of treatment from time to time, will eventually tear through.

So, yes, we ARE concerned, and DO put treatment on the jackets....that is, unless you have a lot deeper pockets than most.....and in that case you can just do what Indy does, wear out a jacket, then have another handed to you by a jacket maker.

Your choice.

Regards! Michaelson

ha, yeah i understand the whole movie thing but, are you saying that if you dont condition the jacket in 5-10 years its gonna be unwearable...or will it then finally look like what he has onscreen(if thats unwearable in public may be a different issue )

Agent5, I must say, I always enjoy seeing pics of your gear set up. One of these days I would like to get around to doing something of that nature.

Michaelson, you'll be happy to know I just ordered a 16oz bucket of Pecards.

For those interested, here is my original article about aging the jacket, reproduced in its entirety:

I think that a distressed jacket is much more interesting to look at than a shiny, flawless one. Each scratch, scuff, and abrasion lends the jacket more visual appeal; a feast for the eyes to be savored by the discerning connoisseur of adventure leatherwear. I used a variety of different methods on my jacket, beginning with MK's acetone treatment, supplemented with water aging. Of these, I had two particular applications: First, draping the jacket over a bench and completely soaking the outer shell with a high-pressure blast from a hose; and second, meticulously hand buffing the leather using ice water applied with a soft sponge. Afterward, I would dry the leather with a towel, and hang the jacket in a cool, shady room to air dry overnight. I did this two or three times between acetone treatments.

The water application was my own idea, although I cannot take credit for it, as I read somewhere that water can be used as a natural way to age things. Personally, I am of the opinion that water applications are healthy, as they cleanse the acetone residue from the leather, and allow it to breathe again (no more harmful than having your jacket soaked in a rainstorm). Water is the purest, most natural element on earth, provided that it comes from a Brita filter or an artesian well. Also, the water helps fill out the leather, for when you initially receive your jacket from the factory, it seems incredibly flimsy and thin, much like a plastic garbage bag. Once you soak it and let dry a few times, the leather exhibits the lustre and fullness of the screen jackets.

Next, I went over my acetone work with an ultra-fine grade of sandpaper, using the previously highlighted areas as a template. I referenced a half-dozen production and publicity stills, as well as freeze-frames from the movie, and used a light, random circular rub to achieve the exact look of the large wear areas on the back of the jacket, as well as the front, upper shoulders, and arms. I'm a fervent believer in making gear last, so I went over the surfaces with minimal pressure. I only wanted to chafe the leather, not grind it raw. The result feels almost like unfinished suede. A thick wooden cutting board makes a perfect work surface because you can insert it inside of the jacket where needed, and stand it on end to draw the leather seams over the edges in order to sand a narrow area (this works very well for the back, shoulder, and side vent seams). I recommend 220-grit sandpaper for the best results. You will find it helpful to have the Last Crusade DVD handy (I recommend studying Indy's jacket during the motorcycle chase, in the Zeppelin lounge, and on the Mediterranean beach just as he watches the plane crash).

Finally, remember that your seam wear pattern should not be completely uniform, or else the distressing will look painfully obvious. Note that while the seams are incredibly distressed, they are not aged too regularly. For example, if you rub the edge of the pockets evenly all the way around, you will basically end up highlighting its shape and, consequently, they will appear drawn-on. The secret is to work somewhat randomly, and spot out the distress lines. Don't rub down the entire length of the main horizontal shoulder seam across the back of the jacket, but rather choose one side to distress, and make it fade out halfway across. Probably the most important thing that I can tell you is to work slowly and take your time.

Heck shoot a few bullet holes in it.

I would, except bullet holes aren't screen-accurate to Last Crusade- only Raiders!

While not an Indy jacket by today's standards, this was the closest I could find in 1989 for use in my fanfilm (apart from the Disney jacket, which I could not afford). It's cow, I think.

Here's how it looked then:





For the following 16 years I wore it as often as Florida weather would allow, resulting in this:




I stopped wearing it a few years ago when I got new jackets, which I also retired in 2006 when I got my first Wested. I now have two Westeds, lamb and goat, that I alternate depending upon the weather.

Anyway, I thought this might be a helpful reference of real-world distressing. Note how different panels wear differently, even though they were subjected to the same conditions.

Holy @#$%...Are you at sawgrass lake park in those pics?

I wear mine in the rain quite often and plan to distress it naturally. It'll be an undertaking that's for sure but each scar on it will have it's own tale when it's done and hopefully get handed down to one of my Grandkids.

Agent5, I must say, I always enjoy seeing pics of your gear set up.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.

Vegeta wrote:Holy @#$%...Are you at sawgrass lake park in those pics?

No, they're two different locations at the University of Florida. Just small wooded areas next to dorms. (The first one isn't even there anymore...another dorm sprung up!)

Natural distressing at least looks appropriate. The others look like they've been attacked by someone with sandpaper.

whipwarrior wrote:Here are some better detail shots:

Wow! Looks like you got caught up in a sand storm! Cool, looks great!

Cheers!

Dan

I too like the distressing on it...but I have to be honest o one thing if you dont mind?

I am not such a big fan of the contrast between the dark spots and the very light spots...maby it's the flash?...

however...if you were able to get a siena leather dye and thin it out and gentle rubb it over the spots it would be so more LC,then you get dark and distressed redish spots..not long ago I did this on my jacket and it looks so like the LC jacket in the movies,my camera is in for service so I cant take some pictures of it...

but this is my opinion...

high regards
Holt

indiana holt wrote: I am not such a big fan of the contrast between the dark spots and the very light spots...maby it's the flash?...it would be so more LC...

but this is my opinion...

high regards
Holt

I looked over the bike chase and it's true that it really has some big patches of wear and you put them in the same place as far as I can tell, but I agree with indiana holt since the contrast on the LC jacket was less, it looked like they had something strange and reddish over the wear spots, reminded me of shoe polish.

thy rubbed it wih mink oil as far as I know,and the lighting did the rest...
I have a leather dye that is VERY much the same color as the strange redish color on the aged spots on the jacket you see in the film...

when I get my last crusade jacket I will distress it the same as one true copy from the film LC jacket and using the leather dye to give it somewhat of the same redish color in the distressed spots

High regards
Eric

Its not really an Indy jacket but I have used it as such for a Halloween party or two.





The leather on the pockets has worn through and torn on one pocket.



I've had this jacket a long time.
I cant take credit for all the wear its seen as it was bought from a trift shop in very worn condition.
It is now retired with honor in my closet.

It seems to be the same jacket Treadwell has. I love the way it looks and feels.
Prop trivia, it is also the same jacket that Bill Pullman as Lone Star wears in Spaceballs.

It's actually more subtle in real life. The camera flash has a tendency to make it look washed out. Interesting idea to blend the jacket with dye, but I don't want to mess with it anymore. After the months of deliberate, painstaking work, with great attention to detail, I vowed never to distress a jacket to the LC style again. It's just too much work.

Yeah... I've got to say the distressed look is so obviously toyed with, it (to me) always looks silly I can't take it. As someone who has owned leather jackets for 25 years... I know when they are worn and when they are destroyed to get a look, and that look is usually bad.

I have to agree with Michaelson. As popular as this artificial distressing is, it is not tasteful to me. That's just my opinion. I would prefer a naturally distress jacket, unless you were making or remaking a movie costume piece. For everyday wear, I prefer the natural distressing any jacket will receive.

Actually, my Wested LC is my everyday jacket (unless it's cold and then it is the HH). Fortunately I am allowed to wear my regular clothes to work (I am a courier), and last week I received two compliments on my jacket by customers, which really surprised me. Both asked me where I got it from, and said that it was cool. It really made my week.

I can back you up a bit here..I my self am a LC jacket fan...so I like the distressing on the screen LC jacket,but not so much the smithsonian jacket...

you did take pictures of your distressed jacket inside with flash and that tends to make things brighter...

can you take some pictures of your jacket outside in normal daylight without flash?I am qurious to see...

then we all can see what you and others see everyday.

High regards
Holt

Okay, I'll take some outside shots this week and post them here. Stay tuned.