Club Obi Wan

I have a new seal brown goat Expedition from Flightsuits I've been wearing for several months now. Not a believer in artificial aging, and having read in the past posts about the difficulty of artificially distressing this leather, I'm wondering what I can expect in the way of aging over the years. Will the jacket eventually look like it's seen some mileage, or remain perpetually pristine? Any comments from other owners?........pwd

But I've got Mike's older version in the DARK brown goatskin and it is getting some VERY nice highlights on it in the "high exposure" areas...pocket flaps and seams, storm flap seams, shoulder seams....all where just the darkest part of the leather is wearing off and the reddish brown just under the surface is showing through...

So, the answer is, yes...I think it IS possible to have some natural distressing to these jackets...you just have to wear them REALLY hard

Later!
Indydawg

I took _'s advice and did this for several weeks. When you're done wearing it at the end of the day remove everthing from the pockets and crumple the whole jacket into a ball. I mean really crumple it up! Bend the collar, the pocket flaps, everthing. Crumple it up different everytime and then throw it in the corner. In short order the leather will loosen up more and the texture of the leather will come out giving the jacket a much more lived in look.

I ran into Lee Keppler over the past weekend. He has a FS Seal Chrome Goat that is about 14 months old. My only regret is I didn't take a picture of it, but this jacket naturally distressed just fine. MK, are you reading? The areas over the storm flag, the shoulders, the pockets all have naturally looking different colors of faded brown. All he did was wear the jacket every day for about a year until he got his newer FS. The jacket to me looked like it was 10 years old.

-S

You are killing me Sergei! After drooling over your Seal Chrome Expo and deciding that it was going to be my next Indy Jacket I hear that it doesn't distress well. Then Runquist and MK get their new/old Wested lambs and I decide to wait and see how well they distress. Now you post that Lee's Expo Seal Chrome is distressing nicely! AARRGGHH!! Now I don't know what I'll do! :evil:
PBG

ALL leathers will eventually distress, but if you'll re-read the above, it took Lee a full year of daily wear and use to get his to look right. IndyDawg has stated the same. In your case, you have to ask, 'do I want to naturally distress it by just wearing the thing (as I suggest and Lee has done), or do it using distressing techniques? 'If you use Lee's, IndyDawgs, and my method, anything you buy will be right! If you're talking about artifical aging, you need to continue your wait to see how MK and co. new Wested's work out. You're trying to make a decision comparing apples and oranges here. Ok, help me back down off my soapbox. Regards. Michaelson

The natural way is always the best!

Naturally.

junior

Keep in mind all leather does age....but in different ways. Look at an old A2 from WWII. It doesn't fade it cracks. I don't want my jacket to do that. As FS deer skin will show wear.....but not highlights due to the dark drum dyed leather.

One size does not fit all.

Hey Sergei! I don't recall any signs of age on yours......but Lee's is showing its age?

MK wrote:
Hey Sergei! I don't recall any signs of age on yours......but Lee's is showing its age?

I am not kidding, Lee's jacket was a total surprise. All the highlights are showing around the storm flap seams, the shoulder seams, the pocket flaps, etc. This is Lee's 14 month old Seal Chrome (pre mod), not the newer seal chrome. After seeing Lee's jacket, I am sure my FS Seal Chrome will get there. I am going to see Lee next week and I will post pictures. It's awesome...

-Sergei

MK wrote:Keep in mind all leather does age....but in different ways. Look at an old A2 from WWII. It doesn't fade it cracks. I don't want my jacket to do that.

Yes, but how many of those A-2's were treated with a good dressing on a regular basis? Anyone who cares for their jacket with Pecards or a similar product every six months to a year shouldn't have this problem.

That's sort of what I was saying...one size does NOT fit all, or 'comparing apples to oranges'. Not all examples are a given either. I HAVE seen WWII A-2's that have faded from wear and have not cracked, so there will always be that exception to the rule...whatever that rule might be. Regards. Michaelson

I learn something new here....if not every day, at least every couple of days.

Sergei,

I would definitely like to see those pictures of Lee's jacket. I think I am beginning to see the slightest bit of natural distressing on the edge of the storm flap of the FS seal brown chrome...pwd

The Seal Chrome goatskin that is Lee's that is showing the age around the "high" points is the SAME leather as the FS goatskin I currently have. His and Mike's jacket (the jacket that I currently have) were the first two from that batch of goatskin....so, what Lee is seeing on HIS jacket is the exact same thing I'm seeing in the way of highlights coming through on MY jacket.....

Just thought I'd throw that out there....
Later!
Indydawg

Yes, Dawg, but you probably still have some catching up to do to get to Lee's. Remember, I stopped wearing mine as much when my belt size dropped. Funny thing is, now that I'm back to a desk job, the belt size is starting to go back up. Time to work out and eat more greens! Especially since I don't think I could convince you to send it back.

Mike

Well, not without some kind of "compensation" so that I could replace it with another FS goatskin you couldn't

Yeah...I gotta get my back in order again so I can get back in the gym....a week can really make a difference, or at least I have noticed one....

But other than a really lucrative offer....well, yeah, I'm pretty attached to it. I've worn it almost every day since I got it from ya! It's a great lookin' jacket, man...and really wears hard.

Later!
Indydawg

Well, I guess I'll always have my profile pic to remember it by.

Mike

Well, you'll always have Paris.....

Seriously, Mike...you know the door is always open for us to wheel and deal. If you got to REALLY wanting it back, I'm sure we could come up with SOMETHING

Later, man!
Indydawg

Indydawg wrote:The Seal Chrome goatskin that is Lee's that is showing the age around the "high" points is the SAME leather as the FS goatskin I currently have. His and Mike's jacket (the jacket that I currently have) were the first two from that batch of goatskin....so, what Lee is seeing on HIS jacket is the exact same thing I'm seeing in the way of highlights coming through on MY jacket.....

When I saw Mike's "old" jacket last Saturday at Indydawg's, I was stupified at the distressing I was seeing on the Expo. I can be rough on my jackets and my seal chrome goat was no exception. After four months of continuous wear ( and I really do mean, "continuous") not one little iota of a distress mark--not even on the cuffs that were rubbing on everything for hours at a day.

Anyway, seeing the distress marks on the Expo at Indydawg's made me wonder if MK could really just apply some additional elbow grease and get some additional results (and post them) b/c I just didn't think the chrome-tanned goatskin Expeditions would distress naturally.

I.J.

I hope the new Wested authentic-colored goat distresses nicely.

Indydawg wrote:Seriously, Mike...you know the door is always open for us to wheel and deal.

I wouldn't dream of splitting you to up. It's your precious!

Indiana Joe wrote:When I saw Mike's "old" jacket last Saturday at Indydawg's, I was stupified at the distressing I was seeing on the Expo. I can be rough on my jackets and my seal chrome goat was no exception.

I.J., I do have to admit that the expo might have had a head start on many a motorcycle ride. The highlights on the cuffs and storm flap were starting to come through nicely when it was sent to Dawg.

Maybe if you have a wind tunnel somewhere nearby?!

Mike

it's been on quite a few horseback rides since I've had it too....so, it is really getting worn as it should be worn. Rough and tumble.

My Precious, eh? You make it sound like "the One Ring" and I'm Gollum....

Anyways....Joe, the thing is, I'm sure MK can do the kind of distressing you're talking about. Artificial distressing made to LOOK like it occurred naturally. I mean, he does that sort of thing for a living. But, for me...there's only ONE real way to get natural distressing on a jacket...the natural route!

Later y'all!
Indydawg

Indiana Joe wrote: Anyway, seeing the distress marks on the Expo at Indydawg's made me wonder if MK could really just apply some additional elbow grease and get some additional results (and post them) b/c I just didn't think the chrome-tanned goatskin Expeditions would distress naturally.

You can create highlights the dark drown chrome. It is just hard to create the fading. It is pretty much all or nothing. I had one that I aged, but it has been sold. There are pictures floating around here and on my personal site of it.

I'l admit it, I saw MK's at the QM summit, and it was a beaut, and you KNOW what I think about pre-distressing! :shock:He did a great job in my opinion. Regards. Michaelson

_ wrote:Just thought I'd pitch-in...

Glad you did, _. You've been missed. Some people were beginning to think you were legend, myth.... just a cardboard cutout in a group photo.

Mike

Hey, who WAS that masked man? Regards. Michaelson

Michaelson, that was a stomach churner.

junior