I must say that I can't find any photos / screen grabs which show Ford's Raiders jacket with such a prominent "dinosaur" effect hide that Tony is using. Maybe the original jackets have really deteriorated to a point where the skin has developed this over-exaggerated surface finish?
Chris
_ wrote:All,
I've been getting PM'd and emailed quite a bit these last few days. A topic I did not realize had been raised.
I'll just be clear - the leather Tony Nowak is using for the Indy I is not embossed or otherwise altered. Tony does not use "altered" leathers as they tend to not be durable.
The mistake is, I suppose, understandable. Many of us only have the Wested to use as a reference. Those leathers have - for every example I've seen - been made with leathers that have been sanded. This is common for fashion leathers as the surface is almost wholly uniform. That is the leather that might be used for your girlfriend's mini-skirt or those funky jacket women love that do not go below their sternum? Anyway, to each their own...
Those of you that own a FS or USW are used to variation in grain - sometimes dramatic. In fact, just about the coolest jacket I own is an Aero Bronco A2 in what they call "jerky" horsehide. The jerky hide is naturally occuring across all leathers - some of the most distinctive being goat and kangaroo... Some pretty wild grains - like what we see in some of Tony's examples.
Anyway, that pattern is not embossed. It is natural. Some of us just don't get exposed to that natural quality in skins.
Up to this point, I've ignored that a certain vendor started this rumor. I'm going to assume other exchanges have clarified why that is intolerable...
I agree. I don't think TN is trying to use a leather that replicates what is in the movie. I think he is using a leather that replicates what he had in front of him. I'm sure those jackets were put through a lot on set, and maybe even after. Personally, I like the leather. If you could buy a jacket from raiders today, I bet it would look all wrinkly. I think that's what these jackets/leather are about, what the jacket would be like today.
Are you sure the effect on TN's leather is totally natural and that it hasn't undergone a special tanning process? It looks exactly like the "antique" lambskin on my Avirex A2, which I believe had been described as having been through a "hand tanning" process to get that aged effect.
If you closely examine some of the photos of movie jackets that have been posted around here, you will see in some areas where the grain is natural, more defined and not 'fine'.
Most of the photos however do appear to be a 'smoother' surface though. A completely smooth surface isn't that natural.
You know your right about the skins, I went and looked at my wested goat then my A-2 horsehide,after reading this post very differnt in grain. My wested is more like my leather suit jacket then my A-2. I still love it though but it's weird that I didn't notice before. I just got a goat Indy wings and it has the regular leather jacket grain like the a-2 rather than like the wested skin. You learn something new everyday and that is one of things I love about COW.
Why can't we either refer to the vendors by either first or last name when referencing them? Would save alot of confusion... I mean, I don't remember anyone referring to Peter Botwright as PB on CoW too often in the past...
Getting back on track, I quess this is what we've all been doing with the washing,crumpling,throwing in the corner or down the stairs,trying to get some texture or grain into a too smooth lambskin......thats what always bugged me about my original Wested from 10 yrs ago,it looked to much like a dressy fashion leather and not as rugged as I wanted and thus the reason began to experiment with distressing , aging ,soaking........Hatch
;-) 
(would make it easier to search also)
