Club Obi Wan

I finally got my Wested jacket! It's been made in authentic lambskin. It was a hard choice between this and the dark brown lamb. Ultimately I went for the one picked for the movie, thinking that I could always make it darker.

I ordered the jacket specifying a bunch of specs compiled by agent5. Wested got most of them spot on. Discrepancies are at most 2mm, except for sleeve and back length, which are longer than specified. But as it turns out, this is to my advantage. The longer back fits me better, and the longer sleeves yields room for shrinkage / crumbling, which I hadn't accounted for when I ordered.

There are a few things that I forgot to specify when ordering, so unfortunately the zipper does not extend all the way to the bottom.

I'm planning on distressing it, so I took some before pics, some of which you can see below.











And here is the easily readable certificate of authenticity. Great font choice. ;D

Dang, looks nice!

When did you originally order it?

Mighty fine looking jacket!

Nice looking wested. Looks well put together. Good luck with the distressing

Thanks all!

It was ordered on september 3rd. At least that's when payment went through. I received the jacket 6 weeks after.

I'm both looking forward to and dreading distressing it. Can't believe I'm gonna destroy such an expensive jacket...!

Very nice Wested, and the lambskin looks beautiful. Keep us updated on the distressing.

why destroy such a fine jacket? if I had it I would just wear it. the lambskin ages pretty quick by just wear. one water soak/treatment and let it dry to you body will get a LONG way when it comes to a distressed look.

One of the best looking Westeds I've seen. Everything looks well put together and pristine. there's just something about it but I do like it.

Ultimately I went for the one picked for the movie, thinking that I could always make it darker.

Let us know how that goes! Really, that's a great looking Wested. Yeah, I'd say instead of trying to distress it, just wear the heck out of it.

That jacket is right on! Please don't distress it! Wear it and live in it in true Indy spirit!

SB

Just marvelous, mate!

That's a great looking jacket! Enjoy wearing it.

I with Holt on this one. Just wear it. A good rainstorm, wear it till it dries, time will scuff it up and you will love it. There is something to be said for a fine artificially distressed jacket, and Holt is a master. But if you don't have an extensive jacket collection, or budget to replace a project gone wrong, think twice about it.

Fine looking jacket!

Weston

That is a NICE jacket! There is something about a crisp, new Raiders jackets... Good job Wested!

Nice jacket! Natural distressing is the only way to go. Each scuff, scar and nick in the course of the history of this jacket will be a memory you earned, versus a fabricated one. Just my humble opinion friend. Enjoy the jacket.

Beaverlid

Just to give the other side of the story.... I'd artificially distress it if I were you. Part of the charm to me of the Indy jacket is that it looks like it's been battered and trampled. If it doesn't have this look then it's just another leather jacket. Yes, you could get this naturally - maybe if you worn it constantly for years. However , I've ten year old leather jackets , including a bike jacket that I've crashed in twice, that still look not far off new. The film jackets were artificially distressed and if you want the true Indy look that's the way to go as far as I'm concerned. You can do it a bit at a time without going nuts....

djd wrote:Just to give the other side of the story.... I'd artificially distress it if I were you. Part of the charm to me of the Indy jacket is that it looks like it's been battered and trampled. If it doesn't have this look then it's just another leather jacket. Yes, you could get this naturally - maybe if you worn it constantly for years. However , I've ten year old leather jackets , including a bike jacket that I've crashed in twice, that still look not far off new. The film jackets were artificially distressed and if you want the true Indy look that's the way to go as far as I'm concerned. You can do it a bit at a time without going nuts....

This is the one of the age old debates for sure but I like hearing myself say it 'out loud' from time to time. I totally agree with djd. For many years I was on the fence about this subject but I am now a firm believer that for the jacket to look Indy it needs a certain amount of distressing.

It seems to me that people will connect the dots that pretty much any beat up jacket is like an Indy jacket. I have never had anyone other than a diehard fan look at one of my new, pristine Indy jackets and make any type of Indy related comment. It just has never happened. In contrast, I have had instances where I was wearing a non-Indy style leather jacket that was fairly beat up (when I was younger it was much more common for me to acquire more second hand, well lived in jackets than brand new ones) and had complete strangers come up and say, "Hey, Indy! Where's your whip?".

A large part of the Indy jacket is that it is beat up. Let's say you are asked to in one sentence describe the Indiana Jones jacket to a random person that you meet. Would you start describing the collar stand, the shape of the packets, the back panel, etc? If it were me I would likely say, "It a dark brown, beat-up looking leather jacket.". The rest is for we Indiana Jones engineer eggheads, you know, the guys that look at the nitty gritty details that most people don't care about. But don't forget the importance of the "beat up" part as a key component in the "construction" of an Indy jacket.

Let's face it. The majority of us will never be put into situations that would take a new jacket from pristine to the evenly worn look that we see on the screen. The normal wear marks I've put on my jackets from daily wear look very little like the wear that Indy's jacket has and I've worn my jackets in pretty much every situation that I could put them in whether it's my day-to-day life in modern day suburbia, hauling heavy brush around our property or that "epic" wilderness exploration hiking adventure that I go on with my dog whenever I can. Yes, I know there are some "real" adventurer's amongst us that can show me some real world wear examples but the bulk of us will not achieve the look that was the product of a very specific vision and well executed plan (with more than just a few jackets ruined in the process along the way...).

I know I'm one of those in the minority but to me, any new looking jacket is not an Indy jacket. It's an Indy wannabe jacket. As djd said, just do it a little bit at a time and you should be fine. Yes, you are likely shaving some time off the jackets life expectancy but that is what's required to give it the true Indy vibe.

BTW - that is a great looking Wested, MaXer! I say you need to make it look like an Indy jacket now!

Thanks everyone!

Didn't mean to start-up the distressed / not distressed war. I've been back and forth on it a lot myself. My goal has always been to have an outfit that looks as I remember/know Indy to be. In the end, this means a distressed jacket, no matter how much it pains me to mess up a new expensive jacket.

I realize that most of my friends won't care/know either way, but I will know, and in the end that's what matters. But I will definitely advance gently.

MaXer wrote:Thanks everyone!

Didn't mean to start-up the distressed / not distressed war. I've been back and forth on it a lot myself. My goal has always been to have an outfit that looks as I remember/know Indy to be. In the end, this means a distressed jacket, no matter how much it pains me to mess up a new expensive jacket.

I realize that most of my friends won't care/know either way, but I will know, and in the end that's what matters. But I will definitely advance gently.

Yeah, I didn't mean to take it down that road. It's yours to enjoy as you will. I really was just advocating a conservative approach with such a fine jacket.

Weston

I have to agree, that jacket is begging to be distressed imo. Be sure and post some pics when you have the whole ensemble on you!

"Conservative" will come automatically due to my fear of breaking things. Although I might get carried away when I get to it. Hmm, I should be careful...

About full gear pics, where do they belong? I can't find any forum that fits.

There's a thread in the scrapbook section for those photos.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=40802

Regards! Michaelson

A beautiful jacket... I'll be interested to see how this progresses.
Be sure to let us know here in THIS Thread if you start a new Thread with your Full Gear on in the Scrapbook Section.


Michaelson:
LOVE the new avatar!!! It just changed right before my eyes!
AWESOME!

It's all MAGIC!!!!

That's an old one, but considering everyone is putting up old horror photos for avatars lately, I thought that one would scare folks too.

Regards! Michaelson

Spoooooky stuff, indeed!

Yeah, I'll take it down after Halloween. Don't want to give the kiddies nightmares.

Regards! Michaelson

Hi MaXer May I say that is an outSTANding looking Raiders jacket! Looks quite similar to mine in that the cut, especially the stitching and the pocket flaps, are spot on to the one that I have.
Next time I order one, I will most definitely request that the yoke and sleeve seems are spaced apart, as you have in yours. May I ask, is this something that you paid extra for, or did they go ahead and do that upon request for the base price of a custom?
PS, my jacket also has a zip that does not extend all the way to the bottom. Other than that and the yoke/sleeve seem alignment, I'd say Westeds Custom ROLA (without any special request mods) is ripe for the SA look .
And again, fantastic looking jacket! Enjoy it in good health!
Ravenswood

Mitch LaRue, don't worry, I'll be sure to post distressing pics in here.

Hahaha, now I totally get what your previous avatar was about, Michaelson!

Thanks Ravenswood! Sounds like you have a beautiful jacket. I had a whole list of alterations, so they did charge extra for it. Eg. I specified the size of the pockets, because I was told they tend to run large.

Awesome
Also, I will second Indiana Holt on the soaking method. Soak it once, let it almost dry on the hanger, and then wear it as it's going through the rest of the drying process. This will help it mold to your body, and also bring out the characteristics of the Lambskin that are sought after in the Raiders jacket, such as the rippling and pebbling...it will go a LONG way to helping it look more lived in.
As for the scrapes, bruises and otherwise, scuffing that would be part and parcel of the artificial aging process, I also second the motion of letting that happen naturally, through every day wear.

I'll definitely soak it. I'm glad you mentioned that I can let it dry off mostly on a hanger, I thought I was supposed to wear it the whole time...!

The jacket doesn't exactly fit my normal wardrobe, so it'll be tough to have it age naturally, without it taking several years. But I will try to wear it as much as possible, it just screams at me to wear it!

If / when I distressing it, should I do that before or after the soak? Does it make a difference? I've read that I should rub it down with rubbing alcohol to take the shine out. Does it matter whether this is done before of after the soaking?

Since this has moved toward the distressing end of the discussion, I'll move this to that section now.

Regards! Michaelson

Soaking alone should take a lot of the shine off. _ I think suggested adding some vinegar to the wash which sounds like a good idea. The acid should help age the leather and take off shine. Not tried it myself but I sounds like a good plan

Michaelson wrote:Since this has moved toward the distressing end of the discussion, I'll move this to that section now.

Regards! Michaelson

Alright, if you think that's better. I didn't mean it to be a distressing thread, though, I just wanted people looking for what a Wested Lambskin looks like to find it. I'm sure they'll find it there/here too.

djd wrote:Soaking alone should take a lot of the shine off. _ I think suggested adding some vinegar to the wash which sounds like a good idea. The acid should help age the leather and take off shine. Not tried it myself but I sounds like a good plan

So I can safely put it in the washing machine? I was thinking either dunk it in a bucket, or put it in the shower.

I left a 'ghost link' in the jacket section, so they're find it in both sections.

Regards! Michaelson

Cool, thanks!

djd wrote:Soaking alone should take a lot of the shine off. _ I think suggested adding some vinegar to the wash which sounds like a good idea. The acid should help age the leather and take off shine. Not tried it myself but I sounds like a good plan

Is there a smell afterwards? Can't say I fancy smelling like a vinegar bath for days.

Indiana Holt wrote:why destroy such a fine jacket? if I had it I would just wear it. the lambskin ages pretty quick by just wear. one water soak/treatment and let it dry to you body will get a LONG way when it comes to a distressed look.

What Holt said! Wear the tar outta' that thang!

Nice jacket, Max!

yeah, Max, if you want a jacket to destroy then I'll send you one and you send me that one and I'll wear it.

Indiana Holt wrote:yeah, Max, if you want a jacket to destroy then I'll send you one and you send me that one and I'll wear it.

That sounds like a plan, oh wait, maybe not.

Great jacket Maxer.
As other COW members said, just wear it everyday or as much as possible, get some rain and you will see the difference after a time.
I have a wested lambskin and I am with a natural distressing. Mine is a year and a half old and is a lot different form its state when i first got it.

Thanks tekors!

I'm not really sure natural distressing is quick enough for me. I don't think I'll distress it to heavily, though.

I've tried using house hold alcohol on it to take the shine off, but it didn't work... It wasn't isopropylalcohol, i didn't have that stuff lying around.

I think I'll try putting it in the washing machine with some vinegar. But should it be "real" vinegar, like you use for food, or vinegar acid as for cleaning? And how much should I use, and at which temperature?

Cold wash. You don't want it to shrink. Just use normal vinegar. Try pm-ing _ as the vinegar trick is his. Any mild acid should do the same. Lemon juice I guess might work?

_ wrote:Vinegar is vinegar. Use white as it's "just" vinegar.

And vinegar is not a "distressing" agent - it's to get odors out. BO? Tobacco?

So... It won't take the shine off the jacket? Will it do anything at all? I hear you're the go-to guy on this subject.

Sorry, if thats the case it's my misunderstanding. I thought from one of the X0 jacket discussions that vinegar was part of Pattersons standard distressing technique for new jackets. Now I understand it is just his hard core version of under-arm deodorant

No harm done. I'll wait for _'s final word before I do anything.

MaXer wrote:Thanks tekors!

I'm not really sure natural distressing is quick enough for me. I don't think I'll distress it to heavily, though.

I've tried using house hold alcohol on it to take the shine off, but it didn't work... It wasn't isopropylalcohol, i didn't have that stuff lying around.

I think I'll try putting it in the washing machine with some vinegar. But should it be "real" vinegar, like you use for food, or vinegar acid as for cleaning? And how much should I use, and at which temperature?

Well, I don't know about vinegar, but if the other members told you it should be safe, specially with _'s blessing. After that, try washing the jacket only with cold water, do it from time to time.... it should take the shining out.
cheers

Okay, I started the distressing process. I've now tried both household alcohol and isopropyl alcohol. Neither took the shine off. I probably just didn't rub long enough, I'm not sure.

So I decided to go ahead and gently work it with sand paper. Some parts of the jacket took to it a lot faster than others, so it doesn't look the same all over, but I think it works.

Sorry about the lousy mobile cam photos. Better photos will come. Tomorrow I'm taking a bath with the jacket (unrelated to the photo part, just saying ;D). Fingers crossed.

That's looking good pal! Do try the water treatment though. It really brings out the texture in the lamb and gets the sleeves nice and wrinkled

looks good, now STOP. do the water treatment. it will also darken the leather. when its dry, pecard it and from now on wear it.

this jacket reminds me of my first jacket I distressed. I get this nostalgic feeling when looking at yours. lol. funny...... but stop... put a fork in it...

Thanks guys!

I showered with the jacket this morning. That was... an experience...!

I've now returned home, and am now wearing the damp jacket, sleeves rolled up. It's taking forever to completely dry off.

Don't worry Holt, I've looked a lot at the raiders jacket, and it's actually not that distressed. Compared to the other movies. So I probably won't do any more distressing after this. Well, maybe some touch-ups, but nothing drastic.

Edit: Holt, I'm glad I could take you a trip down memory lane. How's your newest Raiders different from your first? It would be fun to hear of your process to get your perfect jacket.