Club Obi Wan

Hey guys,

I've got a well used Gibson & Barnes Raiders jacket, but sadly it's sleeves are too short for me (got it when I was like 18 ). The zipper no longer works either.

I need both the sleeves and zipper to be replaced, and I reached out to Gibson & Barnes earlier, but in the meantime was wondering if anyone else knows who I could reach out to?

Thanks!

I have used Arrow Leathercare for a few jackets with very positive results. Replacing the zipper won't be a problem at all.

Lengthening the sleeves is another matter entirely. Replacing the sleeves will be a no go. Matching the leather will be impossible and removing and reattaching sleeves is not trivial. If you could find someone to do the work, it would probably be less expensive to buy a new jacket.

If the sleeves fit you correctly when you were 18 I would be surprised if they were significantly short now, most men don't grow that much once they reach 18, unless you were a late bloomer. However, if you gained weight around your torso over the years, that will contribute to the sleeves being shorter than they used to fit. Having more girth will cause the body of the jacket to fit tighter and will draw the sleeves upward as the leather stretches across your back. (I may or may not have some experience in this with jackets that fit very well a few years ago, but less so since I've added pounds.)

How short are the sleeves? How much cuff does the sleeve have? You may be able to have the cuff unfolded and reglued/sewn to give a bit more length. However, you'll likely see the line where the current fold is. The sleeve lining would most likely have to be replaced, but that's a relatively easy fix (in fact, one of the jackets I had Arrow work on was to replace the lining).

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Yeah, you'll never match the leather...unless you find another G&B with the right leather to act as a donor, but that in itself is expensive not to mention the major cost of actually having the work done. Having the hem taken out is an option, but it's limited and you'll see the old crease.

The big question is, as Jeff said, did your arms grow or did you add size in your torso? Or are the sleeves really wrinkled now, because that's easy to straighten out. Even if your chest got bigger and that's what is pulling the sleeves up it can usually be rectified by wearing it hard and stretching it. If your arms grew, well, it is what it is.

Please let us know what G&B tells you when they reply. I agree with what has been said about the sleeves, but one of their big selling points ‘back in the day’ was lifetime snap and zipper replacement. I’ll be interested if they’re still backing their products as before.

Regards! Michaelson

If you can get that free zip replacement per Michaelson, sounds like the best course would be to fix it, clean it up and flip it. I've had the sleeves shortened on two jackets now, it would be nice to find one with no work needed.
BTW, what's the size? Just asking as a public service.

I haven't heard directly from G&B, but Canasta sent me to a place called https://www.flightjacket.com/jacket-rep ... EZy0HqhyYk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They replaced the collar on this jacket at one point. They gave me a quote of $300+ for sleeves and zipper, so I think I'll just stick with zipper and keep sleeve length as a "normal" leather jacket length. Ideally I'd love them longer, but after investing in a Townsend whip, budget is slim xD

Below is how it looks on me unzipped now. If I were to wear this as a normal leather jacket, what's everyone's thoughts on the sleeve length, if I just had the zipper replaced?

Hi

As you can see from your photos there is a turn up at the end of the sleeves that puts about 2.5 inches of leather at your disposal and available to you if you did want to lengthen them though you
Might end up with a mark where the original fold was. And you’d need new sleave linings but that’s cheaper than new sleave outers … linings are around 25GBP. Just throwing it out as an option

I don't know if there's enough cuff on those sleeves to make them long enough. It doesn't look like it would zip comfortably either. I can appreciate sentimental ties to a piece of gear, but it may be time to get the zip repaired and sell it to a new owner.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Nosirrah wrote:If you can get that free zip replacement per Michaelson, sounds like the best course would be to fix it, clean it up and flip it. I've had the sleeves shortened on two jackets now, it would be nice to find one with no work needed.
BTW, what's the size? Just asking as a public service.

I normally wear a size 46, and I remember when I first got it, I gained a lot of weight in the mid section.

Well if anyone's interested in buying it, I can post pics of it closeup. It has quite the natural weathering, but in my opinion it just makes it cooler.

One option, although sacrilegious for the Indy purist, would be to add elastic wool cuffs at the end of the sleeves.

In my opinion, it doesn't look bad on you at all. Unless it's a riding jacket, it's not like you'll spend most of your time in a forward reaching pose anyway. Just my opinion though...