Just add a wee bit to this thread. I received some samples of Aero's Italian seal and dark seal HH, plus the jerky seal HH to have a look at. I've got an 1756 A-2 on order, and generally they recommend the seal jerky HH for it. Pics are slightly more red in pic than real life, and are closer tonally, but not too far off.
From what I can see of these samples, the Italian seal (centre) has by far the softest hand (it flops), followed closely by the dark seal (right), while the jerky HH is relatively, er, stiff in comparison. The Italian seal has the most grain and lovely russet undertone, but the dark seal has a lot to recommend it too and is closer to the colour of original 1756's that I've found online.
I'm tempted to go with the dark seal with the caramel knits to try and get as close to a proper repro. Opinions?
From what I can see of these samples, the Italian seal (centre) has by far the softest hand (it flops), followed closely by the dark seal (right), while the jerky HH is relatively, er, stiff in comparison. The Italian seal has the most grain and lovely russet undertone, but the dark seal has a lot to recommend it too and is closer to the colour of original 1756's that I've found online.
I'm tempted to go with the dark seal with the caramel knits to try and get as close to a proper repro. Opinions?
Last edited: