Finally got a size 48 A2 that fits very well without custom ordering...

[LouisBailie]

Yep, I knew that the white residue was a by product of the oils/waxes in the Color 8 Shell Cordovan. Still don't think I would want to spend 80 bucks plus shipping on a yak brush though. [huh]

I need them, I have a few pairs of shoes and lots of boots to keep up...

Wait you could do like I did, buy 12 (6 each wholesale direct with free shipping, from Redecker in Germany) , and sell 10 to get your two, absolutely free...

 

[LouisBailie]

I noticed the placement of the CBI patch on the right sleeve of your A2 and the AAF on the left sleeve - and thought it looked irregular to me.
So I've just checked and looked through my copy of "Art of the Flight Jacket" (Jon Maguire & John Conway) and noted that, of the 16 examples of vintage A2s from the CBI Theatre of Operations that have CBI patches, 15 of them have the CBI patch on the left sleeve and the AAF patch on the right .
Was that something you asked for?

The quartermaster at Ft Myer, VA Eastman Leather Company, ACME, and Gen Stillwells' archives all show most were that way but, SOME WERE REVERSED....

Gen. Stillwell decided this emblem was the patch he wanted to identify U.S. personnel in the CBI theater as NOT being British, he directed all US troops in India and China would wear the patch. Therefore, Army and Army Air Force personnel wore the patch. I don't know if assigned Navy and Marine personnel or, later, the ATC personnel or the XX Bomber Command personnel were included in the authorization to wear the patch.

This policy (regulation?) continued through to the cessation of the CBI theater of war after Japan's surrender. Personnel wore the CBI patch on the left, upper arm and, as appropriate for USAAF personnel the Tenth or Fourteenth patch was on the right arm. (Although I have seen some shirts and jackets the opposite of this) "

This is a pic of an Eastman Leather Jacket right out of the shipping box also...plus I like being different......

 

[LouisBailie]

Got this bad boy yesterday afternoon, Vanson HEAVY cowhide in their octaon brown, real nice heavy deep grained leather. I bought it at auction and found there was a $50 bill taped inside left front pocket......what a bummer....now after initial cleanup getting ready for the name tag. Not a bad deal for net of $130....

I like this stuff for cowhide, it is easy to work with and does not discolor at all...softens and cleans real well....

 

[LouisBailie]

I called Eastman Leather US in NJ and asked if they could install patches name tags new knits etc. He said no, the person he used retired. So I found an old time very exp leather tailor that does heavy leather jacket repairs.

He can and will replace zippers, knits, linings, and install misc patches name tags etc in Baltimore Maryland, fast turn around, reasonable pricing, and excellent work. Very hard to find people like this anymore...

I wonder where the other horsehide jacket owners who have broken in jackets or new jackets adding how this process of buffing the leather does on their jacket(s). The Thunderbay and highwayman I own are now a pleasure to wear and soft as a kittens' coat.

My friend and I just buffed a brand new Schott 689H for a couple of days and it loosened up the leather a very great deal. the jacket was right out of the box. Made it much more comfortable.

 

[LouisBailie]

I have 2 more HH 48s on the way. I will brush the leather and post pics of before and after as the leather becomes more and more flexible and soft..

Both the Aero Thunderbay and the ELC ANJ-4 are wearing and hanging very nicely. They are brushed heavily after each wearing. This makes the sleeve leather hang nice and straight, not wad or wrinkle up like a worn cotton shirt.

 

[walterwhyte]

I hear that although a fine Yak hair brush does wonders for cowhide or steer hide, for horsehide what you really need is a brush made from the mane hair of a female unicorn, this is because a unicorn is genetically closer to a horse in it's DNA make up than a Yak.

 

[Edward]

I hear that although a fine Yak hair brush does wonders for cowhide or steer hide, for horsehide what you really need is a brush made from the mane hair of a female unicorn, this is because a unicorn is genetically closer to a horse in it's DNA make up than a Yak.

:lol: Unicorns? Walter.... have you been at your own product?

 

[LouisBailie]

I hear that although a fine Yak hair brush does wonders for cowhide or steer hide, for horsehide what you really need is a brush made from the mane hair of a female unicorn, this is because a unicorn is genetically closer to a horse in it's DNA make up than a Yak.

What jacket, that you bought, do you use those brushes on?

Did you get the brushes from the same place you bought your jacket?

 

[LouisBailie]

Just got the hair on hide for a new jacket I am having made....



Aero King of Road due any day now

 

[LouisBailie]

The post office brought the Aero KOR over today in a tyvex bag. :eeek:.

It was shipped around the world to me in 3 plastic bags.

Upon arrival in US it was opened and inspected by customs.

Customs put all the stuff in a bag and gave it to USPS.

Then it was sent to the wrong zip code and finally redirected to the lost damaged sorting facility....in my area.. lucky to get anything at all.

I will post what the seller and I work out on the lost belt....and pics once cleaned up and buffed.

I also scored a Vanson horsehide Enfield that is on the way into me.....



Update: After a discussion about the loss of the belt the seller and I decided to get the new belt.

Aero wanted 120 GBP, so I am suppling the leather person who makes wallets for me with my Aero Thunderbay (to copy the belt) and getting one made here in USA for 100 USD. It helped I was having him make me 2 other belts also....

I decided a split the cost of the replacement belt of 50% 50% was fair because that is what % I paid, of the new price for the jacket.

The 50 USD was lots cheaper then 60GBP for seller to have to pay....for the replacement.

 

[pawineguy]

The post office brought the Aero KOR over today in a tyvex bag. :eeek:.

It was shipped around the world to me in 3 plastic bags.

Upon arrival in US it was opened and inspected by customs.

Customs put all the stuff in a bag and gave it to USPS.

Then it was sent to the wrong zip code and finally redirected to the lost damaged sorting facility....in my area.. lucky to get anything at all.

I will post what the seller and I work out on the lost belt....and pics once cleaned up and buffed.

I also scored a Vanson horsehide Enfield that is on the way into me.....

Sounds like an insurance issue with the shipper, not a seller issue. And plastic is definitely better than people who put it in corrugated with no inner liner.

 

[LouisBailie]

Here is the King of the Road after cleaning, adjusting the liner, changing out one chain pull replacing another chain pull to match and buffing and heating the horsehide to soften.

broken side vent chain pull


replaced with sterling silver chain

 

[LouisBailie]

Here is the King of the Road after cleaning, adjusting the liner, changing out one chain pull replacing another chain pull to match and buffing and heating the horsehide to soften.

broken side vent chain pull
View attachment 27726

replaced with sterling silver chain
View attachment 27727

finished pic

 

[LouisBailie]

Aero King of the road

taking one inch out of booth sleeve linings



The sleeves after heating & buffing the horsehide to get the leather to lay and hang straight







by fold back after heating and buffing...



the real deal:



When the Vanson Enfield gets here I will compare the jackets.

The King of the Road is much lighter in weight than the Thunder Bay jacket earlier in this thread. The horsehide loosened up real well using the buffing. I also used a heat gun on some areas to soften it up. Bothe did an excellent job.

 

[nick123]

That's a stellar jacket. Put up some pics in some good lighting! Fit pics would be nice too, as that's not a model with many pictures. Of course if it's not your bag that's alright!

 

[LouisBailie]

outside in the sun:



Notice the length in the sleeves gained by having the leather very flexible and soft. They hang an inch lower and fit the same longer length. Same can be said about the body, front and back...

That is one real good reason to break-in the leather, like detailed in this thread on several horsehide jackets...

I am having the person who makes my shell cordovan wallets make me a black HH belt (to replace the one that fell out in shipping), and some spare zipper leather pulls.

 

[LouisBailie]

Aero Leather company sent me enough matching horsehide to make new leather zipper pulls and I am seriously thinking about getting the little #5 front zipper replaced with a #8.

While being worked on I may just have the sleeve zippers replaced and make the lower arm opening close like every other jacket with zip close sleeves.

Aero makes the King of the Road jackets with the zip close to about 3/4 of an inch from the sleeve bottom and this causes it to act like a funnel forcing air up the sleeve instead of preventing it from entering. When I discussed this with Aero they said it was done during manufacturing to get the bottom sleeve inner panel to have the same fold over bottom seam as the rest of the jackets other outer seam. This made it thick and "bubble" when they tried to close the sleeve opening all the way down to the bottom. So the made it zip close above the area.

If I change the zippers I will have the tailor "hammer" the lower inner panel bottom seam to reduce its thickness and keep the seam. That would allow a zip close to fully fold and close the bottom of the sleeve.

 

[navetsea]

you can have much slimmer cuff if you decide to get rid that triangular cuff flap thing that folds inside when the zipper is closed, I thought it has some advantage to have it, or it must serve a function, but then in practice I hate it, always bunching and pressing against my wrist bone, my watch couldn't fit etc, I only zip my cuff 3/4 way because of it
so my next jacket would have just open zipper without that flap

 

[pawineguy]

Aero Leather company sent me enough matching horsehide to make new leather zipper pulls and I am seriously thinking about getting the little #5 front zipper replaced with a #8.

While being worked on I may just have the sleeve zippers replaced and make the lower arm opening close like every other jacket with zip close sleeves.

Aero makes the King of the Road jackets with the zip close to about 3/4 of an inch from the sleeve bottom and this causes it to act like a funnel forcing air up the sleeve instead of preventing it from entering. When I discussed this with Aero they said it was done during manufacturing to get the bottom sleeve inner panel to have the same fold over bottom seam as the rest of the jackets other outer seam. This made it thick and "bubble" when they tried to close the sleeve opening all the way down to the bottom. So the made it zip close above the area.

If I change the zippers I will have the tailor "hammer" the lower inner panel bottom seam to reduce its thickness and keep the seam. That would allow a zip close to fully fold and close the bottom of the sleeve.

Louis, if this is the jacket that I think it is, and you're screwing over a fellow board member on this transaction, you should go away and never show your face here again. I'm glad you reached out to Aero and let them know they have been making their zip sleeves wrong all this time! They must be very relieved to have been set straight.

 

[pawineguy]

The post office brought the Aero KOR over today in a tyvex bag. :eeek:.

It was shipped around the world to me in 3 plastic bags.

Upon arrival in US it was opened and inspected by customs.

Customs put all the stuff in a bag and gave it to USPS.

Then it was sent to the wrong zip code and finally redirected to the lost damaged sorting facility....in my area.. lucky to get anything at all.

I will post what the seller and I work out on the lost belt....and pics once cleaned up and buffed.

I also scored a Vanson horsehide Enfield that is on the way into me.....



Update: After a discussion about the loss of the belt the seller and I decided to get the new belt.

Aero wanted 120 GBP, so I am suppling the leather person who makes wallets for me with my Aero Thunderbay (to copy the belt) and getting one made here in USA for 100 USD. It helped I was having him make me 2 other belts also....

I decided a split the cost of the replacement belt of 50% 50% was fair because that is what % I paid, of the new price for the jacket.

The 50 USD was lots cheaper then 60GBP for seller to have to pay....for the replacement.

Sounds like the seller really had a super time dealing with you... why didn't you go after the shipper? Did you document all of this with pics? You're unbelievable.