First Leather - The Real McCoy's Buco J-100

[Benj]

Oh yeah, I was going to ask about that... Here they are. They're definitely wide enough, not sure if rounded enough....

Real mccoys makes a perfect hanger but not sure if it's worth it to pick up.

 

[Benj]

And what I wore today...

 

[handymike]

It looks great Benj.

 

[navetsea]

I use this kind of hanger with flat end under the shoulder, it keeps the shoulder 3 dimensional, the whole jacket also hangs rounder not flattened.

 

[mattp]

I've got hangers like yours Benj, but Ive split some pipe insulation and have it over the wood so the jacket is on a really thick padded foam. It's more for my heavier Aero jackets but I do it for all my leathers now.

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

 

[Boyo]

Hangers? Throw the jacket on the floor..it will look better for it

 

[Benj]

It's been obscenely hot here in socal so I haven't worn this in a little, but the Diamond Dave thread reminded me that I wanted to give an overview and some thoughts on this... Here's some porn for ya

You can see that the back and the front of the jacket have a noticeably different grain pattern

As you can see from the previous pics, the stitching on my particular jacket is essentially immaculate...

On the other hand, there are some flaws, you can see the busted stitch closest to the shoulder

And very slightly errant stitching on the sleeve

While the other sleeve is 100% perfect

My thoughts on the particular jacket I have is that I wouldn't be surprised if it was essentially the best job that Real McCoy's could do on the Buco j-100. I also believe that mine has among the least grain you would get, and that it's pretty amazing how different the jackets can feel/look in both fit and leather... although I wouldn't worry about it since with good wear this will develop all the character I've been looking for. On the other hand, the jacket is REALLY robust, and I wouldn't be surprised if it took years to show any wear other than the random brown spots near high-abrasion areas.

 

[nick123]

Every one of my premium jackets (sans Gibson Barnes I think) has had at least one loose thread like yours pictured. I think the thread fibers kind of have a tendency to split rather than the stitch actually brraking per se. Yours looks like it did spit, but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Blackadder]

Great photo. I have been meaning to get some close-up photos of the RM Buco as well but not of the stitching. I just want photo to demonstrate the way the RM Buco dye their jacket which may be different from Dave even both use Shiniki. Usually black paint on a black tea-core jacket will be rubbed off over time showing the veg-tanned (before dying) brown colour. The RM Buco is different. In the second and third of you photos, the black paint actually peel off. I have always suspected that the RM uses a brown dyed leather then add a coat of black paint on it meaning the leather has been dyed twice. I just never got around to showing mine. Thank you for the photo which helps me illustrate.

 

[Cole]

In the second and third of you photos, the black paint actually peel off. I have always suspected that the RM uses a brown dyed leather then add a coat of black paint on it meaning the leather has been dyed twice. I just never got around to showing mine. Thank you for the photo which helps me illustrate.

The RM jacket is available in two different black leathers. One is black with brown underneath (teacore) and the other one is deep black, as far as I know.

 

[Benj]

Usually black paint on a black tea-core jacket will be rubbed off over time showing the veg-tanned (before dying) brown colour. The RM Buco is different. In the second and third of you photos, the black paint actually peel off. I have always suspected that the RM uses a brown dyed leather then add a coat of black paint on it meaning the leather has been dyed twice. I just never got around to showing mine. Thank you for the photo which helps me illustrate.

Thanks, and you're welcome!

What do you mean though that the buco is a different tea core? Are you saying that usually the black chips off to show undyed color, whereas on the RMC it chips off to show a dyed brown color? I thought they were all like the latter...

 

[Monitor]

Beautiful!

 

[sweetfights]

Gorgeous Jacket!
Nice choice

 

[navetsea]

Thanks, and you're welcome!

What do you mean though that the buco is a different tea core? Are you saying that usually the black chips off to show undyed color, whereas on the RMC it chips off to show a dyed brown color? I thought they were all like the latter...

probably what he meant was the adhesion of the paint/ over paint to the leather surface, when the paint is applied on a naked surface, then the paint would sip into the pores into the leather, but an overdye that is applied over another coat, will just laminate at the top.
I think it would make different look of chipping, overtime the one with black overcoat will have chunkier black paint chipping off showing another polished brown surface underneath in patches (grainy pepper and salt look from a far), while the one painted black directly on the leather will have scratches, and rubbed off part showing brown/ unpainted leather but in different way, more rubbed off than peeled off (faded from a far).
just my guessing .

 

[Blackadder]

A traditional tea-core is simply a veg-tanned or combination tanned leather dyed with whatever colour that one wants using one coat of paint. Because a veg-tanned or combination tanned leather has a yellowish or light brown colour (from the veg extracts used to tan the leather which I am sure all of you have seen before as tanned leather without dye) it is called tea core as opposed to the chrome tanned leather which has a blueish colour (from the chromium compound used to tan the leather). So tanned leather before dying process can only be either light brown or blue.

Take for example, the DD J-21 that is on the sale page, you will see the light brown colour where the black dye was rubbed off. That light brown colour is not a dye colour but the result of the tanning process.

On the other hand RM shows a solid medium brown colour where your black dye came off. That does not look like the natural tanned leather colour, it actually looks a like a coat of paint. Combined with the fact Cole has kindly pointed out, that RM has a so-called black over black and black over brown suggests that they use two layers of paint on a jacket. I suspect that their leather was veg tanned then dyed black twice or veg tanned then dyed brown then dyed black again.

Navetsea is quite right. The pattern of paint being rubbed off is also quite different from a piece of paint being chipped/peeled off which often happens on a RM. Since there are two layers of paints on a RM, the top layer may peel off from the bottom layer.

 

[Benj]

Here's some updates guys. Not a whole lot of wear (live in Orange County, hot etc etc) but every time I can I break it out. I can tell this thing is going to look insanely good a few years down the line! Pics with iPhone 6, you get the idea.

What's the etiquette for updates, just post in the last page of the thread? Or the first post?

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I think you usually post in the thread, but I could be wrong.

It looks incredible. I probably would've bought one of these a long time ago if it wasn't for the fact that I only have some black vans to wear one of these with haha

 

[handymike]

Benj, you're doing it right.
Jacket is going to take awhile to get that worn in look...
I'm in the same boat (LA), and I've only worn my jacket a handful of times (out of the house) until I took a trip to NYC this week wore it the whole time, now it's starting to wrinkle and soften a bit.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Benj, you're doing it right.
Jacket is going to take awhile to get that worn in look...
I'm in the same boat (LA), and I've only worn my jacket a handful of times (out of the house) until I took a trip to NYC this week wore it the whole time, now it's starting to wrinkle and soften a bit.

This is the worst part about living in SOCAL

It's starting to cool off a bit, though...

 

[Superfluous]

Not a whole lot of wear (live in Orange County, hot etc etc)

I'm in the same boat (LA), and I've only worn my jacket a handful of times (out of the house)

This is the worst part about living in SOCAL

Do we need a So Cal Leather Jacket Owners 12 Step Program? I know there are several others here who could probably benefit. Butte? Nick?