IRVIN NUTS?...the ULTIMATE thread for those who love 'em!

[mikepara]

The nearest..

..you'll get is :

Luftwaffe vs RAF. Flying Clothing of the Air War 1939-45 by Mick J. Prodger.

A really good Schiffer book. Anyone familier with Schiffer know they produce the goods. This as the title suggests isn't just RAF or flying jackets but it is good. This one has a white cover, there's a sister book with blue cover detailing other flying equipment, entitled:

Luftwaffe vs RAF. Flying Equipment of the Air War 1939-45 by Mick J. Prodger.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

It's a new jacket with an aged look. It doesn't call for any pecards or treatments, trust me. Just wear the thing into the ground and if in several years time it's looking dry and worse for well, then..think about a treatment to rub in. But not when it's just fresh out of the package. Otherwise it negates the whole point of getting a jacket that has been made by the maker to look aged and beat up!!
Just beast it for a few years and let it naturally get more beat up looking...oh!! and enjoy it

OK, I have a 3-year-old Aero Irvin that has no such aged look. I suppose an aged look would be nice, but my top priority has been to take care of it. I have been treating it with Lexol once every six months. Are you suggesting I should lay off? Or that I could if I wanted to?

 

[airfrogusmc]

I wouldn't do anything. The experts say you shouldn't have to condition a new leather jacket for YEARS.

 

[PADDY]

I agree with my Marine friend...leave it.

OK, I have a 3-year-old Aero Irvin that has no such aged look. I suppose an aged look would be nice, but my top priority has been to take care of it. I have been treating it with Lexol once every six months. Are you suggesting I should lay off? Or that I could if I wanted to?

Yes, just let it grow old gracefully (And three-years-old is very young for a jacket, just enjoy it).

 

[Marv]

Here's a few pics of my jacket, however after looking at other photos of another ELC vintage finish it looks to me as though the vintage finish on my jacket looks different and has a sort of white tinge in parts to the leather.
So can anybody who has an ELC Irvin 42 pattern vintage finish have a look a let me know if this is the norm cos it looks kinda weird to me.

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k...urrent=AAAA0029.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k...urrent=AAAA0028.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch2

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k...urrent=AAAA0027.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch3

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k...urrent=AAAA0026.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch4

 

[nightandthecity]

OK, I have a 3-year-old Aero Irvin that has no such aged look. I suppose an aged look would be nice, but my top priority has been to take care of it. I have been treating it with Lexol once every six months. Are you suggesting I should lay off? Or that I could if I wanted to?

ouch! stop it now!

It is very easy to overtreat leather, particularly sheepskin, and particularly with liquid dressings. I've seen Irvins that have almost literally gone like soggy paper from over saturation with liquid dressings....including the tearing bit!

Every 6 months over 3 years isn't too horrendous but really I recommend you stop for a long time! It shouldn't need treatment for several years unless it gets really dried out after a good soaking in the rain or something.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

ouch! stop it now!

It is very easy to overtreat leather, particularly sheepskin, and particularly with liquid dressings. I've seen Irvins that have almost literally gone like soggy paper from over saturation with liquid dressings....including the tearing bit!

Every 6 months over 3 years isn't too horrendous but really I recommend you stop for a long time! It shouldn't need treatment for several years unless it gets really dried out after a good soaking in the rain or something.

Now come on. This is precisely the opposite of what folks on COW were saying a few years back. What's going on? Has there been some sort of revolutionary change in dressing philosophy in the past two years that I haven't heard about?

 

[airfrogusmc]

Ken from Aero leather before he retired said you shouldn't apply any conditioners to a new leather jacket for years.

 

[Windsock]

Rolling on the tarmac...

then suddenly the Bomb Aimer's voice crackles through the RT's "Wait! We cant go... I didn't Pecards Me Irvin!"

I can't imagine they bothered to treat the originals- my bet is the first treatment these jackets got was when you and I first inherited them

 

[scotrace]

then suddenly the Bomb Aimer's voice crackles through the RT's "Wait! We cant go... I didn't Pecards Me Irvin!"

lol lol

I can't imagine they bothered to treat the originals- my bet is the first treatment these jackets got was when you and I first inherited them

You've got to be right!

 

[Windsock]

Writings on the Thermally Insulated Jacket

A contact of mine (wrote "The Aircrew Collection") is currently working on a wider tome spanning from WWI to WWII covering all RAF gear. The Irvin will be a part of the book, it's still only a draft, half complete and is massive- so don't hold your breath...

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Well, here's a recent COW thread that includes arguments that one should treat a jacket twice a year. Are they wrong or are they talking about something else?

 

[Windsock]

Marv, your jacket does appear to have some kind of whiteish powdery coating, and this may wear off after you get coaught in the rain a few times. Something like Pecards may not have much effect on new tanned leather such as this- though yours has been Vintagized... It works well on old leather as the orignal surface treatment has broken down and the leather is porous.

I suggest you just wear it like the originals and if you need specific advice go straight to the source to Eastmans and ask their opinion. They will know what's best for their product.

 

[Marv]

thanks guys, much appreciated.

 

[PADDY]

Comparing Jackets that are getting used, to those stored for years & years...

The well worn leather jacket shouldn't dry out, or turn to cardboard, or rot away if it's getting worn and used on a regular/semi regular basis.

The problem comes, and is often seen, when a jacket (ie: a wartime A-2; Shearling..etc) is unproperly stored for 40 or 50 years in a damp attic or garden shed and has lost that naturally flexibility you get from wearing the item, maybe some mould, throw in a bit of rot..etc. Then, you would think of rejuvenating it with appropriate conditioners and saddle soaps, if it hasn't got beyond that salvation point!.

But we are talking about 'new' jackets here that aren't being stored for years at a time. And it's very easy to over soften/treat the leather with these modern treatments. Let the leather soften to 'you,' by wearing it. I have leather jackets (original 60+ years, and also repro) and I cannot wear them all the same time! So some are lying in a flat box for upto 6 months (no treatment to the leather) and then I'll decide on a change and pick one up and start wearing it.

As someone just pointed out, the boys who wore these flying jackets during the war didn't molly-coddle them with Pecards or similar.

Guys, take this as my personal advice and what I do with my own jackets and it works well. I don't mother my jackets, I like them to be worn hard, develop lots of 'natural' character/patina/grain in their own time, and stay young and fresh and supple from my just wearing them.

But no doubt someone else might very well say the exact opposite and each individual no doublt will make their own informed decision on what do to.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Well, here's a recent COW thread that includes arguments that one should treat a jacket twice a year. Are they wrong or are they talking about something else?

The folks at Aero Leather are leather experts. They work with leather everyday. Whos advice would you take? I'll take Aeros.

 

[scotrace]

For other reasons perhaps, but not for preservation of new leather

Sometimes there may be other reasons for treating new leather other than preservation.
I've used Lexol to soften and lighten the leather dye in areas on a cheaper jacket.
Some of those jackets discussed at COW are treated to change the color slightly. Mainly I suspect it's just very hard to keep your mitts off a new leather jacket and it was expensive after all so you want to baby it, need it or not.

Paddy is quite right. If you want a jacket to look authentic, you need to throw it around the unheated cockpit of a B17 for a couple of years, use it for a seat pad on a bar stool, and ball it up and throw in in the back of a jeep now and then. That is probably the best way to "condition" a WWII leather jacket!

 

[Harp]

Leather

Leather must breathe, not be overly oiled.

 

[aswatland]

IRVIN MAIN ZIPS

I am trying to find out precisely which style of main zips were on the early Irvins, i.e those made from 1932 to 1937. I know the early ones had Deco Dot zips on the sleeves, but were they also used as main zips? I know that some early ones had un-marked DOT zips with the slider bucket marked "DOT British". The 1938-9 Irvins had unmarked DOT zips with small dots on one side and horizontal lines on the other.

 

[aswatland]

IRVIN COLLECTION

Here are some pictures of four Irvins which I have bought recently. The first is from the mid 1930s and has DOT Deco sleeve zips, the next two jackets are from 1941-2 and the last is a late war multi-panel Irvin. All are in either mint or near mint condition.