Johnson Leather Jacket

[TheDonEffect]

Wait, did I read this right, you have more on the way?

 

[Canuck Panda]

Wait, did I read this right, you have more on the way?

I wish... Just waiting for this 45 lbs package.

 

[roadking04]

Does anyone have any comments or pics of a broken-in jacket made from the overdye horsehide?

 

[Hh121]

Does anyone have any comments or pics of a broken-in jacket made from the overdye horsehide?

overdye is misleading when leather they called overdye is just regular leather with natural color on the flesh side, (Any leather that is not drum dyed will look like that) it is same type of leather Aero uses.
The Eastman great escape jacket is overdye. https://blog.eastmanleather.com/view-post/the-re-issue-a-2
This is a picture of my "overdye" JL, probably 5-6 years old, do you see any brown pops out?

 

[roadking04]

it is same type of leather Aero uses.

Maybe it is a Horween thing? Does your 5* jacket have the natural color flesh side?

 

[roadking04]

I wish... Just waiting for this 45 lbs package.

That is so awesome. My package is only 12 pounds. lol. You might have to get yourself a nice pallet jack for your jacket orders. lol

 

[Hh121]

Maybe it is a Horween thing? Does your 5* jacket have the natural color flesh side?

Same stuff. Any leather is not strike through has natural flesh side.

 

[Canuck Panda]

@roadking04 What HH said. I think overdye is just how JL markets Horween CXL. As far as I know there is only one CXL. But every maker calls it slightly different to avoid direct competition / price shop.
I think your jacket is gonna be beast! My package is only heavy because Damon is shipping me back the leather scraps which probably is 25% of the weight. I am guessing my jacket is gonna be in the 7 maybe 8 lb range. Your CXL will weight more because of all the oil and waxes. Is the Instagram jacket yours? The overdye (CXL) looks great!

 

[roadking04]

Is the Instagram jacket yours? The overdye (CXL) looks great!

No that is not mine. But, I really love how the Horween CXL looks in all the pics I have seen with different makers even.

P.S. You should still look into getting a small tow motor or pallet jacket to move your awesome collection of jackets and unused hides around. lol.

 

[TheDonEffect]

overdye is misleading when leather they called overdye is just regular leather with natural color on the flesh side, (Any leather that is not drum dyed will look like that) it is same type of leather Aero uses.
The Eastman great escape jacket is overdye. https://blog.eastmanleather.com/view-post/the-re-issue-a-2
This is a picture of my "overdye" JL, probably 5-6 years old, do you see any brown pops out?
View attachment 396928

What's misleading? It's a brown leather with a black coat painted/dyed/application of a color layer. The article you shared doesn't call it an over dye, but rather a paint over.

This has become to be known as teacore. It's essentially accepted that overdye and teacore essentially means a leather thats not the same color all the way through.

Looking at your leather, I do not see any brown. It also looks pretty new and unabused yet, vs that Eastman being beat the hell out of. So not sure what you're implying because your leather clearly has the brown underneath it just hasn't been worn enough.

JL uses Horween CXL, there are a ton photos on how the leather ages and the brown coming through. It requires the leather to be used like it was in the great depression and industrial revolution, ie back breaking labor, alot of hearty motorcycle riding, or artificial accelerated aging.

 

[Hh121]

What's misleading? It's a brown leather with a black coat painted/dyed/application of a color layer. The article you shared doesn't call it an over dye, but rather a paint over.

This has become to be known as teacore. It's essentially accepted that overdye and teacore essentially means a leather thats not the same color all the way through.

Looking at your leather, I do not see any brown. It also looks pretty new and unabused yet, vs that Eastman being beat the hell out of. So not sure what you're implying because your leather clearly has the brown underneath it just hasn't been worn enough.

JL uses Horween CXL, there are a ton photos on how the leather ages and the brown coming through. It requires the leather to be used like it was in the great depression and industrial revolution, ie back breaking labor, alot of hearty motorcycle riding, or artificial accelerated aging.

I don't even want to waste my time arguing with you, and I don't need a guy who feels 2.5 oz cxl is too heavy to tell me my jacket is new and lack of use.
I do believe @Marc mndt beautiful Thedi is overdyed horsehide? It shows brown color very quickly.

 

[TheDonEffect]

I don't even want to waste my time arguing with you, and I don't need a guy who feels 2.5 oz cxl is too heavy to tell me my jacket is new and lack of use.
I do believe @Marc mndt beautiful Thedi is overdyed horsehide? It shows brown color very quickly.

Because for me and my usage in the bay area, having a cardboard jacket makes no sense since I neither use it for riding or have a job that requires a hard hat, and if I did I sure as hell wouldn't use borderline belt leather for that. It's generally 60-70 degrees for most of the year.

But if I liked 6oz jackets with skived seams that I believe aren't, does that make me worthy of an answer?

And the single photo you posted shows no wear as far as I can tell. It's Horween CXL correct? Theres no shortage of examples of that exact leather with aging shows brown, many people complain that it actually ages too quickly yet your pocket openings still look fresh.

I didn't know I needed a 6oz jacket to be a member of the leatherati.

 

[jglf]

I thought I remembered JL using some brown cxl that was then dyed/painted black over it.

 

[Fifty150]

TheDonEffect,

The Bay Area has different micro-climates. You are so lucky that where you live, it's 60 - 70. In San Francisco, where I live, average is probably 55 with wind and fog.

As for Johnson's Leather, we are very lucky to be able to have a leather shop right nearby. We can actually walk in for measurements and fittings. Johnson's makes great jackets. About as good as it gets for motorcycle riding. You can't even imagine how many people who ride, don't have a good jacket. Most of the country rides in something they get from a dealership. Usually Harley Davidson logo, made in Pakistan or China. Poor quality. Bad fit. Or they are riding in the most expensive jacket that they can find at The Mall. Usually Wilson's. And Wilson's jackets are not built for riding. Wilson's jackets, as a fashion item, are barely a step above what is sold at JCPenney or Sears.

 

[Marc mndt]

I do believe @Marc mndt beautiful Thedi is overdyed horsehide? It shows brown color very quickly.

I don't know about JL and how they process their hides. All I know is that my Thedi is made from brown (see swatch) horsehide. Theodoros hand dyed it black and from a distance the jacket looks all black, but from up close you can see the brown underneath.

Next to a jacket that's dyed black all the way through, the Thedi actually looks more brown than black.

 

[TheDonEffect]

TheDonEffect,

The Bay Area has different micro-climates. You are so lucky that where you live, it's 60 - 70. In San Francisco, where I live, average is probably 55 with wind and fog.

As for Johnson's Leather, we are very lucky to be able to have a leather shop right nearby. We can actually walk in for measurements and fittings. Johnson's makes great jackets. About as good as it gets for motorcycle riding. You can't even imagine how many people who ride, don't have a good jacket. Most of the country rides in something they get from a dealership. Usually Harley Davidson logo, made in Pakistan or China. Poor quality. Bad fit. Or they are riding in the most expensive jacket that they can find at The Mall. Usually Wilson's. And Wilson's jackets are not built for riding. Wilson's jackets, as a fashion item, are barely a step above what is sold at JCPenney or Sears.

Yeah it's definitely more chilly in the city, and that's really where I wear these sorta jackets anyway. 100% on the riding jackets, for the cost of a mid level Dainese you could get a custom armored JL.

 

[TheDonEffect]

I don't know about JL and how they process their hides. All I know is that my Thedi is made from brown (see swatch) horsehide. Theodoros hand dyed it black and from a distance the jacket looks all black, but from up close you can see the brown underneath.

View attachment 397279 View attachment 397278 View attachment 397280 View attachment 397281 View attachment 397282 View attachment 397283 View attachment 397284

Next to a jacket that's dyed black all the way through, the Thedi actually looks more brown than black.

View attachment 397285

Beautiful jacket. Is overdye, then, a jacket with an applied top coat of color where the color below is still visible? I'm under the impression that overdye just meant there's a top color cost over a different core color vs bring dyed all the way through.

 

[Marc mndt]

I'm under the impression that overdye just meant there's a top color cost over a different core color vs bring dyed all the way through.

Semantics discussion. I think your definition is spot on. Sometimes the top coat is thicker (and therefore the brown takes longer to show through, sometimes it's rather thin like on my Thedi.

 

[ton312]

Beautiful jacket. Is overdye, then, a jacket with an applied top coat of color where the color below is still visible? I'm under the impression that overdye just meant there's a top color cost over a different core color vs bring dyed all the way through.

Yes, and in the case of JL’s “black overdye” that name itself is a misnomer as the leather is actually coffee bean brown and never black. It simply goes from coffee bean to tan in fairly short order. This was my JL CXL overdye. It’s clearly not black. Been passed around the forum a bit. I don’t know who has it now…

 

[red devil]

Yeah it's definitely more chilly in the city, and that's really where I wear these sorta jackets anyway. 100% on the riding jackets, for the cost of a mid level Dainese you could get a custom armored JL.

Yep, the custom armoured JL is really nice on the bike