Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Russet Goatskin: untouched and monkeyed with

which do you prefer: the monkeyed with russet goatskin or the untouched?


  • Total voters
    30
  • Poll closed .

schitzo

Suspended
Messages
1,472
Location
London
I'm not sure you're right about your capacity to wear in the goat. As I wrote above the Al goat I have has worn in without much effort at all. But let me clarify; it has faded and worn quicker than any of the dozen's of jackets I have ever owned over 30 years. The seal brown is now showing light russet undertones all over the wear areas. And I have not worn this thing hard. I think it's the veg tan process.

I am not doubting the wear that is visible on your jacket Seb, I believe you of course. But the seal goatskin sample I have upstairs has been abused hard by me and seems to be bullet proof. Though I haven't wet it, perhaps that would accelerate the process. Has your jacket been rained on?
 

pauleway

Practically Family
Messages
655
Location
Western NY
My vote is "unmonkeyed". I also have a russet goat jacket from AL and love the grain and softness of my jacket. I think you will be very satisfied with this hide if you choose to get your jacket made by AL!
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
My Al goat hasn't had much rain - a sprinkle or two. But the level of wear on it so quickly almost makes it look like an artificially distressed surface. So far I don't mind the look but I wonder how it will look in a few years. I've only worn it lightly over a few months.
 

JanSolo

Practically Family
Messages
879
Location
Ever so sunny Westphalia, Germany
That's Aero's or Alexander's goat, right? It's straight veg tanned, so washing doesn't only take the clear aniline glazing off the top but also washes the tannage out of the leather. Vegetable tanning agents don't bond as permanently to skin fibres as chrome tanning salts do. Repeated washing of veg goatskin will leave you with parchment in the end. You don't want that!

My suggestion:

Leave it as it is and use the spray bottle method instead on the finished jacket....additionally you can use a bit of acetone to highlight certain areas. That works well. Try the acetone on your sample first, though...
 

pipvh

Practically Family
Messages
644
Location
England
I say yes to monkeys. The more the merrier. I have a thing about the look of very old goatskin and the piece you've done the business on looks great.
 

schitzo

Suspended
Messages
1,472
Location
London
That's Aero's or Alexander's goat, right? It's straight veg tanned, so washing doesn't only take the clear aniline glazing off the top but also washes the tannage out of the leather. Vegetable tanning agents don't bond as permanently to skin fibres as chrome tanning salts do. Repeated washing of veg goatskin will leave you with parchment in the end. You don't want that!

My suggestion:

Leave it as it is and use the spray bottle method instead on the finished jacket....additionally you can use a bit of acetone to highlight certain areas. That works well. Try the acetone on your sample first, though...


Thanks for the suggestion I had not heard of acetone. It's AL's which i think is combination tanned. Getting one in 'monkeyed with' isn't an option anyway, which takes care of that dilemma. One other observation I can add is that the untouched piece feels softer and more malleable
 
Last edited:

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
The goat Alexander's chose for me is odd. It is fading and wrinkling faster than any leather I've owned but it is refusing to soften up. It still has a firm almost hard surface to it. I like it and it is definitely goat but maybe I got a strange batch.
 

Rudie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,069
Location
Berlin
Aero have some new goatskin. I don't know if additionally to the one used before or instead of.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,078
Location
London, UK
Aero have some new goatskin. I don't know if additionally to the one used before or instead of.

The impression I got when I was up there is that they have switched over to the new stuff, which they consider to be a better hide than what they had before. That said, I've got an Aero goat A2 I boguth usedc a few years ago, and it has aged comparatively little despite a lot of wear. This is one of the things I really like about the goat - that it stays 'newer' looking than some hides.
 

Sloan1874

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,425
Location
Glasgow
Well, the suede goat is from a newly sourced supplier, so I wouldn't like to say for sure that Aero is still using its old ones.
 

Rudie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,069
Location
Berlin
I wonder if they have switched completely, because the new goatskin comes in seal, black and mid brown, but not in russet. I imagine that they still need russet for A-2s.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,140
Messages
3,074,932
Members
54,121
Latest member
Yoshi_87
Top