Show your natural leather

[Boyo]

The leather does mark quite easily. Before I'd even worn it, my Wayfarer had a couple weird red smudges on the back, which I have no idea where they came from

agreed, while I haven't noticed any red smudges, i did get a few water spots from a little drizzle we had before I could run inside

 

[sweetfights]

Yes in boots I wear an 11, in sneakers 11.5-12. Also I got an e which is like a d in these

Thank you.
Do you think going down a half size would be good enough??

 

[sweetfights]

Yes in boots I wear an 11, in sneakers 11.5-12. Also I got an e which is like a d in these

What is your size in Red Wing Iron Rangers, if you have ever tried them. I am trying to choose an accurate fit for the Ven Cleef III's

 

[J Leather Investigater]

What is your size in Red Wing Iron Rangers, if you have ever tried them. I am trying to choose an accurate fit for the Ven Cleef III's

I haven't tried on iron ranger red wings, sorry. I do think going down .5 half a size will be ok, just go with the recommended e width an e width = a d width in these

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[J Leather Investigater]

What is your size in Red Wing Iron Rangers, if you have ever tried them. I am trying to choose an accurate fit for the Ven Cleef III's

Mine are the van cleef 2s, I do like that the 3s have a 1.5 inch smaller opening so you can fit Jean's that aren't boot cut over them. I love these boots. Easily the nicest I've had

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[J Leather Investigater]

I haven't tried on iron ranger red wings, sorry. I do think going down .5 half a size will be ok, just go with the recommended e width an e width = a d width in these

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Also I know the leather is different between the van cleef 2 an 3s I dont know how stiff the leather on the 3s are but in the beginning the boot will be very stiff and ridged but dont give up it will become comfortable as the leather breaks in. If your not familiar with boots it would be easy to think that they dont fit because they are not broke in

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[sweetfights]

Also I know the leather is different between the van cleef 2 an 3s I dont know how stiff the leather on the 3s are but in the beginning the boot will be very stiff and ridged but dont give up it will become comfortable as the leather breaks in. If your not familiar with boots it would be easy to think that they dont fit because they are not broke in

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Apparently the Van Cleef 2’s were made of thicker leather than the 3”s.
From your description and what Standard and Strange have told me the 3’s are comfortable from the get go. Also, the 2’s leather was so thick the seamstress’s hated breaking their needles on the stuff!

 

[J Leather Investigater]

Apparently the Van Cleef 2’s were made of thicker leather than the 3”s.
From your description and what Standard and Strange have told me the 3’s are comfortable from the get go. Also, the 2’s leather was so thick the seamstress’s hated breaking their needles on the stuff!

That ain't no joke the cxl on the 2s is Super thick

 

[Sloan1874]

agreed, while I haven't noticed any red smudges, i did get a few water spots from a little drizzle we had before I could run inside

I seem to recall Mister Freedom recommending people buying the Campus jacket should soak it in water and then wear it until it dries on to their frame. That's a quick and easy way to get past 'water stains'!

 

[torfjord]

Sounds like good advice! With enough water stains you can’t even see them.


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[Boyo]

after another day in the sunshine the leather is darkening up nicely...the goal is 10 full days in the sun for the front and back then I plan to treat the leather, as i feel its dried a bit from the sun..

the color difference is apparent on the inside leather facing

Im sure most of you guys are aware of John Villanueva AKA "Vintage Engineer Boots" he has maintained the following blog for over 10 years. He purchased one of the first MF Campus jackets in 2013 and documented his initial tanning and leather treatment.. I plan to use this as my guide as I work on my highwayman over this coming summer..

Johns Blog:

http://vintageengineerboots.blogspot.com/p/mf.html

Johns Jacket New

Rubbing down with a wet rag to blend water spots etc..

3 years later..

Johns jacket is still going strong and he shares a lot of his pictures on Instagram..20 plus year career as a US Marine as well so I got nothing but respect for the man and his jacket...

 

[Sloan1874]

Wow, that looks fantastic. It's been belting down on and off all day here, so I'm sticking with my Good Wear - that still needs a bit of wearing in as well, tbh.

 

[willyto]

@vintageengineerboots is now tanning the Balloon MF jacket which is basically a Campus Grizzly. Check his instagram

 

[Sloan1874]

That's amazing! I can only hope I can get my one to this sort of state. Small tip: I've discovered that small marks can often be lifted with a clean rubber eraser without a trace.

 

[navetsea]

I guess you don't need to actually bake the leather in the sun to get tanned effect, as long as the UV reach the item it should be enough you don't benefit from the actual heat that evaporate oil and dry up your leather, just put the item near a window or under a shade then it would get enough UV exposure, the back rest of my sofa cushions are all sun bleached while being inside the room facing a window, same with batik printed table cloth, they are faded just by being in the shade.

 

[Boyo]

“Dad called he said put his jacket in the sun”

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Don't get it. Why not just buy a leather jacket already tanned and treated for water resistance and stains that will also darken with wear? Something like this...

 

[sweetfights]

Don't get it. Why not just buy a leather jacket already tanned and treated for water resistance and stains that will also darken with wear? Something like this...

View attachment 167821

View attachment 167822

Looks nice!

 

[Boyo]

Im Just having some fun HD,
I actually didn’t put that much thought into it.. I had read the process undergone by John at VEB and I wanted to take a shot at making one like his. I certainly don’t need to do it nor have the number of jackets I have..
I love what Thedi is doing and would get one in a second with out question.

 

[Sloan1874]

I agree with Boyo. There's no way that I would buy a natural leather jacket as my first, second or third purchase... but when you get to the point where you're looking for something a little unique, natural leather is not a bad choice. Mine is looking better with every wear, it just brings out the character and grain. Haven't managed to get enough sun to trigger a change in colour but I'm aiming to wear it on my next trip to London, which is usually sunny. I might just get lucky...