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shrinking aero anyone?

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nick123

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Maybe it's the multitude of factors described at play at once.
Doubt it's any different drying method by Horween. If they changed part of their tanning method as drastic as that, I'm sure it would be known. I know you remarked your FQHH in this jacket felt different, so I can't blame you for trying to put two and two together. But I don't think it's that.

Maybe your FQHH being lighter or more supple or whatever did cause it to crease differently than the others. But then there's Dav's example, kind of dispelling the theory that a different weight of FQHH would be the cause.

It's probably the rapid climate change of China to the UK, combined with god knows what kind of climate/conditions the jacket experienced folded up in a suitcase stored in the bottom of an aircraft, or outside while the luggage guys handled it. This combined with it just being folded up in the conservative way you described might have been just enough to cause the perfect storm.

I really don't know if leather drying out/being exposed to humidty or rapid change of temperature would even shrink the jacket. All speculation. I think there's enough fat/oil infused in the FQHH to keep it supple.

Conclusion: somehow it was folded funny, with just enough weird humidity going on.
 
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Cooperson

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To be honest I was expecting to see some serious creases from suitcase storage but, from these photos, I really can't see any that would cause a 0.75" length loss. I'd like to see the whole jacket, being worn if possible, but if not the video should show us more. Very nice hide by the way, good graining already!
 

schitzo

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So, in other words, Aero can't explain it either.

No, they can. The aero read is that creases caused by me have shrunk it 0.75". One of the creases is worth 0.5" (I forget which one) and the other makes up the rest

To be honest I was expecting to see some serious creases from suitcase storage but, from these photos, I really can't see any that would cause a 0.75" length loss. I'd like to see the whole jacket, being worn if possible, but if not the video should show us more. Very nice hide by the way, good graining already!

In that case Cooperson you shall see the whole thing being worn! I'll still try for the video too. Just give me a bit of time
 

Meerkat

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No, they can. The aero read is that creases caused by me have shrunk it 0.75". One of the creases is worth 0.5" (I forget which one) and the other makes up the rest



In that case Cooperson you shall see the whole thing being worn! I'll still try for the video too. Just give me a bit of time

Not wishing to add to your angst but in the absence of extreme leather or steroid abuse I think you should contact Aero if only to quell the rising panic amongst the Aeroites on this forum. All I can say is that my non Aero jackets are not shrinking but then again I have never bought 'true to size' but they have been exposed to wind hail heat fog ice etc on the motorcycle and apart from a nice grainy patina remain obdurately unmoved.
 

Big J

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I don't know if this has been mentioned already on the thread, so I'm just gonna throw it out there;

Have you considered the possibility that contained in Beijing's notorious PM 2.5 smog there may be some pollutants which, over time, have had a chemical reaction with your leather, causing this shrinking? After all, Beijing air quality is really very low.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...marathon-marred-by-terrible-pollution/381644/
 

schitzo

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Big J is right about the flavoursome air here, it def don't taste good. That it's not good for leather too is not inconceivable. I don't know what the science here would be, but what I can tell you is that I have noticed plenty of people here sporting leather jackets, though usually of the flimsier variety. Assuming the nasty PM 2.5 is to the detriment of leather I wonder would those be more or less susceptible?

@Meerkat. Yes I have spoken with them at length and the aero position has been spelt out. Apparently the two creases on the back of the jacket were caused by me packing it in my suitcase and are responsible for the missing .75"

Interestingly, there are a couple of other creases on this jacket, as yet unmentioned, that blatantly have nothing to do with me. I don't know if those could be responsible for any shrinkage but when I post the video/pictures (that I'll take first chance I get in the daylight) you'll see what I'm on about as they'll be impossible to not notice
 

Big J

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Big J is right about the flavoursome air here, it def don't taste good. That it's not good for leather too is not inconceivable. I don't know what the science here would be, but what I can tell you is that I have noticed plenty of people here sporting leather jackets, though usually of the flimsier variety. Assuming the nasty PM 2.5 is to the detriment of leather I wonder would those be more or less susceptible?

@Meerkat. Yes I have spoken with them at length and the aero position has been spelt out. Apparently the two creases on the back of the jacket were caused by me packing it in my suitcase and are responsible for the missing .75"

Interestingly, there are a couple of other creases on this jacket, as yet unmentioned, that blatantly have nothing to do with me. I don't know if those could be responsible for any shrinkage but when I post the video/pictures (that I'll take first chance I get in the daylight) you'll see what I'm on about as they'll be impossible to not notice

I noticed that during the G20 meeting a couple of weekends ago, the Chinese were blocking the US embassy in Beijing's live air pollution data feed. That's how bad it is. During the Beijing marathon last month, official government advice to Beijing citizens was to 'stay indoors' because of the air pollution. So, in the interests of eliminating all possibilities, I was thinking that maybe some oxide of some industrial by-product in the air, over time, attacked the protein chains of the leather, making them contract/shrink. You know, kind of how when you heat leather over a flame, it shrinks a little due to the damage of the protein chains.

I'm guessing that cheaper mass produced modern jackets are loaded with nasty chemicals from the start, so maybe not affected. That or the fact that the style and cut means that most owners wouldn't notice 0.75 inch shrinkage.
 

Sloan1874

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I get your point, but Beijing air quality is really very, very bad.

Sorry, BigJ, wasn't referring to you, it was Meerkat's use of the words "rising panic". Seems daft that one person's experience - whatever that turns out to be caused by - should be the basis of any wider Chicken Licken-esque frenzy.
 

schitzo

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I noticed that during the G20 meeting a couple of weekends ago, the Chinese were blocking the US embassy in Beijing's live air pollution data feed. That's how bad it is. During the Beijing marathon last month, official government advice to Beijing citizens was to 'stay indoors' because of the air pollution. So, in the interests of eliminating all possibilities, I was thinking that maybe some oxide of some industrial by-product in the air, over time, attacked the protein chains of the leather, making them contract/shrink. You know, kind of how when you heat leather over a flame, it shrinks a little due to the damage of the protein chains.

I'm guessing that cheaper mass produced modern jackets are loaded with nasty chemicals from the start, so maybe not affected. That or the fact that the style and cut means that most owners wouldn't notice 0.75 inch shrinkage.

Actually for the APEC meeting they cleaned it up, literally overnight. There were no cars on the roads, the factories were shut down and each day you could see a clear blue sky. In fact it was a crying shame that thing was over so quickly. On this subject, I believe Obama actually slept in a hotel just 100 metres from my door (The Westin)

Something I just realised is that the jacket has spent most of its time in my bedroom, where there's clean air on account of the air purifier. Perhaps in future if I go outside on bad air days I should re think my leather jacket wearing policy? It certainly is food for thought
 

Don Tomaso

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No, they can. The aero read is that creases caused by me have shrunk it 0.75". One of the creases is worth 0.5" (I forget which one) and the other makes up the rest
...

Sorry, but for me this makes no sense at all. If it is one crease or two that make a whopping 0.75" shrink, this does not explain the evenly distributed shrinkage seen at the seems, now does it? I think it is much more likely the leather shrank evenly overall. If this is seen as normal, ok, fair enough. If not, which would be my point of view, this only leaves the conclusion that the leather wasn't up to specs. Maybe a bad batch?
 

Grayland

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If Stu from Lost Worlds or Andy from Bill Kelso gave the same explanation for shrinkage, they would get beat on like a narc at a biker rally (on this forum). I have several Aero jackets and love them, but this isn't right.
 

nick123

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Actually for the APEC meeting they cleaned it up, literally overnight. There were no cars on the roads, the factories were shut down and each day you could see a clear blue sky. In fact it was a crying shame that thing was over so quickly. On this subject, I believe Obama actually slept in a hotel just 100 metres from my door (The Westin)

Something I just realised is that the jacket has spent most of its time in my bedroom, where there's clean air on account of the air purifier. Perhaps in future if I go outside on bad air days I should re think my leather jacket wearing policy? It certainly is food for thought

So it it's an air purifier and not a humidifier, correct?
I googled "humidifier and leather jacket" and found this. lol
http://books.google.com/books?id=hr...&sa=X&ei=kBlyVL2VHIqkNsm1gcgJ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwBA
 
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Big J

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Sorry, BigJ, wasn't referring to you, it was Meerkat's use of the words "rising panic". Seems daft that one person's experience - whatever that turns out to be caused by - should be the basis of any wider Chicken Licken-esque frenzy.

It's ok Sloan. I know that my comment sounded a little tin-foil hat.
 
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