Entropic Thunder
New in Town
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- 46
Yes, leather as a material stretches, we all agreed to that on page 1.
What we are saying is that once changed into a jacket, constructed of multiple panels assembled by thread and lined it will not stretch any noticeable amount without damage to the stitching or the lining.
Yes a belt made from a single layer of leather will stretch. Now make a belt from two layers of leather stitched together with a layer of fabric sandwiched in between it won't stretch at all. What prevents it from stretching is the combination of leather and fabric and the stitch lines going through both.
The fact that you can find situations in which leather alone can be stretched doesn't mean you can effectively stretch a leather jacket.
I have washed multiple leather jackets by hand and in the washing machine, I have worn them wet to form to my body, none have stretched.
I currently own around 35 leather jackets, I have worn some soaking wet after being cought in the rain, they didn't stretch.
My testing has led me to the conclusion that a leather jacket doesn't stretch.
I am open to being convinced the opposite is true but it is going to take more than "trust me bro, i saw it online", "everyone knows that!" or "you didn't do it right".
As @Seb Lucas said, lots of claims, little evidence...
Personally i don't think two fit pics are enough to tell that a jacket was stretched.
I am also having a hard believing the pressure exerted by a comforter stuffed inside a jacket would be enough to stretch it. If that was the case we would all buy jackets that fit and end up with big floppy messes after wearing it in the rain twice.
Now, even if we grant the fact that a capeskin jacket was actually stretched, it doesn't tell us anything about jackets made with stronger leather.
Capskin is IMO the exception more than the rule, it is super spongy and stretchy to start with, a bit like deerskin.
To claim that "I stretched a capeskin jacket, capskin i leather, any leather jacket can be stretched" is IMO a false premise.
The idea that the lining on a jacket would prevent it from stretching in the same way that a piece of nylon webbing sandwiched and stitched tight between the two panels of a belt would is honestly kinda silly, for obvious reasons so I’ll just leave that one alone.
Also you mentioned that you have worn jackets wet and they haven’t stretched, but have rather “formed to your body”. I wonder what exactly you think is happening to that jacket when it forms to your body magically, and why you need to wet it first? The answer is simple, it’s stretching minutely and going from a 2d shape to a more 3D shape by means of stretch, which is more easily facilitated by getting he jacket wet. Follow that principle to its logical conclusion and youll see why flexing in that same soaking wet jacket with all your might will do more than just form it to your bodys shape but will in fact stretch it anywhere that you can get sufficient leverage which tends usually to be only across the shoulders and sleeves and maybe the chest if it’s a very tight jacket to begin with. If your jacket is already sufficiently roomy, then flexing in it will cause no real strain and the leather won’t stretch for obvious reasons, but if you have a jacket you’ve outgrown which is already tight enough to get sufficient traction then this trick comes in very handy.
Like I said, I’ve stretched the shoulders out on horsehide jackets by around an inch and a half, and if the jacket is allowed to dry, with intermittent flexing sessions to ensure that’s it cannot shrink back up during the drying process then it will retain the increased width permanently. Bear in mind this won’t work by just wetting the topmost layer of the leather with rain or a spray bottle, it needs to really be soaked through. Obviously all leathers are different, and some will be much harder to stretch than others, but it typically can be done if one is only willing to get the jacket completely soaking wet and wrecklessly flex with all their might with wanton disregards for the seams. A properly done seam in leather can be as strong as the leather itself, so it’s a risk which isn’t really that risky unless you’re jacked and can burst out of clothing like the hulk.
You can take it or leave it, I just don’t see why you think I’d really come to this forum and stake out this hill to die on because I just really want to lie to a guy about whether he’ll have success in stretching his jacket? I’m just trying to help out with my own personal experiences and observations, nothing more.
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