The $10 A-2 style jacket fabric painted russet being worn

[deanglen]

One of you wondered what this project looked like being worn, so here are a few shots. I like the way this looks! The paint really does feel like leather with just a slight "tackiness" to the touch, but has a "crunch" sound like real leather finishes would. Indeed, a three piece back, two piece under sleeves and slash pockets are only the beginning of its inaccuracies, but dang it, it's my baby until another comes along and I'm enjoying it. No cracking of the finish, this paint really is as supple as vinyl/leather.

dean

 

[fishmeok]

Looks Good! What paint did you use? I have had very good luck with airtex airbrush paint.
Cheers
Mark

 

[deanglen]

Looks Good! What paint did you use? I have had very good luck with airtex airbrush paint.
Cheers
Mark

It's called "Tulip" brand "Soft" fabric paint.
http://www.createforless.com/Tulip+Soft+Fabric+Paint+1+oz+Matte/plid6016.aspx?SI=b107c494-8bd7-411e-9107-bb5aab847933
I got it at Michaels and Jo-Ann fabrics. It's water based and cleans up easy. It's truly a great medium for which I used it. Used a foam brush to avoid brush marks. Stuff covers very well. Only need a few touch ups. I think I would need to mix some colors to a more accurate shade, but I don't have an original to match it and I was just curious about the characteristics of the stuff as it was from bottle. Dries quickly, but needs a few days to really set up for enduring wear.



dean

 

[MrBern]

I could imagine this project going dreadfully wrong. Kudos to you, sir.

And the cut of the jkt looks right on you.
-bernard

 

[deanglen]

I could imagine this project going dreadfully wrong. Kudos to you, sir.

And the cut of the jkt looks right on you.
-bernard

You said it, Mr. Bern! I had my misgivings, but considering the initial cost of the jacket, I figured the loss would not be too great. I actually would like to experiment more with this stuff to see how close to leather I could get with it. Something like a wash to set off stitching, different shades, hues and such. Admittedly, it's not going to be a first choice for someone, but it might inspire someone to reclaim a jacket that hasn't seen the light of day due to lack of "character".



dean

 

[Edward]

It'll be interesting to see the jacket in a few months, how the sheen on the paint wears in etc. The fit of that jacket on you is superb; if/when you decide it's time to go looking for an upscale A2 repro, I would be looking for something that had a similar cut.

 

[deanglen]

It'll be interesting to see the jacket in a few months, how the sheen on the paint wears in etc. The fit of that jacket on you is superb; if/when you decide it's time to go looking for an upscale A2 repro, I would be looking for something that had a similar cut.

Thanks, Edward. You should know that I ripped the lining out, which included removing padding under the shoulders, and some insulating material between the leather and polyester lining, and used flexible fabric cement to attach an old cotton drill material shirt of a mustard color as a lining which changed the shape characteristics of the jacket from when I first recieved it. I admit...I really did some work on that poor thing.




dean