Vanson! Vanson! Vanson!

[abone]

It likely is.

Here's my HH Comet with the tag and Riri zip for comparison.

A real beauty. Love it.
View attachment 536430

Jacket scheduled to arrive this week so all I’ve got are the sellers pics. It does look like comp weight but a couple pics make me go hmmm.
Same zips and pulls as yours. And some awesome grain. Half as nice as yours and I’ll be happy, too tight I’ll be pissed.

 

[Schambach]

That definitely looks like comp weight, but VERY nice comp weight. I'd be stoked either way.

 

[ton312]

Jacket scheduled to arrive this week so all I’ve got are the sellers pics. It does look like comp weight but a couple pics make me go hmmm.
Same zips and pulls as yours. And some awesome grain. Half as nice as yours and I’ll be happy, too tight I’ll be pissed.

Oh man that's GOLDEN ERA™ comp weight! The best Vanson ever offered. I had an E in that leather. It's better than the horse and frankly any other leather ever, in all of history.

 

[abone]

Oh man that's GOLDEN ERA™ comp weight! The best Vanson ever offered. I had an E in that leather. It's better than the horse and frankly any other leather ever, in all of history.

Damn, reading this and I felt something move!

 

[Schambach]

Damn, reading this and I felt something move!

Haha, I don't think you're going to be disappointed in this one. But if you are, holler my way, I'm a 44 too.

 

[Al 916]

Oh man that's GOLDEN ERA™ comp weight! The best Vanson ever offered. I had an E in that leather. It's better than the horse and frankly any other leather ever, in all of history.

Ton likes the leather...

 

[morrison2951]

Oh man that's GOLDEN ERA™ comp weight! The best Vanson ever offered. I had an E in that leather. It's better than the horse and frankly any other leather ever, in all of history.

I don't know. Vanson rare and long gone now....

Vanson HH was magnificent.

Here's the Comet HH back. Still a favorite to this day.

 

[JMax]

Ton likes the leather...

Just a bit. I dig it too.

 

[Al 916]

HH Ike (a precursor to Octagon?)

 

[VansonRider]

Speaking of Vanson leather quality, I have a tan Van Swedish riding jacket, anyone know what leather this is?
It’s definitely as thick as comp weight, it’s very supple, in person it’s not as shiny as in these pictures. It’s got some beautiful textures going on, I really like it.
I do think it needs to be worn in a couple storms, and then conditioned with some beeswax product and really get the grain to pop…
Ton312, I think I’ve seen some jackets you dyed? Any thoughts on this hide?
I don’t think this is the deer tanned cow hide, probably just brown comp weight. Really nice though.

 

[ton312]

Speaking of Vanson leather quality, I have a tan Van Swedish riding jacket, anyone know what leather this is?
It’s definitely as thick as comp weight, it’s very supple, in person it’s not as shiny as in these pictures. It’s got some beautiful textures going on, I really like it.
I do think it needs to be worn in a couple storms, and then conditioned with some beeswax product and really get the grain to pop…
Ton312, I think I’ve seen some jackets you dyed? Any thoughts on this hide?
I don’t think this is the deer tanned cow hide, probably just brown comp weight. Really nice though.

That’s brown/tan comp weight for sure. If you want it darker I would give it a wipe down with rubbing alcohol then apply Fiebings medium brow dye. Dilute the dye with rubbing alcohol. I’ve found you can easily get 2-4 jackets out of a 4oz bottle, depending how dark you go. For a topcoat I’d use resolene. Also needs diluting. 50/50 water for a high gloss. Before you seal it, if you want it a little darker still, apply some dark brown Urad. This way you can throttle the color a bit. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating….when you undertake the dye process you have to resign yourself to it. If you’re on the fence or afraid to ruin it, don’t do it. I usually dye my jackets out of anger at that current state, so I have already forgiven the outcome. That said, I’ve only really destroyed one and that was well before I knew what I was doing.

 

[Al 916]

That’s brown/tan comp weight for sure. If you want it darker I would give it a wipe down with rubbing alcohol then apply Fiebings medium brow dye. Dilute the dye with rubbing alcohol. I’ve found you can easily get 2-4 jackets out of a 4oz bottle, depending how dark you go. For a topcoat I’d use resolene. Also needs diluting. 50/50 water for a high gloss. Before you seal it, if you want it a little darker still, apply some dark brown Urad. This way you can throttle the color a bit. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating….when you undertake the dye process you have to resign yourself to it. If you’re on the fence or afraid to ruin it, don’t do it. I usually dye my jackets out of anger at that current state, so I have already forgiven the outcome. That said, I’ve only really destroyed one and that was well before I knew what I was doing.

Is this what you did with the Model F Ton?

Do you have any process pics?

 

[ton312]

Is this what you did with the Model F Ton?

Do you have any process pics?

No with model F I just used oil and Urad b/c the original color was much darker (it was sun/ weather bleached). More restorative than additive. That said it could easily be dyed. That jacket will soak up dye with little effort. You’d need to soak it first and wash off the URAD. Maybe wipe lightly with alcohol. I’ve only had to resort to acetone when I want to strip off dog turd brown, mainly from 5*.

 

[Al 916]

No with model F I just used oil and Urad b/c the original color was much darker (it was sun/ weather bleached). More restorative than additive. That said it could easily be dyed. That jacket will soak up dye with little effort. You’d need to soak it first and wash off the URAD. Maybe wipe lightly with alcohol. I’ve only had to resort to acetone when I want to strip off dog turd brown, mainly from 5*.

I like the F just the way the colour is now (as soon as it comes back from having it's sleeves shortened I will)

 

[Al 916]

An inch and a half off the sleeve length will make a big difference.

 

[newtojackets]

Vanson x left field commando. This jacket is built like a tank, and almost 3kg!

Does anyone know if this leather breaks in / becomes less stiff? Currently the jacket is a bit too large around the waist, but I think that’s because the leather is so stiff that it doesn’t drape. Can I expect this to change over time?

 

[newtojackets]

Vanson x left field commando. This jacket is built like a tank, and almost 3kg!

Does anyone know if this leather breaks in / becomes less stiff? Currently the jacket is a bit too large around the waist, but I think that’s because the leather is so stiff that it doesn’t drape. Can I expect this to change over time? View attachment 537601 View attachment 537602

@Carlos840 I read your review here, would appreciate your thoughts on this!

 

[JMax]

Carlos still has his, and a HH Commando. Mine is long gone. But I do have experience with the X, probably my favorite Vanson hide. Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, and beautifully imo.

 

[newtojackets]

Carlos still has his, and a HH Commando. Mine is long gone. But I do have experience with the X, probably my favorite Vanson hide. Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, and beautifully imo.

Any chance you have any photos of your before / after?

 

[JMax]

Any chance you have any photos of your before / after?

I looked and can’t find anything in my cloud. I would need to get into to my hard drives.

The X, like the Octagon, needs to be worn to knock out the stiffness. But it does relent.