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    Deal of the Day -- Goodwear/Diamond Dave cafe racer

    This jacket is based on the pattern that I created from an original Buco, rather than a made-up pattern. David changed the back and the front's lower angle. The larger sleeve tops are relative to the larger size of the jacket. The Racer I made in horsehide, in the photo above, was actually a...
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    A better horse A-2 than a Cockpit ?

    Oddly enough, I use chrome tanned Horween horsehide, and though I'm not swimming in that leather, I think it does look great. Here are examples of both regular chrome tanned horsehide, and chromexcel horsehide... http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/sale_hlb_0001.html...
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    Good Wear Leather Ventura Halfbelt - $550

    That was the very first Ventura pattern jacket I'd ever made. I had just gotten Shinki horsehide, and bought an original half-belt that I really wanted to copy, and this was the first try. I can tell by the brass parts and stitching. John Chapman Good Wear Leather
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    The USS Indianapolis

    Such a profound event during WWII. A good friend does presentations of their story, all across the country, and she is very close with all the survivors (her name is Kim Roller). She has a superb Facebook page, and you can see some recent photos from last week, where she was one of the MCs of...
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    Repro 1930s Sears Original Hercules jackets; whose is best?

    Gents, The Good Wear copy is definitely not an accurate version of the originals we handled. I actually didn't like the original pattern very much. The details are a lot of fun, and I like the cloth rain flap on the back of the inner side of the collar. But, if you look at this size 46...
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    Goodwear Leather customer service

    Thanks so much for the kind comments. That jacket that Thor has was actually made by David Howell of Diamond Sportswear. He does some jackets for me, and this was one of the earlier ones. More will be forthcoming on his work, which is superb.
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    Eastman B-3 Size 44 Like New For Sale

    May I humbly correct the data above. My own B-3 patterns (I have two of them) are based on originals that I have carefully patterned. I owned the Eastman from 2008-2012, as I hadn't intended to make a B-3, but wanted one, and this ELC was an excellent choice. This jacket is in no way related to...
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    How did Aero get the Highwayman name from Lewis Leathers ?

    Gents, John from Good Wear here. I've actually been working with Ken Calder of Aero for a license agreement, starting about two months ago. I've gotten one set of labels done, the Aero 18775 contract, and the first sample can be seen here: http://www.goodwearleather.com/new_aero_18775/ I hope...
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    Full Grain v. Top Grain

    50 Shades of Grain Gents, I'm guilty of not reading the beginning of the thread well enough. I should have done better. I'm in the midst of a large patterning project and should have been working on that. I'm also guilty of not knowing if the hides I'm getting are full or top grain. Below...
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    Full Grain v. Top Grain

    Gents, There is good leather, great leather, and OK leather that no one is really enthusiastic about. I use Shinki, and have also been in contact with companies in Italy that make great horsehide. Several. The Italian hides from several companies cost more per square foot than Shinki, and some...
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    Veg v. Chrome Tanning

    Another funny note. In the book Hell Bent for Leather, it is stated that A-2 jackets never had silver snaps, ever. This isn't true, as Cable Raincoat and S.H. Knopf used silver snaps, and in a little moment of hilarity, they show General Douglas MacArthur's A-2, made by Cable Raincoat, with the...
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    Veg v. Chrome Tanning

    Regarding chrome tanned goatskin for Navy jackets, I believe that it is all chrome tanned, and most, if not all, of the leather was tanned and sourced from the United States. The rumor in the book Hell Bent for Leather is just that, a rumor, with no basis on documented facts that I have...
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    A-2 Zipper Replacement?

    Hello, This is a bit of a situation.The jacket is about three years old, and was purchased by the new owner from eBay. It went through, I think, more than one owner before he got it. We aren't saying "Hey, no way, we're not replacing it!", but I have someone who is lightning fast at replacing...
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    Veg v. Chrome Tanning

    Gents, The issue of leather being chrome tanned and veg tanned is a rather complicated matter. Every tannery has their processes, and though the basic chemicals are similar, one can make a million different little changes to the basic operation. Imagine going to one restaurant, and having a...
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    Anyone heard of Flying Equipment Co. G-1

    That jacket is definitely not a Flying Equipment Co. jacket. The label was removed from one, and placed in a 1970s era jacket. The FEC jackets are essentially a standard early 1950s G-1, with three-point pocket flaps and a rib-rack waistband. This jacket is from a different era, and it's obvious...
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    Best A-2 for up to $600

    Actually, the leather is chrome tanned. The gov't and the Navy insisted, from the 1930s (37J1) all the way to now that all leather would be chrome tanned. This was a faster and more stable method of tanning, and the results were quite predictable. This is also true of A-2 jackets. Mituhiro Aota...
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    July 2, 1937 - Amelia Earhart

    Whoa! That's fantastic. I've done many searches with his name, but the fact that he often used "F.K. Johnson" makes it much more complex. I'm so glad that you found this, and I'm going to see if my mom and uncle will be able to ask Purdue for more info, or copies of the letters. There's another...
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    July 2, 1937 - Amelia Earhart

    Grandpa and Earhart My grandfather (Frank Johnson) was an officer in the Coast Guard from 1922 to 1958. He was stationed all over the west coast of the USA, from Alaska to Seattle to San Francisco, with much traveling to other places. In 1937, he was the station command radio officer in charge...
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    At the Airshow today...

    Wow! That's Mike Hunt. He was an excellent pilot during WWII, and after Robert Morgan flew the Memphis Bell back to the U.S., Mike flew it around the country on a bond tour. His jacket is a Cable Raincoat A-2, and for a few years, it hung in a chicken coop (just shows that some of these older...
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    Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

    Louie's story is truly amazing. I ran into his book, re-released in 2002 (written in 1957) in a book store while browsing for WWII aviation stuff. I read a little from it, and had to buy it. I looked for him on Google, and found that he was still alive, with an address and phone number. I called...

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