John Lever
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,819
- Location
- Southern England
I discovered some 15 year old hides left over from a long forgotten RMJ lot at a UK tannery.
I bought 6 skins, approximately 40 sq. feet. The quality was simply amazing, soft thick creamy yellow untrimmed fleece that had not been tip sheared [ over 1 1/4 in.] , and a very thick crusty outer coating that was definitely more brown than seal in colour.The skins were very stiff so had to be tumbled for 4 hours to make them usable again. They only cost a few pounds so I decided it was worth the risk having them made up into a jacket.
I sent them to Will up at Aero and he was very impressed with them , saying that they were the best he had ever seen . He was as enthusiastic as I was about the project and he bought rest of the remaining batch.
I am a big fan of the Navy design type sheepskins, the M445's etc and the USAAF Anj-4's. I am not so keen on B-3's where the wool shows at the waist and cuffs. Aero have an original Anj-4 with out the waist buttons and with shearling cuffs, so I asked Will if he would copy it for me.
This became a kind of machinists marathon as the jacket took much longer to make than anticipated because the hide was so tough and prone to tearing. The resulting jacket though is excellent even though it is a prototype. It is very solid without being uncomfortable to wear and has a huge collar. It looks like a Lost worlds but has the feel of an Eastman.
I would choose a more brown horse hide next time, perhaps brown HH or as Will suggested oil pull horse, and perhaps make it a couple of inches shorter and tighter in the waist.
The best thing about the venture is that some newly tanned skins with the character and colour characteristics but lacking the stiffness, will possibly form the basis of a new Vintage range from Aero.
I have to thank Will for his generous use of time and for being prepared to do custom work, and Julie who made the jacket.
The photos don't do it justice, it is that good.
I bought 6 skins, approximately 40 sq. feet. The quality was simply amazing, soft thick creamy yellow untrimmed fleece that had not been tip sheared [ over 1 1/4 in.] , and a very thick crusty outer coating that was definitely more brown than seal in colour.The skins were very stiff so had to be tumbled for 4 hours to make them usable again. They only cost a few pounds so I decided it was worth the risk having them made up into a jacket.
I sent them to Will up at Aero and he was very impressed with them , saying that they were the best he had ever seen . He was as enthusiastic as I was about the project and he bought rest of the remaining batch.
I am a big fan of the Navy design type sheepskins, the M445's etc and the USAAF Anj-4's. I am not so keen on B-3's where the wool shows at the waist and cuffs. Aero have an original Anj-4 with out the waist buttons and with shearling cuffs, so I asked Will if he would copy it for me.
This became a kind of machinists marathon as the jacket took much longer to make than anticipated because the hide was so tough and prone to tearing. The resulting jacket though is excellent even though it is a prototype. It is very solid without being uncomfortable to wear and has a huge collar. It looks like a Lost worlds but has the feel of an Eastman.
I would choose a more brown horse hide next time, perhaps brown HH or as Will suggested oil pull horse, and perhaps make it a couple of inches shorter and tighter in the waist.
The best thing about the venture is that some newly tanned skins with the character and colour characteristics but lacking the stiffness, will possibly form the basis of a new Vintage range from Aero.
I have to thank Will for his generous use of time and for being prepared to do custom work, and Julie who made the jacket.
The photos don't do it justice, it is that good.
