BK price increases again?

[tropicalbob]

Andy, you're not a Brooklyn boy, are you? Anyone who could write such a nice, reasonable paragraph as the one you did earlier and then end it with "You got a problem with that? " has got to be from that burg. Also, great poster. Where can I get a copy? It might be fun to put it up in my office and watch the reactions it would get.

 

[MightyEighth]

Ha, I am really looking forward to see how LW A2 breaks now.






There you go ZHZ...

 

[thor]

Ha, I am really looking forward to see how LW A2 breaks now.

View attachment 11990

View attachment 11991


There you go ZHZ...

Beautiful looking hide! How did you get it looking so grainy? HWT? Wear it in the rain? Looks great!

 

[zhz]

Looks much better than I first got it. Nice job. And so glab it fits you so well.

Ha, I am really looking forward to see how LW A2 breaks now.

View attachment 11990

View attachment 11991


There you go ZHZ...

 

[MightyEighth]

Beautiful looking hide! How did you get it looking so grainy? HWT? Wear it in the rain? Looks great!

Hi Thor,

Yeah it came out quite nicely, as was totally smooth beforehand.

HWT, but using a sponge and only dampening down rather than soaking it through. Once damp, beat the sh*t out of it, inc screwing up into a ball and jumping on it (without shoes on, on carpet), continuously re-shaping the screwed up ball. Then paper towel any dampness left.

Then condition (seems to help the grain come out even more), leave to soak in, then HWT a second time with sponge (helps remove any shine from conditioning), jump on screwed up ball again, then wear dry, making lots of strange arm stretches etc to get it to soften and sit down on my shoulders properly.

Job done

 

[Dickie Teenie]

And you did this in private I hope.

 

[MightyEighth]

And you did this in private I hope.

No, I did it in the office whilst shouting "who you calling a psycho!?!"

 

[hpalapdog]

Hi Thor,

Yeah it came out quite nicely, as was totally smooth beforehand.

HWT, but using a sponge and only dampening down rather than soaking it through. Once damp, beat the sh*t out of it, inc screwing up into a ball and jumping on it (without shoes on, on carpet), continuously re-shaping the screwed up ball. Then paper towel any dampness left.

Then condition (seems to help the grain come out even more), leave to soak in, then HWT a second time with sponge (helps remove any shine from conditioning), jump on screwed up ball again, then wear dry, making lots of strange arm stretches etc to get it to soften and sit down on my shoulders properly.

Job done

Good work. Other tactics are cycling in the rain wearing a full rucksack and kicking the jacket around the yard as a football. Less chance of the men in white coats arriving using the first method.

 

[MightyEighth]

Good work. Other tactics are cycling in the rain wearing a full rucksack and kicking the jacket around the yard as a football.

Yes, and I would be up for the yard+football option if it was a different finish such as veg tanned. But the paint type tanning on the LW means it would just leave big scratches on the finish, rather than looking weathered...

 

[Superfluous]

Yeah it came out quite nicely, as was totally smooth beforehand.

HWT, but using a sponge and only dampening down rather than soaking it through. Once damp, beat the sh*t out of it, inc screwing up into a ball and jumping on it (without shoes on, on carpet), continuously re-shaping the screwed up ball. Then paper towel any dampness left.

Then condition (seems to help the grain come out even more), leave to soak in, then HWT a second time with sponge (helps remove any shine from conditioning), jump on screwed up ball again, then wear dry, making lots of strange arm stretches etc to get it to soften and sit down on my shoulders properly.

Job done

Amazing transformation. Does this approach work with any leather? What did you use for the condition phase?

 

[MightyEighth]

Amazing transformation. Does this approach work with any leather? What did you use for the condition phase?

It works for most leathers, but better on thicker hides. A soft Lambskin won't do much in terms of grain.

With conditioning, I tend to use whatever is to hand (always trying different stuff), but I tend to stick to stuff from saddlery stores, as its mostly lanolin based.

Honestly, a cheap non-scented moisturiser such as the Mrs might use is perfect for this job - non greasy, no nasties in it, etc. The key is using it after the initial abuse - it seems to moisturise the hight parts of the grain, making it stand out more

 

[Sloan1874]

I see John Chapman said he uses vaseline!

 

[MightyEighth]

I see John Chapman said he uses vaseline!

That must make it shiny though...?

 

[Sloan1874]

Apparently not:

"Q: Do you ever use any kind of conditioner on your coats?

A: Not generally. New leather absolutely doesn't need any conditioning, for a very, very long time. Only with really worn and dry vintage jackets will I ever use a conditioner. With those I use Vaseline, which is pH neutral. It adds fluid to the leather, but doesn't make the leather gooey. What's that heavy leather dressing… Pecards? That always feels so greasy afterwards, I don't like it. Jackets conditioned with Vaseline feel dry to the touch afterwards, but it does evaporate after about 6 months. One thing to consider is the cotton thread in older jackets. If you put the wrong stuff on there, like mink oil, it won't do anything right away, but eventually, those threads will be rotten. I think it's the negative pH, it eats cotton thread. Not the leather so much, which after the tanning process is a non-biological substance."

 

[MightyEighth]

Apparently not:

"Q: Do you ever use any kind of conditioner on your coats?

A: Not generally. New leather absolutely doesn't need any conditioning, for a very, very long time. QUOTE]

Aha, he uses it on dried out jackets.

 

[Dr H]

Negative pH? Some odd things going on in Seattle...

I think that John means that mink oil is mildly acidic (pH 6.5, versus pH 7), which would break down (hydrolyse) the cotton thread in time. Not quickly at this pH - lots of kinetic studies to examine the hydrolysis of cottons using concentrated acids (hydrochloric or sulphuric), but these are like battery acid and degrade the cotton much more quickly.

 

[hpalapdog]

I see John Chapman said he uses vaseline!

That's the primary ingredient of Pecards, a light petroleum distillate. They add bees wax which is also inert, long lived and has anti-bacterial qualities. I keep bees.

I avoid anything made of dead animals. Neatfoot oil is boiled up cattle shins and feet. Mink oil is underskin mink fat. Lanolin is a bit better , grease from sheep wool that has useful waterproofing properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanolin

 

[MightyEighth]

Lanolin is a bit better , grease from sheep wool.

That's my preference. Sinks in nicely, not greasy or shiny, and if it keeps sheep water-resistant, then good on my jackets.

Whilst we are talking about random things to put on leather, I was chatting with a woman in a saddlery the other day. Apparently they use Talcum powder on leathers to stop them squeaking/creaking. Must try that, as new HH drives me mad - won't be creeping up on anybody in a new HH jacket!

 

[Xopher]

Wow I sure as hell am glad I stumbled across this thread when I did. I woke up this morning, poured some coffee and got my debit card out, literally about to click the purchase button on a BK A2. The only thing that saved me from this slimy dishonest and sneaky +20% price gouge, was a last minute search on FL for a post I had seen a few months ago and I accidentally found this warning thread telling me to look for the tiny 10 point font change from Euro to GBP.

I originally liked BK because they seemed to be fantastic products for about a grand. Now that they are putting themselves in the ring with ELC and Good Wear they lost their allure. Also with their dirty tactic with raising prices, you get slammed on the resale value down the line. People will always pay more for a used Good Wear or ELC than a used BK.

Because of this blatant attempt to secretly hose us on conversion rates I will now NEVER buy BK products. I will not support dishonest business tactics, and I refuse to believe the folks at BK did not foresee customer confusion with a deceptive stunt like that.

Customers did not need another option for $1300+ jackets, they needed one for good jackets between $600 and $1000.
Now that BK prices are $1300+ you might as well take your business to GW and keep the money in the States, and you'll get one custom fitted. Hell Id sooner buy a lesser quality G&B or US Authentic instead of BK for the same price just to prove a point. I feel like I just dodged a $300 dollar bullet aimed for my back.

 

[zhz]

I found they changed the symbol just befor I want to make a purchase, and feel really bad about this. To be fair, BK makes very nice jacket, and I love their Westfall jacket design, so I am still considering them.
In terms of quality, I am not sure how good they are compare to ELC, but certainly not reach GWs standard.

Wow I sure as hell am glad I stumbled across this thread when I did. I woke up this morning, poured some coffee and got my debit card out, literally about to click the purchase button on a BK A2. The only thing that saved me from this slimy dishonest and sneaky +20% price gouge, was a last minute search on FL for a post I had seen a few months ago and I accidentally found this warning thread telling me to look for the tiny 10 point font change from Euro to GBP.

I originally liked BK because they seemed to be fantastic products for about a grand. Now that they are putting themselves in the ring with ELC and Good Wear they lost their allure. Also with their dirty tactic with raising prices, you get slammed on the resale value down the line. People will always pay more for a used Good Wear or ELC than a used BK.

Because of this blatant attempt to secretly hose us on conversion rates I will now NEVER buy BK products. I will not support dishonest business tactics, and I refuse to believe the folks at BK did not foresee customer confusion with a deceptive stunt like that.

Customers did not need another option for $1300+ jackets, they needed one for good jackets between $600 and $1000.
Now that BK prices are $1300+ you might as well take your business to GW and keep the money in the States, and you'll get one custom fitted. Hell Id sooner buy a lesser quality G&B or US Authentic instead of BK for the same price just to prove a point. I feel like I just dodged a $300 dollar bullet aimed for my back.