Crush on Retro Cossack

[tytim]

Has anyone any experience with one of these, I got badly burned with an Etsy version, which has been returned, it was total rubbish.

Tempted by this one

Men's Cossack Leather Jacket, Yellowish-brown

Embrace timeless American ruggedness with our classic Men's Cossack Leather Jacket. Expertly crafted from premium Yellowish-Brown Italian vegetable-tanned horsehide, this jacket is built to last a lifetime and develop a rich, unique patina that tells your story. The soft, supple leather feels...

crushonretro.com

 

[Matt_B]

I have this jacket and really like it. It is not as orange as the color in picture, more cognac or light brown. This is a light weight jacket but leather quality is very good. Got mine from Tailor Brando website. Also available on Crush on Retro. Message Dylan via WhatsApp for Tailor Brando or message Jim from COR before purchase for sizing advice.

 

[tytim]

Would you post some pics please, Thanks

 

[Matt_B]

Here you go. For $300, no tax, free ship, this is a great value. I have no regrets.

 

[tytim]

Perfect Thanks appreciated

 

[JonS1967]

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but I purchased a Veluokldly brand J100 from Crush on Retro and have been very happy with the quality of the jacket. Especially for the price. The leather and hardware are all very nice. Jim was helpful in getting me the right size. I would definitely reach out to them before ordering.

 

[Matt_B]

I have this jacket also and agree with you. The pattern, fit and quality are surprisingly good for the money. My jacket is showing some tea core from heavy wear. The leather is not comparable to artisanal quality of the Flat Head Shinki but then it’s 1/4 the price and gets worn more because I’m not as worried about scuffs and scrapes.

 

[tytim]

Thanks for the help, i've ordered one

 

[tytim]

Here you go. For $300, no tax, free ship, this is a great value. I have no regrets.

Hi Matt, did you find the leather over shiny when it first arrived, and did you do anything to dull it down a bit ?

 

[Matt_B]

Hi Matt, did you find the leather over shiny when it first arrived, and did you do anything to dull it down a bit ?

I did not find the leather to be too shiny. Just a pleasant sheen. Looks well made and quality looks very good. In my opinion, no need dull or adjust out of the box. Wearing it will take the sheen down a bit. You'll be able to judge when it arrives.

 

[tytim]

It arrived today, i'm pleased with the fit, style and construction but it's a bit too shiny and orange for my taste, gonna have a experiment removing the wax and maybe apply a tiny amount of neatsfoot oil or Pecards Dressing to darken it down a bit. And the buttons are a bit too plasticky, will try and find some vintage horn ones and learn how to sew.

 

[tytim]

So I had a bit of a project, which was way more than a bit of neatsfoot oil, started with 1st image and this is what I have now. Was a bit of a learning curve lots of mistakes along the way, working out what pigments are in different color leather dyes. Learnt how to sew on the new Corozo buttons. First Horsehide jacket for me and very different from the Steerhide jackets I have. I love the feel and weight of it. I'm quite pleased with the finished result & only owes me around £200 so perfect pub jacket.

 

[Matt_B]

Looks cool. Please outline the steps of this transformation.

 

[tytim]

Thanks for the interest. I made lots of mistakes but here goes, first thing i did to try and work out what color I wanted was to do some small test patches on the inside of the jacket back at the bottom, tried Fiebings Tan dye (diluted 1:3 with 99% rubbing alcohol) which looked pretty good however after doing the whole jacket it was still far too orange. So after a lot of time on AI I gave it 2 very light applications of neatsfoot oil, which did darken it a little but not enough. Then tried some Fiebings Mid Brown (diluted 1:3 with 99% rubbing alcohol) which again darkened it but I was still getting a strong orange showing through, then tried a 1:5 mix of Fiebings black which made a big difference but not quite enough, last application was a 50/50 Fiebings Dark Brown / Rubbing Alcohol mix which finally killed the orange off and gave the colour I have now. To seal it all in and make if water tight I gave it 2 coats of 50/50 Resolene / distilled water. All the above dyes were applied in very very thin coats almost dry cotton fabric to make sure the leather was not completely saturated. Final job was the Corozo buttons. If I was doing it again I would have spent much longer stripping the factory finish with a professional grade product and then going straight in with the dark brown. It's been a massive learning curve and very therapeutic. Had to curb the enthusiasm a few times and let it rest for 24 hours before moving onto the next stage. I'm going to try a really light coat of Angelus Matte just to kill the shine when it arrives from Amazon tomorrow. Without AI I would have made a total mess of it. Might buy another Crush On in a different style to try a different theme.

 

[Matt_B]

The end resulting color looks quite unique with a burnished appearance. The orange/cognac under-color gives it a warm chestnut brown color. Might try this on my jacket. Was it necessary to remove the buttons?

 

[tytim]

I suppose you could leave them on but it was easier when applying the dyes to make sure I got an even coat. Not sure the original buttons would work with the dark color ?

 

[tytim]

The Angelus Matte made no difference so i used some 0000 wire wool just to dull it down a little here's a before and after, need to resist the temptation to do anything else and risk messing it up. Needs wearing now to set the arm creases.