Johnson leather Horween 6oz cxl overdye D-pocket and 4.5 -5oz CXL natural LeatherTogs project

[Hh121]

You should see if they can make you a belt or wallet with the “waste” that would be really cool and save on the “waste.”

Brilliant idea, thank you.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Worst case they send you the remaining leather with the jacket and you can see to what to do with it yourself.

 

[Will Zach]

6-oz is kinda thin for a belt. I recently got 12/13-oz blanks and will try to make a belt myself - that is the thickness worthy of this jacket. 6-oz might be good for a nice wallet.

 

[Marc mndt]

6-oz is kinda thin for a belt. I recently got 12/13-oz blanks and will try to make a belt myself - that is the thickness worthy of this jacket. 6-oz might be good for a nice wallet.

Or a nice cardholder

 

[dannyk]

Yeah maybe not a belt. Wallet for sure. But something. My thinking was simply that it’s your leather you paid for it. Since there will be waste and they are the professionals and have the skills to make something you should definitely ask. If you get the leftovers back that’s fine but you’re not a skilled tradesmen and if you send it someplace else you’re just paying to have another company do what I imagine they can do anyway. Figured you might as well ask while ya can. Then you could have some awesome cardholder or wallet to match your jacket!

 

[JMax]

Or a nice cardholder
View attachment 267077

You and Greg did not mess around. Very cool.

 

[El Marro]

Yeah maybe not a belt. Wallet for sure. But something. My thinking was simply that it’s your leather you paid for it. Since there will be waste and they are the professionals and have the skills to make something you should definitely ask. If you get the leftovers back that’s fine but you’re not a skilled tradesmen and if you send it someplace else you’re just paying to have another company do what I imagine they can do anyway. Figured you might as well ask while ya can. Then you could have some awesome cardholder or wallet to match your jacket!

As far as a belt goes they could use the Horween leather on the outside and bond it with another backing leather to make it more substantial.

 

[Jin431]

^^ cool, I'm happy the excess shinki aren't going to waste

 

[Marc mndt]

^^ cool, I'm happy the excess shinki aren't going to waste

He also included this leftover piece so I can make some extra zipper pulls myself.

I might have an even better idea. I see a Shinki Batman mask

 

[Hh121]

He also included this leftover piece so I can make some extra zipper pulls myself. View attachment 267085

I might have an even better idea. I see a Shinki Batman mask

love the idea, I do need a water repellent mask.

 

[Jin431]

He also included this leftover piece so I can make some extra zipper pulls myself. View attachment 267085

I might have an even better idea. I see a Shinki Batman mask

Very kind of him. Plus Halloween is just right around the corner lol

 

[El Marro]

I’m sorry to hear that man!

 

[Peacoat]

so it turns out this company can't do it, the machine won't take it.
I paid over $300 for lining and zippers and now I can't use it.
I paid my tuition and learned something in a hard way. I hope my failure experience will be helpful to TFL.

Of course you can use it. Just use it in a hide that a manufacturer can work with. Your original concept just wasn't doable.

 

[navetsea]

so it turns out this company can't do it, the machine won't take it.
I paid over $300 for lining and zippers and now I can't use it.
I paid my tuition and learned something in a hard way. I hope my failure experience will be helpful to TFL.

just let them skive the seams to a workable thickness, having too thick of seams with too long of threads running through it doesn't add strength to the construction.
I think you have the wrong idea about skiving, when they skive the leather it is just along the edges of the panel, not the entire panel.

If you want to showcase how thick the leather is then have some exposed raw edges as accent, probably the edges of the patch pocket exposed, or the cutout of the zipper. and have the cuff folded in like vanson.

I think the machine used in jacket making is not calibrated to work on thick hide because it is not usual, bag maker, boot maker can handle it because they run bigger thread, bigger needle, machine tension is set to work the thread through thicker material and so on, and jacket maker who do normal jacket thickness have to set aside one machine and need to probably call someone who can recalibrate this machine, buy special needle, probably buy a special thread size (one roll) just for your jacket, I can see why they reluctant to do that. just for a one off, I think of 3 possible solution for you,

1.
ask the jacket maker to cut a pattern, and you bring these panels to a leather bag maker to sew together into a jacket.

2.
let the edges get skived down so the jacket maker can do as usual.

3.
don't skive the edges but don't ask for top stitch where the panels overlaps into 3 layers of leather.

 

[navetsea]

when trying to persuade a maker to go with extreme one off project, I think it is their own curiosity and hobbyist at heart that want to accept your order and make it happen, probably they already make some notes and think how to make this possible like if the sleeve is so thick it can not be easily pulled inside out then what following order they need to modify to put it together easier , then the word "cancelling order" should never coming from you man... you should convey them to push through, change your will a little so it becomes doable for them, you have to be more flexible since they know better the trouble ahead.
Just let them know you want the jacket to be thick and heavy, and visually look thick around the edges, whatever course they need to do let them decide. if they have to use raw edge let them do but ask the raw edge to be burnished.

 

[handymike]

Wasn’t there a guy who saddle stitched his own jacket awhile back? I think a bag maker is a good start- or a saddle maker or shoemaker.

 

[Boyo]

Wasn’t there a gut who saddle stitched his own jacket awhile back? I think a bag maker is a good start- or a saddle maker or shoemaker.

I think it was @Seawolf.. he makes leather belts, bags & wallets. I also think he is active military (Navy) and is possibly deployed

EDIT** I was right, Zeebee leather. check out his instagram really nice looking stuff.

 

[handymike]

There is a guy here in Burbank that makes custom gun-holsters. I bet he could do it. He has crazy machines- even the skiver.

 

[ton312]

What will you do with the 6oz CXL you purchased from Horween? I’m sure you could sell it but that seems a shame. Can Alan shave it down to 5oz and do it? I mean let’s be honest, a 5 oz leather jacket is going to wear like a miserable, hot nightmare. Maybe not as horrible as 6oz but for damn sure close enough. Or is JL saying nothing over 4oz period?

 

[nick123]

I'd just tell Alan to make the heaviest thing his machines can handle. I've been in his store and know some of the bricks he's capable of making. He made something from his "chp" or "police" leather I tried, it'd be hard to not tip over on a motorcycle wearing that thing.
You'll still get a helluva jacket. I know the 6oz dream is kind of shattered, and I'm sorry for any loss you may have incurred if you paid more per sq. foot for your leather. Maybe he can find a use for whatever he shaves off. But this may be a saving grace, because the jacket will be wearable. I imagine your heavy zips will still be optimal on anywhere around 4oz. A 6oz jacket will most realistically become an unsellable window piece. Don't get me wrong. I like the idea, but again, this may be a blessing. He's a cool guy (as you have seen); very understanding. You were right to be disappointed but shake hands and get back to the drawing board!

I suppose if you're hell bent on 5 or 6 ounces you can poke around some of the other makers. But from a ground-up jacket perspective, Alan is probably the best at this. Put a heavy wool tartan in there. It'll still be a monster. Eta that first green Johnson jacket in the thread looks beefy af.