One more, always one more...

[Canuck Panda]

It’s really unfortunate your LW didn’t work out. He is one of the few makers that stock black deerskin, and I believe that would be a very good leather choice for your J100 jacket. Deer/Buck/Elk would always be chrome tanned but it’s always dyed through. It would also be your softest leather that would handle water better than all other animal skins. Deer’s ultra softness can give you more comfort at a tighter than horsehide fit. The only drawback would be the spongey grain, which some people dislike.
I’ve heard JL offers deerskin but I am not sure what’s the situation now.
SB has elk now, which is actually moose, but the Brits calls it elk. They are not the favourite brands around here but I actually have one in Brit Elk on order. I too am not quite ready to join the LW club, my only LW was from the classifieds here.
If Lewis leather had a J100 pattern I would recommend that. Veg tan sheep 3.5 oz soft dyed through full grain leather tanned in France. But they offer Brit moto styles only, no classic American styles.
If you still want full aniline Shinki for the J100, FL is probably the best value for the fit, but the guy has too long of a wait list now.
Its hard, getting the perfect jacket. We could all use some luck on this journey eh.

 

[Kuro]

While my Aero does an amazing job being a 3oz leather shirt, my experience has grown since I purchased it, and I find that the shoulders could be some amount larger. It is tight across the shoulders. Probably just half an inch to one inch more, somewhere in there.

I feel like a new jacket is in order, and I find myself drawn to the possibility of a J-100 style, but without the chest pockets and add just the D pocket in the position that the Buco rider has, and no hand warmer pockets either. I can't say why specifically, but it feels like an interesting clean asymmetrical jacket to me.

And I really like how the soft black steerhide drapes and moves and gives, so I thought, as you have, that deerskin might be a good choice.

Luck indeed!

 

[dudewuttheheck]

If you like the RMC J-100 the most, just go for that one!

 

[Blackadder]

You can get that colour, it is just a matter of getting the correct balance, but you will not have the darkening with sun exposure if this what you had in mind?

If we are talking about mere light brown then of course you can dye the chrome tanned leather. You can dye the leather white but the colour would still be different as it would be from a dye. I am pretty sure that people can tell dyed leather from undyed one. That is what I meant.
Nor would a combination tanned natural colour have the same "light brown" colour. A combination tan would have a darker brown e.g. CXL greenish brown so you still have to dye it. And if dye is applied, you can tell the difference.

 

[Blackadder]

I always thought the combination dyed process was interesting.

I believe what you are saying, is that you can not have natural colored leather if you veg tan it, as the process colors the hide.

If you chrome tan a hide, it can stay the natural color? That is the only way to have natural leather, is to chrome tan it?

The so called natural just means no dye applied. The tanning still colours the leather. Chrome tanning usually turns the leather blueish grey/greyish blue. Veg tanning turns the leather into a light brown or tan. Since natural chrome tanned leather is a rather ugly blue, they would always dye them. Veg tanned leather however can often be sold undyed. With undyed combination tan, you can get a darker brownish colour but not as light as veg tanned.
My friend's leather shop which I go to twice every week to smoke cigars with him. And no we don't smoke inside the leather shop, there is a smoking den next door.

 

[Kuro]

The so called natural just means no dye applied. The tanning still colours the leather. Chrome tanning usually turns the leather blueish grey/greyish blue. Veg tanning turns the leather into a light brown or tan. Since natural chrome tanned leather is a rather ugly blue, they would always dye them. Veg tanned leather however can often be sold undyed. With undyed combination tan, you can get a darker brownish colour but not as light as veg tanned.
My friend's leather shop which I go to twice every week to smoke cigars with him. And no we don't smoke inside the leather shop, there is a smoking den next door.

I take it that natural undyed leather is chemically stripped of the color from the tanning process, to achieve that nice natural color?

 

[Kuro]

Here are some inspirations at the moment. Both photos I would want the cuff zippers on top, like a J-100.

 

[Kuro]

Sad I could not get the jacket colors to match, but I think it gets the point across to a maker.

I suppose I could live with the zippers on the underside as well, but I like them on top, they don't rub on stuff that way.

 

[Coriu]

Right or wrong, it sounds like Stuart has pegged you for a difficult customer and decided to pass. I had a similar experience myself a few years ago with a different maker and I have to admit it stung a bit.
I would suggest that you turn your attention in a different direction. See what Thedi and Johnson Leathers have to offer you. After all, this is supposed to be fun and the person making your jacket should be happy and eager to do so.

That is profound advice. Too often we lose sight of the "fun" part. I do business with a leather smith who has been doing it as a profession for 50 years. He is world class, yet always humble and always happy to hear from a customer, regardless of what day it is. He does not boast about his products nor try to convince you how far superior they are to others.

 

[Monitor]

That is profound advice. Too often we lose sight of the "fun" part. I do business with a leather smith who has been doing it as a profession for 50 years. He is world class, yet always humble and always happy to hear from a customer, regardless of what day it is. He does not boast about his products nor try to convince you how far superior they are to others.

I agree but sometimes you're very proud of what you do and have achieved. To me it shows that you truly believe in your work, don't want to do it just for the money and that's very nice. Stu is full of ass but I respect that about him and his business.

 

[Coriu]

I agree but sometimes you're very proud of what you do and have achieved. To me it shows that you truly believe in your work, don't want to do it just for the money and that's very nice. Stu is full of ass but I respect that about him and his business.

Pride is one thing, Monitor. Pride with contempt is another. The narrative on the website speaks volumes.

 

[El Marro]

Stu makes great jackets and the quality of his work speaks for itself. I think it is unfortunate that he cannot be happy with this knowledge alone yet must go on to insult and disparage other jacket makers. It strikes me as insecurity.

 

[Canuck Panda]

LW is a marketing genius. He does the same thing Ferrari does. In order to get that custom order, you gotta show your willingness and buy whatever in stock first, just to get in the club. Meanwhile he pumps out really cool stuff for his other repeat customers. And jacking up the prices. It’s really win win situation once you’re in the club because you know your resale value would hold and potentially increase with LW price increases. And he makes stuff that can’t be found elsewhere.
I only have a used LW from the classifieds here. And every time I looked at the cool stuff he comes out with, I do get the urge to jump in. But the price of admission is just too steep for me to go all the way, for now.

 

[JMax]

Arrogant, prideful, often contemptuous…sounds like most every world class whatever I have met or been around.

 

[Coriu]

Does Stu actually sew his own jackets? I mean Stu, himself. How many jackets has he, himself, built from the ground up, meaning design, cut and sew?

 

[Carlos840]

Does Stu actually sew his own jackets? I mean Stu, himself. How many jackets has he, himself, built from the ground up, meaning design, cut and sew?

None, Stu takes care of the sales, jacket design, website, QC. He is also part owner of a tannery and deals with finding the hides, getting the leather to his spec, sourcing hardware, etc.
The LW "vision"/brand is his.
He has been working with the same pattern maker/cutter/machinist since the early 90s (94 i think), his name is Fausto he is also in his 60s.
It is a two man opperation, front of house is Stuart, jacket making is Fausto.
Every LW jacket made since then has been entirely made by Fausto. They make between 300 and 400 jackets a year i think. That number was slightly bigger a few years back when they used to wholesale to Japan.

It's interresting to hear Stuart talk about Fausto, you can hear he respects his work immensly, to him Fausto is the Michelangelo of jacket making.
He told me "My guy is the best in the world" many times, and he firmly believes it.

Basically Stu is obsessed with making the best leather jackets in the world.
To achieve that he found the best machinist in the world and is doing his best to privide him with what he is convinced are the best materials in the world. You can hear that's his number one goal in life.

 

[Coriu]

I share this as an example of a leather craftsman who has every reason to beat his chest, but is actually very humble.

Pictured below is a Wickett & Craig leather saddle, fully basket-weave tooled with border trim and sterling silver lacing around the front gullet and over the 4" cantle. The craftsman built this from scratch, including all of the metalworking. He has a degree in Equine Animal Science which helps him design anatomically correct equipment for horses and rider. He is a world-class horseman(rider and judge) with extensive knowledge of horsemanship and gear back to the Civil War era. And he owns and rides motorcycles and builds accessories, too.

He teaches leatherworking classes. He has helped handicapped individuals enjoy riding by designing specialized saddles. He is a Vietnam vet who has taught US Special Forces soldiers how to ride and pack horses in Afghanistan.

 

[Coriu]

None, Stu takes care of the sales, jacket design, website, QC. He is also part owner of a tannery and deals with finding the hides, getting the leather to his spec, sourcing hardware, etc.
The LW "vision"/brand is his.
He has been working with the same pattern maker/cutter/machinist since the early 90s (94 i think), his name is Fausto he is also in his 60s.

Thank you for the background! It sounds like without Fausto, there would be no leather jackets. Yet, I don't find a single mention of Fausto on the website. Apparently Stuart is more compelled to impress with his vocabulary and philosophy of the world than providing recognition where it belongs. I believe there is a word for people like that, and it begins with an "n" and ends with a "t."

 

[Marc mndt]

"Yet, I don't find a single mention of Fausto on the website."

That's one of the things I like about Thedi's new website, how they introduce their team to us.

... Or Aero leathers

 

[Carlos840]

Thank you for the background! It sounds like without Fausto, there would be no leather jackets. Yet, I don't find a single mention of Fausto on the website. Apparently Stuart is more compelled to impress with his vocabulary and philosophy of the world than providing recognition where it belongs. I believe there is a word for people like that, and it begins with an "n" and ends with a "t."

There is also no mention of Stuart anywhere on the website.
It just says "our jackets", "our tannery", "our workshop"

And yes, without Fausto there would be no leather jackets, but without Stuart there would be no Lost Worlds.
Not every craftsman wants his face on the internet...