Which is your favorite G-1?

[Sloan1874]

Fantastic fit, one of the best originals I've seen on here in a long time. Reminds of the original WW2 Bronco that Aero had for sale, but considerably cheaper! Sleeves are perfect too.

 

[Fanch]

Thanks guys. Cruising through John's sales pages can turn up some really interesting bargains, not least of all this one! When I alerted John to the fit pictures I posted on the Lounge, he had this to say:

"There's something about the jackets from 1960-1963 that looks so cool. They have a tight waist area, and are very big and square in the shoulders. I don't see that much before, nor after that period. It really works, and on you, that jacket is superb. My only fault with that period is the zippers being shorter at the bottom, which seems to be a trait of Irvin Fosters from that particular contract. I've checked others that I've owned, and I don't see them being so short. Otherwise, if you told people it was brand new, you'd get a lot of comments on the nice fit, but no one could tell that it's 55 years old. That's just amazing!"

Not only is John a wealth of detailed information but also is just an incredibly nice guy with whom to communicate. I simply cannot say enough good about him!

 

[ButteMT61]

^ amen to that.

 

[davyjones007]

Not sure why my images are rotated when I try to upload them from my laptop. In other news, those are some great looking G-1's.

 

[Flightengineer]

Hi to all.
Recently I got another 50-s G-1 to my collection. Nice condition, like new, but mouton fur collar needs replacing in the near future. I found an original mouton fur piece dark brown color but I would like to make it lighter and rusty like on my jacket , I want it should be more rusty looking)))
Guys, does anyone know how to make dark-brown fur become lighter and more rusty ? Keep it long on direct sunlight?
Thanks for the ideas.

 

[thor]

I think dark brown mouton takes years of exposure to sunlight, U/V rays and a dash of salty air (the environment you'd find aboard an aircraft carrier) to change color from brown to red to honey blonde. Short of that, you can find a vintage piece of aged mouton on an old coat or second-hand garment at a thrift store or eBay and have a competent tailor replace the collar.
Some companies will change the collar for you and have different shades of mouton in stock (Aeroleather, US Authentic, Goodwear, etc).

 

[Atticus Finch]

Trying to age a new piece of mouton may well prove to be an exercise in futility. The dyes used in the 1950s and 1960s were much less stable than those of today. Because of this, vintage mouton aged fairly quickly when exposed to UV light. New mouton...maybe not so much.

Folks I know (including me) that have replaced a G-1 collar, sourced their mouton from a vintage coat or mouton stole found at a thrift shop.

AF

 

[Flightengineer]

Thank you all. The mouton I found for the replacement - NOS (70-s)
Competent tailors I have)))
I'll probably try to find mouton a little lighter, if not - then I'll replace it with the one that is, let it look like it was just issued, although it is already 61 years old)))

 

[El Marro]

Thank you all. The mouton I found for the replacement - NOS (70-s)
Competent tailors I have)))
I'll probably try to find mouton a little lighter, if not - then I'll replace it with the one that is, let it look like it was just issued, although it is already 61 years old)))

I think you are on the right track. The good news is that there are plenty of inexpensive mouton jackets to choose from on eBay that would make a great donor jacket. I found one a couple years back for $40.00 that I have used to replace the collar on two of my G-1s.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Another of my favorites. A 1970 Brill D-series. And an old VMF(N)-513 patch. Now they're VMA-513 and based in Yuma.

In my opinion, Brill Brothers G-1s have been given a bum rap by many collectors. I think the sketchy reputation came mainly because of their post Vietnam, E-series jackets, which were cowhide and totally unremarkable. But the older Brills were as good as any of the Vietnam-era G-1s...and better than some.

To me, this is the typical mid war G-1. Trimly cut. Small collared. A bit short waisted.

AF

 

[Fanch]

I suspect my 1967 issued G-1 might have been a Brill, but who knows? Anyhow @Atticus Finch yours looks great.


EDIT: The photo above is not of me but @Atticus Finch as his photo above was oriented horizontally, at least on my desktop, and I just wanted to better illustrate his photo.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I suspect my 1967 issued G-1 might have been a Brill, but who knows? Anyhow @Atticus Finch yours looks great.
View attachment 81486

Thanks! As to your jacket...I think that Brill didn't become a contractor until the first of the D-series jackets in 1968. I may be wrong, but that's what I think I remember. Star Sportswear had a 1967 contract...and that was for C-series G-1s. I think Ralph Edwards did, too. Of course, your issued jacket could have been made by almost any of the contractors who served the Navy in 1967, or prior. I suspect someone just reached up on a shelf and handed you the jacket he touched first. That quartermaster guy probably didn't know a Star Sportswear from a Members Only.

AF

 

[Deacon211]

That is a beaut Fanch.

Sadly, I think the Flying Nightmares were decommissioned several years ago. Their hangar was right down the street from ours.


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[Atticus Finch]

That is a beaut Fanch.

Sadly, I think the Flying Nightmares were decommissioned several years ago. Their hangar was right down the street from ours.


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Oddly enough, VMF-513 started its life during WWII, at the Oak Grove Air Station in Jones County, North Carolina. Oak Grove Air Station is still a USMC Field, but it's now unmanned. It's located next door to our property.

AF

 

[Deacon211]

It's funny how squadrons make their way around the country (and around the world) over the decades.


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[ButteMT61]

Mine was simpler. It had to fit me. Finding it, not so simple.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Mine was simpler. It had to fit me. Finding it, not so simple.

I feel your pain. All of my G-1s are size 48. And I've just recently lost enough weight to wear them, again. I was big. Great big. The good news is, every time I walk into my closet, it's like Christmas morning. I actually found a nice 1963 Alpha MA-1, the other day, and I didn't know I owned it. I still have no clue where it came from.

AF

 

[ButteMT61]

That's super AF! I've noticed the pics. Well done. I knows just what you mean. Been there too.

 

[RMF308]

Just picked this G-1 up locally; according to its label it's a JA Dubow from a 1951 contract. Overall in excellent shape with a beautiful grainy goat hide.

I've been spending the last few days aggresively cleaning it to get the 'vintage' smell/funk out of it. Through this cleaning process I've learned that these early G-1 jackets are incredibly tough and well put together as I've put this one though quite the ordeal in attempts to clean it. I first started the cleaning process by saturating the jacket inside and out with 50/50 water and white vinegar and then letting it dry in the Seattle summer sun, after that I soaked it in a tub of Woolite for an hour, and then put it outside again for a couple days to let it completely dry. This process took away only about 25% of the smell which wasn't nearly enough for me. The next process was the most successful and took away 98% of the vintage smell yet didn't cause any ill effects to the jacket; I took a spray bottle of Nature's Miracle (yes, the cat stain and odor remover you buy from Pet stores) and saturated the jacket inside and out with it, giving it time to fully soak into the leather, and then sprayed it again and left it in the sun to dry. The enzymes in the Nature's Miracle cleaner really made a world of difference! The smell is really only perceivable at nose contact distance now. Because of my obsessive behaviors... I'm planning giving it one more Natures Miracle saturation and then leave it out in the sun to dry out for a few more days which should get it to hopefully 100% vintage smell free. After that I'll probably apply some Vaseline to the exterior and call it a day. Not saying that this process was scientific, wise, nor the best or right process for all jackets but it worked with this one and might work for yours if you encounter the same issues.

 

[Flightengineer]

RMF308, nice G-1, but maybe you are in vain so tormented?
Do you have professional biologic cleaning for leather jackets Seattle?
We have (but a really one for a big city), the price is about $ 40 for a completely clean G-1 (leather, lining and mouton), the jacket after is like new and odorless, very soft leather. They use only natural components, this is their know-how, I gave them a lot of jackets and always the perfectly result.