Alexander Leathers Leather?

Seb Lucas · Mar 25, 2014

pauleway said:
schitzo said:

I'm saying don't overlook the goatskin, their black stuff is the tits.

I have a Arkansas in russet goat, and it is every bit as nice as the black goatskin!

Click to expand...

I have one in brown goat. A curious thing. The leather is fading very quickly and with little wear (which is odd) and there are small bits of off-white leather coming through where the scraps or scuffs are, but where it's fading on edges by the zipper and along the sleeve, it's a nice lighter red/brown. But the funny thing still hasn't broken in. It's still very stiff. It's nice but I think I prefer the chrome tanned Gibson and Barnes goat. I know... I'm a Philistine.

Plumbline · Mar 25, 2014

Monitor said:
The other thread is closed but while the matter of tanning is still up in the air, I might as well ask; water resistance and aesthetics aside, has one tanning method been proved to extend durability of a hide and consequently, a leather garment, compared to the other? I mean, for example, will veg tanned leather jacket dry up and start cracking sooner than chrome tanned one, if not taken care of, or vice versa? Or is that still entirely dependent on a quality of hide?

There are both chrome tanned and veg tanned jackets which are well over 70 years old and still going strong ........ It's all down to the three details mentioned before :

1. Quality of hide
2. Quality of tanning
3. Quality of finishing

then there is the quality of usage

....

I haven't noticed any difference in the longevity of good quality leather be it veg or chrome tanned. Sheepskin is another mater completely and my experience is that english tanned sheepskin ( as used on the Irvin) is MUCH longer lasting and more durable than US sheepskin as used on origninal B-3's / ANJ's and D-1's.

HTH

OneEyeMan · Mar 25, 2014

schitzo said:
I'm saying don't overlook the goatskin, their black stuff is the tits. Also bear in mind that the AL roadster fits closer than an Aero highwayman.

The bison looks immense but 3.5oz is too heavy for me

Not a fan of goatskin.
It just doesn't seem to age at all in the pix I've seen.
Plus, I already have a black jacket.
Didn't know that the Roadster fits closer than the Highwayman.
That's great to know.
Thanks Schitzo.

Plumbline · Mar 25, 2014

OneEyeMan said:
Thanks Worf.
Doesn't sound like prime jacket material.

Don't be fooled .. my Bison Detroit is breaking in nicely and is showing a ton of creasing and is softening beautifully. It's very grainy but ages like an old baseball glove. Alexanders also posted a pic of a 6 month old roadster on their facebook page ( I don't have the pic but \I think seb or someone posted it a few weeks ago) and it looked to be aging great

I like it a lot .. if you like leather with character it's a winner and it just keeps getting better with age.

It is heavy though ... about 3 - 3.5oz and seems to thicken with age a little.

Worf · Mar 25, 2014

Plumbline said:
Don't be fooled .. my Bison Detroit is breaking in nicely and is showing a ton of creasing and is softening beautifully. It's very grainy but ages like an old baseball glove. Alexanders also posted a pic of a 6 month old roadster on their facebook page ( I don't have the pic but \I think seb or someone posted it a few weeks ago) and it looked to be aging great

I like it a lot .. if you like leather with character it's a winner and it just keeps getting better with age.

It is heavy though ... about 3 - 3.5oz and seems to thicken with age a little.

Didn't mean to make you think I was "putting down" Bison. Far from it, just detailing the characterstics of the leather I have in gloves, boots, samples and alike. I plan on getting a Bison jacket from Johnson leather or AL sometime this year... I'd have done it sooner BUT AL no longer has any "lighter colored" leathers in stock, but we'll see.

Worf

Plumbline · Mar 25, 2014

didn't think you were Worf .... just responding to the comment that it didn't sound suitable for a jacket ... I think it will become a very fine Motorcycle jacket, just not sure I'd want to wear it to the office every day

pauleway · Mar 25, 2014

Seb Lucas said:
pauleway said:

I have one in brown goat. A curious thing. The leather is fading very quickly and with little wear (which is odd) and there are small bits of off-white leather coming through where the scraps or scuffs are, but where it's fading on edges by the zipper and along the sleeve, it's a nice lighter red/brown. But the funny thing still hasn't broken in. It's still very stiff. It's nice but I think I prefer the chrome tanned Gibson and Barnes goat. I know... I'm a Philistine.

Click to expand...

My AL russet goatskin jacket was pretty soft right out of the box, but I did request the softest, grainiest russ.goat that was available!

Seb Lucas · Mar 26, 2014

Mine's remains firm and somewhat uncomfortable. Is yours fading and reacting to scrapes, scuffs like mine? What I don;t get is why would it fade and not get soft?

rocketeer · Mar 26, 2014

OneEyeMan said:
Not a fan of goatskin.
It just doesn't seem to age at all in the pix I've seen.

Thanks Schitzo.

That's because goat is more abrasion resistant than most other leathers favoured here.

hpalapdog · Mar 26, 2014

OneEyeMan said:
Not a fan of goatskin.
It just doesn't seem to age at all in the pix I've seen.
Plus, I already have a black jacket.
Didn't know that the Roadster fits closer than the Highwayman.
That's great to know.
Thanks Schitzo.

The best patina I've ever seen on jacket was a brown early 1930's goatskin cycle jackets made by Simmons Bilt. All their jackets seem to age nicely. Veg tanned leathers with pigment and aniline finishes.

pauleway · Mar 26, 2014

Seb Lucas said:
Mine's remains firm and somewhat uncomfortable. Is yours fading and reacting to scrapes, scuffs like mine? What I don;t get is why would it fade and not get soft?

Seb,

Mine was soft right out of the box, looks new as the day i received it, but there is a little faking of the leather on the right cuff, which I think adds to the character of the jacket!

Seb Lucas · Mar 26, 2014

OneEyeMan said:
Not a fan of goatskin.
It just doesn't seem to age at all in the pix I've seen.
Plus, I already have a black jacket.
Didn't know that the Roadster fits closer than the Highwayman.
That's great to know.
Thanks Schitzo.

Not true. The goat used by Alexanders which is combination veg tanned/chrome tanned ages quickly and way faster than most leathers I have had.

Edward · Mar 27, 2014

Seb Lucas said:
Not true. The goat used by Alexanders which is combination veg tanned/chrome tanned ages quickly and way faster than most leathers I have had.

That's interesting.... so your experience with the AL hide at least suggests it might be as much to do with the tanning method employed as the abrasion-resistent nature (or otherwise) of the hide? Staying reasonably "new looking" has always been something I've liked about goat (one reason I prefer my goat A2 over the horse model I also own), but certainly there are those I'm sure who would much prefer a variant that ages much more perceptibly, much more quickly.

Silverpoint · Mar 28, 2014

Seb- any chance of a pick of how your goat jacket is aging? Don't want to hijack this thread, but would love to see an example. I quite like the grain of the goat, but dislike the new look that seems to last.

schitzo · Mar 28, 2014

yep, I wouldn't mind pics from any owners of an AL jacket in goat either. At the minute I'm thinking black is the best bet, but I'm prepared to be swayed on that if the photographic evidence is worthy

Seb Lucas · Mar 28, 2014

I'll try to post a pic tomorrow evening ( my time). May be hard to capture with my phone cam.

Seb Lucas · Mar 28, 2014

Click to enlarge.

Bad photo. Here's the sleeve, you can see the wear. The whole jacket has lighter redish highlights from fading mainly on edges and wear areas. I've worn this since new maybe 40 times.

I've always thought it was rubbish that goat doesn't wear. The chrome tanned stuff used on G1's maybe not. But this is the second goat I've owned that had faded and aged very swiftly. The first being a Wested Indy in a very thick and nice goat.

hpalapdog · Mar 28, 2014

Seb Lucas · Mar 28, 2014

Click to enlarge.

Here's another bad shot of the opposite sleeve near the elbow. The edging is worn and faded. You can see the scuff marks too.

hpalapdog · Mar 28, 2014

Seb Lucas said:
Bad photo. Here's the sleeve, you can see the wear. The whole jacket has lighter redish highlights from fading mainly on edges and wear areas. I've worn this since new maybe 40 times.

I've always thought it was rubbish that goat doesn't wear. The chrome tanned stuff used on G1's maybe not. But this is the second goat I've owned that had faded and aged very swiftly. The first being a Wested Indy in a very thick and nice goat.

I don't think a leathers top finish has much to do with how abrasion resistant a leather is. Kangaroo and goat are denser weave and stronger per oz. than cattle or horse.

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