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  1. J

    Stroller Coat; 3 Buttons Acceptable?

    Thanks. The jacket actually had a hole in it so I had to pass on it. I did however get a similar one (also a three-button) that has double vents. I also got some houndstooth trousers and a midnight blue velvet jacket. Not a bad haul, especially as the whole lot cost under $15!
  2. J

    Stroller Coat; 3 Buttons Acceptable?

    Not really a suit, but close enough that I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm trying to put together a stroller on the cheap. Single-breasted peak-lapel jackets are like hen's teeth, but I'm happy enough with notch lapels, as there is some historic precedent for this. I've seen a...
  3. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Yes I know, I was just agreeing with the sentiment. If I hadn't been at least 90% sure the dye would work I would have done it and then made a thread about it if it worked :D
  4. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Yes indeed! I would have kept this quiet until I had finished had I not been sure of the outcome of the dye job :D Of course, I scuppered myself somewhat with the whole mink oil problem, but it turned out alright in the end, so no egg on my face :)
  5. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Funnily enough, I don't really like brown shoes either! It is for that reason that I never bought a pair of brown shoes and probably never would have at full price. Before the 'acetone incident', they were in very good condition and they fit me well, so I didn't want to pass them up...
  7. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    That would be cool, I had fun doing this and I'm going to keep my eye open for other bargain shoes to mess around with. I bet there are a good few pairs of white cap toes and wingtips languishing in thrift stores that nobody wants because of the color... The hard part for me was not the...
  8. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Thanks :) The heel plate is not as neat as I would have liked, and the photo exacerbates the problem, but they work, they're secure, and they sound great! I ised the epoxy mainly to hold the things in place while I nailed them. It's a flexible epoxy though, so it may provide some strength, but...
  9. J

    Which word for sweater do you prefer?

    I'm from the UK, but moved here to the States three years ago. I too say 'jumper', but only when I'm not concentrating. I try to use the American terms so that people can understand what I'm talking about, and also so that my two-year-old daughter doesn't get confused while she's learning to...
  10. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Thanks, I tried dishwashing liquid as you suggested, and it did seem to help with the mink oil. The problem was that I heated the leather after applying the mink oil to help it soak in :D It's ok though, I know now not to do it in future, and the texture difference is a good contrast with the...
  11. J

    Detachable Collars

    Did I mention that I used to collect fountain pens? Believe me, it doesn't take much heat! Touch the stuff with a flame, and it goes up. I lost a very nice pen to this when I was new to collecting, in fact that's how I knew about the risk with straight razor scales :( Good to know that the...
  13. J

    Detachable Collars

    You probably already know this, but I'll say it anyway just in case it prevents you or someone else having an accident: A lot of these old shirt collars were made of celluloid, which is extremely flammable, in fact it is chemically related to smokeless propellant used in modern firearms...
  14. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Success! Sort of. Using a mixture of isopropanol, ethanol, acetone and MEK, combined with an agressive wool pad, I finally managed to take back the dye to brown rather than black. Because of this, the colors go together better, so even though the tan parts are darker than I intended, they...
  15. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Thanks for the advice! Actually, conditioner is my problem... The dye job turned out great except for being a little too dark, but my problem is keeping the light parts light. I wanted them to be tan, but everything I put on the leather turns it dark brown when it soaks in. I made the...
  16. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    I could so long as I could get all of the conditioner out. The conditioner will prevent the dye from penetrating properly. I managed to even the color out. It turns out that although I believed that I had removed all of the surface finish from the leather, there was a thin tenacious coating...
  17. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Well I did it, and it was a success. Sort of. The leather dye was dark brown, but it was quite a bit darker than I expected, almost black in fact. It looks good though, because it increases the contrast with the undyed leather, so while it didn't turn out looking like I thought it would...
  19. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    "everyone has a dark side..." I could make them into 'opposite spectators', with the opposite dark/light combination on each shoe. Maybe I could sew together two halves of different colored trousers to wear them with! Wait, are you making fun of me? :D
  20. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    I'm attempting to talk myself out of this sensible but boring option thusly: Brown shoes are everywhere, and I can pick up a pair any time I like. Brown shoes that have good, dyeable leather underneath the surface coating that I know for a fact can be made into spectators may only come along...
  21. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Your perception is correct, I'm leaning heavily towards a spectator modification. I used alcohol to remove the surface finish on the parts of the other shoe that would be tan if I made them into spectators. It's much darker than the acetone-stripped leather you see in the photos, but it's...
  22. J

    What should I do with these 'project shoes'? Spectators?

    Hi guys, I've been lurking here for ages, but I just registered recently and this is my first post. I went thrifting today. I got a couple of nice tweed sport coats and a pair of shoes. A bizarre thing happened with the shoes... I had taken them to the counter and was about to pay for...

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