Ask a Question, Get An Answer About Outerwear

[jojothenorthstar]

Can someone explain something about shearling to me please?

Sometimes shearling jackets have a suede texture on the outside (which makes sense to me, it’s the inside of the animal that is on the outside of the jacket)

However flight sheepskin jackets e.g. the B-3 have a leather like outer texture (rather than a suede like texture). Why is this? Is this not the underside of the animal? (I saw a video with Jason Schott saying it is still suede, but then why doesn’t it look like it)?

acrylic spray on finish

 

[newtojackets]

acrylic spray on finish

So it is still suede, just with an acrylic topcoat which emulates a leather hide?

 

[Monitor]

Can someone explain something about shearling to me please?

Sometimes shearling jackets have a suede texture on the outside (which makes sense to me, it’s the inside of the animal that is on the outside of the jacket)

However flight sheepskin jackets e.g. the B-3 have a leather like outer texture (rather than a suede like texture). Why is this? Is this not the underside of the animal? (I saw a video with Jason Schott saying it is still suede, but then why doesn’t it look like it)?

They coat it with a thick layer of acrylic paint. Simply put, they plasticize it, so it just looks like leather.

 

[Monitor]

So it is still suede, just with an acrylic topcoat which emulates a leather hide?

Yes. The suede is fused with the acrylic layer. There's more to the mix but it's basically paint.

 

[newtojackets]

They coat it with a thick layer of acrylic paint. Simply put, they plasticize it, so it just looks like leather.

Never realised? Does that mean the durability is far worse than typical leather / a usual sheepskin hide?

 

[jojothenorthstar]

So it is still suede, just with an acrylic topcoat which emulates a leather hide?

pretty much, yeah. i just posted asking about the durability of it actually. now, some finishes are more durable than others and I have seen actual leather exterior sheepskins like this one here, but on the second picture you can see the fading of the leather of a schott

 

[newtojackets]

pretty much, yeah. i just posted asking about the durability of it actually. now, some finishes are more durable than others and I have seen actual leather exterior sheepskins like this one here, but on the second picture you can see the fading of the leather of a schott

Ah no wonder used shearling jackets tend to age worse than typical hides!

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Ah no wonder used shearling jackets tend to age worse than typical hides!

 

[jojothenorthstar]

yeah i am actually getting a shearling lined goatskin one made as we speak since i dislike the fading. i don't like suede so i want something to last

hope mine ends up under 2 kgs though

 

[Monitor]

Never realised? Does that mean the durability is far worse than typical leather / a usual sheepskin hide?

It's not worse at all. Case in point are all the WW2 B-3's that survived to this day.
Most leather is coated with the same thing, just not as much. It is this that you're actually seeing as "fading". Leather that wasn't plasticized that way is comparatively extremely rare. Vegetable tanned leather is sure to be free of it but that's another story altogether. The point is, this kind of finish isn't any less durable at all.

The wear appears more prominent on B-3 jackets is because since it is applied to the suede side of the hide and therefore doesn't grip as firmly as on smooth surface of leather & is thus quicker to show these characteristic cracks you often see on these jackets. Additionally, applied this thickly, it will dry up to some extent which will make it less elastic. All this combined adds up to the, perhaps, somewhat quicker appearance of aging but it isn't something that compromises the overall durability of this type of finish.

Think of it as paint on old paintings.

But other than that, for it to completely wear off (as on the photo above) requires roughly equal amount of wear as any other leather jacket would.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

It's not worse at all. Case in point are all the WW2 B-3's that survived to this day.
Most leather is coated with the same thing, just not as much. It is this that you're actually seeing as "fading". Leather that wasn't plasticized that way is comparatively extremely rare. Vegetable tanned leather is sure to be free of it but that's another story altogether. The point is, this kind of finish isn't any less durable at all.

The wear appears more prominent on B-3 jackets is because since it is applied to the suede side of the hide, it doesn't grip as well as on smooth surface of leather & is thus quicker to show characteristic cracks. Additionally, applied this thickly, it will dry up to some extent.
Think of it as paint on old paintings.

But other than that, for it to completely wear off (as on the photo above) requires roughly equal amount of wear as any other leather jacket would.

the photo i posted? that was 1 month. i could literally rub off the finish with my bare hands and minimal force. a car seatbelt would literally peel the finish clean off. it's not a very good finish. I highly recommend seeking a sheepskin from another maker that uses a better finish

 

[Monitor]

the photo i posted? that was 1 month. i could literally rub off the finish with my bare hands and minimal force. a car seatbelt would literally peel the finish clean off. it's not a very good finish. I highly recommend seeking a sheepskin from another maker that uses a better finish

The 2nd jacket that you posted doesn't have the finish I'm talking about. It's just lightly dyed suede. Regardless, that amount of wear is a bit extreme for one month of wear but this isn't the heavy, shiny acrylic coating that you see on actual B-3 (repros) like the one below.


Finish on this jacket is sure to stay on for decade(s).

 

[jojothenorthstar]

The 2nd jacket that you posted doesn't have the finish I'm talking about. It's just lightly dyed suede. Regardless, that amount of wear is a bit extreme for one month of wear but this isn't the heavy, shiny acrylic coating that you see on actual B-3 (repros) like the one below.


Finish on this jacket is sure to stay on for decade(s).

ahhh okay gotcha. well you seem to know a lot, what do you think of this OLDER schott?

 

[Monitor]

ahhh okay gotcha. well you seem to know a lot, what do you think of this OLDER schott?

Same as yours. These matte looking ones are just sprayed over or something. Schott doesn't make an accurate B-3 replica so I wouldn't expect them to have the kind of coating authentic to the actual military jackets. This is what you need to look for. Eastman, Aero and an earlier RMC make the best ones ever, if I am to be asked.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Same as yours. These matte looking ones are just sprayed over or something. Schott doesn't make an accurate B-3 replica so I wouldn't expect them to have the kind of coating authentic to the actual military jackets. This is what you need to look for. Eastman, Aero and an earlier RMC make the best ones ever, if I am to be asked.

gotcha, thanks for the info. You just posted one of my dream coats. One day i'm gonna grab that rough wear. absolute beauty, i much prefer it over the seal brown ones

for practical reasons though i was getting a goatskin made with fur lining. hopefully it won't be over 2 kgs. love the eastman, but i need something a bit more functional for daily wear

 

[MrProper]

but i need something a bit more functional for daily wear

Mine are all suitable as daily wearers.
They don't have a hard top coat, but are soft and have a slightly velvety feel (except for the redskin). The leather is thick enough to be robust. I strongly assume that these jackets will outlive me.

 

[jojothenorthstar]

Mine are all suitable as daily wearers.
They don't have a hard top coat, but are soft and have a slightly velvety feel (except for the redskin). The leather is thick enough to be robust. I strongly assume that these jackets will outlive me.
View attachment 655496 View attachment 655497 View attachment 655498

those are definitely beautiful, but as someone else stated, likely used a far better finish than that of schott which is more akin to a fashion jacket

 

[newtojackets]

Same as yours. These matte looking ones are just sprayed over or something. Schott doesn't make an accurate B-3 replica so I wouldn't expect them to have the kind of coating authentic to the actual military jackets. This is what you need to look for. Eastman, Aero and an earlier RMC make the best ones ever, if I am to be asked.

have you potentially handled the Avi Leather B-3? I love the look of it (very similar to RMC), so keen to hear thoughts about it

 

[ABCD]

Never realised? Does that mean the durability is far worse than typical leather / a usual sheepskin hide?

My B2 doesn't have much of a topcoat by design. That doesn't mean that the jacket is not durable, it just means that it's not water resistant.

 

[newtojackets]

My B2 doesn't have much of a topcoat by design. That doesn't mean that the jacket is not durable, it just means that it's not water resistant.

View attachment 655499 View attachment 655500

What I'm trying to understand is why does the outside of your jacket still look like it's made of matte leather rather than suede (the typically nappy hair texture), if it doesn't have the coating?

@Monitor