Soaking and Stretching Denim

[Giles]

Nope, just know they're tighter than I would normally go for…G

[Beatle]

that´s a good amount of stretching..thanks for keeping tabs, simon

[stever]

hi everyone
i'm sure you get a bunch of these - new guy joins and posts a question about fit straight away
buuutt…
i have 2 pairs of nudies which are both tagged as 29w... but measure exactly 32" when i lay them out on the desk
my waist also measures out to 32"
both are tight long johns, ~11oz, with 2% lycra
they have both obviously stretched out a bit over the year or so i have been wearing them - should i be sizing down with iron heart and 3x works in order to stretch out to 32", or should i buy them true to size?

thanks for reading
stever

ps: here is a photo of one of the jeans. i should add that i got these whilst i was recovering from a knee injury, and have gained about 8kg since then. they were always tight, but never this tight 

[Giles]

You'll get an inch or so of stretching in both IH and 3W.  I suspect your tagged 29 Nudies actually measured more tha 29 when you got them..G

[stever]

thanks giles. i think the raw ones (pictured above) we close to 30" and the prewash/faded pair were even wider. so i should be looking at 30-31 for iron hearts?

[Giles]

Yep, really depends how much pain you want to go with up front!

[stever]

heheheh excellent. thanks again giles! i think i'll be going with the 30w for 634S and 3230FI

[Giles]

30 in the 3230FI is out of stock at the moment.  Have PI, or getting a restock in about 5 weeks.  G

[stever]

that's ok - it'll give me a chance to really break in the 634Ss!

[hectic]

IME, stretching on the 634S is fairly easy and ample, i.e.: I got 38s and they did not wear tight (I like em loose), now (admittedly a lot of wear down the line) they measure 40 inches.

[stever]

too late now simon! the die has been cast…
thankfully i have all winter to stretch em out. i'll be looking to get some 3x works come summer though; it gets pretty hot around here

[stever]

hmmm, i am beginning to see the merits of your argument simon

these are gonna take a long time to break in proper

[Giles]

Yes, Stever.  That would be very useful.  This is actually one of the most uesful threads on the Forum - the more data the better.  G

[hectic]

Agreed, good data.

Quick question of my own - I have a pir of flatheads that have been very sparingly washed (always cold soaked), and they have not nearly shrunk as much in the leg as my other FHs (which were warm washed).

Is there a point a which, due to the age of the jeans, a subsequent (first) hot wash would not shrink them at all?

Kinda of the opposite of shrinking but it seemed the right thread.

Ta
H

[Beatle]

nope..jeans actually shrink their whole life / but they also stretch..

fibers get thinner with wear - and every time you wash them they shrink in order to fill the "gaps"…weird to explain

[hectic]

ok, ta, Beats, cool wash still then i think.

[stever]

oh best believe i ain't giving up that easy.
worn them every day so far; normally take them on a hourish walk around the neighbourhood in the evening. walked to and from work a couple of times instead of cycling to get some more wear. had to leave the top button undone on the 2nd day because my hips were a bit shredded.
going for another walk now…

[Beatle]

the 21oz selvage denim is so comfty - even when worn tight. I am currently doing a stretching experiment on a certain sample jeans - so that we'll be able to give you exact size advice on a new fit. My impression - you will be able to get away with a really really tight fit to begin with…

[stever]

hi all,
i was wondering if anyone has advice or instructions with regard to soaking. i've never soaked my jeans before, and i'm not too sure if i need to (or even what it does)… i just normally buy them and wear them and leave it at that. does it help with the aging or the durability or help them break in?
thanks guys

stever

[Beatle]

Simple

If jeans are raw you need to soak in order to shrink and get rid of some of the starch.

If jeans are sanforized, no need to soak.

Fill tub with warm water(hot if you need to shrink a lot, cold if you're afraid they may end up being too tight).
Insert jeans - leave in the water for at least 1 hour - but anything up to 5 or 6 hours is fine.

Take out, hang dry and wear.