Iron Heart X Simmons Bilt Horsehide Western Shirt - The Pale Rider - Natural
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So I made it only about an hour laying in the bed last night with a jacket on. I was concerned about permanent creasing in the body of the shirt as well as folding up the collar. I took the shirt off and hung it over a door knob by the collar so as to not warp the shoulders with a hanger. Six hours later woke up, and the shirt was only slightly drier than when I took it off. It was, however, much stiffer. Upon donning it, my body heat took away the stiffness. It still had well formed creases on the sleeves. The shoulders and chest were still fitted, as before, when wet, and the collar where I folded it at the stitching seam appears to be in place (not riding high on my neck). I can tell as all the moisture will leave the shirt it will become as stiff as before. So with regards to draping and accelerating the break-in, I don’t think there is any easy way, other than extended wear.
The placket has slightly warped, in a good way. it’s more wavy now, but the buttons are still aligned and no issues with popping. Looks natural and not “starched”.
I think my 2 favorite results are the collar and the sleeves. I haven’t measured sleeves yet, but they are definitely shorter than before this experiment… stacking. Also, on the cuffs, I now have really cool creases that look much better than when new. The collar isn’t stabbing me under the jaw. It’s folded neatly at the seam and the collar points are spread and laying closer to the yoke.
The color has lightened slightly, but the Pecard’s application (2 total, once brand new, once when damp) is bringing out a great caramel color.
Overall this is a win for me. While not completely relaxed, it is now “my” shirt. I think this is a much better jumping off point for wearing over time.
Bottom line: Wearing experience and comfort is VASTLY improved. Gone is the feeling “I can’t believe I spent this amount of money on a self-torture device”.
I think it will be dry by tonight. I will wear it ALL day. I will measure it then.
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Another observation and perhaps a controversial take.
Small elbow pockets have developed on the outside of the elbow. Very similar to the dreaded knee pocket when wearing and soaking your STF 501’s back in the day. It’s very minor here, but they are there nonetheless. Almost imperceptible.
Hot take:
I don’t think the snaps that are installed on this jacket are ideal. They work, but the stiffness of the leather (not necessarily the fit) it the culprit for snap popping. Even if this jacket were 2 whole sizes bigger, I think with certain arm articulation, you could still get the snaps to pop. Thus a recommendation. Either donut buttons… or… “Pull The Dot” snaps. We used these on our aviation survival vests on pockets that held our gear: knives, flares, emergency radios and beacons. They NEVER would come undone. The only way to get them to open is to pull at the location of the marked “dot”. On this shirt you could align the dot on the snap in the vertical axis, so the snap would never pop in the horizontal axis. 30 seconds of practice and snapping the shirt open and closed would be a… ahem… a snap.
I am mostly interested in this for riding a motorcycle. With the current snaps, it would be impossible to snap the shirt closed on a bike with a gloved hand.
Pics attached for clarity.
Just my .02
Peace brothers and sisters.
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Very cool @Autorotate .. it might be that the previous production run was a bit thicker/stiffer overall... mine feels quite soft and comfortable overall. Of cause I have gone the slightly oversized route, so also no popping of snaps, even with sudden expressive arm movements. My only remaining concerns are a) the color (but that will develop), and b) the collar that rides very high (not sure how to describe that), in particular in the neck.. I have seen this also on side-view shots of others in this thread. Here my hope is that this will settle with sufficient wear. For now I am not considering any interventions, except some sun exposure (if and when we see the sun again in DK)
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@Tobi awesome.
Yes, I be curious to know if there were any modifications with the material from the first generation to now.If you’re not interest in intervention I have a recommendation that worked nicely for the collar. Turn the shirt inside out, put it on a hanger and button it up to the top. With the collar folder inside the shirt, massage the collar down towards the stitched seam. You will see that you can get the material to find a new fold, closer to the seam. Store the jacket like this when not wearing. It made a difference on mine.
That said, I VERY MUCH like how I could shape it so easily when it was wet. And it’s staying that way! -
if I ever get caught in the rain while wearing this and riding. I might keep it on just like you did..
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@louisbosco said in Iron Heart X Simmons Bilt Horsehide Western Shirt - The Pale Rider - Natural:
if I ever get caught in the rain while wearing this and riding. I might keep it on just like you did..
The best leather jackets I have ever seen, have always been the ones worn by bikers. The good jacket’s always respond well to the soaking and drying action of riding in the elements.
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After/Before
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@Autorotate dude had you asked if this process you went through would be a good idea, I would have called you coocoo for coco puffs. But hot damn the after/before photos are incredible. Who knew that would have worked out so well. It was fun reading through your process, kind of reminded me of @Filthy2123ozjunkie 's detailed experimental posts.
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@Oaktavia damn brother. I’ve been around this forum for a while (long time lurker until recently) and that’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.
In then end, it was fun and is going to allow me to really get the most out of this epic shirt.
Did @Filthy2123ozjunkie own a Pale Rider?
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@goosehd I guess I need to wear it to dry instead of hanging it up, might not cb e so stiff after
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@Autorotate said in Iron Heart X Simmons Bilt Horsehide Western Shirt - The Pale Rider - Natural:
@Oaktavia damn brother. I’ve been around this forum for a while (long time lurker until recently) and that’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.
In then end, it was fun and is going to allow me to really get the most out of this epic shirt.
Did @Filthy2123ozjunkie own a Pale Rider?
That's the point though, isn't it? To have fun wearing clothes we love? If we can experiment with them and yield our desired results, while taking risks, it's all part of the exciting process. That's why it remined me of him, plus the lengthy write ups. I think about Mike a lot. I do not think he had a pale rider though. -
@Autorotate that is pretty epic before and after. you eliminated the "turtle shell" sort of aspect of it and how it just sort of hangs off you like a halo. It does seem like you got some shrinkage, but I guess if you gained some pliability, it's sort of a net net. If the leather gives some (i.e. like denim or cotton), then you can afford to get it a little more snug. I'm just worried I'm going to get tighter and still stiff and then, IDK won't be long till you see it on classifieds lol.
What would you say the comfort level is now vs before?
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@weegeebee1
Hey man! It’s wearable now. Not jabbing in my neck, cuffs are buttoned and not jabbing my wrist/thumb. Pocket and placket corners aren’t as sharp as we discussed previously. Popped snaps aren’t happening. Placket is wavy and I might try to flatten them, but it’s not really bothering me.
OVERALL IT IS MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE. I’ve been wearing it all day and haven’t been thinking about it. And I swear this is true… doing some grocery shopping and a random dude remarked “that is an awesome leather western shirt!” I never get random compliments on my clothes!!! LOL.
You’re right. Not a turtle shell anymore. But still has the very robust, firm characteristic hand of HH. This shirt should last generations. But I don’t know if it’ll ever be “soft”.
I haven’t measured it yet, but I think it did shrink a little. But hard to tell, because it just fits much better. If you’re reluctant to have any shrinkage, I’d not get it wet. But if you decide to do it, get it wet as early in the day as possible and wear it ALL DAY. I soaked at dinner time and wore it for 5 hours before I went to bed, and then have been wearing it all day today. No issues on my end, but wish I could have just worn it wet for 12-14 hours straight. -
Well OMG here we go again just another piece of IH which at first I thought, not interested, not my cup of tea. And now it is just a matter of time that it'll be one of the pieces in my closet.
Now IH how do you manage to pull that off haha lol. I cannot deny that Autorotate plays a significant role in this as well, great work on your piece!! -
@bob_z said in Iron Heart X Simmons Bilt Horsehide Western Shirt - The Pale Rider - Natural:
here we go again just another piece of IH which at first I thought, not interested, not my cup of tea. And now it is just a matter of time that it'll be one of the pieces in my closet.
fuck, yes
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Unedited Pale Rider porn. So happy with the results. Some early morning rays.
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Some final notes on this experiment.
-Definitely some shrinkage was experienced. I’d say a 1/2 size. No room for layering other than a T-shirt or a long sleeved T-shirt. Just how I wanted it.
-leather is still stiff, but not like it was when new. Manageable now.
-This now fits me like a bespoke item. I think wearing while it dried helped with that.
-areas that had the most friction from articulation showed signs of dryness compared to unaffected areas. Nothing dramatic, just lightened coloring.
-2 coats of Pecard’s before and after the soak was used to avoid excessive drying out of the leather. I didn’t want it to be stressed at all, other than normal wear.
-finally rubbed it down with mink oil that contained a silicone additive. I think I’d of forgone the 2nd coat of Pecard’s (when damp) and just used the mink oil instead. The way the leather is tanned, it is very reluctant to absorb the dressing. I bet this changes as the shirt is broken in and the fibers open up.Post script: This was a super fun and chill project. I can’t wait to get it on the bike!
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@Autorotate holy freakin crapoli man that thing has transformed