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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)

    The Resource Centre
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    • OaktaviaO
      Oaktavia
      見習いボス
      @indigostiff
      Joined:

      @indigostiff nice, thanks for sharing man. I too feel that by 140 or so wears mine will be ripe for the machine but I'll see.

      IG: electricindigowizard

      "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

      WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • MizmazzleM
        Mizmazzle
        見習いボス
        @Oaktavia
        Joined:

        @Oaktavia are you counting initial soaks? I went 145 days after initial soak before a true wash on my XHSbb

        I love how denim feels when its been unwashed a long time. Maybe kinda gross, but that heavy, oiled drape denim gets after a ton of wear is my favorite.

        In the easy chair with my boots on, melted whiskey in my hand. Could'na been asleep for more than three hours...time to go to work again...

        last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • pechelmanP
          pechelman
          啓蒙家
          Joined:

          i might be no help to the "how long have you gone between washing" discussion other than to say my decision to wash has been when i see dirt/dust start collecting behind or around the thicker constructional seams. If I see dirt there it's bound to be somewhere else that will be causing more wear and tear as an abrasive. I've thought about taking a shop vac to them, and have once or twice, but seeing what the soaking liquid looks like before the wash has so far made me feel really good about washing.

          Depending on the season, this seems to be about ~60 days.

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • OaktaviaO
            Oaktavia
            見習いボス
            @Mizmazzle
            Joined:

            @Mizmazzle I did not count my initial hot soak to remove shrinkage, no.

            @pechelman I usually wash my jeans around 60s wear or so as well. I should have stated in my OG post that I want to push just this one pair to see how long I can get. All of my other denim is washed and repeated when needed. I just wanted to finally go super long before washing just to see if I can stand it lol.

            IG: electricindigowizard

            "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

            WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

            last edited by Oaktavia WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • pechelmanP
              pechelman
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              is the end goal a number, a fun experiment, or is there another benefit to waiting another month? Would getting the dirt/oils out of faded areas allow them to fade faster that you want to prevent? Genuinely asking since I'm still new to this. Also, no judgement here. asking to learn!

              last edited by indigostiffI OaktaviaO 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • indigostiffI
                indigostiff
                @pechelman
                Joined:

                @pechelman I am roughly trying to follow this -- https://sosoclothing.se/the-break-in-breakdown-the-five-stages-youll-pass-through-when-breaking-in-raw-denim/

                last edited by OaktaviaO 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • WhiskeySandwichW
                  WhiskeySandwich
                  啓蒙家
                  @Oaktavia
                  Joined:

                  @Oaktavia @pechelman 60 wears is a good marker for sure, depending on your activity. I know Oak's usually looking killer in less time than that. I've been on a mission to hit 100 with my latest rotation, but i think results vary so much based on the denim, activity, etc. Longest I've gone is 87 and counting on my 21ib. I'm getting nervous about ruining them with a wash lol i love em oily!

                  "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                  -Seneca

                  last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • OaktaviaO
                    Oaktavia
                    見習いボス
                    @pechelman
                    Joined:

                    @pechelman said in Random questions to which you seek an answer:

                    a fun experiment

                    yes I think so, I just admire heavily faded and unwashed heavy denim and how it contrasts with fades. There is something different with the deepness of the indigo but I know at some point they will see the machine.

                    Would getting the dirt/oils out of faded areas allow them to fade faster that you want to prevent?

                    I would love to know the answer to this question but I think you may actually be correct.

                    IG: electricindigowizard

                    "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                    WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • OaktaviaO
                      Oaktavia
                      見習いボス
                      @WhiskeySandwich
                      Joined:

                      @WhiskeySandwich the 21ib looks extra shiny and oily too unwashed! The results do vary so much depending on the denim though, for example the XHSmb looked nearly the same as it did before the first wash at 79 wears and compared to fast fading denim, 79 wears could look so much different.

                      IG: electricindigowizard

                      "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                      WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                      last edited by WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • EdHE
                        EdH
                        Iron Heart Deity
                        @Oaktavia
                        Joined:

                        @Oaktavia I am aiming for 100 wears between washes of my 888-XHS at the moment. I’m not doing anything particularly sweaty in them though and if they get muddy or something in them in the meantime they will be going in the tub. Wash #2 will be due in 27 wears unless something happens before then.

                        Take the dive...

                        last edited by OaktaviaO WhiskeySandwichW 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                        • OaktaviaO
                          Oaktavia
                          見習いボス
                          @indigostiff
                          Joined:

                          @indigostiff said in Random questions to which you seek an answer:

                          @pechelman I am roughly trying to follow this -- https://sosoclothing.se/the-break-in-breakdown-the-five-stages-youll-pass-through-when-breaking-in-raw-denim/

                          thanks for sharing this, I needed something to read today!

                          IG: electricindigowizard

                          "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                          WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • OaktaviaO
                            Oaktavia
                            見習いボス
                            @EdH
                            Joined:

                            @EdH that sound right on the money

                            IG: electricindigowizard

                            "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                            WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • goosehdG
                              goosehd
                              Mod Squad
                              Joined:

                              Moved to this topic which should give you a bit to read…

                              @Oaktavia @EdH @WhiskeySandwich @indigostiff @pechelman @Mizmazzle

                              "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

                              last edited by goosehd 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                              • J
                                Jett129
                                見習いボス
                                Joined:

                                Unfortunately we don’t have Filthy to give his thoughts and numbers on the subject. I think Twin lets his denim go for quite some time,if ever, before he washes,and we can all attest to how great his fades are.I can’t speculate on wether or not he keeps track of those things. You might reach out to Adam on IG and get his take on it.

                                last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • WhiskeySandwichW
                                  WhiskeySandwich
                                  啓蒙家
                                  @Oaktavia
                                  Joined:

                                  @Oaktavia oh i bet with the MBs. the 18oz vintage on the other hand lightened up considerably. at 120 or so i've washed them 3 times and they're poppin, but i still keep em greazy lol

                                  "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                  -Seneca

                                  last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                  • WhiskeySandwichW
                                    WhiskeySandwich
                                    啓蒙家
                                    @EdH
                                    Joined:

                                    @EdH hell yeah. i think 100 is about the max i can aim for before inevitably spilling garbage juice or something on them that would absolutely require some proper cleaning. I do somehow end up mildly sweat steaming mine regularly with the walk and many many stairs to work. They air out hanging every night though so they never smell.
                                    My concept is to avoid soiling them but also don't baby them. Do what you do and washes are only needed depending on how accident prone you are. I brush debris off and spot clean as needed. That being said, Throwing washes in the mix definitely add to it. I do think that most denim looks better with some, but rare, washing. Unless you really love only dark jeans, they tend to deteriorate before peaking. Not everyone can get a pair to fully lighten without putting major wear on them. Simply put - the instructions do say "wear as long as possible without washing" then wash carefully. So i figure there's like two stages i go through: 1 is the initial wear, which lets say is a good 100 wears or so, to get your fades set. then i pick up the pace on washing.

                                    anyway, i went full nerd blah blah blah

                                    "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                    -Seneca

                                    last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
                                    • OaktaviaO
                                      Oaktavia
                                      見習いボス
                                      @Jett129
                                      Joined:

                                      @Jett129 yeah man, I miss facetiming with Filthy. He loved chatting about this kind of stuff and so did I. If you're reading this from your indrerdimensional afterlife exploration, hi Mike!
                                      I've hit up Adam about washing practices in the past too.

                                      IG: electricindigowizard

                                      "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                      WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                                      • OaktaviaO
                                        Oaktavia
                                        見習いボス
                                        @WhiskeySandwich
                                        Joined:

                                        @WhiskeySandwich f26feefd27f74d1cbe8aec3cd9af46a8.jpg

                                        IG: electricindigowizard

                                        "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                        WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                        last edited by WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                                        • OaktaviaO
                                          Oaktavia
                                          見習いボス
                                          @WhiskeySandwich
                                          Joined:

                                          @WhiskeySandwich full on nerds are full on welcome, bring it, it's what we're here for, fo' sho. It's why we are here.

                                          IG: electricindigowizard

                                          "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                          WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                          last edited by Oaktavia 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                                          • WhiskeySandwichW
                                            WhiskeySandwich
                                            啓蒙家
                                            @Oaktavia
                                            Joined:

                                            @Oaktavia 🤣 I just think you don't go this far down the rabbit hole without investing some serious thought into a denim regime lol There's science and art to it and you can't help but be experimental, even obsessive with it. I know all you folks get it, we're fucking with more than just cheap coverings to protect our skin. It's not about price, or status like some would think of such expensive clothes. Some might think hand-washing a pair of jeans goes against the purpose of tough work wear. I don't see it as fashion, or even indulgence necessarily, so much as a hobby. I find it similar to my music hobby - I've spent a lot of money, and time messing with it, and most people just don't get it, beyond "oh, that's cool..." with a slight eye roll and a change of subject. If you try to show it off, it's usually nobody's flavor. Same goes for motorcycles in many cases. Some people may compliment on fabric or fit or whatever, but to them it's a shirt or pants that is nice for whatever they think you paid for it, which is likely what they pay for such things. They'd surely scoff at these prices if they knew them...in their mind comparing it to Carhartt or something. Shit I did too at first. That's just the wrong impression at a surface level. This community gets it though, and it's like an indigo oasis. lol

                                            "wash your nasty fucking jeans"

                                            "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                            -Seneca

                                            last edited by WhiskeySandwich OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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