2009 Edition - Iron Heart & Triple Works edition WAYWT
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The jeans hold A LOT of water…they're going to be super heavy, and even hanging to dry by my boiler...it takes over 12 hours to dry...
I've done the same thing with almost all my jeans, hot soak for an hour, hang dry by the boiler (outside in the summer) and then wear...usually works out well for me
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Hey Doug, hadn't thought of that! I guess I'll just have to hang them to dry. Thanks.
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But I'm thinking if I do several soaks in warm/hot water with them on - say 1 hour at a time, several times - and then wear them till they dry each time I may get something I'm looking for - the perfect fit. Am I being absolutely stupid?
That is way over the top! DougNg is right on. I do pretty much the same thing give or take a few details depending on location. I don't think that soaking them while wearing them is a bad idea, but 10 times for an hour at a time is overkill. Not to mention, who has that type of time? I know you are just excited and I totally understand, but take the advice from Doug as it will take you where you want to go with the jeans! Also, definitely document the whole process with flicks so we can see.
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Yeah, I want to see you in the tub with your IH!
By the way, you don't need to wear them for one hour in the tub. 30 minutes was easily enough for my 501STF. But seriously, you don't want the 634SR to dry on your body. It would take 12 hours at least! You'd get kidney and urinary tract problems. Forget about it. let them dry while hanging. Get one of those stretchy spring loaded hangers for the waist. Or wear them for an hour while still damp. What I do with jeans that are known to be a little tight in the waist after washing is that I stretch the waist by hand. I apply quite a bit of force and it works. Do not do that while they are buttoned. The button may pop.
Doug, I get some indigo wear off on my desert boots even with the cuff.
Till
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wearing them while damp/ wet is ok but might cause 'knee pyramids'… You can iron your knees or walk over the knees whilst the jeans are damp to lessen the effect
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stretching the waist manually by applying force whilst they're still wet is what I do if I know it's necessary
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why do you guys all swear by hangdrying?.. I only do flatdrying
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machinewashing them at 30-40 C° is best if you want them to dry faster (without exposing them to any heat source like a boiler or whatever, which may cause them to shrink more than you wanted to). Also: after about 2-3 machinewashes (depending on what oz. the jeans are, in this case, I'd go with 3), all the shrinking should be done. Then just wear them for as long as you can
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I always put my jeans on damp after first soak…only because I am like a big kid and can't wait to get 'em on !
Stewart, I'm just a big kid too! I love sitting in the tub with them on and then walking around with them hanging heavy on my hips, knowing they're gonna mold to my body as they dry. I know everybody thinks I'm crazy (and maybe I am), but I'm gonna try it anyway.
Thanks, everybody. I promise to do flicks of the whole process. I would love to come up with a "How To" guide that incorporated all the excellent advice already dished up here. Augment it with pix of the process from start to…, well not "finish" as I plan on having these puppies for EVER! But I think a guide/diary would be way cool.
So neat to know there are other guys out there with the same over the top passion that I have for the jeans.
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I hang dry because it's faster. I tried flat drying and it took longer than I cared for. More surface area means faster drying
I hang by the boiler or whatever heat source I can find to dry them because I want ALL the shrinking out of the way. I don't like to deal with guesswork later
Last thing I need is to get caught in a summer rain six months after I get my jeans and the things skew and shrink in some sort of weird way.
If you think that doesn't happen, take a look at a pair of 634SR after the first couple of initial washes and then after a few months of wear. The left leg twists more and more and the roping on the hems are more defined
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So I got my 634SR today (thanks again Giles) and let me tell you that there are no words to describe the feeling I got when I first tried putting it on. It is like putting on an armor ready for some serious action. The denim is out of control heavy and the selvedge lining is beefy. It took me about 3 hours for the whole process (pre-soak fit…. quick 35minutes soak, 20 minutes in tumble dry low...then some post-soak fits/measurements while still damp). Even had a visit from the Invisible Denim man...
Pre:
Post:
…and the Invisible Denim Man:
I never thought that I would see a denim stand on its own! -
Hey Arrow, great pics. I'm jealous. Mine don't arrive for a week or so. Did you soak in them? I'm interested in your technique. I'm going to put together a guide (see earlier post to this thread). Keep taking pics, I want to use them for the "guide" (if that's cool with you). Everyone seems to have a different technique. Really cool.
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Hey Arrow, great pics. I'm jealous. Mine don't arrive for a week or so. Did you soak in them? I'm interested in your technique. I'm going to put together a guide (see earlier post to this thread). Keep taking pics, I want to use them for the "guide" (if that's cool with you). Everyone seems to have a different technique. Really cool.
No… I will be jealous of you! If somehow I can re-live the first moments of opening the package and just staring at it - I will do the "iron hurt" again.
1. Try it on and see how it fits. Good luck with the buttons, your fingers will hurt like hell.
2. Quick Cold soak (Inside-out) for 35 minutes, then rinse/spin cycle.
3. Tumble dry low (delicate setting) for 20 minutes
4. While damp, must take picture of Invisible Denim Man. This is the highlight of the process. You will laugh then cry for what's gonna come next.
5. Ease into the denim, button it up (pace yourself at this stage).
6. Grab your favorite denim magazine, sit by the heater. (At this stage, avoid all unnecessary trips to the bathroom cuz you don't want to undo the buttons)
7. An hour later... your denim is ready. Semi dry but you can go out and PLAY!!!Merry X-Mas to All and go crazy with your IRON HEARTS!
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5. Ease into the denim, button it up (pace yourself at this stage).
Arrow ain't kidding about this, the jeans are so stiff you're going to be wrestling them while you're horizontal on the floor, and even the holes for the button fly are stiff, so it's a bitch and a half to close the buttons. It'll stay that tough for a couple weeks too.
Many jeans you have to wear while they're still damp to set the creases, but I didn't do that with these jeans and I think they've set up pretty nice. The denim is so stiff that the creases stay put
