Random questions to which you seek an answer

[Mizmazzle]

I’m curious about “Life is Miracle” by Iron Heart.

I’ve seen this on a few of the 7.5oz tees now…is this simply a design idea slogan…or is it something else? An Iron Heart spin off of some sort, maybe?

[Karol]

@Mizmazzle The IH guys will know the best, but I remember this being connected with tsunami or earthquake affecting Japan. I guess the the money was going to the victims. I don't remember where I saw the details but I will take a look.

[Karol]

@Mizmazzle Actually its in the description - https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum//post/828653

11th March 2011 is a date etched into Japanese memories, with the country experiencing the strongest earthquake in its recorded history. The tsunami that followed devastated the northeastern coastline, claiming over 20,000 lives and leaving nearly half a million homeless. In addition to this tragic loss of life, the destruction led to the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, forcing thousands more people to evacuate their homes and businesses. Crippling the infrastructure of the entire country, the region of Tōhoku is still recovering from the event even today, more than a decade on.

One story that followed in the aftermath of the tsunami was that of a heavily damaged Harley-Davidson motorcycle, washed up in a shipping container on the shoreline of Canada. Thanks to the Japanese markings and intact VIN number, Harley tracked down the bike’s original owner, Ikuo Yokoyama. Ikuo was amongst the thousands of Japanese survivors, and whilst he too had lost his home and possessions, he humbly declined the offer of a brand new replacement. Instead, he respectfully requested that the bike be placed in the Harley-Davidson museum, as a memorial to the victims of the tsunami.

Ikuo Yokoyama is now the founder of Life Is A Miracle, a charity set up to support the ongoing efforts to rebuild in the region. A cause close to the heart of Iron Heart owner, Haraki-san, we’re proud to be raising awareness throughout the world with this ongoing series of custom designs and prints.

[EdH]

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

what is the most dense IH denim?

What kind of density are you interested in, because it's not clear from the comments that follow?

You could be looking at how tightly the yarns are twisted, how heavy those yarns were in the first place, how many knots there are in a square metre/yard, etc.

You've got me thinking you should start a channel similar to Rose Anvil, where instead of cutting up boots and shoes, you're taking puncture devices to jeans and other garments. These jeans take 3lb of force to puncture (or whatever), they stand up to this much abrasion from 300 grit sandpaper, etc, etc.

[Karol]

@EdH I can narrow it down to common nomenclature. In the meantime I found in IH Denim Glossary a definition.

''Density

Density refers to the difference between a looser or tighter weave of denim fabric and the number of yarns that are used to make up that weave. The higher the density, the sturdier the denim.

At Iron Heart we offer a range of densities in our denim. The now defunct UHR is famously dense after soaking, whereas the flagship 21oz denim offers a much looser weave despite the heaviness of the fabric, thus allowing for the jeans to be worn comfortably in warmer temperatures.''

So in my question I'm after the most dense denim IH has to offer.

I really like rose anvil stuff, and I have not seen anything like like that for clothing. Well maybe Carl Murawski

[EdH]

@Karol Ah... my guess would be the 19oz LHT or the UHR after soaking then. Neither of which I have experience with, just going off the descriptions.

[Mizmazzle]

@Karol Oh wow!! This is super interesting. I had no idea! Thanks for that thoughtful and informative information!

[Karol]

I would love to make such content as rose anvil, but for now I don't think that my knowledge of the subject matter is even close to give it justice.
Even with Weston's videos I sometimes think that he made few uneducated assumptions about the materials and why something is being used instead of something else. On the other hand when those boots are cut in half we can all see it and decide ourselves what is important for us.
I wish there was more videos made by the people from the industry that truly know those topics inside out. That is why I love Full Grain Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@fullgrainpodcast by '' Leather tannery veterans Nick Horween (5th generation, Horween Leather) and Phil Kalas (Founder, Ashland Leather) cover manufacturing, leather, boots, denim, everyday carry and the talented people who are creating the world's finest products.''. They really go deep into the heart of the thing.
The last two episodes were really awesome:
EP48: Leather Tanning 101 -

EP50: Horween Leather Tanner Explains Leather Finishing -

[goosehd]

A good friend of mine (now passed) and I were having a discussion one day about playing guitar and I expressed my desire to play. His question to me was “What’s stopping you?” That has stuck with me for every I wish…

I miss him and his lessons. A simple question that changed how I view many things.

[Karol]

@goosehd Such a great point man. And then one has to only define to what level they want to aspire and what will it take.

[goosehd]

@Karol If it’s something you are truly interested in, find the information yourself and become the subject matter expert.

Discussions concerning denim are one thing, discovering the information on your own, doing it, and people coming to you is another.

Look at what @swiss-jeansfreak has done with his love of denim.

[Karol]

@goosehd Yes, that is kind of what I'm trying to say in the above post and many more on this forum, but what's the point that you are trying to make? Not sure if I follow.

[goosehd]

@Karol You have listed people who you look up to re: boots, leather, etc. who have podcasts concerning those topics.

If the weights, densities, construction techniques, waterproofing material interests you. Test them, document it, make blogs, podcasts, etc. on those findings.

There is nothing stopping you from doing the same as Rose Anvil or any of the others mentioned.

What I am saying is become the subject matter expert. Do what they have done and you will find more enjoyment in those quests than someone giving you answers that may not satiate that curiosity.

[goosehd]

There is the old proverb, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll never go hungry. The answers you seek may not be here on this forum…but by you taking the initiative to seek out those answers, you could become the be all, end all, on those questions you ask.

Hope this makes sense.

[Karol]

@goosehd OK, I'm back there with You. I must have been unclear on how I wrote about it earlier.

This is exactly what I'm doing, but as I mentioned earlier I don't think that at this moment my knowledge of the subject matter is sufficient, and the level to what I aspire is pretty high.
Look I'm the kind of dude that has red few times the book that @Giles has recommended about the fabric production process - Weaving: Conversion of yarn to fabric (I think I even posted somewhere on the forum the link to a free .pdf), and then I searched for more source material.
I think that creating such content needs to add the value to the conversation and I'm still way to ignorant about all of this. But here on the forum I see so many people that have much more knowledge and direct experience with the questions that I find myself asking.
That is why I'm asking here. But I'm searching everywhere.

[Tago Mago]

@Karol just my two cents: a sound foundation in theoretical knowledge is a requirement, but there will come a point when you can’t further that knowledge without getting hands-on, practical experience.

You’re a diver and a photographer, correct? Reading books about these two activities is one thing, putting them together in real life is probably where you learned the most

[goosehd]

@Tago-Mago Exactly the point I’m making. We are not knowledgeable enough to answer some of your questions (Karol). @pechelman gave you a great tool in order to measure density re: fabrics. Take the jeans that you have and measure them yourself. Seek out other jeans, manufacturers, and start your own lists of information and data.

Who know’s…maybe you’ll end up writing a book and everyone will come to you for information.

[Karol]

@Tago-Mago I wish I had the money to just buy it all and have an educated opinion, but the mortgage... And I don't think that I want to go that far when it comes to fabric production I'm quite sure that starting a denim mill is not something I have envisioned for myself.
And here on the forum we have folks that over the years tried most of the IH stuff. What I learned from the forum is way better then the videos that people put on YouTube regarding Iron Heart.

[Karol]

@goosehd @Tago-Mago I get what you are saying guys. And you are right, but that hands-on experience is money dependent and I just want to buy my next pair of jeans and be happy with the fabric.

[pechelman]

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

The easy way to measure this is to measure the thickness of the fabric.

@Karol since you asked the question and sent me down this rabbit hole. tagging you

Easy I said....
SO I spent a bit of time going through a bunch of jeans and fabrics attempting to measure them. It's not straight forward as one might think. Still, I did my best, and here's the method used;

Fabrics were doubled up in a low wear area like near the hem or on the side of a shirt.
Doubled fabric was used to save me some time and in attempt to get a little more resolution in the thickness.
A Starrett micrometer with a friction click clutch was used to take measurements
Multiple measurements were taken and I averaged them.
When multiple garments with the same fabric were available I also averaged them.
Thicknesses shown are those I took divided in half, so it should be somewhat representative of a single layer of fabric.

Things I learned or thought about during the process;
There's a lot of compliance in fabric. Even with a consistent measuring technique,
Thicknesses are relative at best.
Density measured in the manner is highly questionable given 19L and 14oz are right next to 16 slubby.
Actual fabric surface weight is unverified and may be introducing large error.

What would I do different?
I wouldnt do this again. Getting the raw fabric from a roll and measuring out precise swatches to actually weigh and measure would be "better". Even "better" might be to use a permeability meter as is used for measuring breathability in technical garments like goretex.

Still, here's what I came up with for giggles. At least I can say I was fairly repeatable in my measurement method with a pretty solid relationship between fabric weight and thickness.

if anyone wants my excel sheet let me know and i can email/message it to you