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Thread: Stone washed jeans

  1. #1
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    Stone washed jeans

    This morning I put on a brand new pair of Wrangler jeans. Went to straighten out the front pockets, and found a rock in a front pocket, a piece of 2" gravel that seems to be pumice...very light.

    I guess when they say stone washed jeans, they mean it.
    Rick Potter

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    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  2. #2
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    There is a guy named Jerry Gurien in Union City, TN who invented the stone wash process. He made a fortune in the '80's and '90's off Gurien Finishing Company, where they would stone wash jeans for brands. When he was young he applied to work at Coca Cola and the owner of the local operation wouldn't hire him and said he'd never ammount to anything. When he made his fortune he built his mansion right by the Coca Cola plant so that guy would have to pass it every day on his way to work. I used to deliver to him many years ago. One year he bought all his staff at his home Harley Davidsons. I think when stone washed jeans went out of style he didn't do so well, but he sure knew how to live when he was bringing it in. He was a really good upstanding man as well. I've lost touch with him in all these years.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    There is a guy named Jerry Gurien in Union City, TN who invented the stone wash process. He made a fortune in the '80's and '90's off Gurien Finishing Company, where they would stone wash jeans for brands. When he was young he applied to work at Coca Cola and the owner of the local operation wouldn't hire him and said he'd never ammount to anything. When he made his fortune he built his mansion right by the Coca Cola plant so that guy would have to pass it every day on his way to work. I used to deliver to him many years ago. One year he bought all his staff at his home Harley Davidsons. I think when stone washed jeans went out of style he didn't do so well, but he sure knew how to live when he was bringing it in. He was a really good upstanding man as well. I've lost touch with him in all these years.
    I love this post!! Reminds me that we should never give up and always chase our dreams. (sorry, not on topic here but I just "had" to say something our of appreciation of this post.)
    Thanks & Happy Wood Chips,
    Dennis -
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis Peacock View Post
    I love this post!! Reminds me that we should never give up and always chase our dreams. (sorry, not on topic here but I just "had" to say something our of appreciation of this post.)
    He inspired me and I am always quick to talk to others about chasing your dream. I was a young fellow in Tennessee driving trucks and decided my dream was to see the world and live abroad. Here I am! Flying to five countries in the next four weeks, and living in paradise. THIS IS NOT TO BRAG- I say this to inspire people to chase their dreams. My advice to people is choose your destination, and then make a road map to take you there. Stay on the road map. If something uncontrollable causes you to veer off course, plot a new course but keep the destination the same. It's kind of like sailing- you tack and gybe, but you stay on the rhumb line.

    Sorry for the hijack, but it does tie in to the topic. Funny how a thread about stones in your pocket can evolve into a motivational speech. :-)

  5. #5
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    No problemo. I also appreciated the story.

    Didn't know stone washed was out of style. I am the wrong demographic, but my jeans were plain old wrangler jean shorts from Wal Mart. Not exactly stylin'.

    I suspect they still do it to 'break in' the jeans.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  6. #6
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    Thanks for the inspiration Malcolm – I’ll share it with one of my daughters who’s struggling in her creative path right now (anyone need professional music scoring for a film or computer game?)


    But, on the topic of jeans; I guess they are all ‘prewashed’ and maybe stoned a little (calm down Cheech, I meant with rocks) these days. As a kid in the early 70’s we always got new jeans for Christmas and they were like wearing lead foil suits the first month or so. We would go sledding all day and when we took the new jeans off our underwear, socks and legs were all indigo blue, and they had to be washed separately for a while. I bought some new Levis that looked “normal blue” recently, but they were soft and flexible and didn’t bleed in the wash… where’s the fun in that?


    Twice in my life I did find a pebble in tomato sauce…

    Karl

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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Andersson View Post
    Thanks for the inspiration Malcolm – I’ll share it with one of my daughters who’s struggling in her creative path right now (anyone need professional music scoring for a film or computer game?)


    But, on the topic of jeans; I guess they are all ‘prewashed’ and maybe stoned a little (calm down Cheech, I meant with rocks) these days. As a kid in the early 70’s we always got new jeans for Christmas and they were like wearing lead foil suits the first month or so. We would go sledding all day and when we took the new jeans off our underwear, socks and legs were all indigo blue, and they had to be washed separately for a while. I bought some new Levis that looked “normal blue” recently, but they were soft and flexible and didn’t bleed in the wash… where’s the fun in that?


    Twice in my life I did find a pebble in tomato sauce…

    Karl
    I am old school, and I prefer to buy my jeans stiff blue and soak them in a hot bath a few times and then wear them into shape. It takes forever, but it's the proper way to buy blue jeans in my book. My wife one year bought me a pair of Calvin Klein jeans. I didn't have the heart to tell her I only wear Levi's. It was our first Christmas together. I love that woman more than anything, and I still wear those Calvin Klein jeans. I hate them, but I wear them.

    A pebble in your tomato sauce? That could hurt a tooth.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Andersson View Post
    But, on the topic of jeans; I guess they are all ‘prewashed’ and maybe stoned a little (calm down Cheech, I meant with rocks) these days. As a kid in the early 70’s we always got new jeans for Christmas and they were like wearing lead foil suits the first month or so. We would go sledding all day and when we took the new jeans off our underwear, socks and legs were all indigo blue, and they had to be washed separately for a while. I bought some new Levis that looked “normal blue” recently, but they were soft and flexible and didn’t bleed in the wash… where’s the fun in that?
    I remember jeans like those. They used to play radio commercials advertising them with the tagline "anyone want to buy a bunch of really clean rocks?"

    Nordstrom got some heat a few weeks back for selling $425 jeans with fake mud stains on them.

    Steve

  9. #9
    Levi's 501's "old, originals" - guaranteed to shrink, wrinkle, & fade!

  10. #10
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    Back in the 60s when I was in school we'd all get new blue geans before school started. They could stand on their own.

  11. #11
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    I have always worn 501s "Shrink to Fit". Levi now has "Pre-Shrunk" 501s, they are comfortable from the start but don't seem to last half as long.

  12. #12
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    I've been wearing Wrangler for decades and their weak link is the belt loops. With very few wash and wear cycles at least one or 2 loops will tear.
    But, that could be due to the wearer constantly pulling them up as they ride down.

    I'm at the age and mindset, I'm considering overalls. Who's going to care?

    Didn't one bluejean company market jeans that came with holes in them made by final inspection shooting them with a shotgun? Maybe not.
    Last edited by Bill Jobe; 06-25-2017 at 12:20 PM.

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