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Old 02-07-2014, 09:03 PM
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Default How to soften up new Carhartt

Since this place has some of the smartest and best looking people I know, I have a small problem with a new pair of Carhartt overalls for my grandson that are way too stiff for him to wear.
Anybody got a good method of softening them up beside dragging them behind the car for a hundred miles?
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:05 PM
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Wear them.
Work in them.
Repeat.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:07 PM
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Set clothes dryer on air fluff or such. Dry with one or two tennis shoes. Repeat as necessary.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:09 PM
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I always wash mine at least two or three times before I even wear 'em. Throw some fabric softener in there, too. Then, as Hillbilly 77 said, wear the heck out of them. That's about the only way without just wearing them day in and day out. Hope that helps.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:16 PM
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The owner of the pants is 16 months old, I've been trying to get a days work out of him but his mother is still babying him.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:22 PM
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The owner of the pants is 16 months old, I've been trying to get a days work out of him but his mother is still babying him.
His mama is going to have to have two more kids before those things are broken in.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:24 PM
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My winter Carhartt jacket is 5 years old. It's been washed, been worn, been whipped and I can still cut glass with the sleeve!
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:27 PM
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My father broke in stuff this way:

  • Set a cage style bobcat trap
  • Catch a bobcat in the trap
  • Take whatever piece of clothing (jacket, overalls, etc) and put it over your arms
  • Have a friend open the latch and attempt* to grab bobcat and bear hug it when it comes out
  • Promptly let go of bobcat**
*This means a feller needs to be extry, extry careful not to rile it while you're 'a doin' it.
**This means that sometimes you don't have a choice to let go, because it has 'a holt' of you and will let you go when it's done wit'ya.



Gua-ruan-teed to soft'n up anything!
Might not be a whole lot left when done, but it'll be soft, cause' the fluffy insides of the jacket will be out.
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Griffith View Post
My father broke in stuff this way:

  • Set a cage style bobcat trap
  • Catch a bobcat in the trap
  • Take whatever piece of clothing (jacket, overalls, etc) and put it over your arms
  • Have a friend open the latch and attempt* to grab bobcat and bear hug it when it comes out
  • Promptly let go of bobcat**
*This means a feller needs to be extry, extry careful not to rile it while you're 'a doin' it.
**This means that sometimes you don't have a choice to let go, because it has 'a holt' of you and will let you go when it's done wit'ya.



Gua-ruan-teed to soft'n up anything!
Might not be a whole lot left when done, but it'll be soft, cause' the fluffy insides of the jacket will be out.
We need pictures!
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Comrad View Post
The owner of the pants is 16 months old, I've been trying to get a days work out of him but his mother is still babying him.
oh this younger generation...there is little hope for them...
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Old 02-07-2014, 09:31 PM
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Wear them.
Work in them.
Repeat.
Add a wash in the mix and you got it right
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Old 02-07-2014, 10:16 PM
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There was a rich feller in South Georgia who loved to wear overalls. Back in the day, most any brand of overalls was very, very stiff for the first six months. This feller would buy a couple of new pairs every year or so and give them to a farmer of his same size to wear for a year and break in for him. True story.
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Old 02-07-2014, 10:26 PM
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I buy my C bibs about an inch too long. By the time I wear an inch off the bottom they are pretty flexible
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Old 02-07-2014, 10:32 PM
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Quote:
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The owner of the pants is 16 months old, I've been trying to get a days work out of him but his mother is still babying him.
SLACKER......sheesh
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  #15  
Old 02-07-2014, 11:28 PM
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I wear car hart pants everyday. Stiff doesn't bother me. The thick heavy material is nearly indestructible.
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Old 02-07-2014, 11:38 PM
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Quote:
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Add a wash in the mix and you got it right
People wash Carhartt?

When did that start?


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Old 02-07-2014, 11:55 PM
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People wash Carhartt?

When did that start?


Yeah, I thought you're just s'posed to stand 'em in the corner when you didn't have 'em on.
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Old 02-08-2014, 12:35 AM
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Stiff is the reason I buy them, and they're nowhere near as stiff as they used to be. Brush poppin' for a season will soften them up, but for the little feller, just wash the daylights out of 'em in HOT water. That takes the starch out of em, and several trips through the dryer.
.
Hey, We wanna see pictures!!
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Old 02-08-2014, 12:40 AM
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wash, wear, wash, wear
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Old 02-08-2014, 11:02 AM
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I generally buy jeans at Costco (Kirkland) for 12.99 - usually they are really blue and really stiff. The key to getting them broken in and a little faded is bleach. I use hot water in the washer - about half full and a full cup of clorox - repeat 5 or 6 times at least.
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Old 02-08-2014, 11:07 AM
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Put them on jump
In a giant muddy hole, play in that hole all day with shovels, pipe and pipe glue. Go wash em and you'll be good to go. Worked for me.


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Old 02-08-2014, 11:33 AM
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when i buy a new cast net i soak it over night in fabric softner to make material real soft and flexable. then rinse real good . in your case washing afterwards would be fine
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Old 02-08-2014, 12:12 PM
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We used to soak old stiff dock lines in water with fabric softener overnight and that helped. I would think that would work on his Carharts too.
I washed and wore my Carharts until they broke in from use when I worked in them. I have a parka made by them well worn now and showing it's age I still use at home but my wife forbids me to wear in public. I have a new one hanging in the garage she bought me but it isn't the same yet as that old one, maybe one day I'll break it in too.
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Old 02-08-2014, 01:21 PM
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To me just when jackets, pants and shoes/boots feel comfortable there worn out. I'm surprised the phrase hasn't been coined yet is "pre broken in". Meaning they been worn already and someone else went tv right the pain.

I just purchased two new carhartt jackets stiff as he'll. My new harley boots tight as he'll. The boots I'll mink oil in the tight spots. I wonder if applying a silicone sealer to the jacket will soften it.

By the time I broke in my new leather motorcycle jacket which I applied the water sealer to it. I crashed my quad wearing it. The jacket was ripped to shreds but my skin was never touched. I crashed on the frozen ice when the front wheel his a hole in the ice. Never fly through the woods without checking the trails first. Yup broke the ribs the first time on this one. Never think thunk the quad could throw my 300# butt over the bars. Now like the song I believe I can fly. But the sudden stop was the bummer. I had to pick up my left arm with my right hand to put it on my handle bars of my dualsport bike to ride it for quite some time after that crash
My new Polaris '94 quad had aluminum tie rod ends. The replacement was steel tie rod ends. The crash split the aluminum tie rod end. Stupid engineers heck the first engineers were train drivers it makes me wonder.

Going right from the crashed quad to the dualsport bike was good therapy the misses thought I was nuts. After the first dualsport ride I got some movement back in my left hand pulling the clutch lever on the bike.

Quad score quad 1 human 0 first crash hurt left shoulder rotator, left arm, broke ribs left side. I was miles in the woods when I crashed. I tied a tree limb under the quad to hold the broken tie rod front wheel straight. Broken ribs & hurt arm it took me 3 hours to get it out. Me and my son laughed but then laughing the broken ribs hurt more. Taking short breaths helped.

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Old 02-08-2014, 02:43 PM
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Be careful,you might create a monster!















f.t.
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Old 02-09-2014, 02:03 AM
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Set your washer on hot water, place items to be softened in with 1lb of course salt. Leave door open if possible. Run through wash cycle but don't let it rinse. Let it sit overnight. Close the lid and start it over, letting it rinse. Then a regular wash cycle with detergent and into the dryer.
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Old 02-09-2014, 08:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillbilly77 View Post
People wash Carhartt?

When did that start?



....when you drive a tanker and deliver diesel fuel. You get lonely when everyone runs away from you when you get too close to them
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Old 02-09-2014, 08:42 AM
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....when you drive a tanker and deliver diesel fuel. You get lonely when everyone runs away from you when you get too close to them
Ahh, yes. Good old diesel. Nothing stinks worse soaked into clothes worse than diesel fuel.
And the only thing worse to get on your skin is antifreeze and brake fluid.
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Old 02-09-2014, 10:02 AM
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Go to used clothes store or one of the Good Will stores and buy some at a reduced price. Usually they have been worn enough to soften them up some....Lets face it, they ain't meant to be soft. I don't work hard enough any more to wear them and don't plan on it either....
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:35 AM
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Just wear them is the best thing.

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Old 02-13-2014, 12:37 PM
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Jake loves them, ready to get to work. Good news they are pretty soft right out to the box.

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Old 02-13-2014, 12:40 PM
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Sale on pork isle five.

Great idea shrink them down, let the youngsters break them in, but how do we swell them back up?

I know your going to ask how do we shrink them? I can shrink anything in the dryer. I'm not allowed near the dryer or washer anymore.

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