Club Obi Wan

Rob wrote: ↑Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:20 am
Michaelson wrote: ↑Wed Mar 12, 2025 5:00 pm If yours is from 2008 and cowhide, it came from the hide order that Tony Nowak missed out on buying as the other half was used to make all the CS jackets. He was not a happy camper.
The things you know, Michaelson, I swear...

Lots of useless stuff.

Regards! M

The Signature series has been available from Wings since 1998, and was only curtailed when the Disney/Lucasfilm contract was signed for DofD . Since that contract ended in January, the Signature series by Schott will be continued. All Signature series, and marked U.S. made Wings jackets are Schott j...

They used to sell them at the Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, TN and had a display version behind glass that was 5 feet long!

Regards! Michaelson

Never mattered to me. I always wear ‘Michaelson gear’ anyway, and always have.

Regards! M

My main criteria is a watch pocket. Wrangler Riggs has an excellent one.

Regards! M

That’s all I wear…..Wrangler Riggs cargos. Regards! Michaelson The ripstop ones? I've got three pairs! Definitely a great pair of pants and look great with fedora, leather jacket, satchel, etc. https://i.imgur.com/SVuVITQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/0VWMTfF.jpg Those are the ones! Great pants! :M: :tup...

There’s professional help for that.

Regards! M

That’s all I wear…..Wrangler Riggs cargos.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks for answering that for me! I was out of town
.

Regards! Michaelson

It’s a standard dilemma all of us have faced over the years with original bags. You’re not alone. Personally I’d recommend that if you respect the history of the bag, find a good reproduction for use and keep that one back as an artifact in your Indy collection. You’ll find the older bags also suffe...

I see any Indy jackets as 2.5-3 season jacket, regardless of type leather, but that’s just my opinion. I’ve found goatskin to be my best ‘all round’ leather choice for various seasonal wear. I find my S&J thin horsehide a perfect mid range weight. Not too heavy, not too light. I just wish I had...

You’ll love it. Thin, lightweight, but tough as nails. Just be aware if you want to distress it, you may want to discuss having them do it before making the jacket. The leather wears like iron.

Regards! M

Just to update this older thread, as of January 1st, 2025, USWings dropped their vendor license with Disney/LFL. and has returned to their original pattern Indy Adventure jackets.

Regards! Michaelson

I see any Indy jackets as 2.5-3 season jacket, regardless of type leather, but that’s just my opinion. I’ve found goatskin to be my best ‘all round’ leather choice for various seasonal wear. I find my S&J thin horsehide a perfect mid range weight. Not too heavy, not too light. I just wish I had ...

No need to feel bad. As I said, I was just surprised, as you are going for exactly what I was after, and that’s what he steered me toward, which I am very happy he did! I’m puzzled as to the change of direction now.

No big deal, just puzzled.

Regards! M

Howdy stranger!

Not sure! Drapes fine for me, and they offered no hesitation in making an LC version for me, so that remark caught me by surprise.

And no, it’s cold down here too.

Regards! M

You’ll still find the Federation available on the HatsDirect site as they pulled it out of the Akubra listings and list it separately.

Regards! Michaelson

Thin horsehide isn’t good for LC?!

Since when?

He never said that when he made mine!

Regards! Michaelson

That’s the correct spelling after drinking a bottle…..

Regards! Michaelson

Most 1930’s catalogs advertised men’s leather jackets in either cowhide or horsehide. Horsehide was readily available as the army was eliminating their cavalry horse herds in the change over to mechanized warfare , and the hundreds of thousands of horses left over from WW1 and into the 20’s were thi...

Not that I recall. They had several different browns.

Regards. M

That’s how Steve Delk started making hats……working on Campdrafts.

Regards! M

Unfortunately, the Akubra Federation is no longer offered in black. I had one years ago, and it would have fit the bill for you perfectly. I’d still recommend dropping them a line JUST to see if they may have one stuck back in old stock . If you can locate one of those, you’re set! Regards! Michaels...

This is sad news to read, my friend. Your shirts have been a mainstay in the hobby, and though I was never fortunate enough to get one for myself, I was always aware of your product and projects you produced, as well as the excellent reviews your happy customers posted. Your shirts will be greatly m...

I’m not too concerned, as there are a lot of small production hat makers that are producing some excellent hats using the old ways. Our 3 old timers aren’t the only ones who have had access to the original information. Most large producers just don’t bother as the sooner your hat wears out, the soon...

Castor Dioscuri wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2024 4:32 am If I recall correctly, Delk (or was it Kitter?) passed that knowledge on to Penman... Did Penman ever pass that on to anyone else?

Kitter, Dave Garrison and John Penman were personally taught by Steve those ‘black arts’. I’m not sure if any of them have passed that knowledge on.

Regards! M

Most hatters don’t talk about it, as they consider it a ‘secret process’.

Regards! M

I believe Penman and Garrison do it just as a matter of process when making or reblocking a hat.

Regards! Michaelson

That’s exactly how I do a couple of my hats regarding the liner. It works.

Regards! M

VERY nicely done!!! For a first attempt, you don’t have a whole lot of improvement to do! I’d wear it!

Regards! Michaelson

Proceed carefully as Millers are notorious for tapering after being steamed or getting wet.

Regards! Michaelson

No changes at this time.

Regards! Michaelson

I’d be very surprised if they did. VERY surprised. There’s no one left there that was involved, and it was such a departure from their regular business , I think they were relieved to jettison it from their catalogue. It was extremely popular as they were made to last for generations, but the ‘made ...

One of best conversations I’ve seen in quite a while! Nicely done!!

Regards! Michaelson

The only prototype I am aware of still in the hands of the ‘committee’ is MK’s lambskin which is now in my eldest daughter’s possession. I gave it to her for her collection. I’m sure no one cares if you want your jacket duplicated by another vendor. S&J does it all the time with excellent result...

Well, you asked! :lol: It was patterned from a privately owned screen used stunt jacket in a private collection in Oregon. We had a member (T H ayes) who worked for Wizards of the Coast at the time and lived in Portland get permission to examine and measure the jacket. It took a LOT of negotiation t...

Reading over this is a bit bitter sweet for me.

Of the 6 of us who were involved in the creation of the Expedition, only 2 of us are left. A sobering thought, but I’m sure the missing 4 would smile to know the Expo’s are still out there doing their job.

Regards! Michaelson

Pretty unusual for any goat, but if it will take it, feed it. As to age, not really. Dave Marshall pretty much stayed with the exact same pattern after all the prototypes were examined and checked off.

Looks great on you!

Regards! Michaelson

My daughter has one of the prototypes lambskins that came out of my collection, and I have one in black lambskin and another goat skin.Great jackets!

Regards! M

Any G&B Expo acquisition is a great buy, depending on how much you paid.
Congratulations!
You need to determine if it is an off the rack or made to measure. They sold both versions.
The ‘T’ had a longer body than the standard by about 2” or so.

Regards! Michaelson

Not by much.

Let’s just say, if we had gone to the same school, we could have probably shared some classes.

Regards! M

l might be older than Michaelson. The internet was a serious tool in his world, academia, and then I got a cheap computer and free Internet in 1998 and I had no internet manners. Don’t know about that. I retired from a career as an industrial/educational videographer after 50 years back in 2022, 30...

Actually, $630,000.

Regards! Michaelson

Check out posts by Rundquist. It’s all back there in his 35 pages of posts.

Regards! M

R The M-421A does make me long for the old khaki cotton Indy US Wings produced way back. I’d like a cotton Indy in khaki and olive drab with a thin liner! I have a Wings cotton in size medium hanging in my closet. Regards! Michaelson I was pretty sure you did. I’ll admit I was fishing for that! :ro...

Illinois James wrote: ↑Sun Aug 04, 2024 10:56 pm R

The M-421A does make me long for the old khaki cotton Indy US Wings produced way back. I’d like a cotton Indy in khaki and olive drab with a thin liner!

I have a Wings cotton in size medium hanging in my closet.

Regards! Michaelson

Adam Rundquist was the first I recall discovering the turn as well as the fact it was soft felt, not the hard finish we were all used to. He posted photo after photo proving his points.

Regards! Michaelson

Got mine from Make-It-Jones.

Just an FYI…..if you break them, they sell comparable buckles at fabric stores , like JoAnn’s or like outlet.

Regards! Michaelson

Excellent jacket and reasoning. I’m occasionally torn about replicating my original Wested lambskin and would have ordered exactly the same jacket, with the exception of adding gussets (screen accurate, but more so because I drive a lot, and with arms raised a jacket without gussets rides up terribl...

I didn't know he had passed. Even after 16 years, I always had hope that I would see a new hat. I'm glad I still have my "Ford Felt" hat. ~Ron Probably not. This thread is 14 years old, and Fedora passed away last year. :( Regards! Michaelson Still have and wear mine, too. Regards! M

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