Looking for pictures of a Todd's Herbert Johnson hat.

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:06 am

just like the title says. I'd like to see some pictures.

Please go ahead and post them

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:43 pm

Dutch,

I just got my shipment notification today for my Todd's HJ fedora. I should have it by the weekend, so I'll post pics as soon as I crack open the box!

Craig

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:33 pm

...And here are a few shots. (they're a little dark, but I didn't want to wash out the color with a flash). The hat is actually quite nice, but I'm certainly no hat expert. It does seem a bit "flimsy" in terms of structure, both in the brim and the crown. The ribbon is anything but desirable - I'll definitely be replacing that. I haven't taken any photos with the hat on - I still need to do that. But let me know what you think.

Craig

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:47 pm

Congrsts on the HJ and thanks for sharing these pics. You see the stitching of the ribbon so easily and its ugly. I don't Blame you for wanting to change it.

mufflowne · Post by **mufflowne** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:30 pm

congrats on the hat. that was my first indy fedora.

Tron7960 · Post by **Tron7960** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:41 pm

Congratulations!

From what I can see (like you said, no flash) it looks pretty great.

Strange how the stitches on the ribbon/bow are the most visible thing in the pictures though.

Looking forward to outdoor pics!

Tron

Dakota Ellison · Post by **Dakota Ellison** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:06 pm

What size is it and how long did you have to wait for it?
Boy, the tacking on the ribbon looks almost white. Otherwise a great looking hat you've got there.

JR · Post by JR » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:11 pm

Wow, the stitching on your Todd's HJ looks a lot worse than my Todd's. You can see the pics of my hat at another topic I posted.

viewtopic.php?t=28712

Marcus Brody · Post by **Marcus Brody** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:20 pm

That ribbon is unacceptable, there's no excuse for how badly it's tacked on. Not only is the thread totally the wrong color, but look at how sloppy the stitches look. It's just done plain incorrect. This and JR's hat, has to make you wonder about what's going on over there.

Mark Brody · Post by **Mark Brody** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:09 am

Does Todd's take the HJs and replace the ribbon themselves before they sell them, or is that the HJ standard of the day?

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:57 am

What size is it and how long did you have to wait for it?

Dakota, it's a size 57, and it took less than 2 weeks to receive it (from the time I placed the order), and that was with a custom bash (Cairo). I'm very pleased with Todd's shaping, but I agree that the ribbon and stitching are below average. Fortunately, I had already planned to replace the ribbon before I even received it.

Does Todd's take the HJs and replace the ribbon themselves before they sell them, or is that the HJ standard of the day?

I can't speak for Todd and his process, but I believe the ribbon that came with this hat is a placeholder only. I thought he might put his replacement Petersham ribbon on his hats, but it's definitely not. I definitely suggest that if anyone purchases a Poet from Todd, they pick up a replacement ribbon as well.

Craig

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:04 am

Marcus Brody wrote:This and JR's hat, has to make you wonder about what's going on over there.

Food for thought...

I wouldn't blame Todd, and I'm sure you're not either, but something is wrong with that hat. JR's hat though was different; Todd suggested it had suffered heat / moisture damage during shipping. Interesting, too. I'm glad I have a hat like my AB!

Shane

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Mon May 12, 2008 4:13 pm

Ok, so here's a better shot of my HJ from Todd, with the Cairo bash. The ribbon, again, is the stock ribbon that Todd provides. I took this pic right before I ripped that unsightly thing off! I'm going to put some 39mm Petersham on it tonight, so I'll take a few new pics once that is done. In the meantime...

-Craig

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:09 pm

And here are a few shots finally wearing my HJ. I replaced the ribbon with some Petersham. I'm getting a nice reverse taper with this hat, which I actually like. But it looks like the crown is a bit too tall for my face shape. I'm curious to hear what others think...

-Craig

Marcus Brody · Post by **Marcus Brody** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:35 pm

Crown looks okay, but the brim looks off. It looks like the backside is coming too far down and probably doesn't have enough curl. It's very Young Indy-ish, but not appropriate for a trilogy era hat. I think if you got rid of the "elephant ears" the crown wouldn't look too tall.

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:58 pm

Marcus Brody wrote:Crown looks okay, but the brim looks off. It looks like the backside is coming too far down and probably doesn't have enough curl. It's very Young Indy-ish, but not appropriate for a trilogy era hat. I think if you got rid of the "elephant ears" the crown wouldn't look too tall.

Marcus,

Thanks for the input. Do you suggest I rebash the front in order to get rid of the "ears?" (I assume you're referring to the front bashes) As for the brim, there's almost no stiffener in the felt, so it's difficult to shape. I may have to add some in order to mold the back of the brim and give it the right curl. I defintely want to get the Raiders look out of this hat.

-Craig

Marcus Brody · Post by **Marcus Brody** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:50 pm

By "elephant ears", I meant the way the brim looks behind your own real ears. The brim shouldn't droop that far down, but now that you mentioned the lack of stiffener, that makes sense. You're definitely going to need the stiffener, and you might need to iron the brim flat again with cloth over it for protection.

serrecuir · Post by **serrecuir** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:59 pm

Marcus Brody wrote:By "elephant ears", I meant the way the brim looks behind your own real ears. The brim shouldn't droop that far down, but now that you mentioned the lack of stiffener, that makes sense. You're definitely going to need the stiffener, and you might need to iron the brim flat again with cloth over it for protection.

Marcus,

Thanks for that. I was just viewing some screen grabs from "Raiders" and reading an old thread here where Steve and Marc chimed in about shaping their hats. I'll definitely be steaming the brim (with a cloth between). It's been written here that the steam will release the stiffener in the felt, and then I'll be able to reshape it. According to Steve, he dry irons the hats and doesn't use steam - he dampens the hat with some type of hat sponge first, and then irons the hat dry - definitely makes sense. I'm going to try this method first. When I get it reshaped, I'll post a new pic. Thanks for your help - much appreciated!

-Craig