Christy's Adventurer!

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:30 pm

So Fedora, what exactly made you see all these facts about the height ?
Because the Fed IV doesn't appear to be this height?

more than two months ago you posted you had the final raiders block your final block it was perfected over the years.... and now you suddenly have new discoveries. I'm dying to know where you got this from all of a sudden.

because you make it sound like you discovered this when people have been saying this for years.

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:01 pm

This thread has derailed indeed into a hat discussion that wasn't supposed to happen here, we will see how to arrange with moderators that the right posts will be moved or, better, copied elsewhere where we can continue this discussion (please don't you dare deleting anything though because it's all interesting and anyway I have all saved). For me the discussion on this matter was over in my last big post. Not that I want to have the last word at any cost but I think I had made myself very clear there. I expected all these pictures to come up and with those comments attached, if my previous post is read properly one can find that most of the questions I have been now asked were already answered in advance.

I can only post some more picture of this hat in answer to the few new points that came up (scroll down).

DR Ulloa you made a very balanced and fair review of the Christy's product.

Steve, I understand what you say about the back curve and as you surely understand that I personally never said or implied that Christy's has THE block but (I wish you won't take this too personally) if I may say so, neither do you and neither does anyone else that we know. You always have stated that your design was purposely slightly exagerate. With all due respect, all the blocks that you or anyone else can make from screengrabs and pre-owned unbashed hats are still approximations and all based on personal taste since you will agree that no one ever said (unfortunately), hey this vintage hat was blocked on the same block used for Raiders of the Lost Ark, yay let's make a copy of it! All the research is instead based on someone (not you in particular Steve, just talking in general) saying "hey guys, this is most likely to be the same or very similar IN MY OPINION! See? It works well when I put a felt on it". I still haven't seen a hat that matches 100% and never I will because as someone said, if they brought us The Hat from the set just after shooting Raiders someone would still say... nah, that's not accurate, look at that taper there. No way hosey.
Then if most of the people like a certain "version" of what someone think is the raiders hat, may it be because it's easier to bash or other reasons, that doesn't make that hat more accurate or perhaps it's true that sixty-six-thousands-four-hundred-eighty repetitions make a truth.
Sorry guys if I sound s bit aggressive but I honestly feel myself a little cornered and on a product that I was mildly and innocently elogiating and concious of its limits!

In the pictures you posted Steve: one was from the temple (raised back), one from a hat with a pushed up front (untapered effect of course!), another from the truck scene which I already covered in my precedent post.
You also asked me to reproduce with my hat that temple look. I very understand that there is curiosity in that request more than malice but that's a very tricky request... how can I reproduce it since I already bashed it in a very different way and now the felt is soft and won't take any more radical changes? Somebody buy me a brand new Christy's hat and I will impress that "temple" shape from the beginning. I can take that request of yours no problem on a brand new hat. I am curious too of the results because I have always liked that look, sincerely I'm quite certain that it would come out real close looking because I did a higher bash on the "Grey" Christy and it had resemblance to the temple hat at a certain point of the process (before I creased the back and defined the dents).
But in case I make the effort of attempting that bash on a Christy I ALSO want to see that bash from other brands too, especially the ones that are supposed to be more accurate. I couldn't make it on any other hats that I have owned (I have tried)... perhaps it's me, perhaps it's because beaver felts react differently... who knows. If you have any hat in your picture archive or you know of anyone who reproduced successifully the temple hat look and posted it on COW, please feel free to post it here and I'll give credit to that brand and its basher.

Talking again of those screengrabs posted, I really don't want to sound offensive or stubborn but I thought I had already covered all these cases anyway. I hate to repeat myself also because I am afterall writing not in my first language.

Talking of another point... the back was more curved and lower on the original block you say? Fine I'll give you that because I happen to agree with you on that although I personally haven't tested that theory yet. The Christy doesn't have it in its block, fine. If it had... who knows, perhaps it would look dead on... perhaps even not. But I find a bit annoying that this brand is being crucified while overall is a great looking raiders hat (as you also stated, I really hope sincerely) and in general there is no brand in the world that actually does match the Raiders hat.
You well know Steve that I adore discussing of the hat and if we were discussing this over a "What I think the original block was like" thread I would never find this disturbing but I would rather enjoy it. The fact is that this is a thread to show this product from their owners. I don't go in the Akubra show-off thread and start saying how inaccurate it is (because it is but that's my opinion). Everywhere else in the forum feel free to slash it at any level and I will enjoy replying with my opinion and we can enjoy a friendly dispute with pictures, counterpictures, screengrabs and measurements.

I simply don't understand why certain brands have to be defended while others are automatically acclaimed a success (and yet they end up filling the FOR SALE ads shortly after) and no one can say a word on them. That bugs me.

Anyway here are the pictures BendingOak and everyone else who needed to see more views of the hat ( I just took them now new because I didn't have any more from yesterday, the hat is the same though and so is the "trick )

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/e ... riSOC4.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/e ... riSOC5.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/e ... riSOC6.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y157/e ... riSOC7.jpg

These are taken from the same exact bash with the sole trick of a little piece of cloth behind the sweatband, I already stated that I think that's what was made on the cairo hat. If anyone starts saying that I photoshop my hat or bash it accordingly on each angle... I will end up like Pagey being accused of photoshopping his own pictures.
Yes there is a slight taper on one side which I already explained... if you notice on the picture of that side you will also notice a not defined dent... which in my opinion is the cause of it. My fault, next time I'll be more careful.

On a final note...
I'm not saying that everyone has to love the Christy, actually, people don't buy it!!! So I can still get it for £50 in some years. I even feel stupid for having been pushed to actually defend to death this product because it doesn't deserve that much effort. In my opinion it's just a nice hat that can pull a great raiders look. I know you will all find reasons why my pictures will once more proove that it's a bad hat and that the raiders hat was something else but fear not that I can do the same for every single hat shown on this forum, whatever brand, and I will find a big flaw in it for you... I don't intend to do such a childish thing but it is just to make everyone realise that the perfect hats are only in our minds based on what we want to see in the film.

I'm sorry again if any of my friends on board were offended or hurt in the process, I hope you will forgive me if I have written with some rudeness in parts of this last post. I believe my replies are always on a reasonable tone though and presenting reasonable arguments but I felt treated like a child in parts and cornered in others in reply.
We're discussing hats of course, I don't hate anyone for their points of view. I hope you won't think bad of me from now on.

Now feel free to kill my pictures. I will not defend this product anymore in this thread. If anyone wishes to continue the duscussion elsewhere I will join you in a week time (when I'll have more time to spare) and in a much more kindred spirit, if no ad hoc thread will be made in the meantime it means that the discussion will rest for now, too pity.

I will also ask the moderators to suspend me for a while because I have wasted too much time for this week on this matter, I must dedicate more time to other things but unfortunately for me this subject is addictive so I need an outside help (the admins).
Sorry to everyone who I need to apologise with.

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:27 pm

What a great thread!
The Christy in the pictures below is my most worn hat, I wear it almost daily at college and it had been crushed by books, stuffed into my bag, sat on and several times rained on (light to medium rain). It isn´t anymore looking like that

but morphed into a quite "adventurous" look which doesn´t resemble a certain scene but screams Indy to me ;-)
I think it has held up quite good so far. But I have to admit, that I´m still a quite frightened when when it starts to rain..

After reading all these posts, I see a lot of points that I certainly agree with but one thing reminded me that we are looking for very special details that this 50GBP hat cannot or isn´t supposed to have. At least in my opinion.

I have always had reservations about all renditions of my Raiders block, but back when I started, it was difficult to find a straight sided hat! I use this as a relative term. So my quest began, back when we all wore hats that were mostly too tapered, as everyone seemed to recognize back in those days.

I remember those days, and I think many of us would have loved the Christy´s.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:29 am

Tremolo, that hat looks great. I see that the same distortions I was referring to has happened to you, yet the hat doesn't seem to have shrunk or tapered. The same thing happened to mine. This, in my opinion, is how the Raiders felt reacted to the conditions of shooting in Tunisia.

Dave

The_Raiders · Post by **The_Raiders** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:49 am

Wow, that's a very good looking Christy's to me. Mine certainly has gone through alot of adventure, living in east Texas, it gets very very hot and humid, not to mention reshaping my hat multiple times, had cause it quit some dramtic tapering, althought i did make my own little block, its not the best by far, when I try to give it a Raiders bash it looks much too round and not "blocky" enough, really when I get it off the block it always looks good with an LC bash, but since we're watching ROTLA in school I wanted to go fo an all ROTLA look at school.
When my Christys does taper I can create the PERFECT TOD hat! Looks like it was pulled from the movie itself... but I dont like the taper really at all so I continue to reblock it frequently until something better comes along

but on a good note, the Christy's is by far the best quality/Indy hat I've had so far, and it's been with me on alot of my own adventures, my hat is always always with me at all times literally except for when I go to sleep, everyone I know says they can never picture me without "the hat", its become my own "iconic image" with people I know, and my hats my favorite possesion I own, I love my Christy's despite any faults in its looks, more of a sentimental value. I do plan on buying a Henry, but Ill always keep my Christys close by ;-)

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:28 am

DR Ulloa wrote:Tremolo, that hat looks great. I see that the same distortions I was referring to has happened to you, yet the hat doesn't seem to have shrunk or tapered. The same thing happened to mine. This, in my opinion, is how the Raiders felt reacted to the conditions of shooting in Tunisia.

Dave

Thanks Dave! That makes the hat stand out in my collection. Although I´m curious how it looks in a year or so. I wish I could get the the back as low as Erri but my head pushes it out then.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:12 am

You also asked me to reproduce with my hat that temple look. I very understand that there is curiosity in that request more than malice but that's a very tricky request... how can I reproduce it since I already bashed it in a very different way and now the felt is soft and won't take any more radical changes

Erri, I was only curious as to what a Christy would look like, with the high front and back crease as was in the outside temple hat. I just wanted to see where the breaking points were on the Christy when creased high, and then compare it to what I see on the film hat. No mischief intended. From looking at the pics of the good ones, the profile shots, I can't see that lending the look from the film, but wanted to actually see a pic of one so I could know for sure, one way of the other.

And honestly, to my eye, your last pics remind me of certain LC hats, but I understand some shrinkage has went on since you first bought it. I also see the profile shots look off as well. Looks like my old block from the sides. Or close.

With all due respect, all the blocks that you or anyone else can make from screengrabs and pre-owned unbashed hats are still approximations and all based on personal taste since you will agree that no one ever said (unfortunately), hey this vintage hat was blocked on the same block used for Raiders of the Lost Ark, yay let's make a copy of it! All the research is instead based on someone (not you in particular Steve, just talking in general) saying "hey guys, this is most likely to be the same or very similar IN MY OPINION! See? It works well when I put a felt on it". I still haven't seen a hat that matches 100% and never I will because as someone said, if they brought us The Hat from the set just after shooting Raiders someone would still say... nah, that's not accurate, look at that taper there. No way hosey.

I will have to disagree. I think if one can copy a vintage HJ, a real hat, and not just a pic of a hat, you then have the closest you will ever get, unless you could find a brand new Raider HJ somewhere. This is with the understanding that numerous hat blocks can yield a decent looking Raiders fedora. And several diverse blocks can do so as well. All I,(we) have attempted to do was to recreate certain nuances in the hat that we see in the film. It would have been so much easier to grab a number 52 block, and just use that. The 52 block would give you a very good looking Raiders fedora, from the macro view, but not from the micro view. We are after the micro view,that all can't see, but we do. One particular one is the roll or radius on the back bow side of the hat. It is there on all of the turned hats, but has escaped me for quite sometime. Now, to many, this is inconsequential, but remember, I am really nutty about very small details. I was never satisfied, with "close enough" I actually wanted the exact same blockshape. Not close, but the exact one. And, being an optimist, I really do feel this is possible to arrive at. I could have just sat on my laurels and not worry about inconsistencies, but that is not my personality type. This fault, is what made me a very sought after cabinet maker. I was a stickler for the small details. I still have folks wanting me to build them a new set of handmade cabinets. But, I am out of that line of work, and turn all offers down.

If I am guilty of anything, it is simply wanting to get as close as humanly possible to my all time fav hat. That might be a hanging offense, not sure. In the process of doing this, I make comments regarding other hats. (but never anything but factory hats)Which I probably should not do, being a vendor. I just find it hard to move from a fan to a vendor is all. I still talk like I am the fan, only, and not a hatter. And that is indeed a true fault, as I should not do it, being in my position.

Being a hatter with a few thousand hats under my belt, I know that there are at least 3 paths to a Raiders fedora, and I am speaking of blockshapes here. I for some insane reason, just want the "right" blockshape, while realizing that at least 3 various ones will lend the look. But only one will do it from a micro level. That has been my quest. It would have been so much easier just to use an existing block that I own, a vintage one, and never look back. That is what most hatters do. "Yeah, this is close enough for those guys" attitude. But, be forewarned, that ain't gonna happen with me. I am after perfection, as well as high quality. I want both!

And by the way, the guy that posted those last pics, the hat looks great. To me, it is a bulging LC fedora, going by the roll as viewed from the top. If you can't see the difference in that roll, and the Raider roll, we can't get on the same page and discuss it. And that's not good, at least for me.

Erri's hat and the last hat pic posted by Tremolo, look like LC blocked hats creased with a Raiders crease. Especially Erri's. I guess you can't see it? No matter, I do. It stands out. But, I don't expect most to see it, so it can really be a moot point, IMO. And I am jousting with windmills, or so I feel. No matter, really, as I will keep on, keeping on, and you guys do the same. Stuff like this makes it worthwhile for me to visit, read, and post. And I get to see other brands of hats, which is always nice. Regards, Fedora

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:50 pm

Fedora can you please post pictures of these Christys' you keep bringing up?

Erri, I was only curious as to what a Christy would look like, with the high front and back crease as was in the outside temple hat. I just wanted to see where the breaking points were on the Christy when creased high, and then compare it to what I see on the film hat.

Creased high for a 5 1/4" hat or for a 5 1/2"? You know you get a different profile based on that difference alone, right?

RaiderZee · Post by **RaiderZee** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:59 pm

Forgive my ignorance Fedora: could you explain the "roll" thing? I don't find it on any of the hat tutorials. Maybe some comparison pics?

RaiderZee

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:14 pm

RaiderZee wrote:Forgive my ignorance Fedora: could you explain the "roll" thing? I don't find it on any of the hat tutorials. Maybe some comparison pics?

RaiderZee

Which tutorials have you checked?

RaiderZee · Post by **RaiderZee** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:55 pm

Fedora FAQ, Hat making Tutorial, and a couple of others I can't find offhand, Dutch. Do you have a link?

RZ

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:58 pm

I deleted most of my posts, as all of that did not really belong on this thread.

The mail just run, and I was sent, by a fan, one of the good Christys to eyeball. This one had not tapered before it made it to me. Now, there is a little taper in it, but it will crease out, as I just saw, by foolin' with it.

It's a dead on accurate LC fedora, that's for sure. At least to me. The profile open crown is a dead on match to the one you see in TLC when Indy is on the bike, and the crown pops up. Dead on in the degree of angle of the front and back taper. It could be its twin.

I also noticed on this virtually untapered Christy, that the block breaks 4 1/2 inches from the bottom of the 5 3/4 crown, which is exactly where my own blocks break, and this came from the vintage HJs. The Christy, like the HJs are 5 3/4 open crown, and none of the hats Bernie had on hand from the films were that tall. But, it is common knowledge among hatters that you can have say, a number 52 block, that is 6 inches tall, and one that is 5 3/4, one that is 5 1/2, etc. Looks to me like this is the LC block but a bit taller than the hat in TLC. But, same block shape. IMO.

Now, this felt is very similiar to the HJs I have in the shop, yet to be reblocked, but it seems also to be a bit more substantial than what is on the HJs. This may add to the longevity of this Christy. I also noticed, that this felt will bulge just like the felt in Raiders!!! Of course, the HJs do as well, but the felt on this Christy seems, as I said, to be a little more substantial, i.e. thicker. That certainly can't hurt.

I actually pulled off the Raiders look very, very well with no trouble, as the creases on the sides, get rid of the slight taper. Outstanding! The weak point is the profile view. I played with it, comparing it to various photos I have of the Raiders fedora, side shots, and this is where this block is weak. I can't crease it to match up to the profile shots I have of the Raiders fedora.

Also, while the front view looked very good, on this hat, the back view still showed the taper of the block. I think that is typical of TLC hat. The creases make the hat straight looking from the front, due to the creases, but the back view is not affected so much. Plus, if this was a 5 1/2 tall hat, the taper would be less, as a taller hat tends to show up taper more than a shorter one. Common knowledge there.

Still, a nice looking hat. And worth 100 bucks.

If you get a good one, I think most fans would be happy with the look. But its strength lies in replicating TLC hat. It could not be any closer, just needs to be 5 1/2 inches tall instead of the 5 3/4. Fedora

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:42 pm

Fedora its really nice to see that with your expertise on handling so many hats you finally see what has been stated before.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:28 pm

Here is an open crowned Christy.

Compare to a vintage HJ.

Here's the classic LC profile open crown, and also the same Christy as posted above.

Compare the Christy to the vintage HJ.

The Christy is actually the same as the current HJ in blockshape. Just better priced.

The vintage HJ is a real deal HJ, back from the time they offered their own hats, instead of someone else's. There are differences in these blocks, but they also share a little similiarity. A little.

I would submit that the Christy is the LC block, while the vintage is the Raiders block. They are not the same. And never will be. Deb grabbed the vintage blocked hat and Tony was given the other, in my opinion. The break point on the side where the radius starts, is the same on both hats. The difference is one hat is 5 1/2 inches tall(HJ) and the other is 5 3/4 inches tall. I would also bet the Christy shrunk up a bit on the top as soon as it was pulled off of the blocking machine. They dry block em', and that would certainly happen from time to time.

If you look at the stuntman's hat as he is going under the truck, you won't see this taper on the back, as his crown has mostly popped up. You do see the taper clearly in TLC on the motorcyle. Two different hats. And to me, the case is closed. The Raiders fedora was a straighter hat, sides, and front and back.

The Christy looks very Indy because it was used in two of the films! Just not Raiders.

Fedora

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:22 pm

Wonderful comparison pictures Fedora! And I really love the term bulging LC fedora, especially because if I don´t keep the front pinch tight for a week or so it gets more and more LC looking

When you submit that the Christy ist the LC block would you assume that it is also the block used for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series?

By the way, here is a picture of one of the more straighter Christy´s open crowned. Just in case, anyone is interested in seeing more open crown pictures, I don´t want say that it is identical with the vintage HJ (which is fantastic by the way, I´d love to see more of it) just one of the straighter examples.

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:14 pm

Apologies Fedora I've "borrowed"

this image from you lol....but I wonder could we draw comparisons with the Christie's current hat shape with some advertised by Herbert Johnson in the past.

That is of course if you accept the theory that Christie's is not presently using the Raiders block but a LC type block.

Fedora you said in another post that the back and the front of the HJ Poet block were not symetrical....are the breaking points at the sides symetrical?...they look slightly off a little lower on the non bow side?...or maybe im seeing things again lol

Cheers

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:30 pm

I remember that page from the Herbert Johnson catalog! A very nice German Indy fan named Max Schulte sent me the catalog and the giant beige menu-sized order form, which I used to order my first real Indy fedora. I received a rather sterling example of the Poet from Swales, too (see profile pic at left). Ah, memories...

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:44 am

When you submit that the Christy ist the LC block would you assume that it is also the block used for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series?

You know, I have never studied the Young Indy hat, and really could not give you an honest answer. I just don't know that hat very well. I see the Raiders fedora in my sleep, and have concentrated only on that hat.

Fedora you said in another post that the back and the front of the HJ Poet block were not symetrical....are the breaking points at the sides symetrical?...they look slightly off a little lower on the non bow side?...or maybe im seeing things again lol

Well, they should be, but understand that back in the old days, blocks were handmade, by craftmen, who hand carved these things. They did not have the block replicating machines in the 1800's when the original Poet was created. I have great examples of this in my shop, with my collection of vintage blocks. I can see the imperfections from one block to another, all with the same style number on them, i.e. a number 51 block. I can also recall when the old Federation varied a bit from one size to the other, and a 7 3/8 looked better than my size, a 7 1/4. The variance no doubt came from slight differences in the block, due to these things probably being handmade at one point in time, and then replicated later on using the block replicating machines. So, the machine replicated the imperfections in a particular sized block.

Another reason could be shrinkage, after the hat was made. When you put a crease in the top of a hat, over time, the crease will actually change the original radius and breaking point, on the back and front. This same thing can happen anywhere on the hat. So, there are variables here, and hard to call which one is the culprit. No way that I know of really to determine the why. You just have to take knowledge of things long past, and infer. That is all I am doing.

By the way, here is a picture of one of the more straighter Christy´s open crowned. Just in case, anyone is interested in seeing more open crown pictures,

It looks the same as the Christy I posted, from the front view. But, the side view seems to have a straighter back and front! Is this due to the angle of the shot? I dunno. I would need a straight on shot to see. But going by the pic, it does not seem to have the taper of the Christy that I posted the pics of. And from this angle does not match what you see on Indy when riding the bike. You can clearly see the taper on the profile shot from the film, which matches the HJs I get in, and the Christys I have seen personally.

Apologies Fedora I've "borrowed" this image from you lol....but I wonder could we draw comparisons with the Christie's current hat shape with some advertised by Herbert Johnson in the past.

That is of course if you accept the theory that Christie's is not presently using the Raiders block but a LC type block.

I wish someone had some software to use on this photo so we could clearly read the hat models. I can tell the center hat is the McAlpine, and the hat at 4 o'clock seems to say Poet. The hat at 8 o'clock, now that is what I wish I could read. Perhaps it says Australian???

Now, if the hat at 4 o'clock is the original Poet, it looks different to me than the current Poet from HJ. If this is indeed the original Poet, I don't think a soul here would say that was a Raiders fedora.
Fedora

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:05 am

It looks the same as the Christy I posted, from the front view. But, the side view seems to have a straighter back and front! Is this due to the angle of the shot? I dunno. I would need a straight on shot to see. But going by the pic, it does not seem to have the taper of the Christy that I posted the pics of. And from this angle does not match what you see on Indy when riding the bike. You can clearly see the taper on the profile shot from the film, which matches the HJs I get in, and the Christys I have seen personally.

I wish I had those shots, but from what I recall I thought to myself after taking it out of the box ´mmh, that one is straighter and taller looking than my grey one´. So it was a bit straighter in the back and front than the hat in your pictures but the angle of the photo emphasizes that a little bit.

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:53 pm

Actually, the Poet is the wide-brimmed hat to the lower right of the McAlpine (the large hat in the middle of the page). If somebody would scan the page, it would be large enough to see on the computer screen. Unfortunately, I no longer have my original Herbert Johnson catalog. I sent it to another Indy fan who wanted to order a Poet.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 4:55 pm

Oops. Those two Christy's I have are not 5 3/4, but 5 1/2!!! I made a mistake. Fedora

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:37 pm

Fedora wrote:Oops. Those two Christy's I have are not 5 3/4, but 5 1/2!!! I made a mistake. Fedora

Hmm, what about Erri's ? 5 3/4 or 5 1/2 also?

The_Raiders · Post by **The_Raiders** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:04 pm

Would it be possible to get the measurements fro the KOTCS hat?
Seeing as how the Christys can acomplish the LC look pretty well, I wanna try mine with a good KOTCS stlye bash, with presice measurments, not just the bash I have now that I went off of on looks.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:24 am

Would it be possible to get the measurements fro the KOTCS hat?
Seeing as how the Christys can acomplish the LC look pretty well, I wanna try mine with a good KOTCS stlye bash, with presice measurments, not just the bash I have now that I went off of on looks.

5 1/2 open crown. 5 inches on side after creaed. Front 4 3/4, back 4 1/4.

But, to pull off the CS look, the block has to be straight sided, with a flattish dome. The Christy does not have this. But, give here a go, I would like to see how it looks. Regards, Fedora

RCSignals · Post by **RCSignals** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:17 pm

The brim of the Christy's is dimensionally cut, but dos it still need a trim?

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:05 pm

You can tell them the brim dimensions you want, otherwise they come 3" front/back and 2.75" sides.

RCSignals · Post by **RCSignals** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:08 pm

thanks. I didn't know they would do that. So it needs about 1/4" trim all around?

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:35 pm

I think that depends on the scene and look you want to emulate as well as what your personal taste is.

The_Raiders · Post by **The_Raiders** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:12 pm

Fedora wrote:
5 1/2 open crown. 5 inches on side after creaed. Front 4 3/4, back 4 1/4.

But, to pull off the CS look, the block has to be straight sided, with a flattish dome. The Christy does not have this. But, give here a go, I would like to see how it looks. Regards, Fedora

Thanks, Fedora

. I acually have a custom foam block I made, it probably does need more of a flat dome, but it works pretty well I think.
I'm going to experiment with this until I get a look I'm pleased with, i'll get pics as soon as I acomplish this the best I can.

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:45 pm

...going on nine months:

I've been very pleased, thus far. For the money, I don't believe you can do better, save for the odd ebay vintage score. The Akubras are simply different hats, and while this one's been "Indy'd" out, if you put me in a suit and gave me a choice between the Fed and this one, I'd pick this one every time. I've got the AkAd, comperable to the Fed in most respects, and yeah, it's a TOUGH hat and looks great. This one's just got a finer, more supple look about it - and makes a pretty good Indy hat.

Tremolo · Post by **Tremolo** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:53 pm

Kiltie, your hat looks great! It´s good to see that the hat is still going strong after nine months!

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:16 pm

Erri, I'd have to say your bash looks almost dead on for the one in the plane fight with the Mechanic. Like the images Screen Used posted in his Indy Hero used fedora. Good job indeed.

Cheers!

Dan

Indiana Jake · Post by **Indiana Jake** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:59 am

I had a really bad experience with my Christie's hat. Once I had a chance to look it over, I determined that it needed some steam to reshape it. I have steamed many hats with the professional grade garment steamer that I have with much succcess.

Beware, as now the Christie's hat has quite a terrible taper. One side tapered more than the otherside, making my head look like it's got a terrible bulge of the skull on one side. The hat almost looks pointed because of the crown shrinkage.

Save up some extra money, and go directly to John Penman Hat Co. and order an excellent hat.

Indiana Jake

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:45 am

Beware of Indiana Jake bashing a hat then

You actually steamed it? You determined that it needed some steam to reshape it? Man, who steams their hats anymore nowadays? Try doing that on an Akubra and let me know what happens. I wouldn't even use steam on an Adventurebilt! And you know those are some tough sons of a etc

DanielJones wrote:Erri, I'd have to say your bash looks almost dead on for the one in the plane fight with the Mechanic. Like the images Screen Used posted in his Indy Hero used fedora. Good job indeed.

Thanks Dan, I quite agree with you but we are in little number. If your hat is soft enough and you put a little piece of cloth on the front of it I assure you could get the exact same look ;-)
ALthough that's not the way I wear it everyday... those pictures were simply done to prove a point.

Kiltie, your hat is still looking great.

Some new pictures of my burma one (acting as a grey

)

A few more of these can be found here viewtopic.php?t=36083&start=50

Kokopelli · Post by **Kokopelli** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:15 am

I steam the bejeebies out of my Akubras! -I mean lots of steam. Have never had any of them do anything except take ther bash, which was my intention.
Indiana Jake- yours must have been from the same run of felt as mine -shrank up into a garden gnome hat! -Oh, yeah, and that was with barely misting it with cold distilled water!!
I do like the Christy's though, and I'll probably get another one to try them again; several people have had great experiences with them, such as Kiltie -who i think even reblocked his succesfully.

Indiana Jake · Post by **Indiana Jake** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 12:53 pm

I would agree, that mine was of the garden gnome batch. Since when are hats not supposed to be steamed and shaped? Please let me know more of the hat re-blocking you are referring to.

Jake

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:10 pm

I thought you meant that you used steam to shape it. I'm guessing you actually meant that you were using steam to reblock it. May I ask why reblocking it? It didn't come a nice shape? And what block did you reblock it on?

Indiana Jake · Post by **Indiana Jake** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 2:07 pm

I never re-blocked the Christy's. Im inquirinig about those who have reblocked one that they already have. The shape just needed a little correcting in my opinion.

Jake

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:16 am

Kiltie: Looks great after nine months.

Erri: I like the looks of that Burma. It fits the surroundings. Where were those pics taken by the way? If you don't mind me asking.

Cheers!

Dan

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:30 am

The re-block was in reference to my hat.

Here's the original block:

After rain and a full South Texas summer of wear:

And two days ago, or however long my last post was. This was after a reblock in October that I had done, mainly to prove to myself ( and, if you'll take my word for it, to others ) that this hat will not rend in two or burst into flames at the mere mention of a reblock as some might think:

Here is an Akubra Adventurer done on the same block. This picture of the back is the only open crown shot of that block that I have left:

AkAd shaped ( no steam ;-) ):

This was a $15-$20 block done here in town with something like a two day wait ( because there was no rush ).

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:48 am

Looking good kiltie, did you attempt to make a copy of the Christy's block or is it just an generic indy looking block?

DanielJones wrote: Erri: I like the looks of that Burma. It fits the surroundings. Where were those pics taken by the way? If you don't mind me asking.

I don't mind at all, I was visiting a friend near where I live, in the countryside outside Florence. Thanks for the compliments, I'm sure you already checked out the ad hoc thread, plenty of pictures there and discussion about the colour. ;-)

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:42 am

kiltie, can we see a 360 shots of both before and after of your hat?

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:01 pm

The reblock was done here in town at a hat shop on a fairly generic shape that I picked after seeing it on an open crown straw hat in that shop. The best way I can describe it is like old time pictures of Indians wearing open crown hats - I don't know what else to say. It struck my fancy.

As to multiple-multiple pictures...man, I want to say exactly what I mean without sounding accusatory, or like I'm aiming my stones at anyone in particular, but I'll let you guys sort that out.

I took the last picture in my post to show over on another site, just to show the hat. The earliest pictures were for my own benefit, and the picture ( of which there were once many ) of the open crown were to show someone else a blockshape they had at this particular hat shop.

The first time I posted a picture of a hat at this site, it blew up in my face in a post by a particularly respected individual. At the time, I was naive to the fickle ways of the COW, and it was a tad off-putting. I'm not so thin skinned that I was scarred for life or anything, but I was under the impression that this was a place for fans to exchange ideas, experiences, and knowledge, etc... I had something that I had invested time, money, and a certain degree of pride in lambasted for what ultimately seemed to be a combination of one person's highly influencial opinion and a product plug. Not only that, but others who had the "audacity" to tell me I have a nice hat had their feet cut out from under them, too. Had their opinions fed to them from the wings. But the long and short of it; so what? I'm a big boy. One thing I feel absolutely NO compulsion to do is take 360 degree pics of my stuff for analysis back at the lab.

I posted A picture of MY Christys' Adventurer so that people who are interested in THAT hat can see how MY hat is fairing under certain conditions. I bought this hat because, even though it's a shadow of it's former self, Christys' has a longstanding name for quality hats. That, in combination with the first couple I saw here really caught my eye as a hat that I could carry off without seeming "costumey", a feat my AkAd could not perform, in my opinion, with it's more coarse nature ( though still one HECK of a hat! ). I'm not in the business of trying to justify myself ( which includes my actions, my purchases, picking my nose in public, whatever... ) to ANYONE.

The pics on this thread are MY Christys' Adventurer. I have NEVER questioned anyones negative experience with this hat, because it was their experience. I wasn't there. What would I have to gain by assaulting their position? The warm alcolades of all my hat wearing brothers in London? Heh... And the detractors? What do they have to gain by running Christys' down ( save currying favor in whatever petty circles ). Heck, Stetson ( Hatco ) would have tanked years ago if the rantings of a few were anything more than a drop in the proverbial bucket.

Price, availability, a reputible name, and a solid, authentic look have made this my Indy hat. I would like to share it and my experiences with it with other Christys' owners and prospective buyers without some malignant specter looming over me. I don't have a ream of pics, before and after, from every angle, and even if I did, I wouldn't post them for the absurdly skewed scrutiny of a few detractors.

Again - these pictures are for the enjoyment of the majority of the board and myself, not to entertain the whims of a few. This is MY hat. I think it looks pretty authentic. I like it, a few other people seem to like it ( thanks, by the way ), and it looks, to my eye, remarkably similar to the hat worn by the Hero in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:27 pm

Just to show I'm not being intentionally obstinate, here's a link to an earlier post by me:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj29 ... G_0284.jpg

Fresh out of the box, posted on this site a few months back.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:01 pm

Nice looking example, kiltie.

Regards! Michaelson

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:55 pm

Thanks, Michaelson.
I appreciate your ability to maintain your loyalties, but still call a thing what it is, good or bad. An admirable quality, and one that must often be taxing to uphold. You sometimes make me think of a bomb disposal technician, where everyone in this place is the potential explosive

.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:12 pm

kiltie wrote:Thanks, Michaelson.
I appreciate your ability to maintain your loyalties, but still call a thing what it is, good or bad. An admirable quality, and one that must often be taxing to uphold. You sometimes make me think of a bomb disposal technician, where everyone in this place is the potential explosive .

Thank you!

Your bomb disposal description is perfect. Problem is, sometimes I cut the wrong wire!

;-)

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:13 pm

Michaelson wrote:
kiltie wrote:Thanks, Michaelson.
I appreciate your ability to maintain your loyalties, but still call a thing what it is, good or bad. An admirable quality, and one that must often be taxing to uphold. You sometimes make me think of a bomb disposal technician, where everyone in this place is the potential explosive .
Thank you!

Your bomb disposal description is perfect. Problem is, sometimes I cut the wrong wire! ;-)

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Its always the blue wire Michaelson...always the blue wire. ;-)

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:16 pm

Ok....remember....blue wire...blue wire

....NO, I SAID THE RED WIRE!!!!

Anyone remember 'The Shadow' movie. I'm definitely that professor.

HIGH regards! Michaelson

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:46 pm

Kiltie,t ry not to read in more than what's there.

Christy's Adventurer!

My Adventurer...