So has your fedora been an easy buy or a longterm project?

blueoakleyz · Post by **blueoakleyz** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:14 am

Did you buy your fedora perfectly shaped the way you like it?

Or did you spend months on end getting it JUST right. Constantly making micro adjustments.

I did #2. Got a Fed 4. Thought oh this will be easy. A year later I'm still staying up hours on end at night getting it just right.

Part of me misses the ignorant bliss I had with my Disneyland fedora.

I wonder what fedoras are sold that are perfectly shaped from the get go, keep their shape like they're a cowboy hat and still very accurate to the movies.

Bullitt · Post by **Bullitt** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:12 am

Well my first hat was a Fed III Deluxe and although I toyed with it sometime I never really got a good Raiders bash in it. Also the 6" crown was way too high and the color of both the felt and the ribbon never looked right to me. Then I got a Henry when they first came out about a year ago. I could get a decent Raiders bash in it, but after a while it developed some taper in the back. In order to counteract this I used a rubber band and some water to reshape the crown. So all in all it took some time to get it right.

BTW the Fed III is in the process of becoming a LC by shrinking the crown over a homemade foam block.

Indiana Green · Post by **Indiana Green** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:28 am

I own a Garrison Raider, which I really like. It's not necessarily stiff, but it holds its bash very well. And something about the shape of LLS's block makes the hat very easy to bash Raiders-style. I asked for mine open crown and I got it the way I wanted in a few minutes. I think I've tweaked it once or twice, but that's just me being anal about things. Truthfully, I would take a look at John Penman's Raiders bash video. It's a great visual tutorial.

enigmata_wood · Post by **enigmata_wood** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:21 am

I got a Fed IV a year ago and was pretty happy with my first bash. After a few months of heavy weather I it gave it a rebash and now it's settled into a character I like.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:50 am

Mine was a over 20 year project Before finding the hat I was happy with. There weren't to many offerings that were any good before Steve came out with the Adventurebilt. Ounce I got my first AB from Steve my search was over and was finally happy. All other brands went out the door since then.

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:09 am

Two that I have to mention is the Fed. IV Deluxe and my Penman. Both I like very much and for different reasons. The Fed.'s block shape lends itself to a nice Raiders bash and is very comfortable. The Penman just looks the part, is very durable beaver felt, and has already accompanied me on a few interesting adventures.

The key to the Fed., since you have one, is working the brim, especially in the front, so that it becomes limber. As the guys have illustrated, you can get that Indy look with a little tweaking. The cool part is you can personalize it by bashing it yourself.

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 12:41 pm

I have experienced both extremes and everywhere in between. Each hat I own has presented it's own issues (or lack thereof). My Federations went through constant tweeking, and even the last I own has probably not seen it's last rebash. One the otherhand, my original AB came to me pre-bashed. I made one tweak on day 2 and never changed it again. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:04 pm

Actually, you, Steve, and I 'found' Peters Brothers, right after your 'Akubra' experiments....but that's a moot point....

Regards! Michaelson

Bullitt · Post by **Bullitt** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:12 pm

BendingOak wrote:Ounce I got my first AB from Steve my search was over and was finally happy. All other brands went out the door since then.

Including the Penmans?

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:13 pm

Touche'

Regards !Michaelson

beaverlid · Post by **beaverlid** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:23 pm

I have a fedora that is roughly 6 months old. It has been a battle to get that SA look out of it. Needless to say "It ain't happening." So to get my screen accurate Fedora I ordered a Penman LC beaver about 2 months ago. My current fedora is going to have the look of "turning into whatever it turns into from constant wear and abuse. That being my motto ever since ordering my Penman, my fedora that never quite looked right now looks awesome. It doesn't necessarily look exactly like any of the bashes from the movies but it is comfortable, broken in and is my whatever sort of hat. I stopped worrying about it and it is made my fedora much more of a joy to wear.

I am putting all of the pressure on Bending Oak to get the hat BLOCK AND BASH as perfect as I have heard he can, so I won't stress SA.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:46 pm

I stopped worrying about it and it is made my fedora much more of a joy to wear.

I wish more folks would come to this same conclusion, my friend. They'd find their hats will conform to THEIR use and appearance. THAT'S what makes them become 'part' of their owner. Not constant 'tweaking', but daily use.

WELL done!

Regards! Michaelson

FloatinJoe · Post by **FloatinJoe** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 2:57 pm

I won an AdventureBilt beaver at the 2005 Queen Mary as a door prize, absolutely wonderful hat. It was everything that I could ever want it to be. It came as open crown, so I had to shape it myself. With just a little work, it came out great.

As mentioned above, people need to let the hats become their own. Initially, I wanted it to be screen accurate, but as time went on, it conformed to my head and to my hands (everytime I put it on or off, it shifted the crease just a bit and changed the "camel humps"). I am very happy with it now. It is in the spirit of Indiana Jones, very much looks the part, but is completely unique to me.

Before this hat, I was wearing a Stetson Ark from the late 80s / early 90s. That was a longterm project that never came to completion.

Mike

indyclone · Post by **indyclone** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:09 pm

well i bought the todds downtowners and loved the shape it came in ---- great bash and to me it look like the hat when indy first steps into view in raiders , i just need more pics of it action , me doing more things in ti then just a normal shot of me looking into the camera

blueoakleyz · Post by **blueoakleyz** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:29 pm

Michaelson wrote:
I stopped worrying about it and it is made my fedora much more of a joy to wear.
I wish more folks would come to this same conclusion, my friend. They'd find their hats will conform to THEIR use and appearance. THAT'S what makes them become 'part' of their owner. Not constant 'tweaking', but daily use.

WELL done!

Regards! Michaelson

It's hard to get daily use out of it unfortunately. Either it's too hot or I'm at work or it'll just look out of place. I like to wear it as much as possible in free time though.

And after this last week of tweeking I noticed it getting much softer/floppier which is a good thing.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:39 pm

Too hot? Where do you live, if I may ask?

I live in the South, and wear my hats year round (though I remove the liner from my summer hats).

Regards! Michaelson

Jameth · Post by **Jameth** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 4:49 pm

I have a Peter Bros and it is very disappointing

The hat itself is great quality. It is so stiff it will withstand a nuclear war.

It's very uncomfortable. It looks great on my faceless mannequin but on me it is way to high. I wanted the Raiders version with the higher crown but this is to high.

The problem is to make sure that hat looks right on your head you need to try it on and see how it looks with your head shape, face, etc. Since most of us don't live near these hat makers that is diificult.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:26 pm

Is this a custom Indy PB? If so, why don't you get it fixed! All you have to do is have someone take a photo of you wearing the hat, email it to Joe, then ship the hat back for him to fix it the way you want. It's all part of the service!

Have you ever contacted Joe Peters and asked if your hat can be adjusted? If so, what did he say? If not...why haven't you?

Sorry to sound so blunt, but this is the second post I've read this week about a PB, and no one has contacted PB to date to see about getting their hats fixed.

ALL our custom hat makers are there to make sure your hat fits and is what you want. Why accept less? It's your money, and it's their good name.

If you've tried to get this fixed and there has been no response, we all need to be aware of this. That's what this site is all about...but if you've made no effort and are only posting a complaint, you're not exactly playing fair with the vendor.

This is true for ANY vendor/maker of ANY piece of gear we talk about around here.

Ok, off my soapbox.

Regards! Michaelson

Jameth · Post by **Jameth** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:02 pm

That is good to know but I was unaware. When I ordered the hat, and yes it is custom made, I saw on the website only the size would be fixed if they did it wrong. In other words if the hat did not fit because they messed up. The hat fits. It just does not look right on me. I was unaware they would adjust it.

I don't think that was on their website when I ordered it but I will definatley look into that. Thanks for the heads up.

I still wish it was not so stiff. It makes it less than comfortable.

Thanks again for the tip. I'll keep you updated.

Jameth · Post by **Jameth** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:12 pm

Just dropped Peter Bros a line. I'll let you know.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:15 pm

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:19 pm

I thought this thread was about bashes, not brands and hat makers. If we're talking about specific hat brands for the right Indy hat, then it was the longest term project of my life. I was searching for the right Indy hat before they even made the first licensed ones long ago! I finally found the perfect Indy hat when I got my first AB. Of course, due to a sizing problem, she's gone now.

I pray daily that John Penman will be able to clone her just right.

Jameth · Post by **Jameth** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:02 pm

I keep hearing you guys mention several hats that each cost a fair amount. $200 for one hat was enough. I love Indy but wow!!

So how much do you have invested in multiple hats????

Just curious.

My wife was not happy I spent the money on one for $200. She would flip if I spent more on another hat that for everyone else on the planet looked just the same. It's not a question of affording it she just feels we could spend or save the money on other stuff. She's not wrong

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:06 pm

Jameth, you might want to check out this thread to see how ill some of us really are. http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42204

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:27 pm

Jameth wrote: So how much do you have invested in multiple hats????

I don't like math... especially that math. However, in my defense; most of my hats are not Indy hats. I'm just a general fedora junky, and I might be done with buying Indy hats forever, now. It's hard to justify buying the same hat over and over.

But, to give you an idea of my life as a hat wearer;

Every box in this picture has a hat in it. And this is just my felt collection. It does not include my straw hats.

Vaderbreath · Post by **Vaderbreath** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:57 pm

Both of my hats that I bashed were really easy (Fed IV and a Henry). I don't really care if my hat looks like a certain scene or even if it looks like a particular movie. I just love the style of the hat and how comfortable it is compared to the baseball caps I usually wear. However the hats look after a given time is unplanned...just letting them get used to my noggin.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 5:00 pm

Bullitt wrote:
BendingOak wrote:Ounce I got my first AB from Steve my search was over and was finally happy. All other brands went out the door since then.
Including the Penmans?

I was a early customer of Steve way back when he first started selling hats. I got mine just a few days after Bink. After getting Steve's Raiders AB I was finally happy. It is still my all time favorite hat. That includes my own.

Here she is.

I own 3 brown AB and 1 grey AB. I also own 1 ABD that both marc and Steve worked on. I also have 2 AB CS on order with Steve. The AB hats are the only hats I now own besides my own. All other labels that I used to own has been sold, given or died a death in the pursuit of learning at making.

I'm a big fan of these 2 guys and will always be. I would be nothing without them. Thank You Steve and Marc.

I know it sounds weird that one hat maker would raise 2 other hat makers so much but I call them like I see them.

Bullitt · Post by **Bullitt** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:42 pm

Now THAT hat has character! It makes me glad I ordered my first custom AB from Steve in August, just before the price increase. I wonder if I'll have it in time for the premiere of Indy V, though.

theinterchange · Post by **theinterchange** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:19 pm

I've been through 4-5 hats in my quest for an Indy fedora. [I've lost count.. somewhat intentionally]
Then, I believe I'll quit buying Indy hats.

I'd like a couple good straw hats, and a couple of other felt hats to round out my collection, and I'll be happy.

BUT, back to the thread subject...

Sadly, I've been through enough money and time to have ordered and received an AB at the current price!

Randy

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:45 pm

theinterchange wrote:
Sadly, I've been through enough money and time to have ordered and received an AB at the current price!

Randy

..... And that is why I suggest to everyone to start at the top of the ladder and work from there. It's a lot less painful that way.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:16 pm

I've been a fedora wearer for a couple of decades, so it's difficult for me to say that an Indy fedora was a long term project for me. My first dedicated Indy hat was a standard Akubra Federation, but it didn't take me long before I became friends with Fedora and chatted hats out the wazoo. I sent him several vintage hats of mine to refurbish or experiment with, and when he started offering his own line of hats, as John said, I got on board from the beginning.

I've been fortunate enough over time to own four Adventurebilts from Steve. My early production AB was back before he finally settled on his current particular felt and it is the only AB I have which has ever been reblocked over the years (most recently from David Garrison) but that hat has been on many adventures and across the globe with me. I am one of the proud few to have a vintage mercury felt AB, too. The other hats are a pre-CS seaplane grey AB and the brown CS fedora. And, of course, I own plenty of other fedoras and vintage hats.

Funny thing is, will I still pick up the odd or newer "lesser" hat once in a while just to see what it's like or to try something different. (I've even attempted a SoC hat, which I've discovered is just not my style.) What I've noticed, though, is that I always end up coming back to my AB's. My first AB is the softest hat of the bunch and all these hats are beautifully made. As far as finding the perfect Indy hat, well, I'm like some of the other folks around here who are happy with the perfect "me" hat. My AB's are definitely the "Indy-est" of the lot, but the more I wear them, the more I tweak them and make them binkmeister hats. I consider all of my good hats long term projects because the longer I wear them over time, the more natural character they develop and the more perfect they become for me.

WhipDude · Post by **WhipDude** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:33 pm

Interesting thread and a good one to read. I've been extremely fortunate so far. I started with a Federation Deluxe III and was excited with the hat. But from day one to the day I sold it (about 5 or 6 years) I was never happy with the way the hat looked. It just was not Indy enough for me. I saved my money and bought a brown Raiders beaver Penman. I can officially say that my adventure for a good Raiders hat is over. However, I'd love to own a AB CS (gray and brown) and a Raiders seaplane. Other than that, I'll be done with the Indy hat. But those 3 hats wont be bought until far off future most likely because I have yet to complete my Indy gear.

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of everybody's hat that they've found to be their final Indy hat.

inuvuwow · Post by **inuvuwow** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:11 am

I searched many years for the perfect hat. I've had on my head everything from a Dorfman to a Peters Bros to a Jimmy Pierce.
But by far the best hat I've ever owned and worn is THE HENRY. As ordered from and bashed by John Penman, it has been the perfect hat so far. I love it.

inuvuwow · Post by **inuvuwow** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:15 am

And yes, I'd say my HENRY is the last hat I'll own. Unless I decide to order a handmade AB and make THE HENRY my "stunt hat".

theinterchange · Post by **theinterchange** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:44 am

inuvuwow wrote:

And yes, I'd say my HENRY is the last hat I'll own. Unless I decide to order a handmade AB and make THE HENRY my "stunt hat".

Did you come to view the tapestries?

sorry, couldn't resist. that's a good lookin' Henry!

Randy

inuvuwow · Post by **inuvuwow** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:23 am

Hahahaha. That's great! No, I was shooting a commercial in a warehouse. Since the client's business is located in a warehouse, it wa s ano-brainer to make it an INdy-esque commercial.

Indiana Hutch · Post by **Indiana Hutch** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:23 pm

Definately no. 2, I think my fed IV is the last hat i'll ever own, unless it gets destroyed in some freak accident involving a truck, tank, airplane or mine cart,

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:29 pm

My Indy fedoras have been a bit of both I guess

The first one was a Henry (from before you could buy them bashed) and I did a lot of tweaking on that before I finaly sent it to Marc to have it reblocked and made smaller. When I got it back (bashed this time into a SOC) I stopped tweaking. It might have changed because having to re-bash on occasion (E.G. after sitting on it in a roller-coaster to avoid losing it

) but I tried not to change a thing.
The two second-hand ABs I have have seen some tweaks though, one of them a complete re-bash because it had too much turn for my head-shape.
My Mag/AB/HJ has seen no tweaking at all: this one I want to keep pristine and "dressy" looking.

Regards, Geert

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 1:23 pm

I'm a big fan of these 2 guys and will always be. I would be nothing without them. Thank You Steve and Marc.

John, I appreciate that very much. And you have done both of us proud, making hats in our traditon, as well as being good friends. When I hang it all up, you and Marc will carry this on, and that makes me feel really good. Afterall, I am old enough to be both of you guys father!

Most times, hatters are not friends, as they compete, but that is not the case here with us. We are the 3 Amigos. And always will be. A united front, making hats the way they SHOULD be made. And carrying on that long tradition, of handmade, custom hats. I see us as keeping that old tradition alive.

For myself, in regards to this topic, I spent right at 7500 bucks searchin' for the best Raiders fedora. I never found it, although, I must be honest and say that Optimo got the closest. In overall appearance. But, I still saw some flaws in the look and decided to start from scratch and make a block that would be just a bit better. So, my search, or quest, ended with me doing it myself. But, I am a hands on guy, and was not intimidated by this quest.

The great thing about all of this is it enticed others to enter into the biz, John, and LLS, just to name two that I find to be very, very good. Of course, I am predjudiced, so take that into account! We helped out John Penman, and I personally taught LLS, at my shop. In doing this, we did what John Morris had done for me, who thankfully helped me out with some finer points and skills, early on. I just passed on the good will.

Funny thing though, John is a western hatter, and a great one to boot. He told me up front that IF I were a western hatter, he would have no tips to offer!!!

And that is generally how the hat biz works.

As usual, off topic, or getting there fast. Fedora

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:37 pm

Fedora wrote: As usual, off topic, or getting there fast. Fedora

But also as usual, an extremely interesting read!

Regards, Geert