Couple of newbie question about Herbert Johnson fedora

[KingHamlet]

I recently (June) ordered a Fedora from Magnoli, after reading a few posts here should I be concerned about wearing this fedora out in the rain and harsh elements? What I was looking and hoping for is a sturdy fedora that I could dress up and wear about town, but also when I am out on vacation and really put it through the ringer. I'd hate to have to worry about babying this fella.


Also, could someone link a picture that shows what hat tapering looks like? I keep reading about tapering and I'm not sure exactly what goes on when a hat 'tapers'. Is this possible to prevent? I've tried googling this without much success.


If these are newb questions or if it's been answered before, my apologies.

[jlee562]

Taper refers to the overall crown shape of a hat changing from a straight line to something more conical. Visually the difference between: I I and / \

[maboot38]

To add to that, an Indy hat should have little or no taper, like this: | | instead of / \. Here are some real life illustrations:

The first is a hat with taper:


The second has no taper, or even a touch of "reverse taper" \ /

[jlee562]

Well, certain Indy hats should have no taper. This doesn't apply to the TOD hats, or certain scenes in Last Crusade.

[maboot38]

I should add that the first photo I posted, the one WITH taper, is the so called "official" Indy hat, the Dorfman Pacific hat, that I have attempted to bash a little better. That hat is a hat for laying down and avoiding. It is trash.

The second picture is a Akubra Federation IV. The taper on that one is correct.

[DR Ulloa]

First of all, welcome, King. Steve has said that the new felt HJ has been sending him for these hats is much better than the old stuff. But, rabbit won't hold up like beaver. You can add some water repellant to the hat which wil help. I think John Penman is still selling some. I definately would not take this hat out purposely in the rain. If you know it will be rainingm leave it at home or grab a beaver hat. Hope this helps.

Dave

[darthbish]

Is the 2nd pic a Fed IV??

[Restless Dreamer]

You can add some water repellant to the hat which wil help.

Steve said to me that every hat which isn't 100% beaver should be treated often with a water repellant, even a good quality brand like the Henry. given that the HJ is rabbit, and not top notch quality, it would be a good thing to treat it often. "The most repellant, the better", Steve said. He suggested to treat the hat after every heavy rain - absorb some water by pressing on the felt some blotting-paper, then pop the bashes out and let it dry resting on the crown for a day, better two - to be sure it is REALLY dry. THEN spray it with water repellant.

[maboot38]

Is the 2nd pic a Fed IV??

Yeah, a standard Fed IV.

[Fedora]

Ah, the old taper issue. I would just only add that even some of the Raider fedoras had some taper going on. Not a huge amount, but there is some taper in some of the Raider fedoras. Generally, none of these hats though, are what I get orders for. Most want the hats that appear to have very little, if any at all.

The taper we do see in Raiders is more than likely from exposure to the elements, and the heat of lighting. One could pull quite a few stills from the film that show these slightly tapered hats. I never save those hats to my pc, so I don't have any to show. I just save the straighter hats!

Once you reach a certain point on the taper, your hats morphs into more of a TOD look, generally speaking. But with the dimensional brim, the hat still says "Indy". But for me, I never liked that look, and its reblock time for me.

[darthbish]

Is the 2nd pic a Fed IV??

Yeah, a standard Fed IV.

AWWWWWWWWRIGHT.....BISH NAILS A HAT!!!!!

[Johnny Fedora]

KingHamlet,

The question you asked is a fair one and one that I might be able to answer by simply telling you what I've done.

My first real Raider's fedora is my now two years old Mags/Delk Herbert Johnson. I love that hat and it's on the list of things to grab on the way out the door if the house is on fire. But if I'm going to be running into the fall-out from the fire hoses as I make my escape, I'll be wearing my Penman Beaver Raiders on my noggin. And that's one of the reason's I got my Penman. Now, I love the way my HJ looks but I won't risk it in bad weather, weather my Penman has no trouble with.
Now the only question I ask myself on CLEAR days is...which of my friend's hat's do I wear, when they're BOTH my favorite hat?

Johnny

[KingHamlet]

I appreciate everyone's input. I'd been scratching my head about what taper meant, I'm glad to know what to look out for now in the future. I'll agree that the TOD hats are among my least favorite.

I'm now slightly concerned about my choice for my future hat. That will end up becoming a dress hat. Being someone who likes to be in the outdoors, hiking and stuff I may need to be in the market for something new.
Should have done my research and question asking before the purchase.

[maboot38]

Should have done my research and question asking before the purchase.

Welcome to the club (see the first of my two hat pics!). And we aren't alone either.

I wouldn't have gone with the HJ, as nice as they can be. For what it is worth, my next Fedora will be a Penman. I've just heard great things about quality and durability.

Since you already have a nice DRESS hat, if you are looking for one that looks great and can still take a beating, I hear Penman is the way to go for the price.

Of course you could also pick up a Fed IV and wear the heck out of it, and not have to worry about it becuase it can take a beating, but if it gets a little TOO beat, oh well...it is just a Fed.

[eazybox]

The Magnoli/AB/HJ is a very special hat, as it is from the original company and customized by the man who made the hats for CS-- so, it has a connection to all 4 movies. Some people don't seem to care too much about that, but for me it was a big selling point. I think the hat is a wise choice, as long as you keep in mind the caveats that others have mentioned. And a more rugged hat like the Fed 4 would be an excellent backup and not too far out of reach financially.

Jack

[KingHamlet]

None of that was meant to take away from what makes the Herbert Johnson special. I understand why it is such an important hat to so many people, and I appreciate that as well. But for my personal lifestyle, I need a hat that can hold up to whatever I throw at it and still come out looking great.

[maboot38]

Well, as far as taking a beating goes and still looking great, I know that Michaelson has a very old Adventurebilt that he still wears all the time and it is still going strong. The hand made Adventurebilts are borderline unaffordable though (over $800 for a hat), so that certainly is a factor. You could go one of two ways. You could pay a lot for a very durable hat and hope that it really is able to take any beating you can throw at it (keeping in mind that you can always get it rebashed), or you can but a decent Federation IV knowing that it can take a beating, but if you do ruin it, you won't be heartbroken.

Depends on your budget really.

[beaverlid]

The US Adventurebilt is $670.00 with shipping.

[maboot38]

I just did a Euro to dollar conversion for the price listed on the adventurebilt site and got $888, but regardless, it might as well be $50,000 as far as I'm concerned, I'd never be able to justify buying it, but I can dream.

It is a beautiful hat, and if money doesn't really matter to you, you should definitely buy one. I guess my point is that there are options for all price ranges and tastes. There are some GREAT hat makers out there.

[jlee562]

You must be thinking of Marc's AB Dlx.

Steve's hats are $650, and apparently shipping is $20. Both are handmade hats.

[maboot38]

Yup, it was Marc's I was talking about. Steve's is less. Still way at the top of the range I was trying to convey. I didn't mean to misrepresent anything. That's why I haven't published "Dan's guide to Fedora prices"!