New (to me) Adventurebilt Rabbit Raiders

[Forrest For the Trees]

Hey, Gearheads. Just picked up a rabbit Raiders Adventurebilt on the 'Bay. Paid a lot for it, but it looked perfect for me. It is exactly my size and seems to have been scaled down with only a 5 inch crown, 2 5/8 front brim, and 2 3/8 inch side brim. These are ideal dimensions for me, whereas other Indy hats dwarf my noggin. It is a perfect fit. I was surprised by how rough the rabbit felt was, as it wasn't as pounced as I would have expected. Also it is pretty floppy and light. I would definitely not want to get caught in the rain with this. I had to reshape it some when it arrived by giving it a bit more of the turn, and tightening the pinch, crease and side dents.

I always kicked myself that I never ordered one from Steve back in the day, so I have been on the lookout for several years. Anyone think they can estimate a date this was produced? Steve didn't write a date inside the sweat.

[DanielP]

Congratulations, that's an awesome hat! I'm jealous. 2016-2017 is about when this was made

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Forrest For the Trees]

Thanks! The seller said it was purchased in 2016, so there you go. I just wasn't sure, as I didn't know that Steve started using the Staff of Ra liner again. Cheers!

[Indiana Jeff]

Steve switched to the AB logo liners around 2009-2010, but he still had old stock of the Staff of Ra liners he would put in by request.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Forrest For the Trees]

Thanks for the info, Jeff. I'm delighted to have the Staff of Ra liner in here. So cool looking!

[Indiana Jeff]

Oh, and I neglected to say, the AB looks great!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Forrest For the Trees]

Thanks! The shape of this hat is so perfect. It is kind of a revelation to see what wasn't right about my other two Indy hats (I had a Federation and still have an Everyman). The block shape is just so important to getting the look right, and neither the Fed or Everyman had it exactly right. The other problem with those two hats for me is just the scale of the hat. The crown height and brim width are just too large for my skinnier face, whereas this AB is sized so well for me.

Still, the felt quality used on the Everyman is pretty amazing for a factory hat. The rabbit/beaver blend is really nice, whereas the rabbit felt on this AB seems a bit unrefined. I have a vintage HJ trilby (1950's?), and the rabbit fur on that is incredible.

[Indiana Charles]

A fine looking hat! Congratulations!!!


- I.C.

[Michaelson]

Thanks! The shape of this hat is so perfect. It is kind of a revelation to see what wasn't right about my other two Indy hats (I had a Federation and still have an Everyman). The block shape is just so important to getting the look right, and neither the Fed or Everyman had it exactly right. The other problem with those two hats for me is just the scale of the hat. The crown height and brim width are just too large for my skinnier face, whereas this AB is sized so well for me.

Still, the felt quality used on the Everyman is pretty amazing for a factory hat. The rabbit/beaver blend is really nice, whereas the rabbit felt on this AB seems a bit unrefined. I have a vintage HJ trilby (1950's?), and the rabbit fur on that is incredible.

There is definitely a difference between felts, but the trick is the amount of time and various grade sandpaper grits used in pouncing the felt that determines the final finish. From these photos, not a whole lot of pouncing was done, compared to all the AB rabbits I’ve owned over the past few decades.

Still high quality material and craftsmanship. Great hats!

Regards! Michaelson

[Canyon]

Congratulations on your 'new' hat! It's absolutely gorgeous!!!

I just recently had my Delk Adventurebilt fedora rebooked by Penman Hats and I really need to take some pictures and post them on this site.

[Forrest For the Trees]

Hi, Michaelson. Yes, not a lot of pouncing was done to this. This hat was among the last batch of hats Steve ever produced. Would trying to pounce the hat now require removing the ribbon, sweat, and getting it back on the block? Might request that years down the road if this hat ever needs a reblock.

It is funny, there is something very rough in the production of this hat. The ribbon seems to be old vintage stock and a bit faded. Even the brim looks to have been hastily cut, as it is a bit uneven. Reminds me of the stories of Richard Swales cutting the brims with scissors. Still, the hat has a lot character and manages to look the part in a way that none of my other hats do.

Canyon, I would love to see the results of Penman's restoration! He does such great work. I had the pleasure of visiting his studio a few years back. Was so much fun to see to where he does his work and all the hats in progress.

[Michaelson]

Hi, Michaelson. Yes, not a lot of pouncing was done to this. This hat was among the last batch of hats Steve ever produced. Would trying to pounce the hat now require removing the ribbon, sweat, and getting it back on the block? Might request that years down the road if this hat ever needs a reblock.

Yes, the hat would have to be taken completely apart before more pouncing could be done.

Regards! M

[jlee562]

An orange hat sponge is a minimally invasive way to remove a bit of fur. It's not the same as pouncing a hat, but it might help smooth out the felt. Art Fawcett also used white abrasive pads for a finishing pass.

[Illinois_Jones]

I actually like the roughness of my AB. But it does tend to catch more dust and lint and is more difficult to clean. I've had good luck using a lint brush -- the brush, not a sticky roller -- to clean it and get that fuzziness to lay down.

[Forrest For the Trees]

An orange hat sponge is a minimally invasive way to remove a bit of fur. It's not the same as pouncing a hat, but it might help smooth out the felt. Art Fawcett also used white abrasive pads for a finishing pass.

Cool. Thanks. I have one of those lying around somewhere...

Here's a quick shot just in front of my computer with the hat on my head, just to give a sense of scale...

[Indiana Jeff]

Suits you perfectly.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[DanielP]

Maybe one day down the line when it needs a reblock ask for it to be pounced a bit more.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Forrest For the Trees]

Will do. The hat is in such good shape that it won't need a reblock for a while, but when the time comes, I will definitely send it to Penman. I took jlee's advice and used an orange hat sponge on it. It worked pretty well to get those longer fibers off and smooth down the surface a bit. Now I just need to get the hat a bit sun-faded, but I'm in the Northwest now, so not a lot of sunshine these days! The color looks perfect under bright incandescent light, but in natural daylight still looks a bit dark.

[Michaelson]

Just wear it daily. You'll find it will tone down just fine with even limited sunshine exposure.

Regards! Michaelson

[Forrest For the Trees]

Had some sunshine today. Here's a better photo in full sun.

[Charybdis]

Looks good. Real good...