Club Obi Wan

Note: Edited post to clear up space...posted updated pics below.

Lookee what showed up on my doorstep today...ordered August 5, 2007.



Staff of Ra liner...I wasn't specific, but it's the one I wanted.



Now all of my "name brand" Raiders gear is as complete as you can get (I'm buying into the non-HJ theory). Certainly some things aren't SA (my lamb Wested is off the rack, I have a new Morgan, my MBA shirt and pants might be a tad off, and my Alden's are a tint reddish), but I'm not going to kill myself worrying about such matters. This would all look a lot better with some fuller's earth, but I use a lot of this on a daily basis and the dirty look just doesn't cut it for a pediatric dentist

Thanks Steve!

Congrats on your AB Jedidentist! Just remember, the front pinch should be worn above the center of your face

Regards, Geert

BullWhipBorton wrote:My Adventurebilt fedora from Steve Delk arrived last week. I placed the order back in August 2007 and specified the Crystal Skull bash. Long wait, but it is a very nice hat. Dan

What whip do you have in that photo Dan? Very nice?

gwyddion wrote:Just remember, the front pinch should be worn above the center of your face

Yeah, that hat looks GREAT on ya, jedidentist... but don't be afraid to give it a little (gentle) tug to your right to line up that crease with the center of your face!
I think you'll love the resulting look!
Congrats on a GREAT Hat (and great looking collection of Gear!)

Fox

Nice hat Jedidentist. We placed our orders right around the same time, I'm guessing you had the same "delay" that I did They are great lids though, arn't they, The rest of your gear looks good too especially the Morgan!

lantzn wrote:What whip do you have in that photo Dan? Very nice?

Thanks, The whip is a 10ft Crystal Skull bullwhip by Terry Jacka.

Dan

Yeah...sorry about that crease. I was dealing with a dying camera battery and running back and forth and didn't get a chance to line it up so well.

I prefer wearing mine with the crease to the back of the head...

Nice lid!!!!

Nick, if THAT's a look you can pull off... then you just go ahead, son!

Out for a walk last Saturday with my girl as the weather was great. First outing for my new AB

mrkaboom wrote:Out for a walk last Saturday with my girl as the weather was great. First outing for my new AB

Arghhh hope this photo works!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/344 ... 6343_b.jpg

(Mod edit: it does, but the pic is too big, so it was changed to a link. )

MK

Great photo (and GREAT HAT) MK...
Very "Indy".

Nice lookin lid jedidentist, very much an indy look you have there.
Take one or two or a hundred more shots, some inside, some outside, so we can get some defintion of the style and pinch/bash. Speaking of bash, which one is that. Very nice.

Croft

Oh and by the way, you and I are not to far apart (as the crow flys), I'm in NH, just south/west of Portsmouth. Let me know if your ever up this way. I got this tooth.....................

lantzn wrote:What whip do you have in that photo Dan? Very nice?

Thanks, The whip is a 10ft Crystal Skull bullwhip by Terry Jacka.

Dan[/quote]

Did you buy straight from Terry in AU or go through the company in CA?

lantzn wrote:
Did you buy straight from Terry in AU or go through the company in CA?

Terry is a friend, so I bought it directly from him awhile back before he was taking orders for them. I don’t want to derail the hat topic though so If you’d like to read more about this whip, or have any questions about it there’s a post about it with some additional photos & a video in the Bullwhip Forum
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=32697

Dan

I was searching the AB site and found what is, in my opinion, one of the best looking Indy hats out there. I was wondering if the person in the photo belonged to COW so that we could see pics of the hat since this picture was posted.

http://www.adventurebilthats.com/photos ... ning_2.jpg

Dave

He's really got that "Raiders of the Temple of Doom" thing going on. Great hat though!

@ jedidentist - it looks like your hat has a roan sweatband rather than the new type that Steve's been using. Would you mind posting closer pictures? Always loved the old roan bands. -M

I thought Steve no longer offered those sweatbands?

Dave

I remade the hat for the guy who posted the roan sweated hat. It was too large, if I have my customers straight. I think that guy's name is Derek.

I still use the roan sweats, but put them in the Raider fedoras. I do this because of the vintage HJs I have owned. They were sorta an antique roan color. Fedora

slowdevil wrote:

The idol is a storm trooper cookie jar, in case you're wondering.

That is the hat that I want if I ever want an Idol grab. That pinch is perfect.

Fedora wrote:I remade the hat for the guy who posted the roan sweated hat. It was too large, if I have my customers straight. I think that guy's name is Derek.

I still use the roan sweats, but put them in the Raider fedoras. I do this because of the vintage HJs I have owned. They were sorta an antique roan color. Fedora

Yeah..that's me. I haven't had a chance to take pics of my new one. Definitely very snug fitting in the front, but given time, I believe that the sweat will continue to contour to my head better. It's amazing how much smaller it seemed coming out of the box, but looks sooo much better...and it doesn't rest on my ears! I'll try to get pics up tonight or tomorrow.


Derek

Ohhh...so much better! Even though I'm roughly a 7 1/4, a normal long oval still wasn't narrow enough for my small build. Steve used a different block and took off some from the brim, and it's a much better fit.





Thanks Steve, for delivering such a great product and providing such good support! Now, if we can just get the USPS to understand that "Fragile" doesn't mean that it should be delivered looking like this:




Derek

MAN that looks great on you, Derek!!

As for the box, 'fragile' just means 'kick on this side only'.

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Wow that box has seen better days!! At least you know that the contents of the box are "built to last"!!!

Sorry about the frickin' huge pics. I'm working right now on it, but Photobucket is being retarded. Yeah, the box has seen better days..and it even left a nice dent in the brim that I'm trying to work out.

Well, in their defense, mailmen have to use SOMETHING to block the wheels when they change a mail truck tire.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:
As for the box, 'fragile' just means 'kick on this side only'.

Well, in their defense, mailmen have to use SOMETHING to block the wheels when they change a mail truck tire.

hahaha do you have a big book of mailmen and other related mail jokes in your back pocket or something?!!!

Nope....just past experience with mailmen I've known...including my uncle who used to be an assistant postmaster in North Carolina 'back in the day'.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Well, in their defense, mailmen have to use SOMETHING to block the wheels when they change a mail truck tire.

Regards! Michaelson

So THAT'S how you black a hat!

Michaelson wrote:Nope....just past experience with mailmen I've known...including my uncle who used to be an assistant postmaster in North Carolina 'back in the day'.

Regards! Michaelson

Which was a Wednesday...

Dave

These are lookin' like some great hats. I ordered mine in Oct. '07 and Steve recently emailed me saying that my hat was coming up to the block pretty soon. I'm gripping my seat with anticipation.

jedidentist wrote:Ohhh...so much better! Even though I'm roughly a 7 1/4, a normal long oval still wasn't narrow enough for my small build. Steve used a different block and took off some from the brim, and it's a much better fit.





Thanks Steve, for delivering such a great product and providing such good support! Now, if we can just get the USPS to understand that "Fragile" doesn't mean that it should be delivered looking like this:




Derek

I wouldn't worry about the box showing up like that. They could send the box flat and the hat would be fine. Steve's hats can take it.
Congrats on another great hat made by Steve.

Now, if we can just get the USPS to understand that "Fragile" doesn't mean that it should be delivered looking like this:

Looks like one of my non Indy hat competitor friends works for the post office.
"If you see a box with Steve's name on the top, do me a favor and kick the stew out of it! Or better yet, stomp on it. "

This hat looks much better on you by the way. I had to make a double long oval block just for you, but going by your first pics, of the first hat, you certainly needed it! Roll down a couple of hills with the hat on, and it will even look better. Indy did not like new looking hats! Fedora

Here's a quick question from me that I thought I wouldn't get a chance to ask (because I figured the "ship had sailed") but would actually touch on something jedidentist said up at the top of this page...
Derek, when you posted those first photos of the hat in the (uncrushed) box, you wrote...

jedidentist wrote:Staff of Ra liner...I wasn't specific, but it's the one I wanted.

Now, I ordered my AB back on March 15th and when I DID, I figured that Steve was now only providing the newer AB Liners in his hats and no longer provided the Staff of Ra Liners...

I always wanted one of those Staff of Ra Liners but owned up my dilemma to the fact that I showed up so late to this party and figured that there was no longer any way I'd get one...

But IS there any way I could still get one?

Since ordering, I assumed I would simply wait on my hat from Steve and not bother trying to send him a follow-up pm (or e-mail) about this for the simple reasons that
a) I realize that in the grand scheme of things a choice in AB Liners probably doesn't seem all that important...
and
b) that getting a message to Steve with everytihng else he's got going on might be a bit like spittin' in a rainstorm...
But since Derek seems to have accomplished this, I feel compelled to ask whether he'd like to share any little secret he might have as to how he managed this... or was it just luck?
IS there any way I could still get a STaff of Ra Liner for my already-ordered Steve Delk Adventurebilt?

Advice from anyone on this would be welcome.
Fox

But IS there any way I could still get one?

Ok, this is the way I am handling the liner deal. Since I have a couple thousand of the staff of ra liners still in stock, I have plenty to use up. What I have been doing is putting in the new liner(which costs me 3 times as much as the old liner) in the new price ABS, that is the 350 or 400 dollar ones. I sold alot of hats for 225 or 250 and these get the cheaper staff of ra liner. Or, if the hat is a Raiders fedora, it gets the staff of ra liner.

So, you will see both liners from me for quite some time. Eventually, I will use up the staff of ra liners and then only use the new one. But, as I said, I have plenty on hand because I bought up a large supply before designing a new liner.

Since the staff of ra liner was used in at least one film hat, it is actually accurate to the film, although you never saw it in the film.

Also, I can still get the plain white liner, the modern one I used in the stunt hats for the film. I have been thinking about buying a case of those and having this as an option if you buy a CS fedora. It is the exact same as my staff of ra liner in materials and the way it is made, since it comes from the same company. It is just plain with no logo on the tip. It is also the liner used in the wedding hat in the film. That wedding hat apparently was a size 23 made for a stunt man, either that or Bernie pulled out the old liner and put in a new one that I had sent him, as extras. But, it is the modern liner, and not the one used for Ford's hats that we made. As most know, we used two plain liners in the film. One for all of Ford's contractual hats, (the side seamed liner) and then the modern liner from my supplier for the stunt hats. And then of course, apparently a staff of ra liner from a sample hat got aged by western costume and was sent to Hawaii and was used in the film by accident.

The good thing is, a film accurate liner is still available, and will be as long as my supplier in Texas stays in business. My supplier is a small family business as most hatters know. And as with my other suppliers, I am a faithful customer to my original suppliers, as that is how I was taught to do business. But, with that said, I was considering changing sweatband suppliers when we got the Indy gig, and that put a halt to that consideration. But, it is rare when I do change, and it takes alot for me to do so.

I guess I will just play it by ear and see if there is a demand for that plain white liner for the CS fedoras. One thing is for sure, the embroidered liners, the new AB liner is a pricey liner, but it should be. The design is woven and not stamped. You used to see this on vintage Stetsons once upon a time. As well as other famous brands. It is a classy and expensive looking piece of work, and the reason I went with it at the time. When my hats went up in price, I wanted an expensive liner to put in them. The motiff is certainly Indyesque enough, with the Meso American pyramid, and uses the old HJ color scheme. Fedora

Well, Mitch, I can tell you that if you want the Ra liner, thats cool, but the new liner is beautiful...oh, did I forget to say I GOT MY AB! And boy, do I have a story to tell. For those of you detractors out there that say Steve's customer service is lacking...let me prove you wrong.

I ordered my AB March of '08. I asked Steve to maker her a CS hat and that was about it. I had spoken with Steve a few times in between then and now and it was pretty much talking about guitars and amps. Well, about three weeks ago I e-mailed Steve asking if he could set aside a Staff of Ra liner for me, but I didn't want it in the hat, just an extra. And I have to tell you, the new liners are MUCH nicer than the Ra liners; much classier. Anyway, Steve responds saying that he would set one aside and that he would start working on my hat that week. The following Monday, I get an e-mail from Steve saying that he had finished the hat a few days earlier but was unsure about whether or not to send it out because of the brim. Apparently he hadn't made too many larger size CS hats and he was afraid that the film specs wouldn't work, that they would be off. He told me to try it on and see what I think, saying that if I had a slim face it would look ok, but it would look "stupid" on a full face. I got a little worried becuase I have never had a slim face, not even when I was thin and in shape.

Two days later, I get the hat. I try it on and I think the brim looked a bit narrow. I asked my fiance what she thought and she said "I love it." I knew immediately that it was too narrow. To confirm, I sent a picture off to John Penman to see what he thought and he told me what I though "The hat looks too narrow for an Indy hat." Now, the hat is beautiful and I will wear it proudly, but it just doesn't look "Indy."

So, I e-mail Steve and sent him the same pic and told him what I thought and what Oak had said. Steve told me that he would make me a new hat free of charge and get it to me by the following week. He also told me to keep the shorter brimmed hat and use it for yard work. I went . Now, not only had Steve vowed to correct the problem, he was keeping very good communication. In fact, in all the times I've sent him e-mails or called, he has always responded or called back within a day or two. To those who say Steve has poor customer service and doesn't communicate with the customers, how do you explain this? You can't. Steve really blew me away with his customer service.

So, last weekm I received the second AB and it looks much better. I sent Steve a photo of both on me and he agreed that the second one looks a heckuva lot better. I really cannot say how happy I am with these hats and with the service I received. Steve, thank you!

So, without further ado, here are the photos.

Here is the AB 1 and 2 from the front:






Bow side:






And from the back:






Here are some shots with the hats on. The first shot is AB 1 (shorter brim) and the last three are AB 2.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... bas001.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2001.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2003.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2004.jpg

Dave

I love this shot of my little brother. He's a huge Indy fan.



Dave

Fedora wrote:I had to make a double long oval block just for you, but going by your first pics, of the first hat, you certainly needed it! Roll down a couple of hills with the hat on, and it will even look better. Indy did not like new looking hats! Fedora

Seriously? My head is that retarded that you needed a whole new block? Man...hopefully you'll be able to use it for someone else...or maybe for another one in gray for me? We'll have to see if the wife lets me order another one.

And Mitch, I didn't ask for the Ra liner, just got it by pure luck. From your post, all of your logic is sound. All I can say is that it doesn't hurt to ask. I've always received a response to my e-mails, albeit I didn't send a lot of them unless I REALLY had something important to say. So...send one and ask. Either he'll say that he'll be out of them by then, not respond because your e-mail went to the Spam folder, or he'll say yes. I don't think there's anything wrong with asking, as long as you're not constantly badgering him with changes or "Any updates?"


EDIT: Oops...everyone posted faster than me. Oh well.

DR Ulloa, you ordered your hat in March 2008 and already received it? Man, I ordered mine in September of 2007 and it still hasn't arrived! Good for you! It looks great by the way!

Thanks J. I really love these hats. The fit on the second one is better than on the first one, yet they are the same size. Its odd. I'm sure you will be getting your hat soon. If its any consolation, it is DEFINATELY worth the wait.

Dave

Steve: Thank you, THANK YOU for clearing that up... Now I'm not worried at all! I ordered a "Brown Raiders 'Idol Grab' Bash WITH The Turn" from you, so if your "if you ordered a 'Raiders' you get the Staff of Ra' Liner" Rule holds, I should be fine. (And for those of you worrying on my behalf that I won't have a "Temple/Pyramid Liner"...please don't: The Adventurebilt Crystal Skull Fund is already underway.



Dave: My most sincere tip of the hat to you, you ol' so-and-so... Not ONLY do you have a beautiful new hat that suits you PERFECTLY, but Dave... I think that you likely own

The

Most

Gorgeous

"Yardwork Hat"

EVER!



Derek: My thanks for responding to this question (not your fault these other guys are so quick on the draw!)

Cheers, Gents!
Mitch

Thanks, Fox. I do. But now that means I actually have to get out there and do the yard work.

Dave

MAN! There's always a snag isn't there?

(And worst of all, you'll be hated by all the other men in the neighborhood who's wives see you doing yardwork and thinkin' "Hmmm... lookit that guy Dave doing his yardwork... and he looks GOOD doin' it, too! I should get my husband out in the yard, too!")

Dave, you're ALREADY in trouble!

It's a good thing you've got the Right Hat for TROUBLE!

Well, I wouldn't mind doing the yard work with an AB on. I'm going to honor Steve's wishes and beat the snot outta the first hat. It will be a true Fortune and Glory fedora. I think my Penman just gained a competetor in the "Which hat will I beat the #### out of" department. I think my Penman will appreciate the alleviation from the abuse, though we all know it can take it.

Dave

Yeah I don't baby my AB either. Just spent the weekend in the wilderness with it on.

How do you compare the stiffness/floppiness of the AB to your Penman Ulloa?

WhipDude wrote:How do you compare the stiffness/floppiness of the AB to your Penman Ulloa?

Well, right out of the box, the AB#2's brim is a little less floppy than my Penman Raiders. I've had the Penman for about a year now, so this will soften up more than the Penman, probably. My Penman has become very floppy over the past year. When I brush it, the crown dents and dips. If I grab the hat by the crown, it will dent. It has just enough stiffner to hold the crease but not much more. I think that AB#2 will soften and become floppier than my Penman over time. AB#1 is a different story. Its not stiff by any means but I can tell you that it will never be as floppy as my AB#2 or either of my Penmans. Steve told me they were from different batches of felt, so it all depends on the felt run. Hope this helps you out.

Dave

DR Ulloa wrote:Here are some shots with the hats on. The first shot is AB 1 (shorter brim) and the last three are AB 2.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... bas001.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2001.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2003.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/ ... lt2004.jpg

Dave

Dave the light source should be behind the camera not behind you.

There was too much light outside. The image wouldn't come out right on the camera. That was the best I could do at the time. Don't worry, I'll take more photos...trust me.

Dave

Does this mean that those of us who ordered the $265 ABs won't get the new Mesoamerican pyramid liner? Because I really like that design, and I would prefer that one. Steve, I would be willing so send you a little more to get that liner in my hat, when you get around to it.