Club Obi Wan

Mercury felt AB. Messy hair. Yep.

looking super cool, Savory.....and the hat looks good too!

Looks great! Is this a vintage hat re-blocked? I didn't think anyone made mercury-cured felt anymore. Probably just demonstrating my ignorance.

They don't make mercury felt anymore, not for decades. Steve Delk came across a handful of new-old-stock mercury hat bodies back around 2005. He made them into what I like to call, "some of the rarest hats in the world." I made an attempt at buying the very hat sitting on TheSavoryTrim's lovely head, but to no avail. I did, however, manage to get one at a later time. In fact, it's back 'home' with Steve now getting reblocked.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thanks guys.

It looks like this hat might be going up for sale soon. Still on the fence about it.

Do you mind me asking "what size izzit?"

And let the feeding frenzy begin.

I only say that because as soon as I read Liz's post I thought, "Oh, another shot at getting this hat!"

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Mitch, it's 7 1/4.

Way too small for me Pitty, I would have loved to have a mercury felt AB.

Regards, Geert

haha im a 7 1/4! what is mercury felt anyway???

Aragorn658 wrote:haha im a 7 1/4! what is mercury felt anyway???

There really isn't such a thing as Mercury felt, but back in the day, mercury was used during the felting process. As mentioned above, it was banned some time ago because of the nasty effects in had on health. Mercury exposure was one of the reasons behind the expression Mad as a Hatter.

I think there are still environmental issues with cleaning up the old hat factories in Danbury, CT. Some of the stuff those guys used was pretty nasty!

Many people believe that the vintage felts produced using the old processes are better than modern ones (I tend to agree) which is why good vintage hats command high prices.

Today there is a whole other reason for the term mad as a hatter.

BendingOak wrote:Today there is a whole other reason for the term mad as a hatter.

kind of like a crazy cat lady??

did i hear "AB mercury felt 7 1/4 for sale" ?

or am i misreading this

TheSavoryTrim wrote:Mitch, it's 7 1/4.

My size exactly

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

david_h wrote:

Aragorn658 wrote:haha im a 7 1/4! what is mercury felt anyway???

There really isn't such a thing as Mercury felt, but back in the day, mercury was used during the felting process. As mentioned above, it was banned some time ago because of the nasty effects in had on health. Mercury exposure was one of the reasons behind the expression Mad as a Hatter.

I think there are still environmental issues with cleaning up the old hat factories in Danbury, CT. Some of the stuff those guys used was pretty nasty!

Many people believe that the vintage felts produced using the old processes are better than modern ones (I tend to agree) which is why good vintage hats command high prices.

Mercury was used to swell the fur fibers in the felting process. As the mercury evaporated, the fibers would then lock together tighter producing a denser, more durable felt. Unfortunately, breathing mercury vapors and/or absorption through the skin can ultimately lead to brain damage, hense the 'mad as a hatter.'

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

But there is no danger to a person wearing a mercury felt hat: the mercury is all gone, just its effect on the fibers of the felt remains.

Some of the effects mercury is suposed to have on the felt are:

-making the felt denser.
-making the scales all hairs naturally have stick out, making the individual hairs grasp eachother.
-making the hat more resilliant to shrinkage and taper.

So those hats that Steve Delk made from those mercury felted hat bodies he managed to get his hands on could very wel be among the most durable hats around.

Regards, Geert

Geert,

Thanks for clarifying that there is no danger in wearing a mercury cured felt hat.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Keep your noses to the wind, fellas. You might see a listing in the bazaar soon.

(I'm open to offers on it through PM, if anyone's SUPER INTERESTED)

Anyway, it's truly a lovely hat. The felt is incredibly, INCREDIBLY soft and dense. It's a very heavy hat.

Savory Trim, nice picture. Is yours a new hat?

Kim Hoffman wrote:Savory Trim, nice picture. Is yours a new hat?

Thanks! Ah, if you're referring to the picture of the Mercury felt, I believe that hat was produced in 2005.

Hi, yes-you sure don't look mad!

Well folks.....my wait is over. I am finally a proud owner of a true Steve Delk original. I simply don't have the words Let me just say that without my investment of time and patience, this hat would still be my most prized possession. However, with a little wait time thrown in and a free lesson helping me to understand that the best things in life REALLY are worth waiting for, this hat is more valuable to me than any one item that has passed through my hands over the years.

So, without further ado, here are a few quick pics. I will eventually open a thread dedicated to this hat with my very first full gear pics since I started this hobby back in 2007, but these will have to do for now:





So, I know these aren't the highest quality photos, but they'll do for now. I actually got the hat in hand about 2 weeks ago and simply haven't been able to stop wearing it or looking at it so I could take some pictures.
There will be more to come shortly once I get some pictures taken in full gear with an assortment of different light sources and hero poses

Now I understand this whole Adventurebilt craze...I understand indeed.
-Z

Nice!!!!!!

That profile shot is great! Enjoy it! When was your order date btw?

If I recall correctly, Nicetrylaoche was a 2007 order.

Nicetrylache, you earned it!

Kim, you're right! Quite the memory you have there
I don't think I'll ever just "get used" to this hat...I think that every time I look at it or pick it up, I will always be amazed

I think I dreamed about this hat so many times over the years that it still seems like a dream to me...a good dream, of course

That profile shot is definitely IT.

Congrats on a great lid. Wear it well.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Fantastic looking AB. Congratulations!

It's good to be amazed. Best of all, the long, long, awaited hat looks right on you. Here's to you finding your next adventure!

SWEET MARIE!

It's sure clear that Steve hasn't lost his touch, THAT's for sure!

LOVELY hat, ntlc! Congrats!

Looks great, NiceTryLaoChe! It's also encouraging to hear that good things are still coming to those who wait. Wear it in good health!

Best wishes,
Nebraska S.

Awesome hat man!!! Just a question... Are those pictures flipped??? Isn't the bow suppose to be on the left side?

Ohio Jones wrote:Awesome hat man!!! Just a question... Are those pictures flipped??? Isn't the bow suppose to be on the left side?

good eye..

Yeah sorry about that...it's just the way program works. It mirrors the image.
Here are some normal "unmirrored" pictures without my goofy head in them
Still only iPhone quality though...


THERE'S that bow...right where it's supposed to be


Here's another from the front.

More to come in full gear!!!

nicetrylaoche wrote:Yeah sorry about that...it's just the way program works. It mirrors the image.
Here are some normal "unmirrored" pictures without my goofy head in them
Still only iPhone quality though...


THERE'S that bow...right where it's supposed to be


Here's another from the front.

More to come in full gear!!!

Man, its a gorgeous hat. How long did you end up waiting in the end? And did you have any communication from steve before it arrived or did it just arrive one happy day? Seeing all these members receiving hats lately is getting me very excited since its been a long long time. Looking forward to more pics!

1BAT4U wrote:How long did you end up waiting in the end? And did you have any communication from steve before it arrived or did it just arrive one happy day? Seeing all these members receiving hats lately is getting me very excited since its been a long long time. Looking forward to more pics!

Thanks for the compliments! If you'd really like to know the exact wait time, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know. But since this thread is about drooling over Adventurebilts...here's a little shot I put together with some of my favorite stuff:


Let me say this, I know firsthand that Steve is working on hats like a madman, and he doesn't take any shortcuts on quality to save time. Every hat I've seen of his has been absolutely TOP NOTCH made with the utmost care and precision.

It's a joy to do business with such fine vendors as we have here at COW

Once again, more pics to come, my friends!
-Z

That second pic reminds me of the first pics of the early ABs that came in when a few here took the initial plunge. I believe it is Neolithic's hat that yours reminds me of the most.

http://www.adventurebilthats.com/photos ... 03-29-2005" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice Fedora nicetrylaoche!! It is good to see another Adventurebilt being turned over to a satisfied customer. Enjoy!

nicetrylaoche wrote:

1BAT4U wrote: Let me say this, I know firsthand that Steve is working on hats like a madman, and he doesn't take any shortcuts on quality to save time. Every hat I've seen of his has been absolutely TOP NOTCH made with the utmost care and precision.

So if someone had ordered a hat in March 2008 and not yet received it, all hope is not lost?

Ozraptor wrote:

nicetrylaoche wrote:

1BAT4U wrote: Let me say this, I know firsthand that Steve is working on hats like a madman, and he doesn't take any shortcuts on quality to save time. Every hat I've seen of his has been absolutely TOP NOTCH made with the utmost care and precision.

So if someone had ordered a hat in March 2008 and not yet received it, all hope is not lost?

November, 2007 for me. Still waiting...

NES wrote:We're re-opening this thread with the hope that things have cooled off somewhat. A member informed us that his AB ordered from a few years back is on its way soon, and so this will give an opportunity to display his hat.


Regarding complaints in this thread:
We fully appreciate and understand the situation with AB.
We feel for the folks who are waiting, but there is nothing we can do about it.

Unlike the delinquent vendors who have been banned, Adventurebilt is still producing hats for members here that do show up on here. For example, a member just informed us that he will be receiving his AB from a few years ago shortly.

There is no reason to allow the display threads to get cluttered with complaints about the business practices of a vendor. In all the years that IndyGear staff have attempted to allow threads for "venting," these threads have not improved the situation one iota. Rather than relieving frustration, these threads tend to snowball and just get everyone even more worked up. Since Fedora has not logged on since last year, these complaint threads are not reaching him.

Any posts in here that are off the topic of displaying Adventurbilt hats and discussion of displayed Adventurebilt hats--off-topic especially includes complaints about vendor practices--will be deleted. Consider this fair warning!

A reminder.

Michaelson

My AB seems to get more gorgeous with each and every wear. It also seems that for AB's, beauty increases linearly with sweat output
Also, I've finally got my first full gear pics up with my new Adventurebilt over in the general gear section. Here's a little sample:


The rest can be viewed at the link below:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=57658" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers,
Z

great looking AB Nicetry!

Steve should know how proud his many customers are of his hats and what treasured items they are.

cheers

stones

That's quite the set-up you've got there, nicetry. It all comes together perfectly on you.

I broke my foot, but my AB is still good

YeeEEOUCH!


Sorry about yer foot, david_h! Hope it gets better soon!

(As for the AB, I already know IT couldn't possibly be ANY better!)

David , sorry to read about your foot but you still look sharp in you AB.

Thanks guys, looks as though I'll have another 5 or 6 weeks in the boot - I'm not enjoying it, but I know so many people with way worse problems!

John, I have to get an email to you about a hat idea I have in my head.