Club Obi Wan

No, no pictures were sent. Even though I had asked for them.

Hi all

Received my Penman Charcoal Eno in Beaver today, great hat and perfect fit. I’m really delighted with it, I think it will be my go to hat. Given it’s a non Indy it may not be the place to post, but if I get out for something memorable I can post photos.

I thanked John to both the gmail Anna was using and the info@penmanhats email. Anna got back to say she would relay to John’s family…not quite sure how to take that, hope he’s doing ok.

Best

Gerry

Very cool; the anticipation is killing me, especially since I have yet to get a shipping note.

Anna mentioning that the message would be relayed to John's family has me worried, though. I mean, why not say she would relay the message to John himself?

For what it’s worth, John didn’t send me any photos of mine either. He also let me know when it was ready to ship, but not when he actually shipped it. I ended up finding a tracking number in the PayPal invoice.

It’s hard not to speculate when you see a response like that. I really hope that John pulls through all of this.


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The Aviator, I'm glad you got your hat! I think it would appropriate to post photos here when you can take some, in looking through the thread some non-Indy hats have been shared before. I also emailed both John's original email and Anna's email to thank them for getting the hat to me. I got a similar response from Anna: "I'm glad you like it, I'll pass it on to his family."

The wording has me very worried as well. I don't really feel it is my place to follow up and ask if he is okay, as I'm just a random customer.

Hey, I got my ABL CS today, but I probably won’t post pictures till Thursday. Quick question for recent Penman owners did John write on the inside of your sweatbands, did you guys get hat brochures, and did anyone receive business cards with their order?

IJJTM, I'm glad to hear you received your hat! My hat does not have any writing on the inside of the sweatband. I also did not get a brochure or business cards. The only other thing in the hat box was the Penman lapel pin.

I received the hat brush, pin, brochure and business card. I did not receive the Steve Delk letter. My sweatband was signed by John, but oddly the date written was nowhere near when my order was placed/received. It was for a year or so prior. I found that a bit odd.


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That’s strange and concerning at the same time. I have somewhere around 14 hats from John and the dates always coincide closely with shipping dates. The most recent was 8/4/20.

Hey guys, sorry that it took me so long to post these, it just took me a while to finally take pictures I'm happy with.



Also, Michaelson, thanks again for the 1/8 suggestion, it seems to have done the trick.

Gorgeous!!! Seeing that you got the letter makes me wonder if I should reach out to try to get mine. I was bummed that my hat came without it. Also, what is the white strip on the right side between the brush and the pin?

IJJTM: The hat looks great, and I am glad to see John is still in the hat game despite his recent health problems.

Indiana_Nate: Unless I am mistaken, I think the white strip might be the measurement paper crown that John sends out for hat sizing.

shade88 wrote:IJJTM: The hat looks great, and I am glad to see John is still in the hat game despite his recent health problems.

Indiana_Nate: Unless I am mistaken, I think the white strip might be the measurement paper crown that John sends out for hat sizing.

shade88, that was my first thought as well.

Correct, it is the sizing crown. Also, from my understanding my hat was finished about a month or two ago, it just needed the box. On top of that I don’t think John will be taking anymore orders until he’s hopefully better.

That is an awesome hat, and I'm glad you were able to receive it! Thanks for posting some great photos.

I also used the hat stretching trick, as I clearly measured wrong. I wish that Penman would have sent me a paper crown before making my hat, like his website says he would. Luckily I found out now and was able to update my HJ order size. But thanks Michaelson for the info on how to get the hat to stretch, it saved my very expensive purchase.

IJJTM, that is one fine hat. Your hat has the perfect balance fancy and adventurous.

Why thank you.

Out of curiosity, who made the whip?

That’s a Terry Jacka 8 foot 16 plait with KOTCS-esq specs.

IJJTM wrote:That’s a Terry Jacka 8 foot 16 plait with KOTCS-esq specs.

It's very cool! It's like a cross between the David Morgan whips used in the trilogy and the Jacka whips used in KOTCS.

I apologize for not posting about this sooner, but Anna is helping John to get rid of some unsold hats which are:

AB Raiders 22
Raiders beaver 22 1/2
Sahara rabbit 22 1/4 w/ brown ribbon
Granite grey beaver dark grey ribbon 24 3/8
Moss green with copper ribbon beaver 21 1/2
Temple beaver 22 3/4
Raiders rabbit 24
HH alternative color 22 3/8
Raiders seaplane beaver 24
Raiders beaver 23 1/4

I think all the prices should be as listed on his site and to inquire about their availability email info@penmanhats.com

Sorely tempted by that Raiders 23 1/4 but I have a Raiders HJ arriving next month. I don’t think he will have much trouble getting these sold.

Hope John is doing ok in any case.

Cheers

Gerry

Well we can take the ABL CS Travel Hat off the list. Coming soon to a head near me… or on me.

Sweet.

Any news on John?

None yet, still sick for all I know.

See this thread for John's current situation.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=71449&start=50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Canyon wrote:See this thread for John's current situation.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=71449&start=50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks, Canyon!

This weekend I picked up a pretty much brand new Adventurebilt Legacy Raiders fedora made by John back in April of last year. As some of you know, I had initially purchased an Adventurebilt Legacy Crystal Skull Travel Hat but it didn’t work out and needed to be returned. I thought I was going to be out of luck getting a Penman made lid in new condition which was a bummer, but thanks to a good friend and the right timing, another opportunity presented itself and I jumped on it.

Now I know John’s reputation and skill as a hatter precedes him in great stride, but I have to say I am smitten with this hat. I’ll admit, I had a brief moment of doubt when I first tried the hat on, but with any custom hat that wasn’t made for you, it just needed a little bit of work. So I spent Saturday night working on the shape, defining the distinctive Raiders style creases in the bow, and while there is still a little bit of adjusting left to do, I feel like I’ve reached a point where I may never take this hat off.

Here’s a link to the first handful of pics I’ve taken, but there will be many more to come as the hat hasn’t even met the rest of my gear yet…

https://imgur.com/a/3tIzeoW

I was having a really hard time deciding exactly what I want to do with my Herbert Johnson Beaver Poet I have on order when my turn in the queue comes up, but this ABL made it a much easier decision. I don’t think I need another brown Raiders hat, so it’s time to add a grey hat to my collection. I’m excited to work with Michelle on that in the coming months.

Cheers!

-Chose Poorly (or wisely for once)

Very nice, it fits you great, and I think that as time goes on it’ll look even better.

IJJTM wrote:Very nice, it fits you great, and I think that as time goes on it’ll look even better.

Thanks, buddy! You were pretty instrumental in getting this hat on my head.

Aw yeah! That is VERY nice! An excellent score, and glad you're happy with it. Another week and your hat will bond with you. It's like a living thing that needs a wee bit of time to mesh with you.

Glad you found a winner! That hat suites you well!

Chose Poorly wrote:This weekend I picked up a pretty much brand new Adventurebilt Legacy Raiders fedora made by John back in April of last year. As some of you know, I had initially purchased an Adventurebilt Legacy Crystal Skull Travel Hat but it didn’t work out and needed to be returned. I thought I was going to be out of luck getting a Penman made lid in new condition which was a bummer, but thanks to a good friend and the right timing, another opportunity presented itself and I jumped on it.

Now I know John’s reputation and skill as a hatter precedes him in great stride, but I have to say I am smitten with this hat. I’ll admit, I had a brief moment of doubt when I first tried the hat on, but with any custom hat that wasn’t made for you, it just needed a little bit of work. So I spent Saturday night working on the shape, defining the distinctive Raiders style creases in the bow, and while there is still a little bit of adjusting left to do, I feel like I’ve reached a point where I may never take this hat off.

Here’s a link to the first handful of pics I’ve taken, but there will be many more to come as the hat hasn’t even met the rest of my gear yet…

https://imgur.com/a/3tIzeoW

I was having a really hard time deciding exactly what I want to do with my Herbert Johnson Beaver Poet I have on order when my turn in the queue comes up, but this ABL made it a much easier decision. I don’t think I need another brown Raiders hat, so it’s time to add a grey hat to my collection. I’m excited to work with Michelle on that in the coming months.

Cheers!

-Chose Poorly (or wisely for once)

Well, that is a perfect Raiders hat for you! You done good!

Thanks everybody! Really satisfying feeling when a hat is just right.

I finally got around to getting a few photos with my latest hat. When IJJTM posted about the hats John was selling off I reached out and picked up the Raiders Beaver 22 1/2. I'm wishing John well, and I hope we get more updates on his status eventually. But with his status unknown, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a Raiders hat from Penman Hats! It was an added bonus that I didn't have to wait months to get it as well.

I love the shape of this hat. It fits great, and has the look. The felt is thicker than I was expecting, and is much more stiff than my other hats.





Here is a comparison with the HJ 40th in deep sable rabbit



There are a few more photos in this album link: Here

Very nice, the hat fits you great Tuba.

Great looking hat. I really love the warm color.

Such a great looking Raiders hat!

Both hats look great, but that Penman takes the cake for me. Enjoy!

Looks like Penman is getting back up and running. The info on the website has been updated with current pricing which has increased slightly, and availability, which seems very limited due to supply chain issues. Hopefully John can recover from such a long hiatus during a difficult time for any business.

IJJTM has had some interaction regarding refurbishment services and can probably provide more insight on that front when he has it, but the headline is there are currently no ABL parts available, so refurbishment work is also limited to reblocks, reflanges, reshapes etc. No new sweatbands or liners at the moment.

Good to know as I’ve tried contacting once in awhile for a reblock/cleaning for my ABL Raiders.

Thanks for the heads up.

Croft

No problem. Now might be a good time before he gets swamped.

I ultimately ended up selling my ABL, so if anyone is looking for hat updates from me, keep an eye on the Garrison Hatters thread in the next few weeks.

My Raiders Everyman Penman at 2 about years

I have an Everyman and I LOVE IT !!! For a rabbit factory fedora you can't beat it, mine is quite stiff but reacts to brim manipulation and just looks the part. I have an Adventurebilt by Steve Delk and a couple of John's other fedora's and this always my go to especially if I want the Raiders look. Enjoy everybody !!

I was able to stop in with my son and see John at his shop in the first week of April. I was in town for a wedding and brought him an AB KOTCS for reblocking. I really enjoyed my time with him talking shop and seeing him in his element. At the time he let me know he was waiting on some materials but he is indeed still at it making good quality hats. I just checked in with him by email as he thought it would be about two months before he received more interior materials and he was still waiting on AB sweat bands but has everything else done on my hat. I think he is still a great option for those in the market for a fine hat.

Fletch wrote: ↑Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:36 pm I was able to stop in with my son and see John at his shop in the first week of April. I was in town for a wedding and brought him an AB KOTCS for reblocking. I really enjoyed my time with him talking shop and seeing him in his element. At the time he let me know he was waiting on some materials but he is indeed still at it making good quality hats. I just checked in with him by email as he thought it would be about two months before he received more interior materials and he was still waiting on AB sweat bands but has everything else done on my hat. I think he is still a great option for those in the market for a fine hat.

Good to hear, I emailed him recently and never received a reply so I figured he was still laying low.

Fletch wrote: ↑Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:36 pm I was able to stop in with my son and see John at his shop in the first week of April. I was in town for a wedding and brought him an AB KOTCS for reblocking. I really enjoyed my time with him talking shop and seeing him in his element. At the time he let me know he was waiting on some materials but he is indeed still at it making good quality hats. I just checked in with him by email as he thought it would be about two months before he received more interior materials and he was still waiting on AB sweat bands but has everything else done on my hat. I think he is still a great option for those in the market for a fine hat.

Really nice to hear that John is slowly back at it again! He really is one of the best out there

j2m wrote: ↑Mon Jun 13, 2022 4:19 am

Fletch wrote: ↑Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:36 pm I was able to stop in with my son and see John at his shop in the first week of April. I was in town for a wedding and brought him an AB KOTCS for reblocking. I really enjoyed my time with him talking shop and seeing him in his element. At the time he let me know he was waiting on some materials but he is indeed still at it making good quality hats. I just checked in with him by email as he thought it would be about two months before he received more interior materials and he was still waiting on AB sweat bands but has everything else done on my hat. I think he is still a great option for those in the market for a fine hat.

Really nice to hear that John is slowly back at it again! He really is one of the best out there

Agreed! W>