Club Obi Wan

Thanks

I am rarely seen withouth at least one of the two.


/Jakob

Very fine looking hats, fellas.

JEEP, the hat looks awesome in that light! And I love the profile of the brim!
Chewie

I opened up my AB fedora today!!!! It is amazing. It fits perfectly and I am very happy with it.

This is the 1000th hat Fedora has made and I am very proud of it,

Thanks Steve!!

Redinight wrote:I opened up my AB fedora today!!!! It is amazing. It fits perfectly and I am very happy with it.

This is the 1000th hat Fedora has made and I am very proud of it,

Thanks Steve!!

PICTURES!!!!! Or off with your head.

Are either of yours made of rabbit?

Jeep, yours looks especially nice - one of the best looking ones I've seen, personally. I really really like that one and I hope mine turns out as nicely!

In Christ,
Shane

Redinight wrote:I opened up my AB fedora today!!!! It is amazing. It fits perfectly and I am very happy with it.

This is the 1000th hat Fedora has made and I am very proud of it,

Thanks Steve!!

Hey, out of curiosity, when did you place your order?

-GC

George Caplin wrote:

Redinight wrote:I opened up my AB fedora today!!!! It is amazing. It fits perfectly and I am very happy with it.

This is the 1000th hat Fedora has made and I am very proud of it,

Thanks Steve!!

Hey, out of curiosity, when did you place your order?

-GC

I placed my order on July 23. Long wait but it was #### worth it. I can't show any pictures right now because my sister destroyed our digital camera. Mine is beaver.

I will try to get some pictures scanned in if possible.

Redinight wrote:
I placed my order on July 23. Long wait but it was #### worth it. I can't show any pictures right now because my sister destroyed our digital camera. Mine is beaver.

I will try to get some pictures scanned in if possible.

WOW.....that's 30 weeks. You must have been biting your nails!
-GC

If you ordered yours in JULY and just got it... how are us rabbit folks getting ours in the next week or so?!? We ordered ours in October!!

lol My mom is starting to believe that I won't ever get a hat.

In Christ,
Shane

IndyMcFly wrote:If you ordered yours in JULY and just got it... how are us rabbit folks getting ours in the next week or so?!? We ordered ours in October!!

lol My mom is starting to believe that I won't ever get a hat.

In Christ,
Shane

Hey McFly,

From what I understand (which isn't much ) Fedora said he's gonna start work on the rabbit batch later this month, so that may mean we won't actually see the hats on our doorsteps until early March or so. But still, for Fedora to bang out all the orders from late July through early October in the span of a couple weeks...would be quite a feat, to say the least!!!

-GCR

Some pictures of me donning the Adventurebilt for the first time:









This is the bash it came with:




Brushing off some fuzz:



Tightening up the bash:

And....




*cue Raider's March*

Woooo! *whistles* That was an awesome story!

In Christ,
Shane

What happened to your hats? The Kepper looks nice, and the Akubra isn't bad, but why is your AB tapered? How old is it?

In Christ,
Shane

Well, the Keppler is my eldest, I have blocked it so many times it's not funny. The Federation I did I a TOD style after it got too tapered years ago. Well, the AB, I have had for a year and I am sorry to say Steve I'm not happy with the block. It's way too tapered on the front view and the side view. I want to get it reblocked sometime. I know it would be the perfect Raiders lid if I could get it blocked to a more stove pipe look. I would like to have it look straight up and down no matter how you view the crown. I also think the crown is a little too small. There is not enough crown there to get a very deep center dent without causing insane taper. So, overall I want it replocked asap. Side not, it looks better on my head.

So the way the AB looks in that above picture is how it came?

Hey Bogie,

Out of curiousity, is that AB a rabbit felt or a beaver? And I'm also curious about the answer to Strider's question...whether the hat arrived like this or if it tapered after you got it.

-GCR

That AB has not really changed much since I got it. It has become softer, which I like. The taper issue, I think it may have become that way over the past year. Again, let me state it's a slight taper than what you see in the pic. It is a beaver felt fellas and a wonderful felt it is. If there is a request, I can post detail pics of the AB. Like I said, I want to get it re-blocked. I am hoping Steve will chime in here. Plus I think Steve updated his block after I got mine, again I think. If the crown get re-blocked I will be 100% happy with the hat. I am not saying anything bad about the AB or Steve's work. It's the best Indy lid I have ever owned. Backstory on the Keppler, I have had it since...2002 I think. Tough hat, tough little mother. I would highly recommend it as well. It has been through h e double toothpick and back with me. The Fed there I have had since 2003 and was given to me by Ken himself. It wsa the first time we met and he was kind enough to give it me. That was also the year Templars started with Ken, Dan Riser, and I making a little short Indy film. I would love to have them all re-blocked as wel as have the ribbons replaced on the Keppler and Fed.

Ah. Did you crease the AB yourself? I understand how sometimes the taper is exaggerated when the picture is taken close up, so I can see how it's not quite as tapered as it looks.

No, all I have done to it is roll it up in a ball and sit on it.

Just looks like the AB needs a reblock. Also if you sit a softer hat on its brim the crown tapers sometimes. Might not look that bad if on a head. Also, I was not pre-aging when I made that hat. But with that said, if you wear a hat, you should be prepared to have it reblocked once a year for a couple of years until the felt ages naturally. How many hats did you see in the Lucas Warehouse film that were not tapered like a dunce hat? Answer= zero.

Also, I would love for that AB to be sent back for a reblock. From my experience so far with AB reblocks, I can take a hat that looks like that, pop out the crown and steam and shape it so it looks 100 per cent better. I have only seen one or two that I could not do this on. I have done a couple of illustrations here in that regard. I have gotten in several AB rebocks but most actually did not need it, although I did it anyways. Not saying that yours does not. Send her to me and we will see. Might be a good illustration of what can be done to an apparently tapered hat. Fedora

That's something I'd definitely like to see again! Seeing Steve work the magic never gets old.

imagine this if you will....you wait for your AB beaver and the day finally comes when it lands on your doorstep. you try it on but something's not right....its 1/2" too big....you measured your melon incorrectly because you're a newbie to buying hats. foam additions to the sweat crinkle the band and make it uncomfortable to wear. the foam eventually loses its spring and the hat is big again. you tell yourself that you need to fix this......

i sent my AB back to steve for a reblock....and after 4 months of waiting including a painful 3.5 week delivery....i get my baby back.

i forgot how beautiful AB hats were. turned on the hatbasher2000 (my kettle) and went to work on the brim. did n't have to do anything to the crown as it was perfect (you can relax tone ). i got the crown shaped just how i want it (and it only took me 5 hats to perfect my skills).

kudos to steve on a job well done. a master at his craft, an honest bussiness man, and most of all a true gentleman. ups didn't destroy the box this time either

much appreciated tone.....my AB started life as a raiders and will remain that way to the end....no need to bash a raiders hat into a TOD if its rightfully a raiders hat .....anyways, the rabbit deal that i jumped aboard on, i requested steve do a TOD bridge hat.

after filling my closet and hat rack with TOD gear, i'm getting the raiders itch again....i have an HJ coming with a raiders re-block and some more stuff that i'll post when they arrive

...maybe i needed to collect the gear in chronological order???

GCR that AB looks great! No surprise there. Thanks for the pics.

Any chance of some comparison photos with your JPD and Akubra?

-Mac

that looks prefectly bashed GCR! congrats on your purchase and enduring the long cold wait. i believe that steve's beaver AB is the best that you can possibly get for an indy hat for all around use....it'll probably outlive me

what's your take on the beaver felt? IMO, she's very soft and supple (buttery almost) but quite stiff at the same time. she's a little more stubborn in bashing but once you break that bronc the shape is easily trained (....oops....alberta redneck in me is slipping out a bit....need to take meds)

Good looking hat GCR. I can't wait to get my AB!

Hmm. I notice that this new hat above has the ribbon sewn down at points all the way around the base of the crown.

That is not the case on my AB. Which way is the usual way for an AB?

I am currently sending mine back for a touch up and requesting a sewn down ribbon at points all around but just wondering.

Thanks!

GCR! Great looking hat! It seems you got yours in 25 weeks. I'm now on week 23. I can't wait. :!:

GCR my compliments the hat is really good looking!

Hmm. I notice that this new hat above has the ribbon sewn down at points all the way around the base of the crown.

That is not the case on my AB. Which way is the usual way for an AB?

I am currently sending mine back for a touch up and requesting a sewn down ribbon at points all around but just wondering.

My fault, but a method to my madness. Sometimes reproducing the film hat is not a great idea. Like the stitches that SHOULD NOT be there to hold the ribbon in place. Many times, I would just not do that as the Cairo hat did not have them as that ribbon rode up. I started out tacking the ribbon down, then got s few complaints about doing so, since it was not accurate, at least to that hat. I then started to make them more accurate by not doing that and that causes problems too!! So you guys tell me what to do. Accurate in that area, or not? I have made them both ways. Fedora

Random stitches all over the ribbon with sweat stains.

ha ha steve, that's priceless!!!

GCR, That hat looks totally awesome.

My first adventurebillet:



Ken

3thoubucks wrote:GCR, That hat looks totally awesome.

Thanks 3thou!!! That's quite a compliment coming from someone as detail oriented about the Raiders hat as you are.

Ken wrote:My first adventurebillet:



Ken

That's a great looking hat you have there, Ken!

-GCR

Fedora said : My fault, but a method to my madness. Sometimes reproducing the film hat is not a great idea. Like the stitches that SHOULD NOT be there to hold the ribbon in place. Many times, I would just not do that as the Cairo hat did not have them as that ribbon rode up. I started out tacking the ribbon down, then got s few complaints about doing so, since it was not accurate, at least to that hat. I then started to make them more accurate by not doing that and that causes problems too!! So you guys tell me what to do. Accurate in that area, or not? I have made them both ways. Fedora


Hey! Not a problem. I have my hat boxed up to send you for a "touch up" and have the ribbon sewn down. Should go out this week.

Thank you, Steve.

My first adventurebillet:

Gosh, that sure don't look like my block!! I thought I used a more streamlined block for your hat Ken. That one seems too wide for your face. But perhaps it is just the angle of the pic. The width of the crown versus the width of the brims is odd. If you ever can part with it, let me redo it for ya. The Keppler you used to wear looked better on you. I sure missed it on this hat here. I think you must need a long oval instead of a regular oval. Gosh, I hate to critisize my own work!! But the hat should never look wider than your head!! Fedora

I think that might be an optical illusion. Or maybe thick hair?

Those are some awesome pics of the hat, GCR. Those are the ones I keep showing people who ask about it . They definitely make the wait seem THAT much longer hahah.

Steve
Pi and CHiPS - Kickin' it...Geek Style

Indiana_Tone wrote:I don't know if it's the lack of stiffener but the crown on my AB caved in a bit too quickly a long while ago. The top dent sinks inward which may also be pulling in the sides. Even with the hat on it's got a bit of taper and the top dent has to be pulled wide (and inaccurate) to get the sides to stay halfway straight at this point.

I know with a reblock it'll be looking fine again and that it'll hold up to several reblocks; though I'd rather not have to reblock it every three-to-four months. Is that the nature of the beaver felt or the need for more stiffener?

Good question you have there, Tone. I wonder, how stiff was your AB when you first got it? Mine was much stiffer than I expected (and I was glad it was), so if yours wasn't all that stiff, perhaps it was a lack of stiffener in your case. Maybe Steve has been making them a bit stiffer lately? Who knows...either way, 3-4 months does seem to be a bit quick for a hat to taper-up like that. And living in Arizona, something tells me it didn't get rained on a whole lot.

Here's a question that might have some relevance here. Fedora, when you get hats in for reblocks that were made prior to the discovery of the "artificial aging" process, do you age them at that point, as part of the refurb / reblock process? Perhaps the artificial aging process combined with a reblock and a healthy dose of stiffener will cure the taper in that AB of yours, Tone.

-GCR

now tone, you shouldn't steam your crown so much........

Tone, I think some of it may, in fact, have to do with the age of the felt, not just the stiffner. I took a quick pic of my three AB's. It's an evening shot with horibble lighting, but I think it gets the point across.



The hat on the left is my first AB. It's one of the early Adventurebilts and has been through heck and back (and about the globe). The middle is a grey AB, and the one on right is an AB made from a 1920's hat body. The left has had a lot of the stiffener worn, beaten, and worked out of it. It's been soaked and crushed numerous times. It's had one reblock to date and could use another soon. The grey has a lot of stiffner in the crown and has seen a little rain, but a lot of wear time. No need for a reblock. The vintage AB has little to no stiffner in the crown (at my request) and even with some rain time and a ton of time on top of my head in warm and cold weather, it has kept its shape beautifully.

The grey may be keeping its shape due to the stiffner in the crown. I have no way of knowing if less stiffner would change things in it. The vintage, however keeps its shape BRILLIANTLY with no stiffner. I do believe this is due to the age of the felt. (It's a beaver and likely nutria blend, if I recall.) I know Fedora's new ageing process involves "deadening" the felt. If it makes the felt anything like my vintage AB naturally is, then I'm all for it! I hope this helps somewhat.

By the way, I totally forgot to thank Indiana Kev, Kaplan and Erriwan for the kind words on the AB. Far too careless of me!

Thanks fellahs, much appreciated!

BTW - Tone, how long ago did you get that AB of yours? I know you said it tapered after a few months, but I'm just curious how old it is in total.

Edit: Hey Bink, that is a pretty cool comparison shot you have there. I especially like the color on that gray AB...almost looks (dare I say it?) sorta tan / brownish...kinda, sorta...

Looks like the taper issue could indeed be a little from column A (stiffener) and a little from column B (age of the felt). I'm looking forward to seeing how the hats made with the aging process hold up over time. And again, if aging some of the older AB's (that were made before the artificial aging process was discovered) as part of the reblock / refurb process is not yet standard procedure, maybe it should be?

-GCR

Thanks, CGR. The lighting really doesn't do justice to these hats. I may retake it tomorrow in sunlight if I have the time. The grey really does lean to the brown side of grey. There are pixs from the Queen Mary where the color looks different depending on the light. The vintage AB is also a different shade of brown than my first AB. When I send the one back for a reblock, I'm going to inquire about ageing.

Tone, I'm not 100% sure if the grey and early standard AB are the exact same felt or not. Fedora should chime in here, because I don't recall all the changes since he first started producing hats. My understanding, though, is that "killing" the felt on the newer hats is supposed to make them respond more like a hat that's actually been around since the 20s and 30s, or like my vintage AB. I would assume if he can age his his newer hats, that he should be able to do the same on a reblock. I love that vinatge AB!