Club Obi Wan

Hey all I've been absent for a while, hope all is good.

I own a AB 100% beaver, I love it, "but" It feels heavey and up in NH this time of year I sweat bullets wearing it. I also have a HJ and it's weight is consderably less, I don't no if its 100% beaver (bought it from Waco, who got it through Todds I think) but it sure does feel lighter on the ol noggin when wearing it this time of year.

Is there a way to make my AB feel lighter w/out taking the liner out. If it means sending back to Fedora, thats no problem.
Let me know your thoughts.
Croft

A question for Steve for sure. I don't think you can but who I'm I.

I am afraid there is no safe way to make it thinner. I have a new HJ too, and it is thinner, less dense felt. See, that is the deal with beaver. Even if it were as thin as the HJ, it would still be hotter, and heavier. The felt is just denser, therefore allowing less air to penetrate. The only up side is the AB will still be around when the rabbit hats are retired. That is the trade off. Of course, you could pounce the hat thinner, but I have stopped doing that when I discovered I was given bad info when I was starting this hatmaking venture. A good hat can be pounced many times in the reblocking procedure, to clean up the felt and give it a good finish, after the reblock, but you do not remove much felt with the fine paper. If you pounce it too deep, you hit the core of the felt, and the hat is ruined, for all intents and purposes. Fedora

Indiana Croft wrote:I own a AB 100% beaver, I love it, "but" It feels heavey and up in NH this time of year I sweat bullets wearing it

C'mon, the temperature is hardly even in the 90's this year.

That is the trade off you make for a high quality hat. Head to Pawtuckaway (you are not far from there, right?), Mt. Major, Mt. Cardigan or Mt. Chocorua (my favorite). When you get to the top, take your hat off. You will be amazed at how much cooler you feel.

Is the rabbit AB thinner then the beaver AB?

Indiana Wayne wrote:Is the rabbit AB thinner then the beaver AB?

well the HJ,whch is made of rabbit,is thinner then a beaver AB so it would make sense that the AB rabbit would be thinner too.

My rabbit AB is thinner then my HJ.

really ,is that bad because im about to buy a rabbit AB.

I've recently discovered that the more air that is allowed to circulate around the head inside the hat, the cooler it is to wear. I've said it before, and I'll CONTINUE to say it....if a ventilated band could be installed in a hat, even as heavy as a beaver, the cooler it will be. No, I will NOT insert a commercial here for a particular hat I've recently come into possession of, which is a heavy beaver/rabbit blend, but it's true, and I've experienced for the very first time this summer after almost 35 years of wearing fedoras. The vents allow air in, and with the increased air, you perspire less, and therefore are cooler. It was a regular option of hat makers in the past, ventilated roan as well as reeded versions. The more air in the equation, the cooler the hat is. The composition will no longer make that big a difference if you head can breathe.

Ok, BACK off my soapbox.

Regards! Michaelson

thats good to know,now i can feel at ease buying a rabbit AB.

Thanks for the info Fedora, I was just checking.

rick5150 wrote

C'mon, the temperature is hardly even in the 90's this year.

yea your right, just got done taking a walk in back yard/woods, must have lost an ounce or two. LOL. Pawtuckaway isn't to far no, but I'd look kinda funny wearing my hat just before I took the plunge and I'd have no excuse either, no Hovitos chasing me.

And it's been a while since iI've been hiking up any of NH great mountains and hills.

Thanks for the insight every one, I'll still be wearing my AB, just not on any hikes. I'll reserve thi=ose for my HJ.

Fedora: How are you? Hope all is going well my friend.
Croft

speaking of how hot it is, its a 100 where i live but it feels like 120

Ick. Regards! Michaelson

I'd take the 100+ od So Cal over the 90+ and 90+ humidity here in southern WV.

I'm afraid alot of people were mislead by a certain hatter who gave out false information on what you can do with Beaver felt.

for now I'll stick with my (what some may call too) thin nutria beaver blend from Optimo, I still like the roll it up and pop it back into shape factor. Next time I'm in the market for an Indy repro though, I'll keep the AB in mind.

J_Weaver wrote:I'd take the 100+ od So Cal over the 90+ and 90+ humidity here in southern WV.

yeah right last time i checked 105 was hotter then 90.

Yea, but the 90+ humidity is killer.

We're a bit cooler today:



Yesterday at this time we were 114. Humidity is up, though.

10 per cent humidity. I am moving out west!!!!!!!!!!! Fedora

Right now it's 70 degrees fahrenheit, with 64 % humidity.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!

High regards! Michaelson

That was six hours ago, now it's 75 and 41 percent.

Mattdeckard wrote:I'm afraid alot of people were mislead by a certain hatter who gave out false information on what you can do with Beaver felt.

for now I'll stick with my (what some may call too) thin nutria beaver blend from Optimo, I still like the roll it up and pop it back into shape factor. Next time I'm in the market for an Indy repro though, I'll keep the AB in mind.

I've been switching back and forth between my Camptown and vintage 50's Borsalino, VERY lightweight and thin felt, and have actually found the Borsalino hotter when the humidity is high....and it's probably less than HALF the weight of the Camptown, it being about equal to a beaver AB in physical weight and density of felt body. I'm sure, as has been posted above, it's all due to the density of the vintage felt, and the lack of air moving around the head that's making it so warm...

Regards! Michaelson

I actually have some felt hats that are cooler than one of my straw hats because of airflow. Sometimes when the sweat band is floating away from the felt you get open airflow.

I do like the old Waffle front on some vintage Borsalinos which was made specifically to let in air.

Mine HAD that in it's original band, but unfortunately it had dried out and was unusable. Art Fawcett rebuilt the hat, and used one of his nice leather bands, but there's none of that air flow with it's design. Darn. Regards! Michaelson

Heat in NH? C'mon, I live in Louisiana, come down here for a week and you'll think summer in NH is paradise.

Michaelson, do you have a picture or link to what the vented band looks like? Is it a modification you can do yourself or does it have to come with that?

The hat has to come with it. The Camptown has the type band I'm talking about, and hopefully JerseyJones has a decent photo of the inside of a hat to demonstrate what it looks like. Regards! Michaelson

shadwell55 wrote:Heat in NH? C'mon, I live in Louisiana, come down here for a week and you'll think summer in NH is paradise.

I've been all over the country and Canada, and to me - New Hamphire is paradise.

Croft and Rick, we should have a summit with the other NE guys at the end of Summer. How about that?