Club Obi Wan

I just got this in the mail, fresh from Marc. I have several hats, including a vintage 80's Stetson Indy, , but nothing compares to this absolute GEM. The felt is a deep, rich, vibrant brown; the style, while not "Indy", is sensational; and the fit... like a glove. Wore it all weekend, despite the warm temperatures here (high 70's/low 80's) and got nothing but compliments.










Bravo, Marc!

Boys, I think I'm in love!

Rcinlv,that's beautiful! ..I love the Hughes style-very classy(any chance of a pic of you wearing it?),enjoy!

Wow - that sure is a beauty!

Marc, can you make this hat in grey? Because if you can, I'll start saving up right now (seriously)


/Jakob

I'm glad you like it Randy!!! Thanks for sharing the pics.

Marc, can you make this hat in grey? Because if you can, I'll start saving up right now (seriously)

All I can say is, that I HAVE started saving up for grey rawbodies... I do however have some investments that I want to look into as well yet (a specially tanned roo hide sweatband, a stitched logo on the liner, a dressweight seal fur felt rawbody in Indy brown etc. etc. etc.), but stay tuned.

Regards,

Marc

Excellen news Marc :tup:

I'll start putting money aside....


/Jakob

Marc wrote:I'm glad you like it Randy!!! Thanks for sharing the pics.

Marc, can you make this hat in grey? Because if you can, I'll start saving up right now (seriously)

All I can say is, that I HAVE started saving up for grey rawbodies... I do however have some investments that I want to look into as well yet (a specially tanned roo hide sweatband, a stitched logo on the liner, a dressweight seal fur felt rawbody in Indy brown etc. etc. etc.), but stay tuned.

Regards,

Marc

FORGET EXPENSIVE SWEATBANDS AND SAVE UP FOR THE GREY RAWBODIES!!!!!!!!!!!

The quest for the AB-Dlx. is NOT the quest for fast money nor to produce as many as possible. It is a quest for the ultimate in Indygear headwear.

Regards,

Marc

Marc wrote: The quest for the AB-Dlx. is NOT the quest for fast money nor to produce as many as possible. It is a quest for the ultimate in Indygear headwear.

Regards,

Marc

This is an obsession Marc. I never understood it. Never! Neither did Mom.

Maybe I'm a fool, and have just not been paying attention, but how does one from the US and A order an Adventurebilt Deluxe? I've got a standard AB, but it might be nice to have the "matched set!"

marc,

you forgot to mention:

"and in this race, theres no silver medal for second place....."

cheers!

LeatherneckJones wrote:Maybe I'm a fool, and have just not been paying attention, but how does one from the US and A order an Adventurebilt Deluxe?

Email Marc.

marc,

you forgot to mention:

"and in this race, theres no silver medal for second place....."

Nah, that would sound extremely arrogant

Maybe I'm a fool, and have just not been paying attention, but how does one from the US and A order an Adventurebilt Deluxe?

Email Marc.

Yeah, just e-mail Marc. Or sent him a pm. I'll make sure he replies in timely manner

Regards,

Marc

Marc wrote:Yeah, just e-mail Marc. Or sent him a pm. I'll make sure he replies in timely manner

Regards,

Marc

Wow it sounds like you know this Marc guy quite well - I have heard he makes great cowboy hats

I have heard he makes great cowboy hats

Small update (not worth making a entire thread for): curiousity got the better of my felter and I was able to talk him into making ONE SINGLE seal fur felt rawbody (takes an entire seal skin for one rawbody - and THAT stuff is expensive ). Due to the "seriously ethic situation" it will probably remain the only one ever being made - even though I'd like to offer a highly limited edition of ten.

Regards,

Marc

What about the Swindiana Otter Fedora?

Seal has even more hairs per square cm, so when already looking out for something superior to beaver, than why not go the full mile?

I'll check if I could get otter at all though.

Regards,

Marc

Marc come back to Florence and shave some nutria!

From what I understand Nutria is not very desirable for an Indy Fedora. It felts very easily and fast (which makes it cheap to produce) and LOOKS like beaver, but the felt keeps kreeping and felting "forever". There's just no way to get nutria felt to stay in shape and for people who hate taper... you get the idea.

Regards,

Marc

Seems like dealing with otter pelts is strictly forbidden, so...

Regards,

Marc

From what I understand Nutria is not very desirable for an Indy Fedora. It felts very easily and fast (which makes it cheap to produce) and LOOKS like beaver, but the felt keeps kreeping and felting "forever". There's just no way to get nutria felt to stay in shape and for people who hate taper... you get the idea.

Seems like dealing with otter pelts is strictly forbidden, so...

Marc, what we were told by "you know who" is not factual. And he won't be getting otter felt either. We both know why. Now, why he still has folks that LISTEN to him keeps my head bald, from scratching. Every real hatter I have conversed with thinks the guy is a compulsive liar.

The fact of the matter is, Nutria makes a fine hat, and Stetson featured them as upper drawer hats a long time ago. This idiot is the only one who has ever stated this about Nutria. Ask your felt maker. All felt will reach a point that it stops felting. I have a clear Nutria hat from the 1940's, and it never suffered from the mentioned problems. Perhaps his private felter(another lie by the way) could not make a good nutria felt, and he created the lie, in case someone wanted one. In my best Indy voice, " I hate that guy". Fedora

Why isn't nutria used more often? By all (well, most...) accounts, it makes an outstanding felt. Being a pest animal, it should be easy to obtain, and should make a good quality felt (better than rabbit) at a lower price than beaver. (shouldn't it?)

Maybe it's just that the felters don't want to make high quality at low price...they'd much rather sell mass quantities of the rabbit for quick profit, and then sell the high-dollar beaver for the upscale and not bother with trying to make a high-quality low-price felt, which would, by it's nature, kill sales of the higher-dollar beaver felt...

No one has ever tried sewer rat felt? They might be very good... once you take the smell away

Why isn't nutria used more often? By all (well, most...) accounts, it makes an outstanding felt. Being a pest animal, it should be easy to obtain, and should make a good quality felt (better than rabbit) at a lower price than beaver. (shouldn't it?)

Maybe it's just that the felters don't want to make high quality at low price...they'd much rather sell mass quantities of the rabbit for quick profit, and then sell the high-dollar beaver for the upscale and not bother with trying to make a high-quality low-price felt, which would, by it's nature, kill sales of the higher-dollar beaver felt...

Nutria is still being used. I got a few nutria bodies from Argentina when I first started hatmaking, and Portugal still makes the pure nutria as well as well as various blends. Hatco (Stetson, Resistol, Charlie One Horse, etc) more than likely still makes nutria hats. It is basically priced right up there with beaver, as they are similiar in feel and appearance. The two basic fur felts are generally rabbit and beaver, and various blends of these two. But, novelty furs like nutria and mink are still used, but not like in the old days. Even chinchilla. For me, since beaver was always considered to be the best, I use it. The exotics like chinchilla are merely a way to get more money for a hat, and a marketing ploy. That is fairly traditional in the hat industry. So, it isn't anything new. I do not think pure beaver felt can be beat as far as hats go. Remember feltmaking is a really old art, and the old guys knew what was the best and that was always beaver. The American west was opened up due to the demand of beaver fur, once Europe trapped them to extinction. The cheapest priced fur felt is rabbit, and always has been. You can farm raise rabbits, while beavers cannot be. You can even farm raise mink, but while the mink makes great mink coats, it never was superior to the good old beaver. We are covered up with beaver and nutria in the South, but the beaver used for hats comes from way up north, with the best coming out of Canada. The colder the climate, the better the fur. Fedora

The colder the climate, the better the fur.

Which is why I believe that a seal fur would make a KILLER felt (I ordered a silver silk seal yesterday btw. - that is said to have the finest fur of all seals).

Regards,

Marc

Marc wrote:

The colder the climate, the better the fur.

Which is why I believe that a seal fur would make a KILLER felt

How about polar bear fur? Or penguin fur?

How about polar bear fur? Or penguin fur?
_________________

Polar bear fur might be good, I dunno. Penquin fur? You mean penquin feathers or penquin down? Wasn't there once a bird that actually had fur? Seems like I recall that somewhere. Fedora

VP wrote:

Marc wrote:

The colder the climate, the better the fur.

Which is why I believe that a seal fur would make a KILLER felt

How about polar bear fur? Or penguin fur?

I read somewhere that polar bear fur was more like quills - hollow inside. Might not make the best hat (one for lightwight summer wear maybe ).

Guys you really want an association for animals to sue COW and put admins in jail for prodding massacres of protected spieces!

Wolf fur? Bear fur? Wolverine fur? Reindeer fur?

erri_wan wrote:Guys you really want an association for animals to sue COW and put admins in jail for prodding massacres of protected spieces!

What do you mean!? I'm a fully paid up member of PETA.

(People Eating Tasty Animals).

I'm a meatarian myself.

VP wrote:I'm a meatarian myself.

Yeah but you surely don't eat beavers, polar bears, chinchilla or nutria

Vegetarians don't eat trees either.

rcinlv wrote:I just got this in the mail, fresh from Marc. I have several hats, including a vintage 80's Stetson Indy, , but nothing compares to this absolute GEM. The felt is a deep, rich, vibrant brown; the style, while not "Indy", is sensational; and the fit... like a glove. Wore it all weekend, despite the warm temperatures here (high 70's/low 80's) and got nothing but compliments.










Bravo, Marc!

Now that is the type of hat I like !!

I'll be on the sidelines coaching a soccer tournament tomorrow. Spent today wearing a (50's?) Stetson 100. Tomorrow we move to the semi's- I think that REQUIRES the AB Deluxe!!!

Thanks for the positive feedback!!!

RC

i would love to work with a seal body, just to see what it is like. i have one beaver and mink blend, and one pure chinchilla, and while yes it is just status, not function, they do have a completely different feel from beaver.

I worked on a hat once that was beaver and golden retreaver(sp?). When the dog died of old age, it had been such a good dog the guy had skinned it and taken the hide to a body maker and had it mixed with beaver and made into a hat. that was very interesting.

Jimmy

you made THIS

http://static.flickr.com/23/34045293_536975a1cb.jpg

in a hat?????????????'

Strange things happen... some people mistake "weird" for "exclusive". I've seen a couple of beaver / mink blends over the years and a chinchilla hat or two (women hats) and gotta agree with you here JP: it's NOTHING but status. Dressy, yes - but that's about it. There's a reason that a pure beaver fur felt has been considered to be the best for over 200 years now (even though I've heard the "pure beaver ain't as good as a decent blend" hype too many times to count - but the proof is in the pudding).

Problem with the seal fur (except for the ethical situation and the incredibly high costs) is that you've gotta talk your felter into cleaning his entire equipment from beaver and hare fur, then set it all up for a fur he isn't used to work with and than start the whole thing for one single batch... Good luck I know how hard it was to talk mine into it.

@Erri: That's a good picture for my hat shop! "Save a bunny, use beaver"

Regards,

Marc

Marc wrote: @Erri: That's a good picture for my hat shop! "Save a bunny, use beaver"

or "Don't make bunny cry, buy beaver"

I guess I'm one of those people that, on the opposite, mistake "exclusive" for "weird".

I saw a program with the late Steve Irwin last week. He was in Anarctica and they showed some critter called a fur seal. Different from the other seals. I think at one time they may have been used for their fur, but not sure. I think this is a different species than what is in the northern hemishere. Fedora