Effects of Precipitation and Steam on Adventurebilts
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:44 pm
I thought I’d share some stories and photos of my ABs to reinforce the idea that weather repellant or avoidance of rain is a good idea. I’ve never used weather repellant stuff on my hats but I probably should have. I got my first AB in February 2005. It was Raiders “idol grab” style in size 7 & ¼. Below are some shots of it before weathering.
Raiders AB in Warner Mountains I
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... hering.jpg
Raiders AB in Warner Mountains II
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ering2.jpg
In early 2005, I wore my AB a fair amount outdoors during moderately misty and slightly rainy conditions one day. The bash got somewhat misshapen, so I applied some steam to it and it basically looked about the same. At the time, I was not experienced with steam. Below is a shot of my hat after its first round of subtle steam styling. The center dent bash is still intact.
Raiders AB near Lake Abert
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... eAbert.jpg
In late 2005, I went to college in Arcata on the northwestern coast of CA. There, I wore my hat in some really heavy rains and these ended up tapering and somewhat shrinking my hat. I did apply some steam to try to maintain a style I liked but my hat developed a teardrop crown and lost the center dent. I’m not sure how much of that’s from steam but I blame rain for most of my problems. My long oval head probably also contributed to the teardrop shape. I think one reason my first AB tapered so much was because it was made of a different kind of felt than the current ABs. Steve currently uses Canadian felt. When I ordered mine, I’m pretty sure he was using South American felt. The color was definitely lighter than later ABs. Below are some pictures of my Raiders AB in its current condition. I think the taper makes it look kind of goofy on me with certain angles and I’m hoping to get a re-block done. It can look pretty good from the front but from the sides it seems too tapered.
Raiders AB on my head (close-up)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ose-up.jpg
Raiders AB on my head (further out)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ernate.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... detail.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash (top view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... opview.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash (side view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
In late 2005, I got a Young Indy AB. Unfortunately, I don’t have good photos of it before weathering. But, one day, I wore it in a snowstorm and it got loaded with slushy snow, which helped taper it. Still, the taper on my Young Indy AB isn’t as bad as that on my Raiders AB. I think this is because of different felt and also less rain exposure. The felt on my Young Indy is darker than on my Raiders and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s from Canada like the current run of felt. Actually, tapering sort of made my hat look a bit more like the one in YIJC, which sometimes had horrendous tapering. I did do a little bit of steam styling to my Young Indy AB after weathering but not as much as I did to my Raiders AB. The weather alone pretty much turned my Young Indy AB into a tear drop crown and got rid of the center dent. My ribbon also faded from semi-dark brown to a lighter bronzy color and some stitching has come loose. I’ve worn this hat in the sun and dust a lot. Below are some shots of the Young Indy hat.
Young Indy AB in May 2006 (after weathering; ribbon still close to original coloring)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ay2006.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (top view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... opview.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (side view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (on my head; TAG strap, WPG bag)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
Young Indy AB with whip action in June 2008
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... action.jpg
I actually still mostly like the look of my Young Indy hat. I miss the center dent but the hat kind of reminds me of the CS hat and it seems to truly capture the outline of the Young Indy style. I really want to get the ribbon replaced though. I’d like to get one that’s the dark color of the ribbons on the current ABs. So if anyone knows where I can get replacement ribbon in the wider Young Indy size, let me know. I e-mailed Steve about buying a replacement ribbon but have had trouble getting in touch with him. Anyway, I hope these pictures help some people. I know taper doesn’t matter that much to some people and I pay lots of attention to small details. Still, if you want to retain your original hat shape, consider thinking twice before you wear your new lid in the rain.
Raiders AB in Warner Mountains I
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... hering.jpg
Raiders AB in Warner Mountains II
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ering2.jpg
In early 2005, I wore my AB a fair amount outdoors during moderately misty and slightly rainy conditions one day. The bash got somewhat misshapen, so I applied some steam to it and it basically looked about the same. At the time, I was not experienced with steam. Below is a shot of my hat after its first round of subtle steam styling. The center dent bash is still intact.
Raiders AB near Lake Abert
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... eAbert.jpg
In late 2005, I went to college in Arcata on the northwestern coast of CA. There, I wore my hat in some really heavy rains and these ended up tapering and somewhat shrinking my hat. I did apply some steam to try to maintain a style I liked but my hat developed a teardrop crown and lost the center dent. I’m not sure how much of that’s from steam but I blame rain for most of my problems. My long oval head probably also contributed to the teardrop shape. I think one reason my first AB tapered so much was because it was made of a different kind of felt than the current ABs. Steve currently uses Canadian felt. When I ordered mine, I’m pretty sure he was using South American felt. The color was definitely lighter than later ABs. Below are some pictures of my Raiders AB in its current condition. I think the taper makes it look kind of goofy on me with certain angles and I’m hoping to get a re-block done. It can look pretty good from the front but from the sides it seems too tapered.
Raiders AB on my head (close-up)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ose-up.jpg
Raiders AB on my head (further out)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ernate.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... detail.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash (top view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... opview.jpg
Raiders AB close-up with camera flash (side view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
In late 2005, I got a Young Indy AB. Unfortunately, I don’t have good photos of it before weathering. But, one day, I wore it in a snowstorm and it got loaded with slushy snow, which helped taper it. Still, the taper on my Young Indy AB isn’t as bad as that on my Raiders AB. I think this is because of different felt and also less rain exposure. The felt on my Young Indy is darker than on my Raiders and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s from Canada like the current run of felt. Actually, tapering sort of made my hat look a bit more like the one in YIJC, which sometimes had horrendous tapering. I did do a little bit of steam styling to my Young Indy AB after weathering but not as much as I did to my Raiders AB. The weather alone pretty much turned my Young Indy AB into a tear drop crown and got rid of the center dent. My ribbon also faded from semi-dark brown to a lighter bronzy color and some stitching has come loose. I’ve worn this hat in the sun and dust a lot. Below are some shots of the Young Indy hat.
Young Indy AB in May 2006 (after weathering; ribbon still close to original coloring)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... ay2006.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (top view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... opview.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (side view)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
Young Indy AB in June 2008 (on my head; TAG strap, WPG bag)
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... deview.jpg
Young Indy AB with whip action in June 2008
http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/mm24 ... action.jpg
I actually still mostly like the look of my Young Indy hat. I miss the center dent but the hat kind of reminds me of the CS hat and it seems to truly capture the outline of the Young Indy style. I really want to get the ribbon replaced though. I’d like to get one that’s the dark color of the ribbons on the current ABs. So if anyone knows where I can get replacement ribbon in the wider Young Indy size, let me know. I e-mailed Steve about buying a replacement ribbon but have had trouble getting in touch with him. Anyway, I hope these pictures help some people. I know taper doesn’t matter that much to some people and I pay lots of attention to small details. Still, if you want to retain your original hat shape, consider thinking twice before you wear your new lid in the rain.
Sorry guys, SA as in Steve's Raiders blocks not Steve's "New Raiders" aka: The CS blocks. Nobody has those but Steve and Marc. As for the SA issue...Steve's Raiders block is awesome and closer than any other block in the world outside of the new block, and even then Steve himself has said that you'd be hard pressed to find the diffrence between the two. The new block is a "tweek" of the Raiders block that Steve created as I understand it.
