the perfect hat ...a work in progress
Moderators: Indiana Jeff, Dalexs
the perfect hat ...a work in progress
hi I'm new and from Calgary AB Canada.
I have full gear ... and now i'm just modifying it ... odds and ends... one of them being the hat.
i have gone through two hats so far trying to get them made and i have one more i'm going to do because i'm not satisfied with the crown. i've been working closely with Smithbuilt hats here in town who have been good about about the whole (anal about everything). i got the measurements from the indy gear sight and used those to build it and the only thing i didn't really like was the taper of the crown, I'm going to work on that next and hopefully have a perfect hat ... the price is right ..just under 200 Canadian.
i have to admit it was it was quite the wow feeling about how tall it really is. : [/img]
I have full gear ... and now i'm just modifying it ... odds and ends... one of them being the hat.
i have gone through two hats so far trying to get them made and i have one more i'm going to do because i'm not satisfied with the crown. i've been working closely with Smithbuilt hats here in town who have been good about about the whole (anal about everything). i got the measurements from the indy gear sight and used those to build it and the only thing i didn't really like was the taper of the crown, I'm going to work on that next and hopefully have a perfect hat ... the price is right ..just under 200 Canadian.
i have to admit it was it was quite the wow feeling about how tall it really is. : [/img]
- Indiana G
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3918
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:55 pm
- Location: in the Temple of Insanity
hey neighbour......i'm in cowtown too and have worked with brian over at smithbilt a couple of years ago....very nice guy. bryce is a little grumpy as he didn't like me coming around the shop buying materials to make my own hats.
my impression of smithbilt is that they should stick to building cowboy hats. the hat they call "the raider" on their site was built from the specs i provided them. they still refuse to do a dimensionally cut brim though....and probably don't know how to do it. their ribbon work is not bad but can be improved.
the best block that they had to use still was a far cry from a raiders block but made for a nice TOD or LC hat, imo.
i went down the route that you are already going down now so i hope you take my advise with a grain of salt........there are better hats out there for the money you're going to pay in all honesty. i payed close to $300 for one of their hats and my fed 4 is a waaaaaaaay better hat for half the price....and you can get it sooner.
i'd love to go there and have them build me a hat to my EXACT specs........but i have a feeling that the customer is not always right once they see my specs. thats why i build my own now. got a doozie of an idol grab just waiting on ribbon at the moment.
cheers and welcome to cow!
my impression of smithbilt is that they should stick to building cowboy hats. the hat they call "the raider" on their site was built from the specs i provided them. they still refuse to do a dimensionally cut brim though....and probably don't know how to do it. their ribbon work is not bad but can be improved.
the best block that they had to use still was a far cry from a raiders block but made for a nice TOD or LC hat, imo.
i went down the route that you are already going down now so i hope you take my advise with a grain of salt........there are better hats out there for the money you're going to pay in all honesty. i payed close to $300 for one of their hats and my fed 4 is a waaaaaaaay better hat for half the price....and you can get it sooner.
i'd love to go there and have them build me a hat to my EXACT specs........but i have a feeling that the customer is not always right once they see my specs. thats why i build my own now. got a doozie of an idol grab just waiting on ribbon at the moment.
cheers and welcome to cow!
- Indiana G
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3918
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:55 pm
- Location: in the Temple of Insanity
......sorry.....forgot to add.....they don't have anything close to the right ribbon colour. your best bet is to go with black from them.
pm me if you like. i can elaborate on my whole experience. but let me put it to you this way:
i believe my hat was about $275 to $300 CAD
the rabbit hat body they used comes from the same supplier i buy from for $30....lets say $50 after the customs clowns get a hold of them. they used a low grade sweatband (ask brian for some of the nice roan sweats he uses for the beaver hats...those are nice!)....the sweats are about $5 USD each....say $10 USD for the good ones. 1 yard of ribbon is practically free if not $1 to $2. the custom liners are say $10 at the most as you can get blanks for $5.......that's still over a 200% mark-up for a factory made hat.....which i would gladly pay....if the hat they gave me looked like a raiders hat ;-) .........i'd rather buy a AB henry if that is the case.
i don't mean to belittle your project in any way so please do not see it as that. i've bought many....many hats....and i wish someone told me this stuff when i did my smithbilt project a couple of years back.
now if you're just getting them to build you this hat as a fun project for yourself, then i can respect that. projects are fun....thats mostly what i do ;-)
pm me if you like. i can elaborate on my whole experience. but let me put it to you this way:
i believe my hat was about $275 to $300 CAD
the rabbit hat body they used comes from the same supplier i buy from for $30....lets say $50 after the customs clowns get a hold of them. they used a low grade sweatband (ask brian for some of the nice roan sweats he uses for the beaver hats...those are nice!)....the sweats are about $5 USD each....say $10 USD for the good ones. 1 yard of ribbon is practically free if not $1 to $2. the custom liners are say $10 at the most as you can get blanks for $5.......that's still over a 200% mark-up for a factory made hat.....which i would gladly pay....if the hat they gave me looked like a raiders hat ;-) .........i'd rather buy a AB henry if that is the case.
i don't mean to belittle your project in any way so please do not see it as that. i've bought many....many hats....and i wish someone told me this stuff when i did my smithbilt project a couple of years back.
now if you're just getting them to build you this hat as a fun project for yourself, then i can respect that. projects are fun....thats mostly what i do ;-)
-
- Field Surveyor
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:01 am
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
ya i was unsure about the ribbon i have one hat with black and one with brown, but i dust the hat all to ####, so that works .. i went a few years ago to these guys and there was this big guy all grumpy and what not, but they sent him to Ontario. the guys there now are really cool with me ..
I have been talking about getting to gether with indy fans out here, got a few on face book i'm with i'm not sure what we might do but if those in calgary are cool with getting together let me know ..
and i haven't figured out the whole picture thing ..i hate computers
[/url]
I have been talking about getting to gether with indy fans out here, got a few on face book i'm with i'm not sure what we might do but if those in calgary are cool with getting together let me know ..
and i haven't figured out the whole picture thing ..i hate computers
[/url]
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... CI0049.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... 0_0595.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... 0_0583.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... C00006.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... C00005.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... an0013.jpg
here's a few photos the taller hat is the one more close to speck but too narrow on the crown. the shorter one was made before i had the specks
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... 0_0595.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... 0_0583.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... C00006.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... C00005.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq19 ... an0013.jpg
here's a few photos the taller hat is the one more close to speck but too narrow on the crown. the shorter one was made before i had the specks
- Indiana G
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3918
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:55 pm
- Location: in the Temple of Insanity
cool pics! so you were the zombie that snakewhip sable met .....and i see you already met piers. crazylegsmurphy and johnny whip crack are also cowtown members......and there are some others lurking around as well.
.......i sense an evening o' trouble -a- brewing
those hats look very nice on you.
cheers,
G
.......i sense an evening o' trouble -a- brewing
those hats look very nice on you.
cheers,
G
-
- Field Surveyor
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:01 am
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
- Mitch LaRue
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3147
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:41 pm
- Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Hey guys...
First of all, NICE set of duds you've put together ravencrow!
(And great advice back up the board a ways, Indy G... and I can't tell you how stoked I am to see this Idol Grab of yours!)
But I gotta say fellas... all this talk of you guys hangin' out in Calgary has me feelin' kinda lonesome.
Is it possible I'm the ONLY C.O.W. Member (AND "Canuckian") on the East Coast?
Hey, just so I know - and since I DO have family in Calgary, Edmonton & Lethbridge - for the next time I blow through Calgary, how good are you guys with "short-notice" hospitality?
(As in: how likely is it that if I tell you I'm coming to cowtown say, 2 or 3 days ahead of time that a couple of you could get together for a handshake, a drink and some good conversation?)
Just something to keep in mind.
Lemme know what you think and I'll see if I can ever put something like that together.
All the Best,
Mitch
First of all, NICE set of duds you've put together ravencrow!
(And great advice back up the board a ways, Indy G... and I can't tell you how stoked I am to see this Idol Grab of yours!)
But I gotta say fellas... all this talk of you guys hangin' out in Calgary has me feelin' kinda lonesome.
Is it possible I'm the ONLY C.O.W. Member (AND "Canuckian") on the East Coast?
Hey, just so I know - and since I DO have family in Calgary, Edmonton & Lethbridge - for the next time I blow through Calgary, how good are you guys with "short-notice" hospitality?
(As in: how likely is it that if I tell you I'm coming to cowtown say, 2 or 3 days ahead of time that a couple of you could get together for a handshake, a drink and some good conversation?)
Just something to keep in mind.
Lemme know what you think and I'll see if I can ever put something like that together.
All the Best,
Mitch
- Indiana G
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3918
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:55 pm
- Location: in the Temple of Insanity
i'd definitely be in for meeting up with you mitch just let us know when and hopefully we can assemble something over here at a local watering hole ;-)Mitch LaRue wrote:Hey guys...
First of all, NICE set of duds you've put together ravencrow!
(And great advice back up the board a ways, Indy G... and I can't tell you how stoked I am to see this Idol Grab of yours!)
But I gotta say fellas... all this talk of you guys hangin' out in Calgary has me feelin' kinda lonesome.
Is it possible I'm the ONLY C.O.W. Member (AND "Canuckian") on the East Coast?
Hey, just so I know - and since I DO have family in Calgary, Edmonton & Lethbridge - for the next time I blow through Calgary, how good are you guys with "short-notice" hospitality?
(As in: how likely is it that if I tell you I'm coming to cowtown say, 2 or 3 days ahead of time that a couple of you could get together for a handshake, a drink and some good conversation?)
Just something to keep in mind.
Lemme know what you think and I'll see if I can ever put something like that together.
All the Best,
Mitch
- Mitch LaRue
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3147
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:41 pm
- Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
- IntempestaNox
- Field Surveyor
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:23 pm
- Location: Marhala Bar, Central FL, elsewhere
- Mitch LaRue
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 3147
- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:41 pm
- Location: Nova Scotia, Canada