Club Obi Wan

I had a fellow fan fly all the way down to meet me last week, and he got the cashier at my local coffee stop to snap this pic of us. This is a rare pic, mostly because I hate cameras. And because of this rarity, do I even consider posting a pic of me at all.

Had a great conversation with Rodney, and it just reminded me of how much I miss talking to the fellow gear heads.

Now, the color is not an Indy color, but I like this vintage hat so much that it is part of my hat rotation. Plus, it won't taper!! I use it alot on rainy days, along with my beaver hats. Although on this day, it did not rain. Just grabbed it as I was walking out the door.

In that lighting, it reminds me a bit of the camel color AB you just made me, Steve!

Regards! Michaelson

That's just cool! Everybody loves you, Steve!

It's the gearheads' favorite show—Everybody Love Steve!

Just like the banner above their heads says. "Run With The Best". 'nuff said. Reminds me of the pictures I have of you, Steve. Maybe, some day I'll share. The hat looks good on ya. I love those Stetson's you own.

LLS

Beautiful hat, Steve! I love the color. I hope to fly out to Columbus soon and visit your shop. Maybe to pick up the last hat order that I want to place with you before you retire. Glad to see you took some time off to meet up with a fan. I like that.

Dave

In that lighting, it reminds me a bit of the camel color AB you just made me, Steve!

Yeah, it's just the lighting. This hat is a tannish/greenish hat, so I guess a tan hat with some green undertone.

Oh, Dave, did I just see you on a History Channel film? Looked like you and your name was in the credits. The show was about those stones off of Bimini I think, the ones some think may be remants of Atlantis. Fedora

Fedora wrote:I had a fellow fan fly all the way down to meet me last week, and he got the cashier at my local coffee stop to snap this pic of us. This is a rare pic, mostly because I hate cameras. And because of this rarity, do I even consider posting a pic of me at all.

Had a great conversation with Rodney, and it just reminded me of how much I miss talking to the fellow gear heads.

Now, the color is not an Indy color, but I like this vintage hat so much that it is part of my hat rotation. Plus, it won't taper!! I use it alot on rainy days, along with my beaver hats. Although on this day, it did not rain. Just grabbed it as I was walking out the door.

It's good seeing another photo of you Steve. Wear your hat in good health my friend.

Fedora wrote:This is a rare pic, mostly because I hate cameras. And because of this rarity, do I even consider posting a pic of me at all.

Too much of a rarity if you ask me. We need more Steve Delk photos around here. Great hat buddy. At least I think so, given the tiny little blurry picture.

given the tiny little blurry picture.

That's my affect upon cameras. They generally take their last pic, when they take mine. Looks like this one pooped out BEFORE the pic was totally exposed.

Fedora wrote:Oh, Dave, did I just see you on a History Channel film? Looked like you and your name was in the credits. The show was about those stones off of Bimini I think, the ones some think may be remants of Atlantis. Fedora

I have done some reading on the stones. I am an Atlantis junkie. I'm really into it. I've read the Edgar Cayce readings and researched the Sphynx and its connection quite bit. But, that wasn't me.

Whoever it was, though, they must be related to me somehow. All Ulloas can be traced back to a comman ancestor. We're Spanish, from Galicia, Spain. We had family go settle Central America and so you see some Ulloas from there. Those were under our...umm...unpaid employ, sad to say. So, any Ulloa is connected to me someway or another. Good eye, though catching that name and thinking of me.

Dave

binkmeisterRick wrote:It's the gearheads' favorite show—Everybody Love Steve!

Starring Ray Romano as Steve Delk.. that would be.. horrid! But, it'd be better than Everybody Hates Steve, especially since that simply isn't true.

Randy

Steve, any chance of posting a picture of this hat? I really would like to see it up close and in better focus.

Dave

Sure, I will snap a pic of it as soon as I get some new batteries for the digital. Stay tuned. Fedora

Sounds great. I know what its like to have a camera without battery. I lost the charger for my camera when moving into my new apartment. Now I can't take any pictures until I replace it!

Dave

That's a great hat! Worn by the Master himself.

Ok Dave as requested, here is the hat I wore in the pic that started this thread. A vintage Stetson, with no reblock, in fact, it is stock. Tannish color with a greenish ribbon.





I did not even tweak the bow, as it was decent from the start. You can see the fuzzies on this rabbit hat, but that came with wear, as it was pretty slick when I first got it around 5 years ago from ebay. Paid around 20 bucks for it!! I have worn it in the rain so many times, I have lost count. Never tapered one bit. And it's my rain hat on some days. On other rainy days, I take my beaver AB, a really old one, well, 5 years old or so.

Wish you could buy this sort of rabbit felt today. But I am sure when it was brand new, it would not have taken the rain so well without tapering. But, I like the felt on this one, as soft as a baby's rear. No shellac at all, and very very comfortable to wear. I did have to replace the sweatband though. It was falling apart when I got the hat. But, that's all I did to it. They had some great blockshapes back in the day, that is for sure. Fedora

What a beautiful hat! They really did know how to make hats back then, huh? Nothing like the stuff you see today. Sad that such a pedigree like Stetson would fall into what they have become, a shadowy reflection of what they used to be. And I can't believe that that hat has not tapered! Really, a beautiful hat Steve. That felt/ribbon color contrast is very nice. Might be one of my favorite hats I've ever seen.

Dave

Wow! She's a beauty!!

Steve, you were saying that a vintage hat like that is most resistant to tapering? What makes one like that more durable than our modern felt hats?

What a great score on Ebay!

John

Steve, you were saying that a vintage hat like that is most resistant to tapering? What makes one like that more durable than our modern felt hats?

My theory is, fur ages and no longer will react to the heat, or the wetting/ drying phase a hat will go through. This theory is slowing approaching the factual, due to a scientific, but old paper that was posted on another site, that pertained to felting, and the chemicals used. This paper stated that once raw fur got too old, it lost its felting qualities. Why? Because if fur is not felted when it is within a certain age, the scales that chemicals raise up, basically fall off of the fiber. These scales are what creates "felting" or matting in the first place, so, few or no scales means the fur won't felt. I extrapolated this to also mean, a vintage hat has the same thing to happen to the scales, that interlock to form felt. They fall off, or get damaged with age. Except in the case of a hat, the hat remains felted, but no longer "felts" or shrinks, as no scales are there, or few are there to interweave, even more than they did when the hat was first made. I term those old hats as having dead fur. No longer alive. The "alive" term was found in a hatting book, where an old hatter was telling one reason fur was so hard to work with, i.e. in feltmaking, was because as he termed it, "fur is alive" and has variations. Fedora

Oh, I just wanted to add, that I have never had any of my vintage hats to taper. But, my vintage hats were made mostly in the 40's, a few in the 50's and a couple prior to 1940. Many of these were probably mercury carroted hats, as I think they outlawed the use of mercury in the US in 1947 or 48. Did the use of mercury figure into the taper proofness of vintage hats. I really don't know for sure. Probably not, as the age factor I feel is the main culprit. But, that's just an opinion. Fedora

wow. sweet hat.

and thanx for the pm Steve.

Very cool! Thanks for the explination Steve.

Fedora wrote:Oh, I just wanted to add, that I have never had any of my vintage hats to taper. But, my vintage hats were made mostly in the 40's, a few in the 50's and a couple prior to 1940. Many of these were probably mercury carroted hats, as I think they outlawed the use of mercury in the US in 1947 or 48. Did the use of mercury figure into the taper proofness of vintage hats. I really don't know for sure. Probably not, as the age factor I feel is the main culprit. But, that's just an opinion. Fedora

I read a post awhile back and I think it had referenced the mercury being outlawed in the very first part of the 1940's (Brad, was that your post from somewhere way back???). I would think that mercury felt stockpiles likely were made into hats throughout the 1940's and possibly a few past 1950, though...

Bernie

XPLSV wrote: I would think that mercury felt stockpiles likely were made into hats throughout the 1940's and possibly a few past 1950, though...

Bernie

They still turn up every now and again in old established hatmakers dead stock to this very day.

Regards! Michaelson

They still turn up every now and again in old established hatmakers dead stock to this very day.

You better believe it! Bout 3 years ago, my bud Sharpetoyes found a little known hatter up north. A Greek chap, past retirment age, who had mercury bodies in the basement of his retail hat shop. He mostly sold factory hats, but would make you one, if you wanted. Sharpetoyes I think bought every vintage mercury body the guy had, in the form of a hat. And, he stole them, pricewise. The old hatter's name was Gus. I think. Boy would I love to spend some time in his basement, with all of those old blocks and hand hat tools. It would be like a museum experience, for me.

When Sharptoyes asked what grit he used for pouncing hats, old Gus said 320. If it was good enough for his jeweler friend, Gus, says, its good enough for me! So, it seems the real fine grits were not used much in the old days, if you can trust Gus. And it appears jewelers use this grit in grinding their stones. I thought it was funny at the time, due to the 2000 grit hats being advertised. But in the end, the grit used is determined by, (1, the type of felt, and (2, the finish you are working towards. Gus probably wanted to feel the nap on his hats. And there is some felt that even a 2000 grit won't clean up. Nothing will. Garbage in, garbage out. Fedora

The interesting thing is one's perpective on the purchase. We may believe Sharpetoyes 'stole them', but I bet Gus was laughing to himself thinking what a killing HE made off the sale of all that 'dead stock' from his basement! As long as everyone was happy, it's a good deal!

I dealt with an old watchmaker (deceased now) who became a good friend due to all our dealings, and would actually apologize when he charged me $20 for a full clean/oil/adjustment of a watch! Today watchmakers charge anywhere from $80 to $200+ for the same work! He stuck with his old style of pricing, and even when I told him he was selling his work short price wise, he said he didn't care....he didn't need the money and was making a good living off the prices he was charging.

Regards! Michaelson