Club Obi Wan

Hello Everyone!

I'm happy to show you my first Herbert Johnson Fedoraiders Street of Cairo with my logo. Three month ago, i received my first order from Herbert Johnson. Now, i'm waiting for another order and after, i will be ready to star the production.

For the last 3 month, i have worked on the new hat block, it's better and improve compare to my last block. I finished this block 1 month ago and i observe this block often and i'm sure that my perception is perfect. It's for this reason that i wait to make this annoncement, i would like to be sure that this block is my last block and to offer the best hat can be made.

I don't take official orders now because i'm afraid to receive too many official orders but if you are realy interested by my hats after reading this message, please let me know your interest and by curiosity your head size by Private Message. If you have any questions, please ask me via this post but be patient with me and my bad english, thanks!

I have 2 or 3 hats to promise and when i receive my next order, i will make these hats in priority. After, i will make different size of my hat and i will sell in the forum(s) in the selling section or maybe by ebay. I would like to start slowly beacause i have a family and i work full time in the tire shop. My objective in the future (2010), to take the orders one by one and make approximately 1 or 2 hats by month. I hope that you understand, i start selling my first hat only in January or February 2010. It's a long process and i would like to be ready.

For some months, i have been working on this projet with Herbert Johnson. It's a honor for me to do busness with them because it's them who supplied the Hat for Raiders in 1980. I use their new heavier felt and thier accesories. Their new felt is of very good quality and the felt color is perfect.

The price of my hats will be approximately 500$, i know that it's expensive for a rabbit hat but i'm realy sur that it's justified becuse it's a very long process to make my hats ( approximately between 25 and 30 hours ). I think that it's realy artistic work with the all details.

I beleive that it's impossible to claim to have the perfect and identical shape, there just one block on the earth that can claim this and it's the block that Richard Swale used in 1980. BUT i'm realy sur that my block is nearly identical from all angles. The front view and side view are very important but for me, the diagonal view and back view are also important for the true Raiders hat. If you like the SOC hat in Raiders, i'm sure that you will love my Fedoraiders.

All of my Streets of Cairo hat come with dust and asymetrical shape same as the hat that Harrison Ford wore in the Cairo. NOTE: I did'nt use the fuller earth because i don't like this product. I use the only good product but it is my secret.

I don't make clean hats now because i have a pleasure to built my SOC and it's my speciality but in the future, i will make a Peruvien Temple version. NOTE: my hat block is perfect for this version too. The result is very nice and it's more simple for me to make this version.

I don't have the time to take a thousand pictures with the identical angles like the Raiders pictures. It's too long and i don't like this methode, it's not a good method because we can have only 4 or 5 good pictures on the lot.

I'm happy to show you my Fedoraiders on video. Watch my videos and press pause to see the many details from every angles. NOTE: My hat is taper on the right diagonal view same as Raiders and on the left diagonal view is like Raiders too. I made many videos indoor and the exterior to see the different position of the sun on my hat.

I'm not affraid to claim this, it's the best SOC hat replica that i have ever seen.

NOTE: On the first video, my hat is without dust. It's the same hat on the 5 videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upYKN_r4Cx8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKfJ9WSD ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG1xDcau ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DVhpU4q ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVV_AWAY ... re=related


NOTE: On my second picture, my hat is without dust but it's the same hat.

Thanks for looking and be patient with my answer!

Jason (Fedoraiders)















http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/4607/007small.jpg

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/9819/008small.jpg

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5103/009small.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2960/010small.jpg

Thanks!

THAT is $##*#*@ing AMAZING!!!!!

I must say I'am impressed...
Regards,
W.

I'm glad to hear you will be opening your doors for business. I wish you the best of luck. I have no need for any more brown Indy hats, but I must say if I was to get another yours would be in contention.

Dave

Wow!!!


I've just finished looking over all the photos and videos, I have to tell you Jason, I am just AMAZED by how spectacular that hat looks!


UNBELIEVABLE!!!

As one would expect from a fan of this hat as obsessed as you, the attention to detail in this hat of yours is OFF THE CHART!
I'm as sincere as I can be when I say that it looks like you built a Time Machine and travelled back to 1980 and swiped it off Ford's head...

(Please tell me you stole it after they shot the exploding truck scene so that I know you let them finish filming the movie!)


I am in AWE.

Compliments!! I agree with Mitch, your hat seems stolen from the original movie! Wish you great success for the new business!

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but I reckon that fedoraiders creates the best SOC hats ever. Please guys don't kill me, but it's my opinion that he beats Fedora, Mark and Oak. Their hats are sure very nice and made with the best materials, but fedoraiders is THE SOC hatter.

Hi Jason, as always your work is perfect. I'd give you a Crunch bar but alas this is COW and not the Ghostbusters fan site.
So you'll have to do with these:

I wish you the best of luck with your business!

Richard

Is this felt pretty flexible or is it rather rigid, requiring steam to shape it? How'd you get the stains/spots on the ribbon? I'd love to see some closer shots of it.

VERY nice work FR!(love the personal touch on the sweat!)

Awesome work my friend. That hat looks great! Personally I don't want my own hat to be dirtied up, I would look more foward to the Temple hat then the SOC dusty-ness. All in all though, it looks awesome, and the fact that its a Herbert Johnson, is even better

You have a PM.

All good wishes for your hat-making adventure Fedoraiders!

I think you stole it from the SOC set...






Nice job, way nice job...

as i have said once before , very nice hat , can't wait to see you begin your business and be able to order a hat from you

I echo what the others have said - awesome work!

How did you find the Herbert Johnson bodies to work with compared to the Akubra?

Very Nice SOC hat,

I am a little confused. Do you get the raw bodies, sweats, ribbon and liners from HJ and the block and assemble the hat? Or our you buying a hat from HJ and just re blocking it with all the goodies already attached. I am just asking because you say you are making the hats but it sounds like you are styling an existing hat.

Nice Job.
(Sérieux bravo, tu le fais bien)

Would you ever be willing to re-block and give someone else's hat the Raiders treatment, or are you strictly going to make HJ's for this?

Excellent! I agree with you; it's your best one yet!

Weston

holy smokes! it must be the long lost twin brother of the raiders hat



nice work Fedoraiders



CJ

Great work! Reminds me alot of LLS's hats, except he doesn't do the aging. Hope you sell a ton! Very nice SOC fedora. And there is a market for this particular Indy fedora, the SOC. Welcome to the hatmakers club! Fedora

...and abandon all hope, ye who enter there-in....."



Regards! Michaelson

...and abandon all hope, ye who enter there-in....."

And, get yourself a bottle of aspirin! You will need it, trust me. And the best advice is....price your hats so you don't get huge lead times. I got firsthand knowledge of that as well as the folks still waiting on their hat. You don't want that to happen. Better find the price that will give you 4 to 6 weeks lead times. You will be happy and your customer really will be happy. Fedora

Thank you everyone for your comments and your encouragements, i appreciate very much!

agent5 The felt becaume pretty flexible after one weeks when you play with the hat often. For the stains/spots on the ribbon, it's a secret of fabrication, i hope that you understand, Thanks!

Ohio Jones I don't buy the hat from Herbert Johnson for making my hat, i use their felt and accesoires and i create the hat. Thanks!

Yojimbo Jones if i compare the felt from Herbert Johnson and that Akubra, the felt is worked the same way but the color of HJ is better.

Strider I don't reblock the hat because i'm realy sure that my block is more big. The probleme, if i re-block your hat with my block is that your brim will be too short and if i push too on my hat block, the hat can be breaks and I don't want break your hat.

Thanks Fedora, i apreciate.

Jason

The brim looks a bit wide to me?

Very nicely done, as always. You've certainly mastered all the nuances of this particular hat.

Wow, could turn out to be the Tony Nowak of hats (at least with the awesome pre-distressing), it's good you're specializing in the SOC style, and I understand what you mean about the price and the prolonged process of turning something like that out, that's why no one else offers a ready-made SOC (as we all know). Very good news indeed, start saving up now folks...

VP wrote:The brim looks a bit wide to me?

To me too, but I have to say WOW! that's amazing! Excellent job!

how the .. do you get the front brim like that?
do you use a hat that is too small and push it down or what?

EDIT:
i'll bump this thread cause im desperate and i dont really want to start a new thread... and yes, ive been reading most of the SoC hats thread ><

bump.

Make no mistakes and have no doubts, for this is your calling. You were born to make these hats! You have an eye for what the Streets of Cairo hat should look like. I wish you well in your new venture. I cant wait to see what your temple hats look like as well! Count on an order from me when you open your shop!

Thank you very much everyone for your good comments and sorry for my late answers.

EvilDean for your question, my hat is not to small for me, for the front brim, it's my special method to built the hat. If you search a SOC thread look this.....

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42072

Thanks!

Jason

Hey Jason, love the hat and you have my pm! Are you going to be making a Raiders grey travel hat?

Digger4Glory wrote:Hey Jason, love the hat and you have my pm! Are you going to be making a Raiders grey travel hat?

Now, i make just my Street of Cairo but in the future, i will make a Peruvien Temple version but you have a good idea for a grey hat. I'll think about it.

Thanks

Jason

Fedoraraiders, I am thrilled that you are going to be making a Streets of Cairo hat as I have admired yours from your previous avatar and pictures that I have seen!!!

Those pictures are stunning!!!

I've been meaning to buy a HJ for some time now, and I think that yours may just be the one. I'll keep you posted.

You should DO it, Canyon!


Speaking for myself, I cannot wait until I can put my noggin under one of fedoraiders amazing hats!


And who knows... I might even take a couple of photos!

I'd love one, but 500$ is the same as 5,000$ to me right now.

That's the coolest hat I've ever seen!

but I agree...$500 is like $5,000,000 right now.

the crown looks good, but in my opinion the brim is way to wide.

Indiana Holt wrote:the crown looks good, but in my opinion the brim is way to wide.

Thanks for your opinion Holt and you are right, the brim of this hat is a little bit too wide because it's my hat test.

I work in the tire shop and there many friends who have the same head size that mine and i put my hat on their head to look the shape and look the brim detail. This guys measure between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 2 inches. For me, it's the realy good test because me i'm very short, (5 feet 3 inch). I think that the proportion to the hat for man who measure EX: 6 foot 4 inch are a little bit different that my tall.

My conclusion is that the brim width may vary a little bit depending the tall of the guys and it's the same think for the height crown.

The brim of my hat for my friend who measure 6 foot 2 inch is perfect but the crown is a little short of about 1/8 inch. I write these notes in my note book and they're very precious notes.

The perfect size is very complex but because, i'm realy perfectionist, i want the perfection.

Since, I cut the brim of 1/8 of this hat and it's perfect for me.

Thank you very much everyone for your good comments, i appreciate this very much.

I'am increasingly persuaded that my block is perfect for my perception. I have frisian when I look at my hats and my block, i'm very happy of my accomplishments.

Jason

And you should be Jason.

I'm not kidding when I say that's the best hat I've seen.

Great work!

Mike

Tundrarider wrote:(Which is only like $4,300!!!)

Yep.

Believe me, someone offered up their Henry here for a hundred buckaroos the other day, and I couldn't even snatch that up, and believe me, I wanted to!

Fedoraiders, don't worry about the brim details. You can always fix that later, and plus, you can have your customers e-mail you the brim dimensions of a hat they already have that looks good on them TO them, so you'll be able to individually tailor each hat.

Just to agree with some others here... If I could have ANY hat - then this would be it. I love it

Jason, as far as the brim goes. I think its right on for the Streets of Cairo look! Your right though, different hats for different people and the hat must suit the wearer. Sometimes you got to go with your gut though. All I know is when I first saw your pics, I sent you a pm right away! Its like seeing a beautiful woman, who is especially beautiful to you. You just know shes the one! Thats the hat for me and I can't wait till you open your doors! Just say the word and payment is on its way! Besides you can always offer multiple versions of the same style to suit the buyer...

You know, I went and watched the U tube vids, and this block looks to be identical to LLS's block. I have an intimate knowledge of LLS's hats, and its a dead ringer, block shape wise. You copy LLS's work? I know you bought a hat from him, so it's just natural to ask. Hope the question is not uncomfortable for you. I don't mean it to be. I just see too much similarity with the LLS blockshape. If so, that's perfectly natural. LLS copied a vintage HJ I sent him, in order to arrive at his block shape, and I copied an HJ as well. So, we are all copying.

I think the Raiders blockshape has been a quest for quite a few of us here. Lots or sanding has been done by quite a few folks too.

You adding those extra tweaks, like the extra crease on the right side of the hat, and the bulging of the new felt is outstanding! Zeroing in on one particular look was very wise to do as well. The SOC fedora is the fav of many here, myself included, although, I love all of the different looks in Raiders. But that SOC hat just has so much character! And is the hardest to replicate. It's a hat, that looks like it has been through many adventures. Much mileage. I think if I offered them, at accurate as yours, I would only be able to make one per day. I can tell, there is a lot of work that goes into this hat of yours. But, at least you are not starting from a raw body, so that would save a lot of time as well. It literally takes me only a half hour to reblock and change out the bow on the Mag Hjs. If I had to do your treatment, it would take me all day.

I would advise you to treat these hats with a good water repellant treatment though. Essential if you wear em in the wet stuff. This HJ felt if not stablized shrinks pretty fast, and that shrinkage would null and void the look you have arrived at. Just some advice that I have suffered and learned from over the past few years. So, when you reblock your HJs, moisten and iron as many times on high heat, as the hat will take without shrinking up to where it would be too short. And iron right below the scorching point, as this is important. The more you can iron the hat, and it shrink on the block, the better the hat will last over the long haul.(original blockshape you put into it) And if you are using that heavier weight felt that I use, these hats will last a long time to boot. The lightweight felt from them, is a bit too light weight for the long haul. As you will find out, as time goes by, from your customers. They will let ya know, believe me!

Between you and Holt, you guys have this down to an artform. I am impressed, big time. Fedora

Hello Steve!

First, i have a big respect for you and David and i understand your question and i think that it's a normal question because you and David be friend. But i'm little bit disappointed because i did not copy the LLS block and i think that my hat on my pictures and videos is different than LLS. Look my hats on my old posts (before my purchase from David) and my hat was very good, similar as now but better. David make a great hats but i'm certain that my block is better on all views, front view, beside view and especially the diagonal view who is also very very important for a great replica.

I beleive that it's relatively easy to make a block with a good front view and good beside view but i'm sure that it's very hard job to make a block with a good front view, good beside view AND the good diagonal view AND the big center crease same as Raiders. The center crease of my hat is realy deeper than LLS and i'm sure that you know this detail because is realy easy to see this detail on my pictures and videos. I'm sure that you know that it's hard to make a deep center crease without the conical shape and I succeeded this and I'm really proud of my work.

Please everyone, look this post to see me with my LLS hat that i bought on the last summer. Just for the pleasure, look the seventh picture and you understand that our block are different.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42146

Please everyone, look this post too.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=41044

I Think that it's possible to create the perfect block without copy (just watching the Raiders Movies in slow mode) but it's a very long work. For me, more 2 years.

Three month ago, I did a Hat article for a guy who has an excellent website of Indiana Jones in France. In this article, i explain my research and my many experiences that i made since 2 years. If you able to read in french, i'm realy sure that you will love this article.
http://www.jones-jr.com/cost_jason_lavallee_01.html
http://www.jones-jr.com/cost_jason_lavallee_02.html

I wrote in my annoncement (Look my videos and press pause to see the many details from every angles.) I konw that you know perfectly the hat of Raiders and I am sure that you will find my block perfect and you are impressive because if you saw my videos and if you pushed pause, you see that my hat is nearly perfect. It's relatively easy to made a good pictures but i think that it's a other thing on video and i'm not affraid to show you my hat in videos.

Our curiosity are normal, me too, i will be curious to see your block and the LLS block. Two month ago, Holt send me a private message to ask me my (oval block shape on a piece of paper), i think that is normal too, i didn't give this information. But i think that it's not correct to say that I copied the block of LLS.

In a previous post, you told me that (I hope everyone here understands that. Your facial shape is similiar to Ford's), you see me in my videos and i don't have the face similar as Harrison. And without wanting to offend you, I think that it's possible that a French Canadian can make a success of something. I hope that you understand and i hope that the Adminitrator do not see this message like the bad commentary because I don't want any problems. Don't worry Steve and David, I don't have nor your talents neither your experience for the confection and i don't make the hats in the large quatity. I just want to share my passion with the fans and i don't do this for the fortune but for the glory.

Steve, it's just a opinion but i affraid that it is a strategy. I hope that it is not this because i will be realy disappointed from you and this story. Because my bad english, It's very hard for me to explain perfectly in english and i'm very busy by my work and I have a family.

Thank you very much Steve for your others good councils, i appreciate very much.

Jason

P.S. I have something to offer you, during the holiday time, i have 10 days of vacation and I'm ready to invite you and David at my home for a week-end. It will be the best time to compare our blocks and talk about hats. It's not a joke, i'm realy serious. You can met my wife and my beautiful little girl.

Left is LLS and right is My Fedoraiders

Hey great! LLS had noticed a similarity too, and that is why I was wondering. So, I had to ask. Don't take that in a wrong way though, as I was just being curious. Nothing more than that, I can assure you! I just saw similarities between your block and his. Been looking at blocks for years now!

The best way to get close to the Raiders block is by veiwing the film, which you have done. And then experimenting, which you have also done. I reckon I have tried every profile and blockshape out there, and always saw something that was not quite right, until I realized the Raiders hat morphed within the film. Reverse engineering a morphed hat is hard to do, as you will replicate that one hat well, but when you try to get another look, it falls short. That is what I have run into, in the years I worked on this block. Try taking your blockshape, and then getting an inside the temple hat from it. The tapered one, dropped low in the back. I think you may find it difficult to pull off.

I finally think I realized one block won't yield all of the looks of the hats we see in the film. Because of shrinkage that went on. But, I could be wrong!!! But when I compare the SOC hat, to some other hats in the film, I see a different hat, that looks to be a different block. I do think the hat on the outside of the temple scenes was a new one, with no shrinkage evident, and what followed in the film was this blockshape morphing with the distressing and wear. That makes the most sense to me.

Anyways, as I said, you have done a great job my friend. And I hope you sell a ton of em'. I like your pricing too! I think your hat is worth every penny of what you charge. And, you are starting out "smart" with your pricing. No one in their right mind would want to be where I am today with my backlog, that was created when I sold too many hats at that 225 to 250 price. But, I started out in my hatmaking, reblocking hats for free. And had that hobby mindset, even after we got the Indy 4 deal. In hindsight, I was just trying to give the folks a great bargain, and it bit me in the buttocks. At least you are not repeating my mistakes.

I am still waiting for Holt to offer his own hats for sale. Both you guys are gifted. And I don't begrudge either of you at all. I have the CS fedora, which is mostly what my sales are these days. That's my little niche. And I incorporated "little things" in producing that hat, that would make it hard to replicate, exactly. And I never really offered a real accurate SOC fedora, due to the time it would take to create one. But, you sure do it, and you do it so very, very well!! My hat is off to you. I see a lot of happy owners of your hats in the future! Well deserved too. Fedora

Thank you very much Steve for this explication, i appreciat and I'm relieved.

Look my next thread to explain in english my process that i use to create my blocks and my hats. I will reveal some of my secrecies.

If a day your are interessted by my work, i will be ready to make a business with you.

Regard

Jason

Language barriers, very dangerous! You go first!

I'm glad the misunderstanding was sorted out

Fedoraraiders, since both you and LLS say you took a lot of inspiration from the "exterior temple" hat it is not that strange that they look alike

Great job on replicating the SOC hat!

Regards, Geert