Club Obi Wan

Hi,

As a simple Hatmaker, looking for your opinion and comments.

Just made a Raiders hat (not turned) in Rabbit & Hare mix, beautiful to crease with. Slightly thicker felt and lighter brown than the original. Was going for more of a used look. Dimensional cut and approx 14 cm tall crown. Comes with an Italian Silk Liner (no picture attached), can see in my store.

Would love to get your feedback on it.
More details in my HUFVUD Etsy store.

http://www.hufvud.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://hufvud.etsy.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks good. That front of brim is drooping a lot though. Is it a very floppy felt? As for here the price is kind of steep for starting out. I would wager most here would pay that and get an Everyman from John penman. Good luck and welcome.

Jeremiah wrote:Looks good. That front of brim is drooping a lot though. Is it a very floppy felt? As for here the price is kind of steep for starting out. I would wager most here would pay that and get an Everyman from John penman. Good luck and welcome.

Thanks Jeremiah for your reply, very good points. I basically just made it drop down a bit, perhaps too much. There is a degree of stiffening to it so it wouldn't be as floppy as the AB, hence it's a heavier felt. Difficult to explain without actually touching the felt. I have a 100% rabbit version which is not as easy to crease as this mix. The hat is entirely handstitched and the sweatband is cut, glued and stitched by myself in the studio. Price, well I do offer free shipping to many locations.

Love Penman's work, not intended to compete with him. My focus is mainly on vintage hats but always been a fan of Indiana Jones. Thought I would give it a try, its a very interesting hat to create.

Love the feedback.

Do you make any in pure beaver? Very good bash btw.

Jeremiah wrote:Do you make any in pure beaver? Very good bash btw.

Thank you! Took time to learn it. I reblocked an AB for a client and forced myself to learn more details than I ever knew before. Perhaps put some of my own touches, hehe. That reblock is on my blog if there is any interest to know what I did, http://www.hufvud.com/blog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I started making hats in 2017, constantly expanding my stock of felt. I have 100% rabbit in only 2 colors and rest is all Rabbit & Hare mix, love it. Won't go back to rabbit after that I am sure. Will be getting beaver mix first of all then expand to perhaps beaver. I only carry selected colors in beaver at the moment since its expensive to stock up on. My plan in 2018 is to have pure beaver ready and available, it would be first of all for other colors than brown. Exciting year, 2018.

Awesome work my dear! i’ve Started making hat too in 2017 and I love it!

LOVE the deep center crease!

$227 plus free shipping for a custom rabbit hat sounds like a good deal to me. Not far off what others are charging for a custom. Keep up the good work! More vendors means more options!

andrea1984 wrote:Awesome work my dear! i’ve Started making hat too in 2017 and I love it!

That's great! The world needs more hatmakers. Would love to see what you do.

Chewbacca Jones wrote:LOVE the deep center crease!

Thank you, it makes hats look more relaxed with a deeper dent.

Charybdis wrote:$227 plus free shipping for a custom rabbit hat sounds like a good deal to me. Not far off what others are charging for a custom. Keep up the good work! More vendors means more options!

Thank you for your feedback, fully agree with you. I personally would love to see more custom made items in the world, not only hats. It's great to see more hatmakers coming to life putting a variety of hats on the market. More vendors mean more awareness for the craft and the beloved accessory. A hat, regardless of the style, should be unique.

Everyone has their own idea what a specific hat should look like and that's why we need perhaps hatmakers making the same hat in 10 slightly different ways. Originality is great, nothing wrong with it. From the day I first saw Indiana Jones to the day I held a hat made to be exactly as the movie I was surprised and slightly disappointed. I had envisioned a different feel and structure to fit me. It's a matter of personal taste and that's where custom, in any industry, makes things right for you.

http://www.hufvud.com/craft" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hufvud wrote:

andrea1984 wrote:Awesome work my dear! i’ve Started making hat too in 2017 and I love it!

That's great! The world needs more hatmakers. Would love to see what you do.

You could find me on Instagram as andrea_tognarelli

Nej men tjänare!! A hatmaker near home... but well anyways.Nice to know that gearmakers are getting closer.
What I see the hats are little highcrowned but custom made too.Way to go.

MARQ wrote:Nej men tjänare!! A hatmaker near home... but well anyways.Nice to know that gearmakers are getting closer.
What I see the hats are little highcrowned but custom made too.Way to go.

Hej du! It is high crowned for sure, like most of my hats. Why do the same when you can make it different? The original makers of the hat do a fantastic job, I am not intending to steal their glory. Surprisingly though, a high crown has been sought after.

Ha det gott!

Absolutely love the hats, hufvud! I'm curious if you're planning on making any hats with a less dramatic brim swoop? Would love to see how those turn out if so.

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Absolutely love the hats, hufvud! I'm curious if you're planning on making any hats with a less dramatic brim swoop? Would love to see how those turn out if so.

Thank you kindly! Well, anything is possible, especially from an open crown.

Just share an updated version.

Ah! I am so pleased that Mikael has posted here. I can attest to his skills as a hatmaker and craftsman. I sent him my Adventurebilt Henry for restoration and he did a superb job on reblocking it and cleaning it. His work on my har can be seen here

http://www.hufvud.com/blog/renovation-p ... nry-fedora

I have sent some other fedoras of mine that were in need of some new life and he blew my mind with his work on them. I will certainly be getting my next fedora from him and his prices cannot be beaten for a custom handmade hat. Everything is handstitched on his hats. The sweatbands are pretty awesome too.

Best,
Adam

wannabe wrote:Ah! I am so pleased that Mikael has posted here. I can attest to his skills as a hatmaker and craftsman. I sent him my Adventurebilt Henry for restoration and he did a superb job on reblocking it and cleaning it. His work on my har can be seen here

http://www.hufvud.com/blog/renovation-p ... nry-fedora

I have sent some other fedoras of mine that were in need of some new life and he blew my mind with his work on them. I will certainly be getting my next fedora from him and his prices cannot be beaten for a custom handmade hat. Everything is handstitched on his hats. The sweatbands are pretty awesome too.

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam! Great to see you here, thank you for the kind words. It means a lot to be appreciated. It pleases me more to hear that you were satisfied with the outcome.

Regards,

Mikael

hufvud wrote:Just share an updated version.

Hufvud Raider.jpg

The crown looks fantastic, if the brim were were to be a bit more even, I'd be all over this!

Castor Dioscuri wrote:

hufvud wrote:Just share an updated version.

Hufvud Raider.jpg

The crown looks fantastic, if the brim were were to be a bit more even, I'd be all over this!

Thank you. It can be done

Just finished making another hat, both 100% Rabbit, and a Rabbit & Hare Mix. Crown Height is down to 5.5 inches. Hat size 57 cm (7 1/8).

100% Rabbit Rabbit & Hare Mix Mikael
HUFVUD HATMAKER
http://hufvud.etsy.com
http://www.hufvud.com

Looks real nice!1

Charybdis wrote:Looks real nice!1

Thank you kindly

Hey!

Love this! Lovely hat!

Lykke til!

Michelle

NoBadDates wrote:Hey!

Love this! Lovely hat!

Lykke til!

Michelle

Thank you dear Not perfect, just love making hats. Have a great weekend!

Pretty cold in Sweden at the moment, but nothing beats working next to warm steam.
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https://www.etsy.com/se-en/listing/5832 ... ome_feat_2

Looking good! I am curious though, I know that many Gearheads on this forum tend to put their hats through quite a bit of abuse, so I have to ask, do you do anything special to your hats to prevent or mitigate the inevitable shrinking from getting wet, daily use, etc? I know some of and some more popular Indy gear hatters pre shrink their felt for this very reason...

It's really a shame you're in Sweden though, I for one would love to see those hats in person!

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Looking good! I am curious though, I know that many Gearheads on this forum tend to put their hats through quite a bit of abuse, so I have to ask, do you do anything special to your hats to prevent or mitigate the inevitable shrinking from getting wet, daily use, etc? I know some of and some more popular Indy gear hatters pre shrink their felt for this very reason...

It's really a shame you're in Sweden though, I for one would love to see those hats in person!

Hi Castor,

Thank you kindly for your words. I spend 2 - 3 days on the felt alone since I do not have any fancy vintage equipment that would drastically reduce the time making the hats. During this period the felt is drenched in water, slightly stretched and wet ironed into place on the block. After this, the felt is left to dry, which for me is the most important part. I am lucky to be in a climate that helps to dry the hats overnight, with few occasions I have had them dry for a longer period. During the drying session, the felt is wanting to pull back to its most comfortable position after the stretching and ironing. This is however very little.

Since I have been making hats for 2 years I honestly don't know how they will fare after 20 years. But, I am confident that this technique helps to keep the hats in shape and reduce shrinkage. Obviously, humidity and heat will always have an impact as well as how you treat a hat. I have had the opportunity to restore hats that are more than 5 - 7 years from reputable vendors. They had been exposed to rain, heat, and humidity and were pretty much deformed, despite how they were promised to be. I wear my hats in rain, I wear them in both summer and winter. For me personally, it has been a great experience and that's why I would like for others to experience the same. If a hat gets wet, you let it simply dry by itself away from direct sunlight. I am pretty sure that Harrison wore more than one hat during the making of his films, the hats were distressed but not brutally used for decades. (I might be wrong?)

However, I do not recommend for a hat to be drenched completely in water as it will damage its components more than it will affect the felt. The felt itself is very resilient whereas leather and ribbons might not feel the same.

Well, I would love to make a road trip with my hats to show the world. If you invite me, I might just make a visit.

Regards,

Mikael

Good to hear. I am a firm believer that a hat is a tool. I use it daily. Rain, snow, heat and humidity. Whatever the day is like I have a hat on my head 98% of the time. I have some vintage hats from the 50/. They are holding up well too but they have a character about them that would be lost with a reblock and renovation so I wear them as is.

Jeremiah wrote:Good to hear. I am a firm believer that a hat is a tool. I use it daily. Rain, snow, heat and humidity. Whatever the day is like I have a hat on my head 98% of the time. I have some vintage hats from the 50/. They are holding up well too but they have a character about them that would be lost with a reblock and renovation so I wear them as is.

Exactly! It is a tool, it serves as a great protection. Individually made hats that are shaped by the life experience from the wearer is the most amazing part. Items that get scratched or discolored happens for a reason and it becomes etched in your memory everytime you see it. It creates a story which could both be good and bad. Then again, I made hats for people who just wanted to place it on a shelf as decoration. That's pretty cool as well, very tasteful.

The vintage hats I have acquired have defects but I wouldn't repair them or change them at all. They have their own unique charm. For me, it serves as a tool for learning about the past and how cool hats were made back in the day.

Thanks, Jeremiah!

Just sharing my latest creation for spring/summer. Rabbit & Hare mix, sand color with copper ribbon. Brim is 5 cm (2 inch), crown 12 cm (4 3/4 inches).

About time that Hatmaker showed his face too. Shorter brim fits me better for sure.
https://www.etsy.com/se-en/listing/5951 ... e_active_1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I like the look of these hats, full of character. Nice work.

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Dangerfreak wrote:I like the look of these hats, full of character. Nice work.

Sent from my XT1700 using Tapatalk

Thank you kindly Dangerfreak! It's the most fun style to work on.

Just got my hands on 30X beaver in this pretty color. Made a hat for me to wear as a start and already working on the second one to a fan in Hong Kong.

5-inch crown. Cut the brim slightly shorter than the suggested proportion to a 2.5 inch. Also, the crease has only been turned a bit. Customizable in my store right now.
Free Shipping EU, US, CA

https://www.etsy.com/se-en/listing/5832 ... ome_feat_2

Another make with a different customization. 30X Beaver Fur Felt. Really fun to work with.

Happy Friday! Get your lids on and hit the streets! Enjoy!

Chewbacca Jones wrote:LOVE the deep center crease!

Me too!

I share my the opinion of my friends that these are very handsome hats.

The deep center dent is very nice.

The depth of the center dent gives rise to a question I have not seen discussed very often:

How deep should a center dent be for a SA Raiders hat?

I see many different depths in the Raiders movie, depending on the scene.

AttyOzzy wrote:I share my the opinion of my friends that these are very handsome hats.

The deep center dent is very nice.

The depth of the center dent gives rise to a question I have not seen discussed very often:

How deep should a center dent be for a SA Raiders hat?

I see many different depths in the Raiders movie, depending on the scene.

Thank you kindly! Indeed, I have seen different styles as well in the movie. The way a hat is thrown around and smashed back on the head, its dents would change a bit. Especially they would stay that way in humid and hot weather. When I make the LEIFUR FEDORA it certainly looks deeper than when I make a similar one in a lighter felt. Might be the shades that makes it look deeper. Then again, every time I get a request, the hat changes. Glad to be making different styles all the time. Makes it more fun.

/ Mikael

HUFVUD HATMAKER
http://www.hufvud.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Been doing a lot of different hats lately. Great fun to customize a hat for someone. Just sharing a Sable Rabbit and Hare. 100X Beaver available shortly. Pre-orders are ready at a lower price. Send me a message for more info.

info@hufvud.com

LEIFUR Lucky FEDORA by HUFVUD

100X Beaver and Rabbit & Hare Blend
http://www.hufvud.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
info@hufvud.com
hufvud.etsy.com

Looks great. How much will the beaver sable one cost? And will it be thin dress weight felt or more of a western weight felt? Thanks
Edit: I mean the price to pre-order, not the website price.

LRGS wrote:Looks great. How much will the beaver sable one cost? And will it be thin dress weight felt or more of a western weight felt? Thanks
Edit: I mean the price to pre-order, not the website price.

Thanks! Yes its dressed felt, not western. European Beaver. Free standard shipping to COW members until it arrives. Should be mid October, could be earlier.

hufvud wrote:

LRGS wrote:Looks great. How much will the beaver sable one cost? And will it be thin dress weight felt or more of a western weight felt? Thanks
Edit: I mean the price to pre-order, not the website price.

Thanks! Yes its dressed felt, not western. European Beaver. Free standard shipping to COW members until it arrives. Should be mid October, could be earlier.

Thanks for this.

When you say 'European Beaver', are you referring to Portuguese fur felt as your source?

If so, that's AMAZING stuff!

I have a 78gr Portuguese beaver I wear ALL the time (VERY light dress weight), and it's been rebuilt/reblocked several times and just looks better all the time. VERY comfortable too!

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:When you say 'European Beaver', are you referring to Portuguese fur felt as your source?

If so, that's AMAZING stuff!

I have a 78gr Portuguese beaver I wear ALL the time (VERY light dress weight), and it's been rebuilt/reblocked several times and just looks better all the time. VERY comfortable too!

Regards! Michaelson

Yes sir, it is. My 30X Beaver is from there as well.

Regards,

Mikael

Amazing stuff!

I have two hats made from that source....one I just mentioned, and another AdventureBilt from the Crystal Skull project.

They're both top end hats!

Regards! M

Michaelson wrote:Amazing stuff!

I have two hats made from that source....one I just mentioned, and another AdventureBilt from the Crystal Skull project.

They're both top end hats!

Regards! M

Indeed yes. I had the honor of reblocking an AdventureBilt. Great material and composition. The quality makes for great dress fedoras. Every time I make one of my RAGNAR Fedoras its like sculpting a piece of art. Creasing the crown towards the end of the production is the best part. The hat gets a soul.

Regards,

Mikael

What great hats ... I want the Olafur terribly ...