Recent content by belfastboy

I have been fortunate to receive some interesting commissions lately. Here is one shipped out yesterday. Client wanted a Festival hat to wear to a summer Blues Festival in his town. He gave me a picture of a Nic Fouqet hat (surprisingly not distressed) as a model. Here is my version...

Here is a fun one. This started out as a commission for a ZZ Top style hat. Tall, open crown, shorty brim. But on completion the client decided he wanted to add a 'Gus' bash. Winchester beaver in Natural, braided horsehair band, brained leather and a narrow leather strip just because...

I have been called to make a number of Trilby style or at least narrower brimmed fedoras of late. Shipped this out yesterday. FEPSA 95gr/100% beaver in Brown Sugar. Liner is a mud dyed Tsumogi Japanese silk

It is both good to hear Mike's wait list is so long and he is doing so well. His hats are such a bargain as he is a true Master at his craft.

Let me know how you make out with it.

Good choice.

Do you do the full naptha bath cleaning?

Contact Tim @purebeaver. He has sold the ASM and he teaches classes on hatmaking up in Pennsyvania. He might be willing to sell you a few hours of his time.

Will the seller not help you out? I think most of the hatters here hand sew their sweats. You might try FB, there is a page for Custom Hat Makers.

Ask PHD if they are willing to make you this hat. No reason they can't. It looks to be a mish/mash of a few different styles.

A sweat band replacement will be about $40, $20 if you do it yourself. I bought one this quality in Nashville last Sept, cloth sweat for $100. Cheap hats are great because I don't sweat it if they are lost or damaged in my travels.

Did you speak to them about sizing? I am always suspicious at any hat listed as s,m,l etc. It often is a crap shoot whether it fits or not.

I think a mid grey to soften the look. Go darker to a charcoal to more formalize the look. Def not brown.

A 3 piece suit that dark is a severe & formal look and a navy fedora would serve to accentuate that. If you wanted to soften the look a bit give some thought to a mid grey. In the winter what colour overcoat do you wear? The hat and the overcoat are the two items that will be seen together...

My favourite (I really do like it and am not mocking!!!) is the work that the pyrographers do on hats. Rands Hats out of Billings has an artist that does designs on hat burning them in with what looks like a good old wood burning tool. The work they do is fantastic. If/when I am ever in...