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Stetson Temples vs Rain
And that would be great news! Glad to hear it. I don't get out much. Fedora -
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Hat sightings in Japan
Japan has been very kind to me as I have sent a few dozen hats over there, with another 6 on order. So someone is buying and wearing my hats over there. Granted, not that many, but still.....and I still get orders every now and then, on referrals from my other customers. But I have sold hats in... -
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Stetson Temples vs Rain
I have rain stories that involve 3 Temples I bought around 1992 or so. I wore mine in the rain, as I normally would any hat. But, mine got alot wetter than the pic posted above of the Temple. That's not WET!! ;) Ok, when I got mine really wet, the finishing or leuring powder bled out, and I... -
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Straight 1930's hat blocks
Well, there ya go. I had been told by a reputable source(one of my suppliers) they actually owned no factory for hatmaking. Glad you cleared that up, now I can tell him!! And yes, I was asking about the old Indy hat when I called. This was about 15 years ago. Seems like I got a bit of... -
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Straight 1930's hat blocks
Wow, I didn't know we had a Hatco rep here. Great! At least back when Stetson got the rights for the after film hat, you guys at least were able to place a Stetson in the film(s) For advertising purposes later on. DP did not get to do so. And no wonder. At least you guys knew how to make the... -
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Straight 1930's hat blocks
Sure and thanks. Like I said, I serve a different market than the hatter mentioned. On the pouncing, sure, I will do any finish, even taking all of the nap off, so the hat appears to be made of something like leather. Generally on my Indy fedoras, I just use 320 grit, which is the same grit... -
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Straight 1930's hat blocks
I read a bit on the Dillinger thread, but could not respond to this, due to it being locked down. I just need to clarify my side. For everyone's information, the block I used for the Indy 4 fedora was a very old block, with "fedora" imprinted on the bottom of the block. I did not make it... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
Yeah, I agree. I started out by reblocking hats for free. It was a hobby. Something that I found personally gratifying. Only after I got the Indy 4 gig did I move from hobby to business. I was forced into it. I am one lucky guy. All I make are Indy fedoras, mostly what I made for Indy 4. And... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
Yeah. It was a bottle of brown dye, in an unmarked bottle. It came from a hatter friend of mine,and was some old dye he had ran across years ago. So, I am not sure what it was composed of. Or what brand it was. Seems like he said it was aniline, or something like that, but man, my memory isn't... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
I think that the long hair finishes are great if that is your cup of tea. I am also impressed by the old methods of producing this finish. And I mean impressed. It astounds me the amount of manual work that went into this, prior to machines. Personally, I like enough nap on a hat so that one... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
No sir, not at all. We are not communicating well. And perhaps my fault there. Let's get on the same page. Generally when one says a hat will or will not hold up to "weather" that means in my circles that the hat would lose its original full crown shape. Nothing else. It has to do with a... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
Of course it is. It already is close to the original cone used, so I can understand why it doesn't taper. But take that same material, and make a hat that has a straight crown, and you would see the taper we are talking about. It does not have to revert to the original cone, because it never was... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
The thing is, today, a vintage hat seems invincible against water, that is, no tapering of the crown, or a reversal to the cone used originally to create the hat. But back in the old days, do you think felt did not shrink? I don't think so. I think it would shrink and taper, as that is what... -
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Modern rabbit, vintage rabbit, modern beaver
I too have heard Akubra no longer uses their own wild rabbit population, which to me is one reason the old Akubras appear to me to be better hats. In the Hat Talk book by D. Henderson, she interviewed a hatter who said at one time, the Aussie rabbit was the best of the best, rabbit fur to use... -
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Christy's of London
I highly doubt you could get this felt through Hornet. Mainly because Portugal makes that felt for hat makers, plus, the felt that is used in the Christy is made in Spain, by the factory that makes the hats for Christy. We had to set it up with this Spanish factory, to have Portugal felt sent to... -
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Christy's of London
I agree. Around a 100 per cent gross margin, from Hornet, and much, much more for HJ. It's their name that costs ya. I know this all too well. I work with the Spanish felt for another vendor. I will just say this... you can tear the brim off of the HJ or Christy, when you reblock them, IF... -
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Christy's of London
A Christy? I don't know who retails them here. Most use Hornet Hats as the source. -
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Christy's of London
Thanks for that info. I can never get too much. That name sounds familiar to me, but not sure where or when I read , or heard it. I think Portugal makes the finest rabbit body to be had. You just have to request the same body as used in the Hasidic Jewish hats, but with a smooth finish. I... -
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Christy's of London
Sorry, I can't divulge the name. I have to draw the line somewhere when talking about this stuff. I know more, but can only tell what would keep me in good with our sources. I know Gary White at one time prior to the conflict, got his felt from Yugoslavia. Not really that many feltmakers... -
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Christy's of London
Ok, you guys want to know the facts? If you buy a Christy from Hornet Hats, or an H.J. from H.J. both of these hats are made in Spain. The factory in Spain also makes their own rabbit felt. How do I know? Because we have a hat made in this same factory! But, we have Portugal felt sent in to...
