Alley Kat Hat Co

[Cane Rod Maker]

When you can post a "head shot" here of you wearing your new hat from Tim!

Vic sent me this picture, and asked I put it here for you Cindy. @LuvMyMan

Hope all is well!

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[LuvMyMan]

Vic sent me this picture, and asked I put it here for you Cindy. @LuvMyMan

Hope all is well!

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Wow now that is a perfection match....razor sharp looking fantastic.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Vic sent me this picture, and asked I put it here for you Cindy. @LuvMyMan

Hope all is well!

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I had to come back and take a peek at this again. That is such a great match for Vic. Some times you see a picture that what hat the person is wearing, seems to be a life long look...and this one hits it on the button. Can't imagine seeing any other hat on Vic now.

Yeah Tim, we are still hanging in there...seems every darn day something happens to set us back however. Roof leaking, thermostat for our furnace is a digital programmed unit that is not working properly, furnace runs until I manually shut it off....and no...I did NOT save any money switching to Geico! LOL!

 

[gtdean48]

My brother turns 60 next month & he retired from UPS after 39 years this past Fall, so I decided to add to his hat collection with his first custom. He is a thin ribbon fan & so I talked with Tim about one like he had posted earlier that spoke to me. Tim's painstakingly detailed hand-stitching sold be on his Strat clone. I have one of the Cane Rod Maker's first run so I know Tim has advanced his skills & artistry. Tim sent me a phone photo. Take a look at this beauty...

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Greetings All:
Today i’d enjoy presenting Tim’s (Alley Kat) #28 CRM from 2013. I would put this hat up against some of my finest and it would be around for the finals. Check out that ribbon work. Quality is unbelievable. I can’t fathom his latest creations. I know where i’d buy a new custom though. Thanks Tim for the art my friend.
Be well. Bowen

 

[bolthead]

Hey Tom, here's a few I took today for you.

 

[Gunloader55]

View attachment 109811 View attachment 109812 View attachment 109813 View attachment 109814 Greetings All:
Today i’d enjoy presenting Tim’s (Alley Kat) #28 CRM from 2013. I would put this hat up against some of my finest and it would be around for the finals. Check out that ribbon work. Quality is unbelievable. I can’t fathom his latest creations. I know where i’d buy a new custom though. Thanks Tim for the art my friend.
Be well. Bowen

I’m gonna talk you out of this fantastic looking hat!

 

[Zombie_61]

I’m gonna talk you out of this fantastic looking hat!

My money's on "Not gonna' happen" unless you throw so much money at Bowen that he'd be a fool not to accept. And then he can have Tim make him another one.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I’m gonna talk you out of this fantastic looking hat!

Ha Ha! You’re prob gonna need a gun for that gunloader!! B

 

[gtdean48]

Hey Tom, here's a few I took today for you.

WOW! Thanks Kurt....That is one sexy lid...too bad my brother's head is smaller than mine...

 

[gtdean48]

My CRM/pre-Alley Kat hat..gets lots of use...

 

[bolthead]

My CRM/pre-Alley Kat hat..gets lots of use...

Yup, that's you alright......

 

[gtdean48]

Hey Tom, here's a few I took today for you.

My photo skills can't compare with Kurt's, so I'll just reply to his work. This hat arrived from Tim yesterday & is just incredible. The hand stitching is so well done & the hand on this hat is exquisite.
Tim is a true artisan at his new craft. Thanks again Tim & will report back when I get my brother's reaction at his party next month.

 

[Gunloader55]

View attachment 111079 I finished this aged distressed build last week, and got some nice photos to share. I wanted this hat to look 100 years old. I have a unique process to make a felt look like it leeched, head oil and sweat salts into the body over a long period.
Light up my thread if so inclined...

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Thanks for sharing. "No lighting up" from me sir.

Patina is personal choice. Congrats on a hat that works for you. The recent builds coming from Alley Cat of late have been marvelous craftsmanship. Excellent artisan.

Distressed leather sweat or liner?

Thanks, Eric -

 

[gtdean48]

Interesting...what does the front of the crown look like, at the brim break? That is where the majority of my sweat stains effect my well-used lids the most. I do get some on the sides but the key area seems to be from my forehead.

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Interesting...what does the front of the crown look like, at the brim break? That is where the majority of my sweat stains effect my well-used lids the most. I do get some on the sides but the key area seems to be from my forehead.

Tom, here are some pictures that show the sweat, and oils from many decades of what I envision as the artful patina to capture the aged looks. @gtdean48
I don't just light them up, and cook the life out of them. I actually put a lot of thought in pulling that look off. Thanks for the like Pard!

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[Cane Rod Maker]

Thanks for sharing. "No lighting up" from me sir.

Patina is personal choice. Congrats on a hat that works for you. The recent builds coming from Alley Cat of late have been marvelous craftsmanship. Excellent artisan.

Distressed leather sweat or liner?

Thanks, Eric -

Good morning Eric. Thanks for stopping in and sharing. I prefer to build a clean and perfect looking piece that reflects the past, in a pristine way. But when duty calls, we do what we need to.

There are many challanges in doing this type work. It's actually very interesting as to how far out one needs to think outward to make a hat be a certain finished size.

As far as the finished underside, it's a clean hat. New liner is in place, and I used a naked natural sweatband, which I know will be showing some beautiful natural patina, after a few times on the head.

Beautiful thing about Instagram, a gentleman in Croatia who follows a clothing store in Tokyo, saw the distressed build, I did for Ethan Newton.

He asked me to give him this look, noting each is individual, one of a kind. He was blown away at the outcome.

Thanks for noticing the advancements of my work, Eric. And seeing me, and the Artisan evolve.

Again, not my regular cup of tea, but it is definitely a need to know way of hatmaking. The field is big, there are many hat makers popping up all over.

I am focused to be one of the best overall, small scale yes, but working with a skill set that ranks with the best of, building all by hand.

I know here isn't really the place to showcase age distressed, but it's part of me and what I do.

And it's some of my artistic growth that I share here. I guess in a sense the more versitle the player, the better the paycheck can be for his time in the game.

I appreciate you here and on Instagram Eric. Have a great day @shortbaldingguy

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[Short Balding Guy]

Good morning Eric. Thanks for stopping in and sharing. I prefer to build a clean and perfect looking piece that reflects the past, in a pristine way. But when duty calls, we do what we need to.

There are many challanges in doing this type work. It's actually very interesting as to how far out one needs to think outward to make a hat be a certain finished size.

As far as the finished underside, it's a clean hat. New liner is in place, and I used a naked natural sweatband, which I know will be showing some beautiful natural patina, after a few times on the head.

Beautiful thing about Instagram, a gentleman in Croatia who follows a clothing store in Tokyo, saw the distressed build, I did for Ethan Newton.

He asked me to give him this look, noting each is individual, one of a kind. He was blown away at the outcome.

Thanks for noticing the advancements of my work, Eric. And seeing me, and the Artisan evolve.

Again, not my regular cup of tea, but it is definitely a need to know way of hatmaking. The field is big, there are many hat makers popping up all over.

I am focused to be one of the best overall, small scale yes, but working with a skill set that ranks with the best of, building all by hand.

I know here isn't really the place to showcase age distressed, but it's part of me and what I do.

And it's some of my artistic growth that I share here. I guess in a sense the more versitle the player, the better the paycheck can be for his time in the game.

I appreciate you here and on Instagram Eric. Have a great day @shortbaldingguy

Thanks for the comments. Good info - I did not know if folks would wish a patina'd interior of the hat.

Service the client is great business. You have class.

Eric -

 

[Zombie_61]

...I prefer to build a clean and perfect looking piece that reflects the past, in a pristine way. But when duty calls, we do what we need to...Thanks for noticing the advancements of my work, Eric. And seeing me, and the Artisan evolve. Again, not my regular cup of tea, but it is definitely a need to know way of hatmaking. The field is big, there are many hat makers popping up all over. I am focused to be one of the best overall, small scale yes, but working with a skill set that ranks with the best of, building all by hand. I know here isn't really the place to showcase age distressed, but it's part of me and what I do. And it's some of my artistic growth that I share here. I guess in a sense the more versitle the player, the better the paycheck can be for his time in the game...

I absolutely agree. If you want to survive in any retail-based career, and particularly in one that is such a niche market like custom hatmaking is these days, you have to be able to give the customer what he/she wants regardless of whether or not that aligns with your own personal tastes.

The main difference I see between your artificially distressed hats and those I've seen produced by some hatters is that you combine your skills, techniques, and artistic visions, with a sense of realism. What I mean by that is that anyone with a few techniques can artificially distress a hat, but the results usually seem so random and over-done that it becomes obvious that the "wear and tear" is artificial. When you do it, the stains and such are more subtle and placed where they would be if they had been attained through years of use, so your hats don't have that "fake" look to them. I think, and hope, this gives you a bit of an edge on "the competition", and if I were ever in the market for an artificially distressed hat I'd want you to make it for me.