Johnnyphi Hat Club

[carter]

That is a great story Hoss! Along those lines... I gave a nice Adam straw and a Lee Adventure to my fiance's Grandfather for his 82nd birthday.

Granddaddy experienced a very similar reaction when he wore the straw to church this summer in a typical Texas town. As the story goes, the Sunday school teacher commented on Granddaddy's hat, so Granddaddy told him how he got the hat.

The teacher liked the story so much, he decided to abandon his lesson... Instead, he asked Granddaddy to tell the story of Johnnyphi's hats. It was a big hit. The hat was passed around the room (original price tag and all). Several gents even remembered owning similar Adam hats.

I haven't asked Granddaddy if they used the hat to collect offering, but it's not a bad idea!

Great story! I imagine that, for some older folks (a very relative term), receiving a new fedora or seeing someone wearing one is very nostalgic. It can transport them to a different time, a different way of life, a time when they were younger. There's a lot of beauty in that.

 

[handlebar bart]

Great story! I imagine that, for some older folks (a very relative term), receiving a new fedora or seeing someone wearing one is very nostalgic. It can transport them to a different time, a different way of life, a time when they were younger. There's a lot of beauty in that.

Even my Dad, who is only in his early 60's, has a walk down memory lane when he sees each of my vintage lid purchases. Stories about the hat his Dad wore on the farm, or his 'nice hat'. Or a favorite uncles hat, etc. It is a nice extra benefit to rekindle these memories for him with just a hat.

 

[Hoss & da Posse]

Great story! I imagine that, for some older folks (a very relative term), receiving a new fedora or seeing someone wearing one is very nostalgic. It can transport them to a different time, a different way of life, a time when they were younger. There's a lot of beauty in that.

Being that I am on the cusp of 50, I guess bell bottom jeans and tie-dyed shirts will have to be the articles of clothing that "transport" me back in time

 

[Hoss & da Posse]

Hoss, I'm dying to see how the Warburton bash is looking.:whistling

Thanks to you, it's actually coming along pretty good. I wore it out Sunday evening on a date with my wife. When I came out ready to go, she looked at me quizically and finally asked "Are you wearing "wannabe" (which is what she calls my Warburton; she did not like it even a little bit when it first arrived)?" When I confirmed it was, indeed, my new Warburton she was amazed. It looked 1000% (her words) better and, yes, she was willing to be seen with me and Wannabe...we had a great evening, too.
I'm still trying to even up the crown a bit. Seems that the right side "pops" up after I put it on and it is noticeably higher. Thanks again for your help; I'll post a picture pretty soon

 

[Roadrunner]

Maclane and Stetson Arrived!

They're here they're here! I got out of my machining class early today since I finished the test and the rest of the class was still working, so I hurried back to the hotel knowing that my hats had been delivered. John was kind enough to include a vintage box with my order, it doesn't match the hat but it's condition really shows how old these hats are! It's cardboard is badly dried out and cracked, but the hat inside is a beauty, as you can see. Sadly someone at the storage facility who doesn't have any idea of how to handle antiques put a big orange identification sticker on it that won't come off without removing a large chunk of cardboard.

The Maclane is just as nice of a shape as it looked to be in the pictures, I don't want to do a thing to the bash except possibly tighten up the pinch a bit. I especially love the curve of the top in a profile view, it's a very graceful shape. I thought it was a darker color from the auction picture, more of a blue-black, but the navy blue is a nice surprise. I have a suit it will go perfectly with. The felt is nice and smooth, comparable to the Adam Airlite I won a few months ago. The liner is interesting, it's made of smooth satin on the sides with a cap of a rougher, textured material. I like the effect. The sweat is unreeded and slightly dried out but responding well to leather conditioner. It fits well but needs a slight long oval stretch, nothing major. The most fascinating thing is the small amber flakes that fell out of the hat when I turned it over. I'm pretty sure this hat had a cellophane cap for the liner that disintegrated in storage. You can't tell it was there at all except for a few flakes! That makes it all the more amazing to me that the felt and sweat have held up so well.

The Stetson is an interesting animal. The wrinkled sweatband has smoothed out considerably after some leather conditioner and stretching, it's still noticeable but not a problem. The liner is gorgeous, creamy white with the Stetson logo absolutely pristine. The felt though; the felt is just unbelievable. I've never touched a hat this soft. I want to sit and stroke it like an unusually soft-coated cat. It's so thin you can nearly see your fingerprints through it. The problem is that it's not very stiff. I like softer fedoras but this is so soft it's difficult to bash. I tried a diamond and it turned out OK but not good enough for prime time. I may need to add some stiffener to get it up to snuff. It's still well worth it just for the feel of the felt alone, the lack of body can be fixed. I can't wait to get it bashed properly. Thanks again for the chance to get these pieces of frozen time johnny, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I like the Maclane so much it deserves to be a new avatar.

 

[BobC]

Congratulation, RR. That MacLane is really a fine looking hat. I bid on it myself but decided the brim was too short for my liking and didn't pursue it. It sure does look good on you though. Maybe I should have tried a little harder? The color is great. Enjoy! Show us the Stetson too, won't you?

 

[Roadrunner]

Thanks Bob! No worries on your bid, you tried just hard enough. You won that beautiful chocolate brown Royal Stetson a few months ago, I wanted to bid on it so bad but was broke at the time, so I guess we're even. I like these sort of in between brims, anything much bigger makes me look like a little kid wearing his Dad's hat. I'll see what I can do about getting some decent pictures of the Stetson. It needs a bit of help. Right now I need to get to bed, 4:00 rolls around way too early!

 

[jimmy the lid]

Congrats on both of those lids, Roadrunner! But, I've got to say, that MacLane is really a beauty! :eusa_clap

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Hoss & da Posse]

Great hat, Roadrunner...I can see why it is your new avatar. Look like you've got the self portrait thing down, too.

Here are a couple pics of my other Johnnyphi win, a Schoble Warburton. Even though it has quite a few moth nibbles, it is a great hat. Thin soft felt...John said I would like it and Handlebar Bart loves his, too. Unlike most Loungers (or at least the vocal ones), I actually prefer my hats with some taper. Neither of the hats I won (and probably not many of the vintage hats) have taper so it took a bit of getting used to at first. But now, after a week, I really like these hats. So without further ado-

 

[indycop]

Great hat, Roadrunner...I can see why it is your new avatar. Look like you've got the self portrait thing down, too.

Here are a couple pics of my other Johnnyphi win, a Schoble Warburton. Even though it has quite a few moth nibbles, it is a great hat. Thin soft felt...John said I would like it and Handlebar Bart loves his, too. Unlike most Loungers (or at least the vocal ones), I actually prefer my hats with some taper. Neither of the hats I won (and probably not many of the vintage hats) have taper so it took a bit of getting used to at first. But now, after a week, I really like these hats. So without further ado-

Great color too!!:eusa_clap

 

[carter]

Nice china cabinet!

Nice Warburton too!

 

[Roadrunner]

Oh. My. God.

The owner of my hotel just delivered the Schoble (he's a really hard-working guy and super nice to boot, if you're ever in Aberdeen check out the Old Chesapeake Hotel, you won't be sorry). The hat is out of this world. I'm going to take pictures momentarily but just have to post something first. The felt of this hat feels like velvet. It isn't as soft as the Stetson Weekender but has a much more substantial feel. "Pristine" as a description doesn't do this 60+ year old gem justice. It's just a tad small on me but the thick sweatband is very supple and should stretch easily. It took a dry bash that looks better than anything I've ever done to a hat before and looks better than nearly any factory bash. The felt just falls right into place like it knows where to go. I am in awe and so happy I waited for this one. If the auction had been two months ago I never could have won. No question, this is the pinnacle of my collection and unlikely to be dethroned.

 

[jonbuilder]

The owner of my hotel just delivered the Schoble (he's a really hard-working guy and super nice to boot, if you're ever in Aberdeen check out the Old Chesapeake Hotel, you won't be sorry). The hat is out of this world. I'm going to take pictures momentarily but just have to post something first. The felt of this hat feels like velvet. It isn't as soft as the Stetson Weekender but has a much more substantial feel. "Pristine" as a description doesn't do this 60+ year old gem justice. It's just a tad small on me but the thick sweatband is very supple and should stretch easily. It took a dry bash that looks better than anything I've ever done to a hat before and looks better than nearly any factory bash. The felt just falls right into place like it knows where to go. I am in awe and so happy I waited for this one. If the auction had been two months ago I never could have won. No question, this is the pinnacle of my collection and unlikely to be dethroned.

I don't know Roadrunner i think i would be hard to beat the look of the Maclane on you

 

[Roadrunner]

Well, you guys tell me. Keep in mind this is a dry bash. I still can't get over how well it shaped.

And, as requested, the Stetson Weekender. I put a decent diamond bash in it, but I can't seem to get the wrinkles out. Maybe I'm being too hard on it. A little steam might help stiffen it up. Any thoughts? I've never used steam before. I'm wearing it as I type, the sweat has been stretched to my size and it's so light I forget it's there.

I'm looking at these pictures and thinking of how silly it was that I was afraid to wear a fedora for the longest time because I thought I'd be laughed at. I look good in these! Other people think so too. I have yet to get one single negative comment after nearly a year. A few funny looks, but no one has actually said anything but "nice hat" and meant it. They can be quite the conversation starter. The Schoble is going to get some Indy comments though. I've almost completely avoided them thus far, which is really amazing with the new movie out. Hah, Indy just wishes he had a hat this nice! The Adventurebilt in KOTCS is high quality, and the Herbert Johnson from the original is a classic in its own right, but this kicks it all around the ring for quality. Part of me wants to use this Schoble as an "adventure" hat, but that would be an actual crime. This will live a long life as an often but gently used every day fedora.

 

[johnnyphi]

Someone = Johnnyphi!!!

Sadly someone at the storage facility who doesn't have any idea of how to handle antiques put a big orange identification sticker on it that won't come off without removing a large chunk of cardboard.

I love it!!!

Kurt, my brother...

I personally stuck that big ol' sticker on the hat box. lol Each box has a barcode, and each hat has a barcode. Some of the hats are in original boxes, so I had to slap a barcode on the original boxes. That's how I keep track of these damn things, without going to the warehouse.

The system is actually really great. In fact, I haven't been out to the warehouse in months, but Regina and the staff at JK have a 99% accuracy rate.

Our system is why it's so important for auction winners to send me the full subject line from their auction, so I have the auction number, brand name, size and BARCODE.

As you found, the boxes didn't hold up nearly as well as the hats, but they did a helluva job protecting the hats for so many years.

 

[johnnyphi]

Noooo Stiffener!!!

The problem is that it's not very stiff. I like softer fedoras but this is so soft it's difficult to bash. I tried a diamond and it turned out OK but not good enough for prime time. I may need to add some stiffener to get it up to snuff.

At the risk of seeming personally attached to an object... The felt on this hat is supposed to be supple. The name Weekender implies imperfection. The creases aren't supposed to be perfect. Please don't use stiffener. It's too risky.

I did remove some wrinkles in the crown using a hand held steamer, but I wasn't careful enough, and I caused the problems with the sweatband. (Based on the other auctions, I'd say that mistake cost me $100 - $150:eusa_doh: , but I'm very glad you're getting the chance to enjoy this fine hat at a reasonable price.)

With some TLC and CAREFUL steaming, the wrinkles will come out, plus you'll learn a ton about bashing hats. As Kabuto describes, half the fun is re-bashing these hats!

 

[BobC]

You have three very nice ones there, RR. I love the high, straight crown of that Schoble, the color of the MacLane, and the killer diamond you put in the Stetson. Nice going and congrats to you.

 

[AlanC]

If you want it to hold a crease, push it into open crown, spritz the top half of it lightly with distilled water then shape it as desired. Let it dry and it should hold the shape fine. I would echo johnnyphi in urging you not to use stiffener.

 

[carter]

Three Nice Ones

I agree with Bob, Roadrunner. Three very distinctive fedoras, each with i's own personality. The deep brown of the Schoble looks terrific. The Weekender looks just like a hat for the weekend in the car with the top down and your girl by your side. THe MacLane, well that's your business hat, no matter what kind of business you're up to.

 

[johnnyphi]

By the way... THANK YOU

Roadrunner... Here's my final thought about your recent posts: Thank you!!!

And thank you to all of the Loungers who have taken a chance on my hats. I knew you'd be happy with the hats, but I appreciate you taking the plunge and buying these great hats.

As I have discussed on other threads, my brother and I found Hirsch's after delivering our grandfather's WWII photos to the museum at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Without that fateful trip to Aberdeen, there wouldn't be any Johnnyphi fedoras.

In honor of Aberdeen, and in appreciation for Roadrunner's service to our country, I'd like to post a few photos from my grandfather's photo album.

My grandfather was Earnest Langley. He was Executive Officer for an Ordinance Maintenance Company (the 299th) in Gen. Patton's Third Army. His outfit followed Patton through France, across the Rhine and deep into Germany. He trained at Aberdeen before the war, and he is my hero.