M.C. Gannon Hat Company

[ingineer]

Well he gave me the dimensions of the hat, very tight, so he said he would make a new on. so Anthony you get one first.
when i told him my head size to cut the sweat 23-5/8", i got some cryptic messages.
I thought this was a matter of measure twice cut once.
maybe the sweat is a lot more complicated than i thought, no other hatter has had a problem with this
Perhaps i should just tell him to go large at 61?

 

[Frunobulax]

I can see his problem, as I'm encountering it for the first time myself. What I think he's saying is he can size the hat with the blocks he has, then cut a sweat to that size and sew it in. If you are a little off one way or the other, that requires blocking the body to fit the custom sweat. When a hatter uses a conformateur and produces a custom band block from it, he/she can then size the felt correctly for an exact fit for the sweat (you want it to lay right in there with no waviness). Since he isn't doing the conformateur method, he only has the size blocks he owns, and would have to finesse the fit of the sweat.

As I said, I've been thinking this problem through myself, as I have a vintage body which I'm rebuilding from the ground up. I ordered my first unfinished sweat recently, where I normally ask for a 58 (7 1/4) pre-cut/presewn. I plan on cutting and sewing the sweat to a more precise fit, and will have to size the body accordingly.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Michael was in the shop a couple of weeks ago, spent the entire day working here a few months ago with us, and I'm sure will be a very good hatter as he has the passion but so far, not the specific knowledge or equipment. Give him time to learn, he'll be a good one.

 

[moontheloon]

Michael was in the shop a couple of weeks ago, spent the entire day working here a few months ago with us, and I'm sure will be a very good hatter as he has the passion but so far, not the specific knowledge or equipment. Give him time to learn, he'll be a good one.

he told me about his visit with you Art
what he described sounded amazing
he sounded heavily inspired and impressed by you

I know from my own trade that the only way to truly learn the secrets and techniques is to visit and spend time with the masters

I see Michael visiting with you a parallel to me when I go to spend time with Elvin Jones many years ago

 

[Not-Bogart13]

How interesting that I bump into this thread now. Yes, I'm still alive. I know I've been gone a long time. Life changes and all that.

Anyway, my budget the last few years has been tight, and still is. I have been having serious Hat Withdrawal for a long while (which I failed to quell with wool cheapies). I would stare at my Art Fawcett collection, dreaming... then I bumped into Gannon on Etsy. I could just about afford one, and figured that, while it's no VS, it should do! My first custom in years is now on it's way.
Then I limp back over here and find out that Michael Gannon has an Art Fawcett connection. Pick to come, I guess.

 

[RJR]

N-B13,based on Art's comments in #22 above,it seems you'd be getting in on the ground floor with a good new hatter.Several Loungers have Mike's hats and seem very pleased.

 

[Gannon Hat Company]

First off I would like to thank Anthony for his very kind words and for starting this thread devoted to my hats. I would also like to thank everyone here who has shown interest in ordering a hat from me. I would also like to thank Art and David at Vintage Silhouettes, and Jim at JW Hats for all their help.

I have a tremendous interest in hats and hat making and am working every day to improve my skills and to make a better hat. I think I have a good sense of vintage 1930s - 1950s style and try to make hats that are reminiscent of those worn during that time period. The other member Frunobulax described my situation perfectly; it can be challenging to get the size of the hat as close to a person's exact measurement as possible without having some of the more sophisticated equipment.

Nathan set me up with a vendor account here and said that I could post once here to the general forum to introduce myself and tell everyone my story. If you would like to contact me you can send me a personal message here on the Lounge. Thanks again to everyone for showing an interest in my work and I hope to make some great hats for you guys.

Michael

 

[ingineer]

Michael;
Welcome to the board, glad to see you here.
Vendor account , you are serious about this Cool
Esp. when vetted by the best
We are happy to support anyone that loves hats.
Just do the best you can, nobody starts as a Master Carpenter or Senior Certified Engineer.
I probably owe you a response, and that is to go larger if you must
Anxious to see your work
Regards

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Michael, Gannon Hat Company executive, welcome sir! You and your clients will have to keep us informed of your ventures. Hopefully with lots of posts including pics.

I agree with Richards sentiments, that being vetted by true master artisans holds BIG weight. Those are big shoes, but the right shoes, to work to fill. If you need more pedestrian info, please ask away. Sage wisdom, my experience, will come from forum members. I have seen/read on this forum an enormous amount of knowledge and actual models of so darn many of the vintage hats. Many of the forum members are experts in their particular hat passions. The forum threads contain a fortune of info for the hat lovers in the world.

Best wishes on your business success and your professional and personal growth, Eric -

 

[Frunobulax]

Welcome to the Lounge, Michael. Glad I was able to frame the challenge well, LOL. I guess Mr. Fawcett would have better guidance on the custom fit thing, as I'm a little confused about that final step, getting the felt to conform to a specific custom size. Do you block it to the closest size, then fine tune it on the custom band block? I dunno. I still need to get my hands on one of those plastic conformateurs, then find a skilled woodworker to make a custom block.

Best of luck to you. I like the style of your hats. Someday when my finances free up (HAHAHAHAHA!), I'll give you a call.

 

[moontheloon]

great to see you here Michael

you have my support

 

[moontheloon]

Michael sent me a pic this morning of my hat that had just been blocked .
Looks sort of brown in the pic but it is granite .
Very much looking forward to the completion of this one .
Thought some of you would like to see.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LuvMyMan]

I was on eBay and was able to say HELLO to this upcoming hatter! Seems to have some super nice lookers for sure! Have to love those thin ribbon hats!

 

[Bob Roberts]

Michael sent me a pic this morning of my hat that had just been blocked .
Looks sort of brown in the pic but it is granite .
Very much looking forward to the completion of this one .
Thought some of you would like to see.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thats your "BIG 6 INCH"

 

[ingineer]

Moon; Lookin good, tall crown no taper.
So tremendous to have a preview from a hatter, even if it makes one anxious

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I find it fun to see the pre-finished pics of hats. It reminds me of how much really goes into them, and how much personality comes about in the final stages.

I recognize that distinct Granite color, moontheloon. It's what I call an "earthy" gray, which has a brownish tone to it, and it's likely popping a bit more because of the ruler. If you've never had that color before, you will be pleased, I think. It remains my favorite of the winchester grays. My first VS was granite!

 

[Rogera]

That reminds me I have a granite VS with a grey ribbon that needs to come out and play.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

 

[moontheloon]

so Michael just notified me that my hat is finished and ready to ship out

it is gorgeous !!!

the color is granite but looks lighter in the pics than it actually is

6" crown
2 1/2" raw edge brim
7/8 ribbon
beaver felt

cannot wait to dig my thumbs into that big fat crown

I'll probably keep this one as high as possible with a center dent and wide pinches

 

[Bob Roberts]

so Michael just notified me that my hat is finished and ready to ship out

it is gorgeous !!!

the color is granite but looks lighter in the pics than it actually is

6" crown
2 1/2" raw edge brim
7/8 ribbon
beaver felt

cannot wait to dig my thumbs into that big fat crown

I'll probably keep this one as high as possible with a center dent and wide pinches

Cant you just FEEEEEEEEL IT...?