Phoenix Hat Company

[deadlyhandsome]

Well, we have to do some transitive logic, but Fepsa makes felts for Optimo, and Optimo's standard felt line (as of a few years ago anyway, earlier hats were not all beaver) is 100% beaver. For instance, IIRC, my Dillinger is would be a beaver blend.

The FEPSA public website does not seem to offer beaver. Curious. Winchester won’t even sell to the public. My next custom hat will be a FEPSA rabbit and hare blend.


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[jlee562]

Translation is a bit rough, but here's an article from the Air Portugal in-flight magazine, of all places.
http://upmagazine-tap.com/en/pt_artigos/hats-off-to-sao-joao/

Nuno Figueiredo warns us about the sweet, sickly smell of animal fur, and forges ahead, opening the doors of the Cortadoria. Small waves to the workers let them know he’s there while he opens bags, picks up the fur and extends his hand so you can touch it, feel it, distinguish the microns of the fibres; so you can identify the animal: rabbit, hare, beaver, 16, 14 and 12 microns respectively. The lower the micron level, the softer the fur is. In the old days, the felt test was done by spitting in your hand, kneading the fur and pressing down on it. In a matter of seconds, you could assess the weaving capacity of the fibre. Nuno Figueiredo hasn’t forgotten the effectiveness of that method, but prefers to highlight the machines that separate the fur from the skin, which were built from scratch by his team, and the secret acid solution that was developed in his laboratory that facilitates the felt characteristics of fur.
​

Except now I'm intrigued by where they say they're making felt for Borsalino....

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Translation is a bit rough, but here's an article from the Air Portugal in-flight magazine, of all places.
http://upmagazine-tap.com/en/pt_artigos/hats-off-to-sao-joao/

Nuno Figueiredo warns us about the sweet, sickly smell of animal fur, and forges ahead, opening the doors of the Cortadoria. Small waves to the workers let them know he’s there while he opens bags, picks up the fur and extends his hand so you can touch it, feel it, distinguish the microns of the fibres; so you can identify the animal: rabbit, hare, beaver, 16, 14 and 12 microns respectively. The lower the micron level, the softer the fur is. In the old days, the felt test was done by spitting in your hand, kneading the fur and pressing down on it. In a matter of seconds, you could assess the weaving capacity of the fibre. Nuno Figueiredo hasn’t forgotten the effectiveness of that method, but prefers to highlight the machines that separate the fur from the skin, which were built from scratch by his team, and the secret acid solution that was developed in his laboratory that facilitates the felt characteristics of fur.
​

Except now I'm intrigued by where they say they're making felt for Borsalino....

Thanks for this. I don’t know why FEPSA felt isn’t more common in the US. The retail prices of the hat bodies look reasonable. I’m excite to hear back from @humanshoes on availability and pricing.


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[jlee562]

Thanks for this. I don’t know why FEPSA felt isn’t more common in the US. The retail prices of the hat bodies look reasonable. I’m excite to hear back from @humanshoes on availability and pricing.


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Well, apparently they're in fairly wide use by western makers.

That thread is a doozy.

 

[humanshoes]

Thanks for this. I don’t know why FEPSA felt isn’t more common in the US. The retail prices of the hat bodies look reasonable. I’m excite to hear back from @humanshoes on availability and pricing.


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Hey DH. I'm waiting to hear back from Joana at FEPSA about color availability and pricing on multiple hat body orders. I'll also inquire about their offerings (if any) in beaver fur although I'm quite happy with Winchester's product and service. In the meantime, I've ordered a single hat body from Mr. P at Agnoulita to check it for quality and shipping time. I'm also very interested in their flecked fur bodies. The recent Tonak rabbit fur bodies I got from Raymond at Manhatco were smaller than I used to get and were stiff as cardboard. Definitely not the quality I'm used to receiving from them so I sent them back. Raymond is checking on the larger, softer men's dress bodies and I hope to hear from him soon. I'll keep you and everyone else in the loop as to pricing and availability of FEPSA fur hats and any other new offerings.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hey DH. I'm waiting to hear back from Joana at FEPSA about color availability and pricing on multiple hat body orders. I'll also inquire about their offerings (if any) in beaver fur although I'm quite happy with Winchester's product and service. In the meantime, I've ordered a single hat body from Mr. P at Agnoulita to check it for quality and shipping time. I'm also very interested in their flecked fur bodies. The recent Tonak rabbit fur bodies I got from Raymond at Manhatco were smaller than I used to get and were stiff as cardboard. Definitely not the quality I'm used to receiving from them so I sent them back. Raymond is checking on the larger, softer men's dress bodies and I hope to hear from him soon. I'll keep you and everyone else in the loop as to pricing and availability of FEPSA fur hats and any other new offerings.

Thank you. I wasn’t hugly impressed with the one flecked fur hat I received from Agnoulita, but part of that was my mistake for ordering the wrong color. I too am satisfied with Winchester beaver felts and I was only curious if FEPSA offered them; their website isn’t the very user friendly.

I’ll try to be patient and wait and see how it all plays out. We all appreciate how responsive you are doing all the leg work for us.

 

[humanshoes]

Okay, I love making hats. No secret. All my friends, family, and customers know it. What is probably even more satisfying to me, though, is to put a handmade rounding jack into the hands of a budding young hat maker who is at the beginning of her journey. It's an added bonus that she also happens to be talented in the art of photographic composition. This picture, to me, epitomizes the simple, beautiful nature of the hat maker's art. It is from a young woman who will surely evolve into a force to be reckoned with in the hat making world. She is also the daughter of one of our own hatter's here on the lounge. What a great thing it must be to have your daughter share your passion for making fine hats. Does my old heart good.

 

[Woodtroll]

Well spoken! To think that tools you made by hand will be helping make hats for years to come... what a great contribution to the art!

 

[humanshoes]

Thanks Woodtroll. It is cool to think that someday the granddaughter will inherit her grandmother's cherished and well worn rounding jack and continue the work. And so on, and so on...

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks Woodtroll. It is cool to think that someday the granddaughter will inherit her grandmother's cherished and well worn rounding jack and continue the work. And so on, and so on...

Her father sent me a PM a few months back letting me know she was interested in starting. I hope she makes a go of it. When she’s ready, I’ll order a hat from her.

I truly appreciate how you encourage others rather than think of them as the competition. There’s always room at the top and I’d love to order more hats.


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[humanshoes]

Her father sent me a PM a few months back letting me know she was interested in starting. I hope she makes a go of it. When she’s ready, I’ll order a hat from her.

I truly appreciate how you encourage others rather than think of them as the competition. There’s always room at the top and I’d love to order more hats.


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I'm with you DH. I hope she flourishes as a hatter and it certainly looks like she's off to a great start. She'll have an excellent teacher/mentor in her father. I also appreciate your thoughts on encouraging new hatters. There is a basic business principle in play here that I believe is often lost on the big boys of the hat making industry; Competition drives quality.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

It’s too warm to wear felt where I’m at, but I couldn’t help giving my Phoenix in natural a spin while confirming size for my second hat I’m commissioning. I can honestly say that I don’t own a modern custom that I like better.

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[RJR]

It’s too warm to wear felt where I’m at, but I couldn’t help giving my Phoenix in natural a spin while confirming size for my second hat I’m commissioning. I can honestly say that I don’t own a modern custom that I like better.

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That is a beauty;Rick is very modest and his work is under appreciated in my opinion.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

That is a beauty;Rick is very modest and his work is under appreciated in my opinion.

I’m torn between wanting to promote his work and wanting to keep him to myself. I think that at some point his prices will go up because his hats are worth it and he deserves to be rewarded for such craftsmanship.

 

[humanshoes]

Kind words gentlemen and greatly appreciated.

 

[humanshoes]

Now you can call me a "mad hatter". I gots the props.

 

[Woodtroll]

Now you can call me a "mad hatter". I gots the props.
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I like the cane as a subtle addition!

 

[humanshoes]

My tip of the hat to the March Hare. Coolest dude at the tea party.

 

[humanshoes]

I love my talented friends. My buddy decided to play around with his new CNC wood router. He asked me for a business card and a week later he delivered this sign to my shop. Awesome work Spencer!

 

[RJR]

I love my talented friends. My buddy decided to play around with his new CNC wood router. He asked me for a business card and a week later he delivered this sign to my shop. Awesome work Spencer!
View attachment 124221

Good friend!Nice looking.