Phoenix Hat Company

[humanshoes]

Rick must have picked up some new toys, I doubt he ordered a bunch of sweats that say "Nutria 100" on them. My assumption is that he has his own hot foil stamping machine. @humanshoes am I correct? And if so which machine are you using? I have looked at model after model of Chinese made machines and I like the old Kingsley Machines too. On my list to pick one or two up someday.

I've stamped my own sweats from the beginning CWV. I started out with an old Franklin machine, which I still have, and then acquired a couple of newer Howard imprinters that I mostly use now.

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

My latest Phoenix! 3 1/4” raw edge brim and 6” open crown. This is a Sunrise 100% nutria 220g western felt in pewter.

I asked Rick to pounce this felt thin. I wanted to see if I could end up with something similar to vintage western beaver felt. Rick did his usual outstanding job. However, this felt just didn’t have what it’s takes to duplicate the vintage qualities I was after. It’s fairly thin and wonderfully smooth with a truly an outstanding hand, but the limitations of the felt could not be completely overcome. It’s certainly not claylike and copious amounts of steam was required to shape it. It’s very much a modern western weight felt...bummer. It’s at least as good, if not better, as any of the Winchester 100% beaver westerns I’ve seen, but it’s nowhere near vintage.

Rick also ran into a mottling problem as he pounced it to approximately half its original thickness. The mottling doesn’t bother me and is only really visible in in certain lighting and angles of view. If I had been content with a stiff western there wouldn’t have been any mottling, but I kept encouraging Rick to take it farther to see if he could make a silk purse out of a modern sow’s ear. The problem isn’t the hatter or the skills or the tools: this modern felt is like Winchester’s beaver in that you just can’t get there from here.

The hat is going to see plenty of use and won’t require any delicate handling. I think Rick wrongly sees this as a failure on his part, but I’m the one who insisted on pushing the limits. The build quality is excellent, and the felt’s shortcomings are not Rick’s fault.

The 1 1/2” wide prairie rattlesnake snakeskin band from WyomingWildbyJen via Etsy. Jen is great to work with and the pricing is more than fair.

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Thank you, Rick!

Very nice Brent. Congrats on another piece of Rick's fine workmanship.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi
Decent hat, if I get a Nutria body, I don't pounce it so much. Does the Snakeskin have the scales still on it or not? I couldn't tell from the picture. I've been working with some on my own.

Later

Scales are definitely still on it. I’m quite surprised at how soft and supple these snakeskins are too.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Very nice Brent. Congrats on another piece of Rick's fine workmanship.

Thanks, Ryan. I hope the world gets back to normal and more if Rick’s work shows up here.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

You're welcome Brent. It was great fun making your hat. I had such high hopes that the felt could be worked to achieve the results we were both looking for, but I'm now convinced that it can't be done. Not by me at least. On the upside, judging from the beating I've already given it, the damn thing should be battle tough and virtually indestructible.

Thanks again, Rick. It might not have recreated the vintage western beaver felt we were after, but it’s a nice western hat all the same. The mottling doesn’t bother me at all...some people pay for some distressing. I’m also glad that we put the snakeskin band on this hat and not the Walden. The snakeskin bands are relatively heavy and the firmer felt is a better vehicle for them.

Still waiting for my invoice.

 

[Redshoes51]

I found this on my front steps just a short while ago...

Photos to follow soon...

~shoes~

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I found this on my front steps just a short while ago...

Photos to follow soon...

~shoes~

View attachment 279917

I was hoping “soon” meant a few minutes....

 

[Redshoes51]

I apologize for the delay... I still have some lingering health issues from that spine infection from two years ago... Doc told me that I was in for a long recovery... but...

Anyway...

My hat from Phoenix... beautiful... I LOVE it... it’s one of his ‘Arizona’ style hats that I hope will visit Arizona when possible...

It’s a four-inch brim... I lean more towards Western-style hats.

Anyway, well worth the wait... what with the virus and my own health issues, where the Hell was I going...

Thanks so much, Rick...

~shoes~

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 281771 I apologize for the delay... I still have some lingering health issues from that spine infection from two years ago... Doc told me that I was in for a long recovery... but...

Anyway...

My hat from Phoenix... beautiful... I LOVE it... it’s one of his ‘Arizona’ style hats that I hope will visit Arizona when possible...

It’s a four-inch brim... I lean more towards Western-style hats.

Anyway, well worth the wait... what with the virus and my own health issues, where the Hell was I going...

Thanks so much, Rick...

~shoes~

Good looking hat! I think it looks better with the wider brim too.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi
Looks good, never would have picked that ribbon color, but it looks good.
Later

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

View attachment 281773 View attachment 281774

I apologize for the delay... I still have some lingering health issues from that spine infection from two years ago... Doc told me that I was in for a long recovery... but...

Anyway...

My hat from Phoenix... beautiful... I LOVE it... it’s one of his ‘Arizona’ style hats that I hope will visit Arizona when possible...

It’s a four-inch brim... I lean more towards Western-style hats.

Anyway, well worth the wait... what with the virus and my own health issues, where the Hell was I going...

Thanks so much, Rick...

~shoes~

Looks good. I like the wide brim as well. I hope you and the hat find your way back to AZ soon!

 

[Redshoes51]

Looks good. I like the wide brim as well. I hope you and the hat find your way back to AZ soon!

Hi there, HatRack... I would love to get back out to that place in your profile photo... one of my favorite places to be... I understand that Covid has played great havoc with the Navajo Nation...

I think I'm going to like this hat quite a bit....

~shoes~

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

Hi there, HatRack... I would love to get back out to that place in your profile photo... one of my favorite places to be... I understand that Covid has played great havoc with the Navajo Nation...

I think I'm going to like this hat quite a bit....

~shoes~

I like the hat quite a bit. That one or something very similar to it has been on my want list, but it will probably be a while before I have one due to financial reasons and there are at least a style or two I have ahead of it that I would like.

I was lucky to have the rare opportunity to visit Monument Valley a little over a year ago, and I instantly fell in love with the place. I wish I could have stayed longer. My only regret was drinking a little too much whiskey on an empty stomach and not being able to soak in the night sky like I normally would have wanted to. I was also sidetracked by some neighboring campers from Germany with whom I had good company with for an hour or two. It is disheartening to hear of the havoc that covid has wreaked on the Navajo nation. I surely hope they are able to overcome this soon. In any case, I have no idea if or when I'll be able to return. For now I'm left with vivid memories and photographs of my experience in the hope that I may be able to see it again some day.

 

[Just Daniel]

That hat looks great!

My latest Phoenix! 3 1/4” raw edge brim and 6” open crown. This is a Sunrise 100% nutria 220g western felt in pewter.

I asked Rick to pounce this felt thin. I wanted to see if I could end up with something similar to vintage western beaver felt. Rick did his usual outstanding job. However, this felt just didn’t have what it’s takes to duplicate the vintage qualities I was after. It’s fairly thin and wonderfully smooth with a truly an outstanding hand, but the limitations of the felt could not be completely overcome. It’s certainly not claylike and copious amounts of steam was required to shape it. It’s very much a modern western weight felt...bummer. It’s at least as good, if not better, as any of the Winchester 100% beaver westerns I’ve seen, but it’s nowhere near vintage.

Rick also ran into a mottling problem as he pounced it to approximately half its original thickness. The mottling doesn’t bother me and is only really visible in in certain lighting and angles of view. If I had been content with a stiff western there wouldn’t have been any mottling, but I kept encouraging Rick to take it farther to see if he could make a silk purse out of a modern sow’s ear. The problem isn’t the hatter or the skills or the tools: this modern felt is like Winchester’s beaver in that you just can’t get there from here.

The hat is going to see plenty of use and won’t require any delicate handling. I think Rick wrongly sees this as a failure on his part, but I’m the one who insisted on pushing the limits. The build quality is excellent, and the felt’s shortcomings are not Rick’s fault.

The 1 1/2” wide prairie rattlesnake snakeskin band from WyomingWildbyJen via Etsy. Jen is great to work with and the pricing is more than fair.

View attachment 277888 View attachment 277889 View attachment 277890 View attachment 277891 View attachment 277892 View attachment 277893 View attachment 277894 View attachment 277895 View attachment 277896 View attachment 277897


Thank you, Rick!

 

[Woodtroll]

Nice hats, gentlemen! I'm glad to see that Rick is still finding time to turn out fine hats occasionally, with all of the other things he's into. Every time I see one of his hats I get a craving, but with three that he's built for me, two Gannons, and a small handful of Akubras and Resistols, I have my "needs" pretty well met. I'm pretty certain I won't wear out any of my customs in my lifetime, but it sure is fun to see everyone else's!

 

[Courier Six]

It’s nice to peak in this thread every now and then since it builds anticipation for my first custom ever that Rick will do.

Looking forward to the days and seeing it age with me and taken on a few trails.

 

[T Jones]

View attachment 281773 View attachment 281774

I apologize for the delay... I still have some lingering health issues from that spine infection from two years ago... Doc told me that I was in for a long recovery... but...

Anyway...

My hat from Phoenix... beautiful... I LOVE it... it’s one of his ‘Arizona’ style hats that I hope will visit Arizona when possible...

It’s a four-inch brim... I lean more towards Western-style hats.

Anyway, well worth the wait... what with the virus and my own health issues, where the Hell was I going...

Thanks so much, Rick...

~shoes~

That sure is nice. Rick did a nice job on that. I definitely need to get some curling shackles.

 

[belfastboy]

That sure is nice. Rick did a nice job on that. I definitely need to get some curling shackles.

check out the one GuyMorseBrown sells. He also has a YouTube vid showing him using it. I love mine.

 

[Redshoes51]

I like the hat quite a bit. That one or something very similar to it has been on my want list...

I was lucky to have the rare opportunity to visit Monument Valley a little over a year ago, and I instantly fell in love with the place. I wish I could have stayed longer. My only regret was drinking a little too much whiskey on an empty stomach and not being able to soak in the night sky like I normally would have wanted to. I was also sidetracked by some neighboring campers from Germany with whom I had good company with for an hour or two. It is disheartening to hear of the havoc that covid has wreaked on the Navajo nation. I surely hope they are able to overcome this soon. In any case, I have no idea if or when I'll be able to return. For now I'm left with vivid memories and photographs of my experience in the hope that I may be able to see it again some day.

I am really enjoying it... I have several new hats that are begging to be worn...

That whole region out there talks to me, if you know what I mean... I don't know if I lived there in a previous life... but I adore it... Monument Valley... Arches... Canyonlands.... The Grand Canyon...

One of these days...

~shoes~

 

[belfastboy]

I am really enjoying it... I have several new hats that are begging to be worn...

That whole region out there talks to me, if you know what I mean... I don't know if I lived there in a previous life... but I adore it... Monument Valley... Arches... Canyonlands.... The Grand Canyon...

One of these days...

~shoes~

It is truly a magical place. I started going to Utah 25 years ago....hiking in Canyonlands it was easy to be alone....hiking all day and not seeing another human. It was possible to get a camping site in Arches most days. Alas, these days it has been "discovered" and Arches, Canyonlands are abuzz with people. Moab is a zoo now with its own airport. Zion was busy back then but still enjoyable now they are talking about a reserve system to keep the crowds or hordes under control.