"The Ultimate Indy fedora"

[fedoralover]

Are there any members here who like the Indiana Jones fedora? Many members here are also members of Club Obi Wan http://www.indygear.com/cow/ but with all the new members signing on lately I thought I'd just make a post about it for those who aren't or who haven't heard of it.

If you've always liked the Indiana Jones fedora but didn't like the cheap knockoffs on ebay and at Disneyland, you may be interested to know it can be replicated by one of the hatters here "Steve Delk". He now has even found a source for the exact size and color of ribbon used for the film hat. He uses 100% beaver fur felt and has the shape down to a science. If you are a fedora collector and want one that really does look like the film hat, it is now possible to get one.

Believe it or not but the screen hat for Raiders of the Lost Ark had a lot of nuances to it that made it hard to copy exactly. Many hatters got it close but it never really looked quite right. It always had something that was a little off. Well Steve makes one that looks dead on. The ribbon was one of the little things that was never quite right, but now he's found a source for the exact same ribbon. Pretty amazing.

I'm posting this here because while most of us like vintage fedora's there may be some who always liked Fords fedora in the Indy movies and would like to have one in their collection. As you know there were 3 movies and the hats looked different in each movie. You can have Steve make your favorite one as he can replicate any of them. His site is

http://www.adventurebilthats.com/


regards fedoralover

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Order mine open crown!

Steve Delk makes one nice fedora. His 100% pure beaver from $225.00 is one of the best buys on the hat market anywhere. My goal is to have one of all the colors he can produce. Love his hats!!

 

[indyjim]

An Adventurebilt is on my "wish" list for 2006.

 

[fedoralover]

While I started this thread to let people know about his Indy fedora's, it should be mentioned he can make you a fedora in any style you like. I had him make me one in black and he did an excellant job, meeting my spec's in every regard.

fedoralover

 

[MK]

.

Steve makes a nice lid...but I think we have yet to see the "ultimate" Indy fedora. At least the ultimate Raiders fedora which I doubt could be 100% beaver. It is too floppy and soft as Adam Runquist discovered during the reign of the Peter Bros bullet proof hard hat...which was considered the ultimate Indy fedora of the time.

This is not to take anything away from Steve. He is the current belle of the ball. I am very happy for him and am glad he is riding this wave....but he and I both have been around the Indy scene long enough to know that there are few end-of-the-road, it-doesn't-get-better-than-this stories when it comes to gear...especially the hat.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Still the closest modern felt I have seen to the Raiders hat is the featherweight hats that Graham at Optimo was producing in 2004. He has gone to a thicker body, though the mix of Nutria and Beaver is still the same.

I say it's the closest felt because of the floppyness. As for styling, Steve is very good.

 

[The real Henry]

No folks you should see that stuff Marc Kitter(AB Europe) bought it's really floppy and soft(as I could see from the pics!) But I also think that thr 'ultimate' Indy Fedora would be a rabbit felt as the originals were, but this one is MUCH better in quality!:cool2:

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

I've been looking for the perfect Indy hat since Raiders came out in 1981. I'd bought many of the cheap ones and even a couple of the more expensive ones. But once I'd found the Adventurebilt, I knew my search had ended. It is not only the best Indy lid around, but a damn good hat. I've worn it in all sorts of weather, including a four day adventure on the Inca Trail in Peru. It has held up very, very well.

Steve also makes a nice Bogart - style fedora, too. I think that will be my next one....KC

 

[Raindog]

Hi Fedoralover,
Good to read of other fans of the Jones hat. I must admit to being torn though, between the Jones hat and the Bogart. I'm a fan of both now! Is the bogart soft felt or the same as the Indiana Jones? Steve makes great hats from everything I've read, and I've switched my focus from the Akubra Fed to the ABs now, and a grey Bogart sounds veeeery nice.
The answer of course is to buy all three.....It'd take me a year to save it up but.....Hmmmm..

 

[fedoralover]

Steve does offer 2 different weights of felt. One is from Winchester and is heavier, the other is the Portugal light weight felt, a 75 gram body. I didn't mention Marc who is offering a European line of Adventurebilt because he isn't up and running yet. Although I believe he's getting very close. Marc is intending to go all out in the most high end quality of products that he can find in all aspects of the hat.

But my main intent in this post was to let people know who are new here that there is a great Indy fedora being produced that is available to people at a great price. If you do order one make sure you tell Steve you are a lounge member, as he gives a discount to members here.

I've posted this pic before, but for the newbies this is a pic of the custom 100% beaver fedora Steve made to my specs. It's not an Indy fedora obviously but I wanted to show that he can make a fedora anyway you want. Black wide brim and high crown vintage fedora's are some of the hardest to find on ebay so I finally just had one made. Winchester felt is considered by many hatters to be some of the best available.

fedoralover

 

[stylinfedoras]

I am a little mystified by members observations regarding Indiana Jones style hats. We as hat lovers can see what makes one hat look better than another as far as quality and looks goes. But simply put average joe population can't see the difference.

I have been approached more times than I can count when wearing brown hats (Borsalino, Stetson) with "Oh, look you're Indiana Jones" they thinking I want to be him. In a way this irritates me as all I want to do is wear my hat not be someone else. Neither of these hats even remotely look like Indy hats other than their color.

This also works for the "Oh, You look like Howard Hughes" which I don't mind nearly as much. But it does demonstrate the ignorance of majority of the people out there. The chances of you meeting a fellow hat lover out in public is rather slim so I would say that having an Indy hat may only be to please oneself because few others would notice the difference.

 

[thefish]

I have been approached more times than I can count when wearing brown hats (Borsalino, Stetson) with "Oh, look you're Indiana Jones" they thinking I want to be him. In a way this irritates me as all I want to do is wear my hat not be someone else. Neither of these hats even remotely look like Indy hats other than their color.

Hey, at least they don't think it's a cowboy hat! I get that a lot!:rage: :rage:

-Dan

 

[fedoralover]

I've been called Indiana Jones wearing a gray hat and a photographers vest.

I've also been asked if I was going on safari, when that happens I just tell them I'm going on a turkey hunt and I think I just found one.

fedoralover

 

[Fedora]

At least the ultimate Raiders fedora which I doubt could be 100% beaver. It is too floppy and soft as Adam Runquist discovered during the reign of the Peter Bros bullet proof hard hat...which was considered the ultimate Indy fedora of the time.

Really guys, it is just the amount of stiffener in the hat. A beaver hat body, or a blend, or a rabbit body can all be too soft, and that is why traditionally the felt bodies has .4 degrees of stiffener in the hat. Now, even with this amount, the body would be soft, just like the Optimo bodies. In fact, you could play with the stiffener to get a exactly the same softness, or pliability from any of the popular underfurs used to make hats. It is all in the amount of stiffener. I have a 75 gram body, beaver winging its way out west as we speak so some of you guys can see what I will be offering, and also what I consider to be the finest felt available today from the factories.

Generally speaking beaver bodies are softer, denser, and a very fine felt indeed. You could take one of these bodies, and with the right amount of stiffener, nail the Indy look regarding the felt. The only difference would be the hat would look almost too high of a quality to match the film hat.


Now a word about Marc. He will soon be up and running, and offering a very high end hat, but his prices will be higher due to the cost involved. Marc will be using a special run of beaver bodies from the same feltmaker Graham uses, and is now working on 3 different stiffened bodies. I think he has a .4, .6 and .8, to see which one he needs to use to nail the pliability factor. Marcs bodies are top of the line out of this factory, and as a couple here will see, these are very fine bodies.

Marc, being as anal as he is, not only about the Indy fedora, but about high quality hats in general, sought out, and found the ultimate sweatband. You cannot find this sort of sweat over here, or at least I have not been able to source them. It is a true vintage like leather, with the color of the finished side being the same as the inside. The tape for the reeding was specially made for his sweat, to match the color of the sweat exactly, and the manufacturer does not outsource hides. They tan their own!! Where most of us pay 3 bucks for a leather wholesale, Marcs are costing him around 15 bucks each for the sweat!!! So, do not expect to find this on any other hat than Marc's. His imprinting will be in gold, but get this, his is having an extra die made that sinks his lettering into the sweat. It won't wear off, because it is slightly recessed into the leather due to the extra die, or stamp. Like I said, his intent is to make the finest hat in the world-period. I think he will pull it off.

Then the ribbon. He looked at several sources in Europe, and America. Now, the big hatters like Hatco have pretty much shut alot of small hatters out of the ribbons, that is, if you want a particular color. You can get it, but Schiff requires you buy 7500 yards to get a particular pattern, or color. The official 705 ribbon from them is just too corse. The vintage 50-7005 from them was exceptional ribbon, but they do not sell this, unless you get a minimum run of the stuff. They still have the equipment, but like I said, you have to be big to afford it. We could not find a super dark brown ribbon, until Marc sourced the HJ ribbon. It is even in the right size-39mm. I have some on the way and this will be the default ribbon on my Indy fedoras, with the vintage 1 1/2 as an option. The vintage ribbon contains rayon that was made from wood, unlike modern rayon.

So, if Marc does not turn out the ultimate Indy fedora, it can't be done. Of course by ultimate, I mean not only ultimate in looks, and characteristics, but ultimate in quality too. You will not be able to find a hat anywhere else that is like his. Why? Because no one will pay the piper for what it cost to put one of these hats together. But like me, he is not in it for the money. That darn HJ ribbon is costing me 3 bucks a yard. Now, that does not seem like much, but when you compare it to modern grosgrain that I can get for 40 cents a yard, you can see how it is expensive, relatively speaking. The truth of the matter is, his ribbon, liner and sweat will cost more than the bodies used by many fine hatters. And that is unheard of, in the world of profit. If you bought this hat from any other hatter, I would daresay they would have to get a couple of grand for it, if they kept their same margins. For 400 bucks, his hat will be a steal indeed. I am buying one. Fedora

 

[Fedora]

but he and I both have been around the Indy scene long enough to know that there are few end-of-the-road, it-doesn't-get-better-than-this stories when it comes to gear...especially the hat.

Yeah, kinda, sorta MK. But, we now have the means of getting it as close as humanly possible. Before, we had to rely on hatters that really only knew the Raiders fedora, as just another fedora. And, really, it is not. The block shape is an English bowler, or derby shape, more than a traditional fedora block shape. Not that it was exactly like the English bowler, but closer to it than the traditional American fedora. And, yes, I know there were different blocks used for the fedora, but still...........

But the big thing that we have going for us, is Marc and I are anal about this hat, and we know exactly what we need to pull it off. He needs the Portugal dress felt, and the nail that would put the coffin lid shut for me is about to happen. What I need is Winchester felt that has the .4 degree of stiffener, but, they do not make it-stock. But, I think I may be able to get my felt with the right amount of stiffener and this will soften my felt up to where the nuances of the characteristics of the felt will be very, very close. That is what I am lacking now. It is all about the correct amount of stiffener. We have top men working on it!!:cheers1: Fedora

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I have been approached more times than I can count when wearing brown hats (Borsalino, Stetson) with "Oh, look you're Indiana Jones" they thinking I want to be him. In a way this irritates me as all I want to do is wear my hat not be someone else. Neither of these hats even remotely look like Indy hats other than their color.

Get yerself a newsboy....The Indy comments never happen to me anymore. I get the "Are you an artist?" or "You must be the Facepainter", comments instead.

 

[fedoralover]

Thanks for providing more details fedora. And those are the reasons for the title "Ultimate Indy Fedora".

fedoralover

 

[MK]

Great

When you get the brim to bounce like this from sitting down real hard....let me know.

 

[Fedora]

When you get the brim to bounce like this from sitting down real hard....let me know

Ok MK, if you are out around Daniel Riser, let him show you what I just sent him. I think you will be pleased. Feel free to put it on and and jump up and land on your rear. I want pics!! There is no doubt that the partial hat I am sending will do this. I say partial, because I was originally just gonna send the factory pounced body, but I had to install a sweat just so it would maintain the shape of a hat!! All I did was steam it on a block, put in the brim break and installed a rudimentary sweat. May have tossed a ribbon on it, but I don't recall doing so. Check it out if you get the chance. 100x beaver, 75 gram body, no stiffener at all in the hat. I think I would have to get the .4 to turn it into suitable fedora felt, but I am waiting on appraisels from some of you guys. regards, Fedora

 

[tonyb]

Great info

Fedora, what is used as stiffener? And does some of it wash out in a typical cleaning process? And are differing amounts of stiffener used in crowns vs. brims? I ask 'cuz a nearby junktique store has a very clean, size 7 1/8 Open Road/Stratoliner style Stetson (it bears no model name) marked at 90 bucks, no discounts. (It's been there for at least six months that I'm aware of, and I suspect it will be there six months hence, unless they move on that price.) Anyhoo ... the crown is quite soft and the brim is decidedly stiff.