Yep, and the learning curve is a big part of the fun of it all for me.
I have fixed up the Tom Mix you sent me. I love the super tall crown and wide brim but not everybody does in my house. When I showed it to my wife her first words...."Are you going to wear that?", when I replied YES, she countered with the question...."In public?" My second custom order was a stingy brim from Mike so my tastes have def changed.
if may i ask how did you press the brim felt ?> like the second picture?With the thinking that every hatter deserves their own thread:
I recently ordered a custom hat from the Phoenix Hat Company which is the the creation of our own @humanshoes.
I’m his first long distance (email) custom order. He has been a pleasure to work with and he is fast responding to any questions. He also doesn’t oversell his hats and makes certain you know what you will be getting and what his limitations are. Who could ask for more?
Rick (humanshoes) was upfront with explaining that his hats are made almost exclusively by hand and that the pouncing/finish won’t be as fine as hatters who have made huge financial investments in equipment. That said, his hats look great and I’m certain that they will fill a niche as a rugged yet good looking fedora. His prices are also incredible for what you get.
Rick apparently has lots of irons in his fire and isn’t only a hatter. He quoted an approximate eight (8) week delivery time, but that’s subject to change due to his other commitments and the availability of the hat body you want being in stock. He really doesn’t have much of an online presence yet, but he can work with you and send and receive photos as desired.
This is the hat that he’s making for me (I copied this photo off the Lounge sometime back and I cannot recall whose it is, but thank you):
It’s natural beaver with a 6” open crown and 2 5/8” bound brim on a good-old #52 block.
This next photo is one Rick sent me of a custom he completed for someone else. I’ve been considering a pecan so this was an easy choice:
The pricing is a bargain and I can’t wait to receive the hats and provide photos and a thorough review.
Like I said, up until now Phoenix Hat Company has only been serving the locals and this is his first long distance order. If you’re interested you should hit him up with a PM here at the Lounge. I have high hopes!
The shop also does repair and alteration work on hats. Additionally, he makes hat making tools for sale at very reasonable prices.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Three ways: buy a many thousands of $$$ hydraulic brim press, do it yourself with an iron, press cloth and a flat board, order the felts from Tim @purebeaver on Instagram. He is now offering felts with the brims pressed at the factory (I believe)
how did you press that brim so sweetOnly finishing touches left and I’m hoping it will ship early next week. Rick has been great to work with and I can’t help but to juxtapose his hat and my experience with him to the Staker Custom Hats fedora I received a couple of weeks ago. Phoenix is just a bit more expensive, but I can already tell it’s going to be orders of magnitude better (and 100% beaver and not rabbit to boot!). If the mercury wasn’t flirting with 90 I’d be placing another order right now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is a bit late in responding, but if you're not sure what dimensions would suit you have somebody take a picture of your head and face, from the shoulders and up, and then a second full body picture. Send those pictures to Rick and see if he can advise you on what dimensions would work best for your face shape and body type.
I now remember that....this time you nailed it. I will have to keep my eye open for some dark plum.....I am becoming obsessive about collecting ribbon now.....I may have a new problem.
Wow, I just had a thought....I never would have imagined that in my later years I would develop a problem of obsessively collecting vintage ribbon....weird how it all turns out.
