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[Zombie_61]

Ha, I never even thought of them as Indy hats (except for the Raiders hat I got from Busted Hats)

I just like a fedora with a 2.5 to 2.75 brim and a tall crown

Same here, though I've also come to like a nice Pork Pie hat. That said, my first "proper" hat (i.e., one made from decent fur felt) didn't enter my life until 2008. I had gone to the local movie theater to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on May 21, 2008, and after the movie was done I decided I'd waited long enough to buy myself a decent Fedora. I always liked them, but thought I'd look like a "poseur" if I tried to wear one regularly. Anyway, that was the beginning of me becoming a hat wearer...and a Lounger... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Dan718]

Same here, though I've also come to like a nice Pork Pie hat. That said, my first "proper" hat (i.e., one made from decent fur felt) didn't enter my life until 2008. I had gone to the local movie theater to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on May 21, 2008, and after the movie was done I decided I'd waited long enough to buy myself a decent Fedora. I always liked them, but thought I'd look like a "poseur" if I tried to wear one regularly. Anyway, that was the beginning of me becoming a hat wearer...and a Lounger... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I can relates to that. It wasn’t until I got a bit older and cared less about out what other people thought and more about what I liked that I got into the habit of regularly wearing felt hats.

 

[M Hatman]

I like that squatter! I finally ordered an adventurer, but lemme ask how did you attach your wind cord?

I run it through the felt and tie it off on the inside, sometimes I also run a stich or two over it as well.

 

[eliphant]

What are some good things to use as the material to wrap the reed in when making a sweatband? It seems somewhat hard to find. In my older hats it seems to be a fiber reinforced material and on the newer ones it seems to just be a thin vinyl.

 

[Rmccamey]

OK, group, I need your assistance. What I thought would be a simple task has turned into a search for a unicorn. I'm looking for a modern production Shantung straw hat. Specifically a vented, 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 open crown, with a 2 3/4 to 3 inch brim. Thanks for any links or info.

 

[Uncle Bennie]

OK, group, I need your assistance. What I thought would be a simple task has turned into a search for a unicorn. I'm looking for a modern production Shantung straw hat. Specifically a vented, 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 open crown, with a 2 3/4 to 3 inch brim. Thanks for any links or info.

Try Atwood hats, they have some occasional unicorns in straw

 

[Rmccamey]

Thanks, I'll check them out. The website does say they can customize any hat, so....maybe!

Try Atwood hats, they have some occasional unicorns in straw

 

[HatsBySam]

What are your thoughts on Nutria hats?

 

[jeffgarf]

What are your thoughts on Nutria hats?

I had one made by @belfastboy . He did a great job and I am a big fan (of his and the nutria hat). Mine is a dress weight and seems that it will hold up quite well while looking very sharp. I assume western weight would likely also be just as good as beaver.

 

[RickP]

Id be interested in a vintage nutria just for the novelty of having one if the right hat came along... beyond that, A nice hat is a nice hat.... Im not a fur snob when it comes to Rabbit/ beaver/ nutria... if it looks and feels good Ill wear it

 

[HatsBySam]

I had one made by @belfastboy . He did a great job and I am a big fan (of his and the nutria hat). Mine is a dress weight and seems that it will hold up quite well while looking very sharp. I assume western weight would likely also be just as good as beaver.

I’ve only used Sunrise Hat Nutria bodies. I’ve made a couple of hats with midweight bodies, and had to add a fair amount of shellac for a gambler style hat for my son. A fedora I kept for myself I didn’t add any stiffener and it’s quite soft, but seems to keep it’s shape well. I’m curious if Sunrise goes a little light on stiffening, or if this is just a feature of Nutria felt. I made 1 western weight hat, it was definitely stiffer, but still not as stiff as most western weight beaver and rabbit felts I’ve handled.

 

[jeffgarf]

I believe mine was a Sunrise body as well. I had purchased the hat body and the ribbon I wanted and had @belfastboy do the actual crafting. It is not a really stiff body, by any means, but then again, I didn't want that necessarily. It has the right stiffness for what I wanted, but I also do not know if Robert added shellac to it while making it.

 

[HatsBySam]

Id be interested in a vintage nutria just for the novelty of having one if the right hat came along... beyond that, A nice hat is a nice hat.... Im not a fur snob when it comes to Rabbit/ beaver/ nutria... if it looks and feels good Ill wear it

I always try to keep an eye I it for the vintage nutria as well, they seem hard to come by, lol.

 

[DaveProc]

Something new happened to me today on the Lounge. I replied to a post and my replies are waiting for moderator approval. This had not previously happened to me. Is this something new?

 

[belfastboy]

I believe mine was a Sunrise body as well. I had purchased the hat body and the ribbon I wanted and had @belfastboy do the actual crafting. It is not a really stiff body, by any means, but then again, I didn't want that necessarily. It has the right stiffness for what I wanted, but I also do not know if Robert added shellac to it while making it.

No, I did not stiffen the hat at all.

 

[belfastboy]

I’ve only used Sunrise Hat Nutria bodies. I’ve made a couple of hats with midweight bodies, and had to add a fair amount of shellac for a gambler style hat for my son. A fedora I kept for myself I didn’t add any stiffener and it’s quite soft, but seems to keep it’s shape well. I’m curious if Sunrise goes a little light on stiffening, or if this is just a feature of Nutria felt. I made 1 western weight hat, it was definitely stiffer, but still not as stiff as most western weight beaver and rabbit felts I’ve handled.

I have a 1930's Stetson nutria and it is great felt. I also made a hat from Winchester nutria (alas no longer offered) and it is the nicest felt I have worked with. The Sunrise nutria is quite soft, I like the hand of it. If you put a nutria hat next to a beaver you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. The Sunrise nutria to me is not as tightly felted as the beaver from any of the other makers so I wonder if it will hold up over time compared to beaver. But I am talking about a very long period of time.
I have not worked with their (newish) light weight dress furs.

 

[jeffgarf]

No, I did not stiffen the hat at all.

It didn't seem that you had, but I didn't want to misrepresent. Thanks for jumping in here.

 

[belfastboy]

It didn't seem that you had, but I didn't want to misrepresent. Thanks for jumping in here.

I rarely add shellac.....if I do it would be to the brim only. Usually with a good flanging and perhaps brim binding that gives the brim all the structural stability needed.

 

[jlee562]

What are your thoughts on Nutria hats?

Makes a good hat. I have a 20's and a 30's Stetson. The Boss Raw Edge is among the most easily shapeable hats I've owned. The dress western I have is a bit stiffer, but both hats have a very soft hand. I've made one hat from a nutria body that I bought from Art when he retired, but I think it might be a blend. Anyways, also a nice, soft hand to the finish but no comparison to the vintage felts (which I presume would have been mercury processed).

 

[HatsBySam]

Makes a good hat. I have a 20's and a 30's Stetson. The Boss Raw Edge is among the most easily shapeable hats I've owned. The dress western I have is a bit stiffer, but both hats have a very soft hand. I've made one hat from a nutria body that I bought from Art when he retired, but I think it might be a blend. Anyways, also a nice, soft hand to the finish but no comparison to the vintage felts (which I presume would have been mercury processed).

Beautiful hat!