Amazing thread, and thanks for sharing.....great pix as well, can I ask what kind of camera you used?
great thread What a fantastic thread! Thanks for sharing the information and photos. I live in Australia and often have Akubra make special hats for me to order (specifically Homburgs in size 62 and different colours). I will never complain about the price ever again which all of a sudden seems very reasonable considering the amount of work involved.
I just recently read this thread. This, and other things I'm seeing now that I'm really looking in this sub-forum are conspiring to get me into hats as well... Beautiful hat, very cool process.
Nice suspenders This is why I joined this forum. Too cool. Jim is too cool. Process explained with photos was great. Anyone check out his suspenders? He's got them clipped to his belt loop, Classic! Not only do I want a hat from this guy, I need a pair of those suspenders.
Jim in Detroit Jim from JW Hats and his son visit Henry The Hatter in Detroit, to look at some hat manufacturing equiptment no longer in use. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/joedahat/72.jpg Photo shows Joe Renkiewicz, Manager at Henry The Hatter, Jim, and Paul Wasserman, owner of Henry The Hatter.
Great thread!!!! This really helps me appreciate the efforts that artists like Art and Steve Delk put into their products. I have an order placed with both gentlemen and this thread really helped me to understand "custom". -Scott
WOW!! Great pictures and very informative. Hat making 101 gets an A++ grade. I look forward to more...!
What a skilled and talented man and wife ! Great use of bygone techniques... The finished hat suits you perfectly
It's for sale? Anybody see the "up for sale" notice on J.W. Hats website? Hope some one interested in continuing the business buys it. alphy27
No Website Has JWHATS been sold? Can't find the page anymore. I tried to show someone that might be interested in the business, but he's gone. Ralph
http://jwhats.com/ works for me. I did email him to order some sweats and inquire about a sweat cutter he has but only got a blank email in return. I'll give him a call and see what is up. Fletch
Jim's business is alive and well. I speak to him often and he is considering opening a new store ( contrary to his wife's wishes) in Las Vegas. No worries
I was actually able to go down and see Jim at JW hats this past weekend and he graciously allowed me to spend all day Saturday with him talking and demonstrating about hats and the hat business. He had kind words to say about you Art and said that he had been out to see you when you lived in the Bay Area before Oregon. I used to live close by you in Martinez but have since moved to Idaho. I lurk much much more than I post here but I have had great admiration for your work and talked with him about you and other hatters that I know. I was looking for hand making hat tips and though Jim enjoys the benefits of vintage and handmade machinery in making hats and advocates it quite heavily, he was still an excellent resource for passing along tips. I took maybe 125 pictures while I was down there and he was most gracious in opening his shop to me. Quite a guy. I'm passing along the Scientific Hat making book to him as he had not seen it yet. I'm sure he knows most if not all of what is in there already but he was interested in it and I would do anything for him as nice as he treated me. With his permission, I will pick out some pictures from my trip and post them up here. He has a tremendous vintage ribbon collection and a lot of unique and vintage hat making equipment. Fletch31
