Adventurebilt proudly presents: The AB-Deluxe

[Marc]

I know, I know: my digicam is a piece of crap and it makes crappy pictures... it's a fact.

Anyhow, I wanted to share the news on the project that has kept me busy during the last seven months and I can finally announce, that I have gotton to the point where I have sourced down the finest materials possible. Be it on the super soft vintage styled sweatband with onion skin, the bridal satin liner or the best modern felt available.

I've made a post about it on COW for those interested:
http://www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=15863

Here are some pictures:





Of course the hat can be creased to any other style, but in order to hold the price down there, it's only available in brown and only with that blackish brown ribbon. But if you like that, it can only be an advantage, as most hats in that quality would be round about 750$.

Please share you're opinions and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Marc

 

[fedoralover]

Wow, that was quite an undertaking Marc. I know from visiting other hatters and their websites that people here on the lounge and at COW get an unbelievable deal on hats and this is another example. Please post more pictures when you have the time, maybe some in the Last Crusade style.

regards fedoralover

 

[Marc]

Sorry, but due to the immens cost for the blocks that I get custom made, I opted for a set of Raiders blocks only to start with. Of course a Raiders Fedora could be creased LC style (or any style for that matter), but it just wouldn't look "screen accurate". I do however have an order on a non Indy and will gladly share, once done.

Anyhow, here's the liner: http://img406.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pic000368ec.jpg

...and a sweatband layed lose inside a crown: http://img379.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sweatband8vw.jpg

I had to wait three months(!!!) to get these sweatbands, since my specs. were... ummm.... a bit long, but well worth the wait:cheers1: : super soft roan goatskin, dead stock vintage reeding tape in a matching color (bought all of it and now have it exclusively), onion skin, TT stitches and last but not least: the letters are actually pressed INTO the leather (I had seen it on some vintage Stetsons and had to have it ). Heck, you cannot even scratch it off with your finger nails!

The felt is the top line pure beaver felt from the same manufactor Optimo is using. I get them custom made fairly untapered to start with:http://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rawbodies11it.jpg

I know from visiting other hatters and their websites that people here on the lounge and at COW get an unbelievable deal on hats and this is another example.

Well, since I've started reblocks and such a couple of years ago for my own hats and a couple of friends - as well as now - I have a payed job to live from already. So I don't depend on any earnings from this and it not only makes the hatting less stressfull for me, but it also helps keeping the price low (and the fact, that I currently only make them in brown ).

Regards,

Marc

 

[fedoralover]

LC style

Marc, I should have been more specific, I only meant to shape the hat in that style not meaning to have the block in that style. In fact I like the Raiders block Steve uses to shape a vintage front pinch as it is so straight sided. Your pics look really good, I'll be anxious to see more as they start going out to fans.

fedoralover

 

[Fedora]

For what it is worth, you will not find a higher quality hat, anywhere on the planet. Not for what he is charging. His custom made sweats(his sweatmaker even tans their own leather), cost as much as a blended portugal body that some custom hatters have used for their 400 dollar hats. The beaver body he is getting custom made from Portugal, no other hatter that I know would even touch, due to the price of the body. I honestly do not think you can buy a hat like this from anyone else, unless you wanted to sink over a thousand bucks in the hat.(and then you could not get this sweat) Marc sourced the best materials available to hatters when he designed this hat. And, he had to go to Europe to do so, all except for the liners. Portugal is currently making the highest quality felt in the world, for dress hats, if you buy their upper end felt. They also sell good blended felt too, but nothing approaches the pure beaver in fineness and quality. The guys here that own an Optimo knows the quality of the blended portugal felt. But, if you want to see the finest felt make today, check out their pure beaver line. Fedora

 

[fedoralover]

Fedora, have you started carrying the lighter weight beaver body from Portugal yet?

fedoralover

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

Marc, that is one gorgeous lid. Congrats on your new business!

Kaleponi Craig

 

[Marc]

Just got a reply from my block maker, that to for the special wood I requested for the blocks (similar to rose wood), the price is 261 bucks PLUS shipping (and that is WITHOUT taxes!!!). I reckon I'll have to recalculate a bit in order to not pay my own money for each hat sold :cry: Heck, there's hardly any winnings in it as is... Now I can only hope that my felter doesn't raise his prices or I'll be forced to do so as well...

Ahh well. Fedoralover I'll show pics of an LC styled hat when I make the next (the one in the pictures went out to a customer to see yesterday).

Regards,

Marc