Busted Hat Company

[Rmccamey]

I have the distinct honor to introduce Busted Hats, a new hat brand by our own @Darrell2688

Darrell has been making and selling hats online but this is his first branded hat.

It has been years, decades if fact, since I went all-in on a wide brimmed western, and Darrell was up to the challenge. We settled on a crown near 5 inches creased and a 3 1/2 inch brim. The frayed-end burgundy ribbon really stands out on the mid-grey felt (I would actually call it charcoal). I need to spend some time to get the bash and brim into final shape but I wanted to get this hat posted as a first look for TFL members.

Darrel was the consummate professional and he was in constant contact with me throughout every step of the process and we exchanged dozens of emails and pictures during the build. As a startup milliner, it took time to get all the materials together, but that was to be expected.

It would be easy, but unfair, to compare this hat to those of established builders. It is fair to say, however, that this hat is good looking, is built by hand, is very well constructed and destined for many years of use. In addition, based on the price point, Busted Hats are a great value! Contact Darrell to get your hat started!

Congratulations Darrell. Here's to a great future with Busted Hats.

 

[Darrell2688]

Hi Randy,

Thank you for the introduction of Busted Hats. Randy and I worked together covering every detail of the hat that he wanted me to make for him. Randy sent me photos of the hat that he wanted me to make which was a big help and a little bit of a challenge, the challenge was a welcomed learning experience. Making a Western Style hat band was something new and I am working on another hat right now with the same color hat band also a Western Style, the felt is a Pecan Color rabbit fur felt, it is also my first hat for a lady. I normally make hat bands with 1 1/2" wide Vintage Grosgrain Ribbon, the ribbon on Randy's hat is 9/16" wide Vintage Grosgrain Burgundy color Ribbon, I purchased the ribbon from Art and the color combination of Gray and Burgundy looks great together, the leather sweatband is Chestnut color 2" wide. The felt is soft to the touch, making a hat with a soft feel to the felt and getting the hat to hold a shape after bashing can be a challenge.
My logo is a DTF transfer that I purchased from a store on Etsy, madeperfectinlove, Caroline is the owner and operator, she also helped with the design. The DTF transfer will work on any type and color of material.
Randy thank you for all of your help and patience while I worked on your hat,

Darrell

Randy, I don't know what you used to make photos of the hat, but I need to get the same camera or learn how to take photos. I have a Black Rabbit fur felt fedora on Ebay for sale right now a size 7 3/8", it may look better if I make photos of the hat outside with natural sunlight?

 

[Darrell2688]

Well I took some photos of my first hat for a young lady today outside since we actually have some natural sunlight, I wanted to see if it would help with my photos. I have been using a white sheet and several lights in my living room for my photos, sunlight seems to be the cure, however I am not so sure about the back ground. Here are a few photos of the hat, it is a 7 1/8" with a telescope crown 4" tall. I need more practice taking photos that is obvious. I was surprised by her choice of a telescope crown, I thought that it would be a single crease crown and no dents.

 

[Rmccamey]

A mighty nice gambler!

Well I took some photos of my first hat for a young lady today outside since we actually have some natural sunlight, I wanted to see if it would help with my photos. I have been using a white sheet and several lights in my living room for my photos, sunlight seems to be the cure, however I am not so sure about the back ground. Here are a few photos of the hat, it is a 7 1/8" with a telescope crown 4" tall. I need more practice taking photos that is obvious. I was surprised by her choice of a telescope crown, I thought that it would be a single crease crown and no dents. View attachment 588395 View attachment 588392 View attachment 588391 View attachment 588387 View attachment 588390

 

[Darrell2688]

Thank you Randy,

The little lady is looking forward to getting her hat and so am I. She wanted a hat band 1/2" wide and I made the mistake of telling her that the Burgandy ribbon was 9/16", that is when she told me that she wanted 1/2" wide ribbon, it took a little talking but I pointed out that 9/16" is only 1/16" over 1/2".

 

[Darrell2688]

Well it has been a little while since I posted anything new that I have made, yesterday I finished the work on the Bottle Green Fedora hat and the Ebay ad will be active tonight around 7PM California time. Ebay has made some changes to the way you list items for sale, so far I am not fond of their new process. I have a black fedora listed on Ebay and people keep adding the hat to their watch list and so far 28 people have it listed on their watch list. Here are a few photos of the hats that I have on Ebay.

Ebay web link:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?item=305023215883&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562&_ssn=dwb4926

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Well it has been a little while since I posted anything new that I have made, yesterday I finished the work on the Bottle Green Fedora hat and the Ebay ad will be active tonight around 7PM California time. Ebay has made some changes to the way you list items for sale, so far I am not fond of their new process. I have a black fedora listed on Ebay and people keep adding the hat to their watch list and so far 28 people have it listed on their watch list. Here are a few photos of the hats that I have on Ebay.

View attachment 592883 View attachment 592884 View attachment 592885 View attachment 592886 View attachment 592887 View attachment 592888 View attachment 592889 View attachment 592890

Ebay web link:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?item=305023215883&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562&_ssn=dwb4926

If that black hat was my size I’d be bidding for sure.

 

[Darrell2688]

Hi Brent,
Thank you.
I post my hats on Ebay for sale or buy now. I think Ebay hits you with higher fees when you post something for auction.

I still need to get a 63CM long oval to make a hat in your size. What is your favorite hat style, dress fedora or western? Do I need to purchase a black fur felt also, maybe one in beaver?


Thank you Brent,
Darrell

 

[Rmccamey]

More nice hats, Darrell.

 

[Darrell2688]

Hi Randy,

Thank you, I still need to do better with photos, I posted some on Ebay and for some reason a few of the photos have patches that look like the green hat has a wide dirt steak across the side of the hat, I think my camera acted like a mirror and reflecked light back onto the felt, so tomorrow I will make some new photos and post them on Ebay. I have a military green rabbit fur felt hat blank, basically a fatigue green color, when I first looked at the felt, it made me think of my time in the Marine Corps. The felt would make a great Campaign DI Cover.

Hope you are having a great week,
Darrell

 

[Darrell2688]

Yesterday I decided to change the hat band on the green hat, because I didn't like the way that it looked, plus my wife didn't like it either, so I changed the style of hat band, it is still a light blue. Here are some up to date photos. I still need to work my method of taking photos.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Hi Randy,

Thank you, I still need to do better with photos, I posted some on Ebay and for some reason a few of the photos have patches that look like the green hat has a wide dirt steak across the side of the hat, I think my camera acted like a mirror and reflecked light back onto the felt, so tomorrow I will make some new photos and post them on Ebay. I have a military green rabbit fur felt hat blank, basically a fatigue green color, when I first looked at the felt, it made me think of my time in the Marine Corps. The felt would make a great Campaign DI Cover.

Hope you are having a great week,
Darrell

Will be expecting a commemorative Marine Corps hat for the birthday this year Darrell.
Think snappy dress blues for the head not scarlets and golds and def not those Smokeys that terrify still.
B

 

[Darrell2688]

I don't understand the problem with the Campaign DI Cover, I liked those hats, however some of the DI's could scare the hell out of you, most of them were Nam veterans, called you everything except human and we had one that would throw a knife and stick in the door while we sat in formation cleaning our M14 rifles. As for a birthday hat are you talking steel blue hat with a red hat band and would that be a fedora or a blue Campaign hat?

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I don't understand the problem with the Campaign DI Cover, I liked those hats, however some of the DI's could scare the hell out of you, most of them were Nam veterans, called you everything except human and we had one that would throw a knife and stick in the door while we sat in formation cleaning our M14 rifles. As for a birthday hat are you talking steel blue hat with a red hat band and would that be a fedora or a blue Campaign hat?

Fedora, yes dress blues tunic color with scarlet accents. @Bill Hughes commissioned such a hat a few years ago by Art Fawcett i believe. Outstanding example!
I think a blue Smokey would look weird, unUSMC, diminish the iconic tradition of the DI cover, maybe cool though, idk.
Just spitballing a thought, that’s all.
B

Ps: I totally love the DI campaign hat. Best brush busting hat ever!!
M14…old Corps.

 

[Darrell2688]

I will have to see if I can find the hat that Art made, I downloaded all of the photos of his work that I could find, that hat is not in my collection. Well NUTS.
I will have to get a darker blue than the steel blue that I have, I think the Millinery Warehouse has a darker blue in stock that is close to dress blues color. The other thing is, who will buy the hat if I make one and what hat size? Someone told me recently that the most popular size was 57CM regular oval and so far all of the hats that people have ask me to make for them was a 57CM. Last night I finished work on a chocolate brown fedora, with dark brown hat band, dimensional brim cut and a Indiana Jones style bashing in 7 3/8"/59CM.
The rifle that I liked to carry in the Corps was the M14, I like the one shot method, making each shot count, the spray and pray method was good for suppressing and providing cover, the other weapon that I liked was the M60 machine gun. I wasn't fond of the M16, damn thing was lite weight like a BB gun and jammed.

 

[Darrell2688]

Fedora, yes dress blues tunic color with scarlet accents. @Bill Hughes commissioned such a hat a few years ago by Art Fawcett i believe. Outstanding example!
I think a blue Smokey would look weird, unUSMC, diminish the iconic tradition of the DI cover, maybe cool though, idk.
Just spitballing a thought, that’s all.
B

Ps: I totally love the DI campaign hat. Best brush busting hat ever!!
M14…old Corps.

Making a blue Smokey Cover would be unUSMC if you put a Eagle, Globe and Anchor pin in the crown, the Georgia State Police wear a blue Smokey Cover, here in KY they wear a Gray Smokey, Alaska, Missouri and South Caroline wear a blue Smokey, it should be ok, just don't stick the Marine Corps pin Emblem in the crown. Semper Fi

 

[belfastboy]

I will have to see if I can find the hat that Art made, I downloaded all of the photos of his work that I could find, that hat is not in my collection. Well NUTS.
I will have to get a darker blue than the steel blue that I have, I think the Millinery Warehouse has a darker blue in stock that is close to dress blues color. The other thing is, who will buy the hat if I make one and what hat size? Someone told me recently that the most popular size was 57CM regular oval and so far all of the hats that people have ask me to make for them was a 57CM. Last night I finished work on a chocolate brown fedora, with dark brown hat band, dimensional brim cut and a Indiana Jones style bashing in 7 3/8"/59CM.
The rifle that I liked to carry in the Corps was the M14, I like the one shot method, making each shot count, the spray and pray method was good for suppressing and providing cover, the other weapon that I liked was the M60 machine gun. I wasn't fond of the M16, damn thing was lite weight like a BB gun and jammed.

My experience is that 57cm is not that common as it is only a 7 1/8". 7 1/4 & 7 3/8" (58, 58.5 & 59cm) are by far the most common size I make with 7 3/8" is the one I make the most if I had to choose one.

 

[Darrell2688]

Most of my hat sales have been in the 7 3/8" size, I have had 3 orders in the 57 CM, 7 1/8", 7 1/4.", I have sold about 20 hats so far, most were in 2023 and the sales have worked out pretty well, because I have been able to buy new fur felts, so I can make another hat. I made the bottle green hat in size 57 CM because I thought that it would make a nice lady's hat.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

My experience is that 57cm is not that common as it is only a 7 1/8". 7 1/4 & 7 3/8" (58, 58.5 & 59cm) are by far the most common size I make with 7 3/8" is the one I make the most if I had to choose one.

Most of my hat sales have been in the 7 3/8" size, I have had 3 orders in the 57 CM, 7 1/8", 7 1/4.", I have sold about 20 hats so far, most were in 2023 and the sales have worked out pretty well, because I have been able to buy new fur felts, so I can make another hat. I made the bottle green hat in size 57 CM because I thought that it would make a nice lady's hat.

Clearly, 7 ¾ (62cm) long oval is the most common and is what all hats should be made in…61.5cm LO is also acceptable.

 

[Darrell2688]

Clearly, 7 ¾ (62cm) long oval is the most common and is what all hats should be made in…61.5cm LO is also acceptable.

I would need a 63CM long oval block 7" tall to make a hat and a beaver fur felt hat body that would have enough felt to make a 3 1/2" wide brim. I think that I can get the block made, where to get the beaver felt would be the problem.