New Member to the Hat Forum

[deadlyhandsome]

Hello my fellow well hatted friends! I am a beginner hatter in central Kentucky eager to learn as much as I can about making quality hats. I’ve been diving into research and acquiring tools needed to do this the right way. I am still very new to learning the styles and techniques so any direction on taste and style as I learn this craft.

cheers everyone!
Nick

Welcome! We always like to see new people taking up hatting. Beautiful old comformateur you’ve got there. What styles of hats do you make?

 

[ngodbehere]

Welcome! We always like to see new people taking up hatting. Beautiful old comformateur you’ve got there. What styles of hats do you make?

Currently I am waiting on a lot of tools to really get my hands dirty and I am researching styles in the meantime. I’ll take some photos of something I just got done stiffening when it’s done drying in the morning. I’m really excited to be getting a couple of blocks in from Art Fawcett soon, one a buckaroo and the other a pork pie. I am also waiting on the freeze to end to take some measurements for a pork pie for my first commission.

I have also had several requests for really big top hats so I have a block and flange set coming to me for those as well. Living in Kentucky I am going to have to perfect the bowlers very soon. I used to work at a local horse track as a bar porter and I would love seeing all of the dashing beavers everyone was wearing every season.

 

[belfastboy]

Hello my fellow well hatted friends! I am a beginner hatter in central Kentucky eager to learn as much as I can about making quality hats. I’ve been diving into research and acquiring tools needed to do this the right way. I am still very new to learning the styles and techniques so any direction on taste and style as I learn this craft.

cheers everyone!
Nick

Welcome to The Lounge

 

[Uncle Will]

Welcome to the Fedora Lounge, Nick!
There is an amazing amount of "Hat Intelligence" to be found among the members here, who are pleased to share their knowledge. I am a completely new guy and have learned a lot by browsing and asking questions. I'm sure you will pick up some good hat making information here. Your funky. open, wooden design with the buttressed crown is a real piece of work. I'd love to see a few more angles. Is the brim made of clothespins holding a dowel ring?
U. Dub

 

[BobHufford]

Your funky. open, wooden design with the buttressed crown is a real piece of work. I'd love to see a few more angles. Is the brim made of clothespins holding a dowel ring?

Not sure if you were serious U. Dub, but if so ...

Welcome to both you and Nick!

 

[Uncle Will]

Bob,
As I said, I'm a blank slate when it comes to hat making. I've never seen a hat-fitting machine before. The item fits Steampunk direction in arts and crafts pretty well, especially with the "bottle opener" coming out the top! But it is a head shape replicator and it is the coolest thing I will see today.
W.

 

[Frunobulax]

Currently I am waiting on a lot of tools to really get my hands dirty and I am researching styles in the meantime. I’ll take some photos of something I just got done stiffening when it’s done drying in the morning. I’m really excited to be getting a couple of blocks in from Art Fawcett soon, one a buckaroo and the other a pork pie. I am also waiting on the freeze to end to take some measurements for a pork pie for my first commission.

I have also had several requests for really big top hats so I have a block and flange set coming to me for those as well. Living in Kentucky I am going to have to perfect the bowlers very soon. I used to work at a local horse track as a bar porter and I would love seeing all of the dashing beavers everyone was wearing every season.

Welcome to the Lounge. It will be interesting to get your perspectives on hats and hatting. IN Lexington, you're not too far from Cincinnati. You should make the trek up to Batsakes soon and have a conversation with Master Hatter Gus Miller. He's a great guy and would probably like to talk about "the biz" with you.

 

[ngodbehere]

Welcome to the Lounge. It will be interesting to get your perspectives on hats and hatting. IN Lexington, you're not too far from Cincinnati. You should make the trek up to Batsakes soon and have a conversation with Master Hatter Gus Miller. He's a great guy and would probably like to talk about "the biz" with you.

That sounds like an interesting prospective. I may just have to do that soon.

 

[ngodbehere]

Bob,
As I said, I'm a blank slate when it comes to hat making. I've never seen a hat-fitting machine before. The item fits Steampunk direction in arts and crafts pretty well, especially with the "bottle opener" coming out the top! But it is a head shape replicator and it is the coolest thing I will see today.
W.

This is a conformateur from 1889 commissioned for the J.B. Mast company. It is in excellent working condition and surprisingly works with my formillon perfectly with no need for calibration and pairing oddly enough. Good for me because the only person capable of working on these no longer provides that service anymore.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

This is a conformateur from 1889 commissioned for the J.B. Mast company. It is in excellent working condition and surprisingly works with my formillon perfectly with no need for calibration and pairing oddly enough. Good for me because the only person capable of working on these no longer provides that service anymore.

It’s a cool piece of history. Not many hatters use them even if they have them, but it’s a great piece of vintage engineering. I’d also wager that @humanshoes could repair/calibrate one if so inclined. I bet he could make one from a few coat hangers and a rock if he had the time.

 

[ngodbehere]

It’s a cool piece of history. Not many hatters use them even if they have them, but it’s a great piece of vintage engineering. I’d also wager that @humanshoes could repair/calibrate one if so inclined. I bet he could make one from a few coat hangers and a rock if he had the time.

Well that is certainly a useful piece of information. I do not intend on using this very often but it is certainly something that I am just delighted to have in my collection of tools that have such unique history to them. I contacted probably the leading foremost expert in antiques and appraisals as well as fine arts trying to find more information on this piece. He knew a fair bit but it seems not as much as you hatters seem to know. He even admitted that I may seem to already know more about it than he does. I am keen to track down as much history as possible to share with the people who enjoy my hats over the years.

 

[DaveProc]

Hello my fellow well hatted friends! I am a beginner hatter in central Kentucky eager to learn as much as I can about making quality hats. I’ve been diving into research and acquiring tools needed to do this the right way. I am still very new to learning the styles and techniques so any direction on taste and style as I learn this craft.

cheers everyone!
Nick

Welcome!

 

[DonCanalio]

Hello there

My name is Tomasz thus nothing more than Tom and I live in Poland.
I have been lurking here searching for vital information like wool/fur felt differences, or investigating slouch and Campaign hat history or something like Cavanagh Edge and eventually I'm in .
Since primary school (when my head size stabilized) I had one hat, but now
I'm the proof-of-concept that middle-age crisis
is making addiction going too far, I had this problem with keeping tropical fish, stargazing and after getting mostly rid of mentioned addictions suddenly the hats hit me
Definitely in love in wide brim hats, IMHO one of the the coolest mankind invention, which I admire for universal protection against the challenging aura, still (searching "only bargains" ) collected too much and maybe some of members would have soon opportunity to acquire a few
of my local oddballs, helping with making room and funds for my first 4-month-wait-Akubra and planned DIY hats (first will be definitely outback from jute coffee bag, and I'm thinking about "tricorn", har har har...)
And definitely on my to-do list is purchase of t-shirt with beautiful words "all hat, no cattle"

Greetings to all Mad Hatters

 

[DaveProc]

Hello there

My name is Tomasz thus nothing more than Tom and I live in Poland.
I have been lurking here searching for vital information like wool/fur felt differences, or investigating slouch and Campaign hat history or something like Cavanagh Edge and eventually I'm in .
Since primary school (when my head size stabilized) I had one hat, but now
I'm the proof-of-concept that middle-age crisis
is making addiction going too far, I had this problem with keeping tropical fish, stargazing and after getting mostly rid of mentioned addictions suddenly the hats hit me
Definitely in love in wide brim hats, IMHO one of the the coolest mankind invention, which I admire for universal protection against the challenging aura, still (searching "only bargains" ) collected too much and maybe some of members would have soon opportunity to acquire a few
of my local oddballs, helping with making room and funds for my first 4-month-wait-Akubra and planned DIY hats (first will be definitely outback from jute coffee bag, and I'm thinking about "tricorn", har har har...)
And definitely on my to-do list is purchase of t-shirt with beautiful words "all hat, no cattle"

Greetings to all Mad Hatters

View attachment 316953

Welcome Tom!

 

[Uncle Will]

Welcome Tom, I hope you find the answers you seek.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hello there

My name is Tomasz thus nothing more than Tom and I live in Poland.
I have been lurking here searching for vital information like wool/fur felt differences, or investigating slouch and Campaign hat history or something like Cavanagh Edge and eventually I'm in .
Since primary school (when my head size stabilized) I had one hat, but now
I'm the proof-of-concept that middle-age crisis
is making addiction going too far, I had this problem with keeping tropical fish, stargazing and after getting mostly rid of mentioned addictions suddenly the hats hit me
Definitely in love in wide brim hats, IMHO one of the the coolest mankind invention, which I admire for universal protection against the challenging aura, still (searching "only bargains" ) collected too much and maybe some of members would have soon opportunity to acquire a few
of my local oddballs, helping with making room and funds for my first 4-month-wait-Akubra and planned DIY hats (first will be definitely outback from jute coffee bag, and I'm thinking about "tricorn", har har har...)
And definitely on my to-do list is purchase of t-shirt with beautiful words "all hat, no cattle"

Greetings to all Mad Hatters

View attachment 316953

Welcome, Tom. Our European members bring so much to our discussions. Kick off your shoes and make yourself at home.

 

[belfastboy]

Hello there

My name is Tomasz thus nothing more than Tom and I live in Poland.
I have been lurking here searching for vital information like wool/fur felt differences, or investigating slouch and Campaign hat history or something like Cavanagh Edge and eventually I'm in .
Since primary school (when my head size stabilized) I had one hat, but now
I'm the proof-of-concept that middle-age crisis
is making addiction going too far, I had this problem with keeping tropical fish, stargazing and after getting mostly rid of mentioned addictions suddenly the hats hit me
Definitely in love in wide brim hats, IMHO one of the the coolest mankind invention, which I admire for universal protection against the challenging aura, still (searching "only bargains" ) collected too much and maybe some of members would have soon opportunity to acquire a few
of my local oddballs, helping with making room and funds for my first 4-month-wait-Akubra and planned DIY hats (first will be definitely outback from jute coffee bag, and I'm thinking about "tricorn", har har har...)
And definitely on my to-do list is purchase of t-shirt with beautiful words "all hat, no cattle"

Greetings to all Mad Hatters

View attachment 316953

I bought my wooden hat blocks from Jerzy in Lodz. They are works of art.

 

[DonCanalio]

I bought my wooden hat blocks from Jerzy in Lodz. They are works of art.

As the coincidence - city of Lodz is my place either

 

[belfastboy]

As the coincidence - city of Lodz is my place either

I was surprised to find out the proper pronunciation of "Lodz".....nothing at all like it looks in English. We have a Polish bakery & deli in my town and they teach me Polish.....I am a terrible student.

 

[DonCanalio]

I was surprised to find out the proper pronunciation of "Lodz".....nothing at all like it looks in English. We have a Polish bakery & deli in my town and they teach me Polish.....I am a terrible student.

Hehe,nothing to worry about This city name is often reason for various jokes, as i.e. Łódź sounds like "Óć" thus it's called "the city with the shortest name", (or "the shortest city" = double joke as Piotrkowska Street in Lodz is the longest straight street in Europe (Avenue des Champs-Élysées has turn); it used to be normal to say "I'm from the City of Łódź" instead "I'm from Łódź" ("jestem z Łodzi") because when spoken - especially via telephone - it sounds too alike "jestem złodziej" ("I'm a thief"); and in early 2000's people from Lodz who were traveling to work in Warsaw every day by train used to be called "The Boat People" because Lodz in Polish means exactly Boat