Bummer experience. I can feel your disappointment.
As everyone else has said, it still looks a cool Indy.
Steam is your best friend. Open it up and steam away. Looking forward to seeing the result.
As everyone else has said, it still looks a cool Indy.
Steam is your best friend. Open it up and steam away. Looking forward to seeing the result.
Well, at long last, I finally got my Indy hat. I, like many others, have been inspired by the Indy fedora to get into hats, and what I initially thought would have been a pleasant experience in landing the mothership, it was actually quite the opposite. After doing some research and some brain racking, I decided to go with Penman due to his reputation as a hatter, namely with Indy hats. I placed my order last January for a custom Raiders without the turn. John informed me that without the turn, it would look like the gray travel hat, and not the "hero" hat. I told him my concerns with the turn, and he told me to let him know what I decided. My hat was to be ready around July.
Thinking that I had time to ponder a final decision, I let it sit for a couple of weeks. I then sent an email with questions, and never received a reply. I figured, by mistake, that I would hear back when it came time to build my hat. Fast forward to July. Still no word. I sent another email with more questions, and stated that I changed my mind and wanted the turn. I figured I would regret not getting it. Still no response. About two weeks later I receive an email (in a new thread) with pics of my finished hat, without the turn. He apparently never got any of my emails, but he'd see what he could do about moving the crease, but there may be old crease lines. I told him if that were the case then to not re-crease it, but he'd see what he would do.
I received the hat in August, exactly as it was shown in the pic I was sent when the hat was finished. I started going back and forth with him on what it would take to get the turn. He told me that if he were to add the turn, he would have to tear the hat apart and reblock it to remove the old crease lines, put the breakline back in, flange it and then put the hat back together. I don't know why none of this was mentioned before shipping the hat. He then wanted to charge me for the repair and shipping, plus wait in line again. I found this to be completely unacceptable, and he eventually agreed to do the work for free.
I finally received the hat today, and the first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box was the old crease line. Disappointment doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. And to think all of this could have been avoided with simple communication. I just don't get it. I'm pretty speechless about it, and at this point, I'm pretty exhausted just thinking about this whole scenario. I suppose this Indy hat is better than no Indy hat. I'll try hitting it with some steam and see what happens. View attachment 312662
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