Custom Hats!! 🎩& Tips for Hat Shopping

[@juliedonkers4354]

The way he handles those hats.. You fall in love just by watching the knowledge and the passion.

[@keepondoubletruckin8466]

Great Video and 25 plus yrs at the shop thats cool!

[@KTGHATS]

Killer username!! Thanks! 25 years fly by,man.. I have coworkers younger than that, appreciate us taking the time to compliment me, be safe.. kev

[@robertpowell5447]

So cool

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

When I bought my Poet/Adventurer from Christy's, it arrived with an open crown. Kevin, I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Watching your videos allowed me to shape my own crown using my tea kettle. The first one took me a couple tries, and I wound up with a teardrop crown. The actual hat shape though, is a little elongated so the teardrop didn't look right and I never wore it. A few months later I decided to try again. I steamed the crown out and just went with a classic fedora look, center crease, bit of a pinch at the front and that's it. I wear it in the cooler months, as a fur felt hat is a little on the warm side for summer, but it's one of my two favorite hats along with my Panama. I went with brown (I think it's actually "sable") and it goes great with my brown leather jacket and cowboy boots! Lol But yeah, I watched all your hat videos before you took your little break and they really helped me a lot!

[@KTGHATS]

Happy i could help!! Glad it worked, a tea kettle makes my type of work 50%-100% more dificult, so..i commend u,Sir, that isnt easy. Even for me, its like paddling upstream, so..good work!

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

On yeah, totally! God it takes me like an hour to do my crown and I'm getting good at it lol... I just can't afford a steamer right now, so at least this gets the job done. the worst part is that my kettle is on a fucking sensor! So it keeps shutting off when it boils! so I can only do little pieces at a time. I have to do my brim a quarter piece at a time. It's tedious, to be sure! Lol

[@KTGHATS]

@@user-mt4zr5kp7h find a used kettle at the salvation army thrift shop for a buck or two.. or rip out that sensor! Best of luck,my fellow hat- wearing friend

[@saltrisha1]

One day a zoot suit vintage style cholo from Southern ca.will walk in your store.It will be a dream come true for him,and im sure ill break the bank while im there cause i love new and vintage brims!!Thanks Kevin for sharing your knowledge,i cant say enough how much i appreciate you!!

[@petemancillas9929]

Nicely manic, full of great information. Love your store brand btw. I'd love to hear more about "old man hats," which you lovingly disparage.

[@KTGHATS]

pete mancillas sure, u got it

[@Ocean-kayak]

Like watching your videos. Love hats! It would be awesome to visit J.J.s and buy a hat!! Unfortunately tooo far! Never even been to NY. Along the lines of your comment. I’m one of those who embellishes most of my hats with feathers, treated leaves, antique and vintage shoe buckles, hand made hat bands, sea shells along the hat bands etc and so on. I also have a few I keep simple. But why have a hat like every one else? ALOHA 🌴

[@LowPlainsDrifter60]

9:39 Just to let you know, there are plenty of Stetson Tri-city's online, they come in 5 colors & sell for around $180........for anyone interested, the brim is 3 3/4" wide with a 4 1/2" creased crown.

[@KTGHATS]

Thx good to know! When we first got em, they werent online yet

[@aidansmith6464]

Hee! The young guy.But saying that,The right hat can knock years off you, for sure.

[@kenmckee444]

Hey,Do you make the Snap brim ivy flat cap,regards Ken.?

[@jackfyddle1]

Great vid, I just ordered the Córdoba in blue 😁

[@KTGHATS]

Thanks, my boss will love that I’m selling loys of hats here for her!! Lol

[@jackfyddle1]

KEVIN from JJ HAT CENTER 🎸HATS & GUITARS ! Excellent! Kevin I also ordered a San Sabastion but mistakenly checked pinch front. I actually would like it with an open crown. Thanks J Dillon

[@AJMacDonaldJr]

Custom hats! 🤠

[@kh1024]

Why did you put the tiny holes in your hat? To keep your head cool? Great idea. How did you do that? I have some hats I want to wear in the Texas heat. I might try doing that.

[@KTGHATS]

There is an antique machine, a crown venting press, an old, steel thing.. it makes those sunburst patterns,to vent the crown.that’s a very rare machine, I’ve only seen one in my life, we have it at the store, if u ever drop by we will do it for free. I have a video showing it kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2jFeq13iJugg6c

[@kh1024]

@@KTGHATS I'm in Texas. Maybe in the distinct future I will travel to New York for vacation and visit your store. I'm ordering online now.

[@driftergrey]

I'd love to visit this store, but it's probably about 4000 km away.

[@KTGHATS]

drifter grey always welcome, I will give u the VIP treatment if u drop by!! Kev.

[@driftergrey]

@@KTGHATS Thanks Kevin! Hopefully someday soon 🙂

[@wadebolderman3250]

So Kevin, I need a really cool spitfire or baker boy cap. I want it to be with no button or snap and more of a year round weight if possible. Do you have anything close to this? Please let me know.

[@KTGHATS]

The Alfonso spitfire is on half price sale, awesome quality, no button, 3 nice colors,grey herringbone,solid charcoal or blue/black tweed All great colors,nice medium sized crown,not too baggy.. Should fit the bill, it's the only one I know of that's button-less

[@derekwiltse144]

I have that same shirt in white. Never seen it anywhere else. I'm wondering if you know any of the band members from "The Gods".

[@KTGHATS]

Not personally

[@AlexanderAnderson542]

Hey man great hats, I was wondering and I cannot seem to find an answer to this but, I really want to start making my own hats, but i have know idea where i can get beaver felt ready to block and shape. Any way you can point me in some direction?

[@KTGHATS]

most felt bodies don't "ready to block and shape". They come in an unfinished state, generally,a hatmaker will get a fur felt body and buff it down by hand, to a finer, softer finish that he makes himself & an even thickness all around. Beaver felt is expensive and generally not as thick because of that, so there's less buffing and sanding needed.. But there's beaver felt bodies available if you shop around. If you haven't done any actual hat making before, I'd suggest starting with some rabbit fur felt, a double sided velour body is very soft and Velvetty..and already expensive enough to experiment on...beaver is way more $'s. It'll require way less buffing, but you will need to sand it down to a fine finish w multiple sandpapers, otherwise it won't feel like anything special..this is how the soft finish is created,by hand.. it takes time,and must be even all around. ..without the right equipment it'll be hard, you'll need a crown block,and the little stand it goes on to elevate it, a band block, and brim block (Flange) you'll need the proper rope to tie the felt down to the block, and a pusher stick to stretch the wet hat body onto the block... Without those, it'll be tough..near impossible. You'll need a spray bottle to wet the felt, and probably a brim cutter because your felt will have a huge 5" brim, without a proper brim cutter u will destroy the felt, a jury rigged brim cut looks horrible, it'll brand your hat a home made fake, u need a brim cutter, and they take practice. U will need a cheap wool body to practice on, it took me over ten times to get okay at it,I still suck at brim cutting. That's the mark of a beginner, a badly cut brim looks so bad, it'll make u hate your hat, practice this..do NOT use a scissors or u will destroy it. You'll need a sweatband, and you'll need to know how to cut it to size and sew it in. You'll need a band, and some sewing skills.. Try manhatco. Manny's millinery Frank Olive only sources I know of in NYC

[@KTGHATS]

U can't find an answer because ready cut,buffed and stretched felt bodies don't exist. That's SO MUCH WORK... when I has my own hat company I paid a guy to stretch,tie,and push wet felt over those blocks,dry them,band them,sew sweatbands.. all I did was shape the crown and trim the hats w feathers,bands,trimmings,ribbon.. and just trimmings the hats took time. I never block my own hats..it's soooo much work, strenuous and so easy to eff up, U would spend a day making a hat,then ruin it cutting the brim.. it is not easy.

[@AlexanderAnderson542]

@@KTGHATS awsome! This was most definatly helpful. Thank you so much!

[@cloujitsu]

Man, always cool videos, but super hard to hear.. Love the content, but I always have to turn up the volume like crazy.

[@KTGHATS]

Sorry got a couple like that. The cap video too .i will redo. Thx 4 the input

[@cloujitsu]

KEVIN from JJ HAT CENTER - HATS & GUITARS ! In case you are using an iPhone, just import the video to iMovie and edit the volume there. Just make it louder. Then export it and upload the new exported video to KZbin. That should do the trick. If you are using a computer, there are cheap USB microphones which are of amazing quality. I hope to be able to visit New York next year, if so, I will definitely drop by at the shop and get a new hat. :)

[@KTGHATS]

Great advice, that particular video was done using an IPad Pro, I will edit the sound, pump up the volume..thank you for the constructive criticism,most helpful comment I’ve gotten in a long time!🤓

[@spacecatboy2962]

youre probly tired of hearing about my stupid hat, but wanted to ask, can a guy use a clothes iron to flatten a brim, or is that too much heat and not enough steam? Talkin about the 4X buffalo

[@KTGHATS]

Only if u want it flat...maybe u can do it. Most brims at not flat.but if u have a messed up brim,many folks are happy with flattening it out.flat is better than floppy and wavy...I never iron, but my colleagues do it to FLAT brims only.... Careful,get some thin fabric,like a cotton pillowcase ..and keep it between the iron and hat...or just keep the iron moving.. if that hat is curling,or going nuts on u, A steam iron alone is not always going to control unruly felt, it’ll curl upward and the brim will get wavy and all crappy looking, and you did nothing wrong...it can be the felt itself needs way more stiffener to control it. or the felt is just..thin,or not great.. some felt is good, some is bad...price aside. I have $200 hats that are so frustrating...but there is always a cure. it might need to be stiffer before anything can be done. .if u have a problematic or worn hat,usually the best way to control it is to stiffen the balls off it..then go to work on it! I’m sorry 😐 the hat is fighting u,it’s not that unusual.. back in the old Boardwalk Empire days when everyone wore hats, there was big money in hats..lots of jobs,factories,stores on every block selling them,and every person wore one.the quality was crazy good, all beaver hats (like the typical gent wore back then)cost you upwards of $500 these days,nobody can afford that,(and that’s our price!) go online and google “100x beaver custom made hat”. And u see all the snake oil salesman all over the US selling them for $1000 and way more..tons of them. What was P.T. Barnum’s famous quote?..”there’s a sucker born every minute”? Beaver is not a rare, exquisite material imported from a rare island near Madagascar...Beavers are all over N America and was the norm back in the old days, everyone had a beaver hat,it was standard quality.beavers are varmints,pests..they’re abundant in North America..! These days nobody can afford to buy or sell this stuff,so they cut corners and make the felt rabbit, which is fine, if the felt is a decent thickness... but when u start cutting corners, things happen,the felt curls..but when u take it to a hat guy, we can stiffen it, put it on a hat block, steam it..fix these flaws.. as a hat wearer, u can use Scout hat stiffener, or ultra super hair spray..but if u get to nyc, i can fix it for free. It’s my pleasure. Kev

[@KTGHATS]

allahu snackbar try a test on one area...the back of the brim..let’s say. If it works, iron more.. I will guess it may work, but if the felt is giving u issues,stiffening it first, letting it dry, THEN ironing will be better .try it. My colleagues do it with flat brims only.

[@spacecatboy2962]

Kevin, thanks so much for the great answer. I did buy a size bigger, but it feels too big. I am testing some padding in it, but i almost feel like i will stick with the smaller 7 3/8. I might cut the seam like you said on the tight hat, and even take out the bow tie, or maybe 4 inches of the back of the band, that might give me just enough extra room so as not to pinch me in the front so bad. I will say, if i were riding a horse or out in the wind, the hat would be perfect for not blowing off. Yeah i look at these old pictures of new york city and every man, woman and child, rich and poor has a hat on. Even if you were such a poor kid that you couldnt afford shoes, you still had on a hat. I dont hunt anymore. These days i am pretty much a bunny hugger, but in the past i did shoot a beaver in the creek. Ive seen their dams and the trees they chew up. Thanks again

[@KTGHATS]

allahu snackbar pad it in back..like a six inch pc in back, then the same in front, padding on the sides does nothing, do the front and back..keep tightening w padding, if it isn’t enough, do what I said.. gnite bro. K

[@nattybushdoctor9021]

If you knew how much time I spend watching you, you'd consider getting a restraining order. There is nobody like you on the internet. Nobody covers the topics you do or goes as deep into the subject as you. I respect your knowledge and enthusiasm after 25 years in the business and I appreciate the education. One question, it seems that Stetson and other big hat companies are owned by American Hat co. Am I correct? What knowledge can you spread on this? P.S. when are you getting in more Saxons?

[@KTGHATS]

Saxons come in all the time, any weekday.theyre on order,but late, so hard to say when.. thanks for the amazing compliments..may be the most heartfelt, sincere compliments I've ever gotten here. I appreciate it

[@KTGHATS]

Also.. Hatco Ken's Stetson, Dobbs, Resistol and Charlie One Horse. They ate up all those companies many years ago and if they didn't,they're all probably be gone now.. they had their ups and downs, the late 90's were cheesey as hell, paper sweatbands, etc but now they are on an upswing.. great designers, and they deliver the product,where other companies can take orders but not provide the hats, Stetson has good stock,lots of Warehouses full of hats,they rarely flake on us, but delivery times can be late, erratic, at least they get here.

[@nattybushdoctor9021]

@@KTGHATS Thanks Kevin.

[@stevepauley2437]

Hatch owns those companies, but American Hat Co, is it’s own. They are the BEST cowboy hats you will find, but they’re kinda pricey!

[@AlbeTurner]

As always a very helpful video. It’s a shame your ‘customer‘ service fails to respond to email inquiries from potential customers. Just sayin’..

[@KTGHATS]

First time I’ve heard that, sorry about that. That would be pretty out of character for them we are on a very small skeleton crew now, But They forward me emails all the time from customers, I got one today, in fact.. sometimes things wind up in a spam folder by mistake, Id just email again, [e-mail] or call the 800 number during the day, Colin is there usually, he’s mature,responsible,calm,levelheaded and knows his stuff, I’d trust him with just about anything.. ask Colin at the shop tomorrow 800 622 1911

[@thomasprince4113]

KEV. Are you back. Do you have Akubra 🌶🌶🌶

[@KTGHATS]

Nope, many brands are not shipping because of covid, Akubra is charging an extra $25 tax for shipping right now, I suggest getting them directly from the distributor, David Morgan , online. We won’t have Akubra or Stetson for ma y months

[@zorntier1775]

How does one fall into these Profession? and my second question is how do you shape a pork pie hat? I want to out a pinch in the front so it's not as round I wanna ask a professional so I don't mess up my hat

[@KTGHATS]

Pork pies are my specialty, I'm pretty good at it.. I've done this video three times, here u go..watch all three & it Should help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pamzdpyLo8iZbLs kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4nKfWhjjb2dapo kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIfFeXaXhLOfkLc

[@KTGHATS]

Here's how I got into it, my "story"... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZumZmSfiKiDa7M

[@juliocarrionh.4890]

Looking for a felt hat. Tactile feedback for me from high quality manufacturing and superior materials. 4” brim Natural color Understated and different For sometimes tropical temperatures and some water resistance. Some kind of classic, no trends Favorite music: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, blues. Some public appearances related to cattle breeding organizations HIGH QUALITY

[@heyleba]

Can I order a hat

[@KTGHATS]

www.jjhatcenter.com Order here, it’s very fast.. we ship the same day u order, We have a huge 25% off sale now, (ends dec 6 in two days)

[@teakey]

I have a feeling that your hands like to keep moving.

[@KTGHATS]

Coffee overdose.. I look skitzed out in a lot of these videos because I’m kind of a workaholic, when I’m busy at the shop, I can drink 2-3 large coffees a day sometimes, and that’s the results.. I’ve cut down recently though.

[@teakey]

KEVIN from JJ HAT CENTER 🎸HATS & GUITARS ! I’m addicted to the multi coffees

[@williequixote8073]

Kevin you may not remember me..butted heads few years ago..you went silent..never got why but enjoyed your home movie clowning. You still a rocker?...I'm still waiting for the Dobbs logo pin,.. So you think you're old?...why so nervous..NYC ,lost its reputation as great city?..Frisco is under siege by lefties.. Where's the stingy brim turned slightly up?..too gangsta?.. Men from Sicily's common guy always wore short brim.. Siciliano Homesick Clifford

[@KTGHATS]

Oh yes! Remember ya! I dint think we have any Dobbs hats left, no pins.. we only sold one style, a mini homburg, and they’re gone, Still a rocker,I guess.. kind of an aging, neurotic dad rocker , but still rockin!

[@fangospucklovesveena464]

Can't hear. Poor sudio-pick up. Try a wireless or use a lavilere

[@KTGHATS]

Only older videos are Like that, the audio has been fixed, thank u!