New Indie Magazine Column on Hats

[jackadven]

I write for a small indie magazine run by other teens called Blotted Ink Conspiracies. So far I've had a comedic poetry column, but with the plans to relaunch the expanded magazine next year, the editors have agreed to let me have another column in which to indulge my burgeoning new interest in hats. I have an Akubra Federation IV and Homburg, and am in the process of getting into felt hatmaking. I mostly lurk on this site, but I was hoping to potentially get some ideas for my column because I am fairly new to this hobby, and have some interesting discussions on this topic.

I'm generally hoping to cover hats, hat styles, hat history, hatmaking, etc. One particular interest of mine is hats and hatmaking for Civil War reenacting. I have a number of column ideas, such as a delve into a specific type of hat (bowler, fedora), a guide to hat anatomy, hat myths (the hats that really won the West), etc., also following my journey with hats and custom hatmaking. Does anyone have any ideas for topics or columns I could do?

And finally, I'm not all that great at naming things. I was thinking some variation of "Hats, Hatters, & History," or something clever like the "Fedora Forum." Suggestions would be appreciated. Resources I could tap into would be great as well.

 

[Tiki Tom]

We support you! Any attempt to increase interest in hats among the young is good; in part because, in general, it leads to higher standards in clothing over all.

Might I suggest a column hinting that, rather than painting you as a geek, hats and hat-appropriate clothing might flag you as an independent thinker, a romantic poet, and a bit of a retro-rebel? (If you have never seen the movie “Casablanca”, watch it! You could write a whole column on that movie alone.) Chicks dig bad boys. Even if the bad boy in question happens to be a gentleman.

All kidding aside, these days there are many micro niches where you can thrive. The “too cool for comment fedora niche“ sounds like a fun place to make a name for yourself. Match it with a Frank Sinatra soundtrack and people will be falling at your feet. The Rat Pack might be another source of inspiration. In their day, they were the very definition of cool.

Best of luck, and Welcome to the Fedora Lounge.

 

[jackadven]

We support you! Any attempt to increase interest in hats among the young is good; in part because, in general, it leads to higher standards in clothing over all.

Might I suggest a column hinting that, rather than painting you as a geek, hats and hat-appropriate clothing might flag you as an independent thinker, a romantic poet, and a bit of a retro-rebel? (If you have never seen the movie “Casablanca”, watch it! You could write a whole column on that movie alone.) Chicks dig bad boys. Even if the bad boy in question happens to be a gentleman.

All kidding aside, these days there are many micro niches where you can thrive. The “too cool for comment fedora niche“ sounds like a fun place to make a name for yourself. Match it with a Frank Sinatra soundtrack and people will be falling at your feet. The Rat Pack might be another source of inspiration. In their day, they were the very definition of cool.

Best of luck, and Welcome to the Fedora Lounge.

Thanks a lot!

That is an excellent idea. Took me a few reads to realize what you meant. Given the unique readership of this magazine, I think it could be well-received, especially by the editors.

I have indeed seen Casablanca. It is my second favorite movie, right after The Princess Bride. I will be sure to give it a spotlight, and I'll check out some of the other things you mentioned.

If you could explain what you mean by a "too cool for comment fedora niche" that would be great, because I'm afraid I don't quite follow.

Thank you, glad to be here. The fact that old threads just get continued for years is a very intriguing aspect of this community.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Thumbs up to you and your hats column. Share the link with us when it gets published.

”too cool for comment fedora niche” just means that most of the fedora crowd can pull it off naturally and don’t spend a lot of time talking about it.

 

[jackadven]

To anyone following this discussion, Blotted Ink Conspiracies now has launched their website at https://blotted-ink-conspiracies.beehiiv.com/. You can subscribe to this digital indie magazine for free if you want to read my Fedora Forum articles (covering my journey in traditional felt hatting, Civil War reenacting, and becoming a low-maintenance vintage dandy) and the other magazine content. The revised magazine launches next year with issues every month. My Fedora Forum will be in the off- (even)-month issues. I also write a comedic poetry column that will be in the main issues every odd month. It's a pretty cool magazine if I do say so myself, and while there isn't any example content from its first couple years of existence, do check out our website! If you look at the author bios, I'm William Halsted.

 

[belfastboy]

To anyone following this discussion, Blotted Ink Conspiracies now has launched their website at https://blotted-ink-conspiracies.beehiiv.com/. You can subscribe to this digital indie magazine for free if you want to read my Fedora Forum articles (covering my journey in traditional felt hatting, Civil War reenacting, and becoming a low-maintenance vintage dandy) and the other magazine content. The revised magazine launches next year with issues every month. My Fedora Forum will be in the off- (even)-month issues. I also write a comedic poetry column that will be in the main issues every odd month. It's a pretty cool magazine if I do say so myself, and while there isn't any example content from its first couple years of existence, do check out our website! If you look at the author bios, I'm William Halsted.

Welcome. I write a monthly column for HATalk eMagazine. It is instructional in nature. Each month (since Oct 2023) I write a column covering a specific aspect of men's hat making. They offer a free trial if you wish to check it out. All past articles are in the archives.

 

[jackadven]

Welcome. I write a monthly column for HATalk eMagazine. It is instructional in nature. Each month (since Oct 2023) I write a column covering a specific aspect of men's hat making. They offer a free trial if you wish to check it out. All past articles are in the archives.

Awesome! I didn't realize that publication covered more than just millinery. I will definitely give the magazine a try and check out your column because I plan to pursue hatting somewhat seriously.

 

[belfastboy]

Awesome! I didn't realize that publication covered more than just millinery. I will definitely give the magazine a try and check out your column because I plan to pursue hatting somewhat seriously.

The owner/editor wanted to broaden her magazine's appeal and we struck a deal to add my monthly column on hatting (a separate craft from millinery). We also collaborated on a professionally shot, instructional video that covers the A to Z of hat making. They sell it on Hatcourses.com. Not sure the price. It is about 4 hours, edited down from 4 days of shooting footage.

 

[jackadven]

Wait, are you Robert Gault? If so I just completed your fedora course and made my first hat.

 

[Frunobulax]

I write for a small indie magazine run by other teens called Blotted Ink Conspiracies. So far I've had a comedic poetry column, but with the plans to relaunch the expanded magazine next year, the editors have agreed to let me have another column in which to indulge my burgeoning new interest in hats. I have an Akubra Federation IV and Homburg, and am in the process of getting into felt hatmaking. I mostly lurk on this site, but I was hoping to potentially get some ideas for my column because I am fairly new to this hobby, and have some interesting discussions on this topic.

I'm generally hoping to cover hats, hat styles, hat history, hatmaking, etc. One particular interest of mine is hats and hatmaking for Civil War reenacting. I have a number of column ideas, such as a delve into a specific type of hat (bowler, fedora), a guide to hat anatomy, hat myths (the hats that really won the West), etc., also following my journey with hats and custom hatmaking. Does anyone have any ideas for topics or columns I could do?

And finally, I'm not all that great at naming things. I was thinking some variation of "Hats, Hatters, & History," or something clever like the "Fedora Forum." Suggestions would be appreciated. Resources I could tap into would be great as well.

Indeed we support your efforts. As far as fodder for columns, may I suggest you steal liberally from this forum for subject matter? Some of our threads you could launch off of, just to name a few:

Movie Hats
Songs That Mention Hats
German and Austrian Hutmakers
What to Wear With a Fedora
Hatbox Homage
Hat Etiquette

Also, give the Lounge a couple of plugs, whydontcha?

 

[jackadven]

Indeed we support your efforts. As far as fodder for columns, may I suggest you steal liberally from this forum for subject matter? Some of our threads you could launch off of, just to name a few:

Movie Hats
Songs That Mention Hats
German and Austrian Hutmakers
What to Wear With a Fedora
Hatbox Homage
Hat Etiquette

Also, give the Lounge a couple of plugs, whydontcha?

I like your idea, and thanks for the specific suggestions! I will certainly work in some plugs to the Lounge where I can.

 

[belfastboy]

Wait, are you Robert Gault? If so I just completed your fedora course and made my first hat.

Yes, I am. I have not checked lately but I had requested they put my email address with the download so if you have any questions arise you can shoot me an email. How did your hat turn out? Enjoy the journey, I am over 500 hats made so far and I continue to learn/improve with each hat that I make.

 

[jackadven]

Yes, I am. I have not checked lately but I had requested they put my email address with the download so if you have any questions arise you can shoot me an email. How did your hat turn out? Enjoy the journey, I am over 500 hats made so far and I continue to learn/improve with each hat that I make.

They did. I'm William Halsted, that guy who was, most recently, asking you about flashing a hat after pouncing. My hat turned out pretty great for a first hat, I think, and so everyone says. I intend to post about it here separately, but here's a couple pictures. Despite its flaws, my dad still wears it with pride; first such hat that fit him and didn't touch the top of his head. It was a very satisfying process and your course was a wonderful teaching aide. My only complaint is that it was still hard to actually see exactly where you put the needle through, but I figured it out.

I had another question — what are your thoughts on going with 3D-printed blocks as my mainstay? They're just so much cheaper than wooden ones. I know your friend Alan Walsh does some decent stuff on Etsy that you beta test for him, but would it be a lot better to go with wood for my main blocks?

 

[belfastboy]

They did. I'm William Halsted, that guy who was, most recently, asking you about flashing a hat after pouncing. My hat turned out pretty great for a first hat, I think, and so everyone says. I intend to post about it here separately, but here's a couple pictures. Despite its flaws, my dad still wears it with pride; first such hat that fit him and didn't touch the top of his head. It was a very satisfying process and your course was a wonderful teaching aide. My only complaint is that it was still hard to actually see exactly where you put the needle through, but I figured it out.

I had another question — what are your thoughts on going with 3D-printed blocks as my mainstay? They're just so much cheaper than wooden ones. I know your friend Alan Walsh does some decent stuff on Etsy that you beta test for him, but would it be a lot better to go with wood for my main blocks?

View attachment 725235 View attachment 725236

It looks very good, congrats. Not many men get to wear a hat made specifically for them, by their son. Most of my blocks and flanges are wooden, a mixture of vintage and new. I buy the 3D printed ones now (unless some vintage comes along at a decent price) because they are so much cheaper. 3D printing lowers the barrier to entering into hat making that it is hard to resist. For me, I buy the 3D printed ones for sizes/shapes that I will not use much but at about .25 on the dollar compared to wood it just makes sense.
Walsh uses ABS which is a number of grades up in quality over most of the other 3D printers who use PLA. ABS had much higher heat resistance and overall durability. ABS will not shrink and resists breakage. Depending on how deep you wish to dive into hat making I think the 3D printing makes the most sense unless you just want to make hats for a very few people.
I have 80 blocks and just under 100 flanges and could use another 2 dozen of each, easily.

Hat making demands a huge capital outlay for equipment, tools, supplies. It was not until my 4th year of full time hat making that I began to put money in my pocket. Up to that point every nickel earned was ploughed back into the business.
Enjoy the journey.