Hey! How are you? I will be taking mail order steaming jobs at home ,using my steamer setup here. I’m ordering some hat boxes and/or shipping boxes first. So we can get the, back to you guys safely. Try to hold on, I’ll make an announcement soon, when things are set up, I don’t want to have 4-5 hats here backed up,and no way to ship them back. Thanks for asking! I’ll be setting up something, maybe from my Facebook page. Ask again soon? ☮️❤️😺👍

Wow, thanks! I’m feeling so great with all this ego boosting! It’s my pleasure. I want to get a LOT of info out in this next week.

Thank you so much !

@@quadrogong1111 No worries, we’ve got your back. I like Delmonico- I bought a few hats from them a couple years ago because JJ’s didn’t have them in stock. Thought you might get a kick out of the email I just sent JJ’s: Good Evening, Although I've been a loyal customer of JJ's and have bought 8 hats there in the past 3 years, I am ending my patronage of your store; to be fair to you, I wanted to let you know why. As a businessman, I understand difficult personnel decisions must sometimes be made, and I understand you laid off Kevin because your new owners/managers perceived it to be in the company's best interests. However, Kevin is the reason I was loyal to your store; his KZfaq channel is the reason I discovered my love of hats in 2020, and he taught me everything I know about them. I'm loyal to Kevin above anyone else; therefore, I will send my business to the company he ends up with, and I am ending my patronage of JJ's. I'd like to thank JJ's for the fine products and service it's provided me for the past three years; I still admire the company's storied past, and I wish it the best in the future.

Wait till the next video, I worked all day on it, I go in depth on Akubra a lot more.. btw you have great taste

Thank you!😊👍we are okay, we are taking life one day at a time, and enjoying our lives together..we are blessed with the best son in the world, and I’m truly blessed by having people like you, in my corner..it’s a beautiful thing, I’m getting some things done on the channel and hopefully will get some great content going this month! Looking forward to seeing how far I can take this channel!

@@quadrogong1111 Glad to hear you guys are okay, one day at a time is the right way to take it, step by step. This is an awesome little corner of the internet and a great community here, it's very special and we've got your back Kev, no doubt about that. Really looking forward to seeing what you do with the channel and I'll never miss a video!

Right on! 40 hats!! You got me beat!! Woohoo!

😂😂😂

There’s allllllllllllllways one!..😂it only took me about 20 years to stop laughing every time I say “Beaver” to a customer.. don’t get me started!😂

I must admit. …as much as I warn against it, I’m still obsessed with Beaver 🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫

😂

And certainly don’t be obsessed with the X rating. And it seems every manufacturer has a different system.

My pleasure! Always at your service ! 🤠👊

Thanks, I’m crazy about my two revs, I’ve owned at least a dozen of them, the Spacehawk and the Flatroc are insane.. highly recommended

Much appreciated GREAT comment! I, going to work hard on polishing up the channel, and giving you more interesting content, live chats, live steaming q and a sessions and trips to NY hat factories ! Next step is better lighting, better set, maybe working on dressing a little more polished.. working on a lot of things, logos,new things for the channel..stay tuned! Love chat tonight at 7pm EST on my latest video!☮️❤️🐀🍕🤠👊

Thanks!!

Great idea!!!

Yeah! Thanks! Go for it..

Thanks, I’m not much of a singer, but I enjoy it

Last time I looked for a job was thirty years ago, they called me back the second I faxed my resume, Im pretty confident I will get offers when I start spreading the word

You bet! Anytime. My pleasure

Exactly my thought I’m polishing up the look of the show now, and improving content. I’m going to dress nicer, shave, improve my lighting and background, a pro logo. next I’ll be going on some trips like that, to hat makers etc

Thanks Tony, you’re so kind. I appreciate your friendship. All these people are writing then letter saying they’re following me, boycotting..people are sending me beautiful notes, one viewer is donating his skills as a graphic artist,it’s just amazing how much love and support I’ve been getting. My wife and I are shocked, it’s a beautiful thing.. thanks for your nice note, that’s the biggest treat of the night,thanks ☮️❤️

Cool make sure you document your trip when you do out west.. I wish I took so many more pics when I drove across country w my friends, i always love reading your stories, your hat shop out there sounds cool, and you have Graeter’s too! You lucky lucky dawg

As am I, my friend..as am I.. we’re going to take the channel to the next level ..and get realllllll deep!

Coming soon!

Hat weather is approaching! I’m looking into starting up a steaming business by mail order, and possible an online shop, it’ll take a little time to setup

Thank you, I see they removed me from their site, but Van is still there.hopefully the Germans decide that his workshop is a moneymaker, otherwise he’s doomed.. I do know all that equipment is his, so whatever happens he can still work by himself someplace else. He’s the only other worker there that has a child, besides me..so hope he stays, although..I’d say there’s a good chance they’ll find that room to be more economically viable as something else,other than a workshop. Hope his job is safe though, he has a little baby girl at home, he’s raising a family.

Hey, thanks! I was inspired at the time, and my son felt like helping, he wants to learn about hats now.. wait till you see the next one, I worked on it half the day Thanks so much for tuning it, Kev ❤️☮️❤️☮️❤️🍕🦫🐀

Thanks! ❤️☮️

Glad you enjoyed it, the next one is even better! Worked om it all day,

Thanks, yes.. the quality superior is expensive and prices have gone up since the pandemic ..a lot. Many shops are ordering Verdis and Comos that are not Quality Superior, know this.. anything from those guys will be state of the art.. (just don’t roll it up hundreds of times..like me)😂and you’ll be delighted with it!

Don’t be crushed by it, my brotha from another udder, I have plenty of Borsalinos from their other series’s, there is a little difference,but not a huge difference.. see your pic at the end of the vid? Hope it’s ok😂

@@quadrogong1111 Didn't recognize myself in a suit!! That Verdi and my long beard makes me look like a Hasidic Rabbi in Brooklyn.😂🤣😂

That sounds incredible, very rare stuff! What a perfect find for you.. yeah!

That MJ hat video sounds cool

Thanks !

I will keep you posted!

Yes! I’d love that. Do I have your email? quadrogong@gmail.com live events are coming, for sure! I want to steam up hats live,and maybe we can do a zoom/ FaceTime thing.. you can teach me about your vintage stuff,and tell me about your clients, how you work..some cool stories, show me some things.. and visa versa. We can both show it on both our channels! You might have struck gold. Not sure if I have your email, do I? ring me up

I’m sorry no experience w them, they do look interesting but I have never had one in for steaming or seen one

Western felt will never be dress felt, no.. it’ll never be too soft, it’ll get somewhat softer in time if you just knead and bend the felt a lot, handle it, squeeze it.that will break down the stiffener on the felt a little . It L never be really super soft, but it can be reshaped nicely,always.. maybe you can send it to me, or show me some pics, I’ll be taking hats soon

Those glasses, yeah..Kinda Elvis Costello-Jeff Goldblum hybrid 🤔😂

Coming up! Maybe tomorrow!

That’s the way it was blocked, I would have asked for it to be reflanged right away. Most likely it will need a little stiffness, and you’ll need to make that flange more curved. Or curvy?.. hard to explain that without showing it to you. The brim needs to be more curvy, it’s too flat. You can Stiffen it on the underside of the brim w extra hold hair spray, and then let it dry. After that it needs the flange to be made less flat,and more curvy. You can steam the underside of the brim,and try pressing down on the top of the brim, where the brim meets the crown.with your fingertips, and holding it. Sometimes you can get the front of the brim to pop up a little while you hold it,and it’ll dry with more curve. But that doesn’t always work. Usually I steam it on the top side of the brim, where the brim meets the crown,and I press from behind the brim with the side of my thumb,making the brim more curvy, I’ll do that all the way around,and then straighten the brim edge on the tabletop. I’ll try to post some vids of me doing it kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jdV0na2mveCXqJs.htmlsi=SUfCI-EEpcNc6ew9 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bNCmo7mhx9S-dWQ.htmlsi=tbklgGkZXjNf--Ag

A store can order hats in any quality they want. It doesn’t work that way. You can get a Como in quality superior or in lower quality felts, there is no specific models. Lately more and more stores are not ordering them because they’ve gone up, and most clients don’t know the difference. But yes, look for the quality superiore on the satin lining, it’s written on the top line, in the crown. If it doesn’t say it, it’s still good stuff, just not their very best.

Cool, thanks! Yes, subscribing doesn’t really change much on your side, it helps show you when my videos are being released. But it helps me to get the channel viewed by more folks, and keeps the heart of our channel pumping! Btw Cool looking avatar ..looks like a nice western.

@@quadrogong1111 it's Akubra's oldest produced hat the "Sombrero" 🤠

Wow! You must spend a lot of time searching for them! That’s incredible!

quadrogong@gmail.com is my email, I, not a vintage expert, I know very little about that stuff, I, sorry. I can make it look nice and new for you. And reshape it, make it fit you well, but I, definitely not an authority on vintage hats, try the “Fedora Lounge” and “Fedora Chronicles” facebook groups

They are all different, none of them are as good as vintage hats. Nobody makes them the way they used to, you know that.. Akubra is one of the most reliable felts around, if you want to get it wet, steam it,wear it in snow..you’re okay,almost every time. They’re known for lasting a lifetime. A Snowy River or Cattleman will last a lifetime. Borsalino makes a lot of stuff, the prices went up after the pandemic for everyone, so may folks are not ordering the highest quality series from Borsalino because most customers see the label and they just pay. So if everyone is selling Borsalino hats for $400, let’s say.. Why would a shop order stuff that costs $225 wholesale, when they can order a lower series that’ll cost the, $145 a hat, and it’ll look exactly the same, still be called the same model.. So a lot of times you get a Borsalino Verdi on eBay and it’s quality superior, but a shop will sell them from one series down. The thing is, even the lower series’s are still state of the art. They’re not like vintage Borsas, no..but they’re lightweight, beautifully designed,and mine have listed me a lifetime. You will need to spend a bit, and the nicer selection may be in Europe, but they are my favorite. Their strength comes from the flexibility and felt quality. Some folks think they lack body or snappiness, a few of them can.. if it has a short brim, raw edge and it’s not a top series, it can be a little floppy.. but that said, you need to order the right stuff, and buy the right stuff. They have many levels of quality. Stetson makes amazing western hats, they’re my favorite, they’re also the coolest hats in the world, they have the cool factor. The way they look, the design, the bands. The shapes.. it’s like looking at a 1950’s Cadillac, it’s Americana and gorgeous.. I don’t think the open road is a rugged hat, it’s not meant for rain and snow.. it’s a fedora. That’s the misconception. It is not a western hat. Stratoliners and open roads, as all Stetson dress hats are not for rain. They’re for comfort, warmth, fashion..softness, lightness..coolness, but they’re not waterproof or ,ea t to be. I love the real westerns like shasta, skyline, Carson, rancher, Royal Flush, Gus, Tom Mix, Range.. all of those hats, the 6x westerns and higher..are great great great and will take a lot of weather and abuse..and last very long. , but the Temples and open Roads..they’re awesome looking, and probably the coolest hats around, they’re gonna be a friend for life, I love my mini temple. but they’re not going to respond well to rain or snow, use an old hat for that. Fedoras are not for rain. It’s hot and cold.. Half the time rain does nothing to a hat at all.. the other half, rain will make a new hat look old & messed up, almost instantly. It’s a crap shoot, so just avoid rain with fedoras.

Selentino is very, very good too. Never a single thread out of place. Never a single bad brim.. they are a near perfect hat brand. Affordable and they haven’t changed their styles in over 50 years, older selentinos look the same, same liner, same everything.. Selentino hats are no joke. They have all the fancy finishes and colors.I think their Queen model is a nicer designed version of the Stetson Whippett Signes hats are very fine. Lagomarsino from Argentina is great, Magill hats from Canada makes nice stuff, they have a very nice silk beaver finished hat.

Is there a competing brand comparable to the open road that is rain safe?

Sure, quadrogong@gmail.com anything they make is great, I’m sure it’s wonderful!