# Collecting.



## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

We've had pens and hip flasks recently, just wondered if anyone else has anything interesting to share. My other weakness is vintage hats. Homburgs, trilby, bowlers, big flat caps etc. Like watches, it takes a few years, but I now have a list of "discreet" sources.


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## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> We've had pens and hip flasks recently, just wondered if anyone else has anything interesting to share. My other weakness is vintage hats. Homburgs, trilby, bowlers, big flat caps etc. Like watches, it takes a few years, but I now have a list of "discreet" sources.


 Not vintage, but I do have a bit of a collection of modern Akubra hats. I find them exceedingly comfortable, hard-wearing and of great quality, one would last donkey's years but like watches, it's nice to ring the changes ... 

I think it's a great shame that hats currently aren't in fashion in this country or we would have better choices available, unfortunately I'm too far from a big city to go shopping for one so again, the Internet is great for keeping me supplied...


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

I'd collect pictures like the one you just posted... Any story to it ?


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

artistmike said:


> Not vintage, but I do have a bit of a collection of modern Akubra hats. I find them exceedingly comfortable, hard-wearing and of great quality, one would last donkey's years but like watches, it's nice to ring the changes ...
> 
> I think it's a great shame that hats currently aren't in fashion in this country or we would have better choices available, unfortunately I'm too far from a big city to go shopping for one so again, the Internet is great for keeping me supplied...


 My bargain of a lifetime was a new Akubra Coober Pedy, with box for £8 out of a charity shop.












gimli said:


> I'd collect pictures like the one you just posted... Any story to it ?


 It's from a book I got depicting 1920's Australian criminals mug shots. If I can find a link I'll post it.


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## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> My bargain of a lifetime was a new Akubra Coober Pedy, with box for £8 out of a charity shop.


 It's surprising the number of people who visit Australia, buy an Akubra and then when they come home never wear it. Like you I've sourced a few new hats from places like that and been quite lucky with sizes ...  Otherwise I buy them new from Elm of Burford http://www.elmofburford.com/menswear/mens-hats


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

artistmike said:


> It's surprising the number of people who visit Australia, buy an Akubra and then when they come home never wear it. Like you I've sourced a few new hats from places like that and been quite lucky with sizes ...  Otherwise I buy them new from Elm of Burford http://www.elmofburford.com/menswear/mens-hats


 I just have one of the souvenir ones with corks hanging from it  I'll typically just wear a panama or a tweed tilley. I do like the look of those akubras though! They'd sell more if they included a free horse though. Manly.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

artistmike said:


> It's surprising the number of people who visit Australia, buy an Akubra and then when they come home never wear it. Like you I've sourced a few new hats from places like that and been quite lucky with sizes ...  Otherwise I buy them new from Elm of Burford http://www.elmofburford.com/menswear/mens-hats


 Wow £159, did not too bad for my £8 then. There's a lot of good clips on YouTube if you ever get sad enough to start modifying/reshaping etc. I admit to having my own hat steamer.


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## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

hughlle said:


> I just have one of the souvenir ones with corks hanging from it  I'll typically just wear a panama or a tweed tilley. I do like the look of those akubras though! They'd sell more if they included a free horse though. Manly.


 They really are beautifully made hats and terrific quality, great for summer and winter. Go mad, if you like a Panama or Tilley then you're half way there already... :biggrin: ( Horse is optional)


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## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> Wow £159, did not too bad for my £8 then. There's a lot of good clips on YouTube if you ever get sad enough to start modifying/reshaping etc. I admit to having my own hat steamer.


 A hat steamer is something I'm considering, at the moment it's fiddling about with a steam iron and it's very awkward, though to be honest, other than a good brush occasionally they don't seem to need a great deal of care... Wearing them out in the rain and putting them on a block seems to keep them going. :biggrin:


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

artistmike said:


> A hat steamer is something I'm considering, at the moment it's fiddling about with a steam iron and it's very awkward, though to be honest, other than a good brush occasionally they don't seem to need a great deal of care... Wearing them out in the rain and putting them on a block seems to keep them going. :biggrin:


 Don't tempt me. Trying to work out how to pay 10k of rent next year on a 9k student loan :/ no nice things allowed for a while


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

artistmike said:


> A hat steamer is something I'm considering, at the moment it's fiddling about with a steam iron and it's very awkward, though to be honest, other than a good brush occasionally they don't seem to need a great deal of care... Wearing them out in the rain and putting them on a block seems to keep them going. :biggrin:


 I made mine out of a modified stove kettle and some microbore copper radiator pipe.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

gimli said:


> I'd collect pictures like the one you just posted... Any story to it ?


 Found a link, a bit pricey now though.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781876991203/City-Shadows-Sydney-Police-Photographs-1876991208/plp


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## SBryantgb (Jul 2, 2015)

I used to have quite a collection of hats, but got tired of all the nice hat... is that a fedora? comments.... five minutes to choose a hat, but which watch to wear could take an hour and never once did I get nice watch .... Is that an Omega.

So no more hats :nono:


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Thanks. Interesting that such a book even exists... :laugh:


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

SBryantgb said:


> I used to have quite a collection of hats, but got tired of all the nice hat... is that a fedora? comments.... five minutes to choose a hat, but which watch to wear could take an hour and never once did I get nice watch .... Is that an Omega.
> 
> So no more hats :nono:


 You could always wear the watch on your head.


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## Caller. (Dec 8, 2013)

artistmike said:


> It's surprising the number of people who visit Australia, buy an Akubra and then when they come home never wear it.


 I still have an Akubra 'Galveston' bought on my first trip to Oz in 1988 (thanks to my brother in laws father who took me to a dealer after I was rendered immobile due to breaking my ankle, which needed operating on out there). And I did wear it on my return and boy, did I take some stick! It was a type where you moulded it into the shape you wanted, almost a large base model really. It's here with me in Thailand but really too hot to use here. Instead, I use two types of paper hats bought from local markets, one cost £1 and the other £2!


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

Caller said:


> I still have an Akubra 'Galveston' bought on my first trip to Oz in 1988 (thanks to my brother in laws father who took me to a dealer after I was rendered immobile due to breaking my ankle, which needed operating on out there). And I did wear it on my return and boy, did I take some stick! It was a type where you moulded it into the shape you wanted, almost a large base model really. It's here with me in Thailand but really too hot to use here. Instead, I use two types of paper hats bought from local markets, one cost £1 and the other £2!


 Can't have been as bad as the looks I was getting walking around London with this on due to lack of bag space.


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

My other collecting habit is at the other end of the body to all the hat fans here.

One of my best friends was quite the shoemaker back in the day and I learnt to appreciate the skill, craft and quality that goes into a traditionally made pair of shoes. I'm not sure if I have more shoes than watches...I certainly do if you count them singularly rather than as pairs!

My friend has just developed a technique to laser etch broguing or lettering into the leather used for uppers. Apparently, not as easy as it sounds due to the behaviour of the material when it's stretched and moulded around a last. The technique has now been used for a limited addition run in a Northampton factory where they put bespoke wording, or even sound waves from a favourite song, in place of where the brogue punching would normally be.

I've a custom pair being made in her garage at the moment, in lovely navy blue leather, with some Billy Bragg lyrics running subtly around them! :thumbs_up:

Yes, I am a tart.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Ah Billy Bragg,

"And then one day it happened
She cut 'er hair and I stopped lovin' 'er"


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Roy said:


> Ah Billy Bragg,
> 
> "And then one day it happened
> She cut 'er hair and I stopped lovin' 'er"


 Close! The line I chose was...

'No amount of poetry could mend this broken heart, but you can put the Hoover round if you want to make a start'

:teethsmile:


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## Draygo (Mar 18, 2010)

Nice. I'd have gone for my favourite: "I saw two shooting stars last night / I wished on them but they were only satellites / Is it wrong to wish on space hardware? /

I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Draygo said:


> Nice. I'd have gone for my favourite: "I saw two shooting stars last night / I wished on them but they were only satellites / Is it wrong to wish on space hardware? /
> 
> I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care


 Well I never! I feel comfy coming out as a Bragg fan now!


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Krispy said:


> Close! The line I chose was...
> 
> 'No amount of poetry could mend this broken heart, but you can put the Hoover round if you want to make a start'
> 
> :teethsmile:


 It works!


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

If you want to steam hats without spending too much, get a cheap garment steamer from Amazon or eBay.

Later,
William


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## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

William_Wilson said:


>


 What you really need with that outfit William, is a splurge gun. It helps the look, but it's less dangerous....


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

artistmike said:


> What you really need with that outfit William, is a splurge gun. It helps the look, but it's less dangerous....


 Not as far as the police are concerned, generally speaking. :wink:

Later,
William


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

Other than watches I collect Guitars, Airguns, Knives and Lathes/Machinery.. (There's other stuff too!!)

A few of my guitars..










Some of my Airguns..




























Oh, I started collecting optical devices last years too! Bin's, Telescopes etc!










It's my sons fault! Since they moved out I had two spare rooms to fill!! :huh: I think the wife is ready to pack her bags! 

John


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## Karrusel (Aug 13, 2016)

Hi John

Tad excessive if trying to stop the kids returning.....or are you plotting a coup d'etat ? :thumbsup:


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Aside from watches I seem to have developed a thing for vintage military rucksacks - I have absolutely no idea why as I've never ever been in the military (Unless being in the scouts counts?!?) but something about their functionality/durability appeals.

Anyway my current bag is this Italian Alpini rucksack, as issued to Italian mountain troops apparently. Supply seems to have dried up now as I haven't seen one for sale for ages. I've modified mine by fitting more comfortable straps & quick release clips which are much more convenient/easier to use on s daily basis than the original metal buckles (as shown in this video). I think the pack is from the 70's (may be wrong about that) & one of my buckles broke - metal fatigue? It's made from canvas & not the lightest thing but it's a good size, very well built & so far has carried everything I need (or think I need). I hasten to add that I live in deepest darkest Leeds so none of it is outdoor survival gear!

Video here:






I also have a couple of East German (NVA) waterproof combat packs - these are well made & ridiculously cheap (about £6 + postage) & have a dry sack built into them - I use one as my cycling backpack to carry a waterprrof & change of clothes for work


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

pauluspaolo said:


> Aside from watches I seem to have developed a thing for vintage military rucksacks - I have absolutely no idea why as I've never ever been in the military (Unless being in the scouts counts?!?) but something about their functionality/durability appeals.
> 
> Anyway my current bag is this Italian Alpini rucksack, as issued to Italian mountain troops apparently. Supply seems to have dried up now as I haven't seen one for sale for ages. I've modified mine by fitting more comfortable straps & quick release clips which are much more convenient/easier to use on s daily basis than the original metal buckles (as shown in this video). I think the pack is from the 70's (may be wrong about that) & one of my buckles broke - metal fatigue? It's made from canvas & not the lightest thing but it's a good size, very well built & so far has carried everything I need (or think I need). I hasten to add that I live in deepest darkest Leeds so none of it is outdoor survival gear!
> 
> ...


 Check out Frost River.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Yeah Frost River stuff is very nice but it's too pricey for me I'm afraid  I do like the roll top designs though so if anyone has one they no longer need/use then please send me a PM.

This is my modified version of the backpack shown in the first video above:



I've cycled in to work today so am using the smaller East German pack shown in the second vid - it's as wet as a wet thing today but the clothes in the bag were as dry as a dry thing so not a bad result for a bag that was under £10 delivered


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## dobra (Aug 20, 2009)

Books about Germany, which I have visited both on business and pleasure. I have probably thirty or forty, and there are bags of smaller \Verlag covering towns and states. Poland too, where i worked for a year is a source of good books. Also have about a dozen pictures of places of interest. My favourite is an old print of Heidelberg from the opposite bank to the castle.

Thirty years ago, started collecting umbrella handles. The shafts and fabric bits have rotted, so they in a bag awaiting display.

mike


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## luddite (Dec 11, 2009)

I also have quite a few hats and caps, I don't consider myself a collector though as apart from a mountie hat they are all practical and used in rotation.

Straw hats for summer, Tilley hats for inclement weather and waterproof insulated caps /hats for winter.

I'm currently on the look out for a Laurel and Hardy bowler. 

I have photos of my father and grandfather's generation and they feature people wearing hats /caps.

Nowadays, as has been said, hats are not in fashion and it saddens me to see people walking around in bad weather sans head wear.

Are people more stupid nowadays?


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

pauluspaolo said:


> Yeah Frost River stuff is very nice but it's too pricey for me I'm afraid  I do like the roll top designs though so if anyone has one they no longer need/use then please send me a PM.
> 
> This is my modified version of the backpack shown in the first video above:
> 
> ...


 These are excellent cycling bags, ex Russian army, and cheap of eBay or Amazon.


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