Recent content by belfastboy

I have no idea how large they are but I have some felt samples from China in production, both rabbit and beaver. They prefer to sell in 200 and 500 quantity. Pricing is pretty good so Hatco could be sourcing from China. Although the pricing just rose 20%.

I think it needs to be a mid quality or better Panama. One with a navy blue ribbon or black but def not a colourful stripe ribbon.

Yes, I have seen them in markets in France, Acquitane region, 5' across over a propane cooking flame. They sold it in styrofoam boxes by the 100grams. It was beautiful sight. Full disclosure, I put chorizo in mine....blasphemy, I know...mea culpa.

Give it gentle hit with a fine grit sandpaper see what happens. I would definitely try the luring. It does not look to me like the nap is gone. Could it be a stain of some sort? You could also give it a spritz of denatured alcohol.

I have used both the above numerous times on my own hats I was restoring to good results. It is risky and I would be hesitant to accept a commission to work on someone else's hat with these issues.

So, I would not accept this as a commission but if it were my hat and feeling adventuresome I would attempt the following. First attempt would be to 'lure' the felt with fractionated coconut oil. Ball up a cotton cloth, warm the oil (do not overheat), and rub into the area and around the...

Is there actually missing felt? It is unusual to have two wear spots on the brim in that area. Or is it just discoloration of the felt? Two very different approaches depending on what is the problem. Cannot tell from the pic. What is your best estimation of the issue? Wear or...

There is a new(ish) FB page for Custom Hat Makers, collectors and fans. There are a number of veteran custom hatters on the site that are generous with their time and knowledge. It was started by Brent (DeadlyHandsome)

I write a column each month for HaTalk eMagazine covering an aspect of fedora hat making. The series began in Oct 2023 and continues. Next month's column will cover restorations and refurbs. Subscription is $5 per month, all articles are archived and you get a 14 day free trial. Read fast...

It doesn't always happen but often a comment turns into a nice conversation, a human to human touch point and I always value that.

The instructional video I have for sale on Hatcourses.com, includes templates for each size of liner. That would likely be cheaper than to pay for the time it would take for me to cut out new ones, package them and ship.

We had family over for dinner on Saturday and I made Paella in my new to me Paella pan. I picked it up off FB Marketplace for $12. My wife remarked why am I buying a paella pan as I never make paella. My response was remarkably on point......"because I didn't have a paella pan for goodness...

This hat is on its way to Ontario to my great customer Gregory. It is a lightly used Stetson 4X he picked up. It had lots of felt so even though I upsized it 3 sizes I still managed a 6" open crown and 3 1/2" brim. He will put his own leather band on the crown but I included two pics of...

Hi: Missed this yesterday. What exactly do you need help with? Lets switch over to my email as it is easier to increase the picture size. robertgault49@gmail.com

Welcome