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[Attorneyatlaw]

Are you referring to open crown hats where you can shape the crease to your liking? Those are common. Stetson still makes a couple open crown hats and most any hatter can make one for you.

Complete reblocking a hat requires removal of the sweatband and sewing it back in when done. You can partially reblock a hat but the block needs to be undersized so as to allow the block to pass over the restricted diameter. Very few people ever reblocked their own hats.


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Thank you for the uplift. I really would like to get “open crown” types. Been on this site learning from many guys around the world. I still have a few old wingtip foot joy shoes and Atkins. I talk to youngsters they never heard of Edwin Clapp and the like ha ha ha. I try to talk style to some of the young attorneys at my firm, they don’t know what real styling is. And these skinny suits look like the guy wearing one forgot his size. Jacket buttons pulling apart and these retired football players who have become announcers look really weird in their suits. Guess I’m just an old fashioned guy or just getting older. Long for the 30s-60s styles. Forgive me for venting ouch!

 

[Attorneyatlaw]

I think most are found on eBay and Etsy. You can always watch the classifieds on this site.

Mr. Hughes, you area man of style. I can’t even find button suspenders anymore. I’v got to get out more often. To all the responses, thanks a million.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

What is the difference between those 3?

Would you advise against brushing it a few times with a hat sponge to try and smooth it out a little more and get rid of some of the longer pieces and the fuzz? How soft or hard or quick do I go?

And thanks everyone that was very helpful! I learn a bit more with each purchase. You really do get what you pay for. I'm still happy with this hat but my next one I may be more careful about the quality of the hat. I really want one from tatton Baird in Utah, but I'd never ever go there for any reason and doing it all online wouldn't give me the whole experience of really feeling the different hats out and get it just right to my liking.

Hard to see in 2D pics but Heather is fur using 2 or more different colors of fur felted together. It can be short or long nap. It's popular in some items of clothing such as sweaters. Just a couple of examples:

Long hair is generally thought of a fur felt of one color but a longer nap. Hard to see in this Borsalino:

Velour finished fur felt starts with caplines such as these. Likewise Velour is commonly used in clothing:

Using a dry hat sponge should not remove too much felt from your hat. It is just an artificial sponge with larger cells. It's not as course as medium sandpaper but it will remove much of the fuzz & lose nap you speak of. Speed is not necessary, just take your time so you control how much you are removing. Your hat will look better even if you can't achieve the velvety hand you want. It's best to have one hat sponge you use only on light colored hats & another for dark colored hats. When it comes time to rinse out a sponge use water only; no soap as it is hard to get all the soap residue out.

I'll back away now. We're glad you're here & like fine hats.

 

[JTSwifty]

Dear friends,
Wondering if anyone has ever ordered anything from a UK-based company called Horizonsnfp.co.uk? They advertise the Akubra Bushman for $64.18 (48.61 British Pounds) (see: http://www.studiogroen.com/hat-akub...-p-1852:a8e2614c3aa4cfab7b638883eb72b17c.html ). It has been said that "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is." But just in case I can get a brand new Bushman for $100 off, I thought I would check with those in the know...

 

[Hat and Rehat]

Actual QUESTION.
I know there's only one sewing machine that you can use to effectively sew in sweat bands with precision and ease (or a knock off from Taiwan). You don't really want me shopping for one though (unless you have one to sell), because I'll just bid up the price (economics 101), and you'll have to part with more lettuce down the road.
While perusing craigslist I saw a very heavy duty Singer bar tack machine running both on air and electricity that seemed to have all of the correct geometry to do the hatter work, though I have no idea what sort of feed dogs are in a bar tack machine.
Is this something I should look into, or a waste of time?

 

[Just Daniel]

Question: has anyone heard of or bought a hat from the Mercury Hat Company?

I googled and checked the site but no joy. Maybe someone has come across one before?

All the best,
Daniel

 

[belfastboy]

Ah ok so that type of finish is achieved with beaver fur felt?
I have read a lot on the difference of these 2 but mainly it was that beaver is "better" and holds up better for shape with time mainly in the rain. But this would be another advantage.

I was going to buy myself a brush to at least brush it properly, I read the top part of the hat and brim is CCW, but the brim under side would be CW? (which makes sense). Should I have the brush AND the sponge in my arsenal? What is the main difference/purposes of each?

Any idea on what the different finishes are called so that when I get my next hat I'm even more informed? Like long hair fur or suede velvet or velour etc.? I couldn't find anything about this online, maybe I wasn't using the correct keywords. Even finding all the names of the different types of hats and crown types, I just learned a few by watching videos here and there but they're not often mentioned even in product descriptions from hatters.

Different hatters use different names for their finishes. Many of the custom hatters post pics and blurbs that explain their offerings. A good custom hatter will take the time to discuss your wants so they are clear going in what you want.

 

[belfastboy]

I wekcome some input. I have a beaver /mink blend in Whiskey close to being on the block and am stuck for ideas on ribbon colour. I have a Whiskey in beaver with a copper coloured ribbon (borrowed the idea from Moon) Love the look but dont want to repeat. What other colours have worked for you?

 

[scottyrocks]

Howzabout brown?

 

[belfastboy]

Howzabout brown?

View attachment 165691

Perhaps i am making more of this than necesary.....but this is my grail hat and want it to stand as such.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I wekcome some input. I have a beaver /mink blend in Whiskey close to being on the block and am stuck for ideas on ribbon colour. I have a Whiskey in beaver with a copper coloured ribbon (borrowed the idea from Moon) Love the look but dont want to repeat. What other colours have worked for you?

I’d like to see your whiskey with copper. Depending on how your hat comes out, I’ll be asking for one of the mink blend hats too. The copper sounds very interesting.

When you get away from the standard colors it gets risky. It’s hard to tell how it’s going to turn out. Can you make it to a fabric store with an existing hat in whiskey to drape ribbon over the hat to try different colors and tones? Even if you can only find cheap ribbon, you can send a sample to the hatter to see if he can match the color with some vintage cotton-rayon grosgrain or silk.


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[scottyrocks]

Perhaps i am making more of this than necesary.....but this is my grail hat and want it to stand as such.

Hey, I understand completely.

I have also come to understand that a grail hat, for me at least, does exist, but does not exist. What does this mean?

Because I have mine. It's the right colors, the right shape, the right vintage, the right feel - everything about it is perfect. Then I put it on my head, and not so much. Then I take it off my head and <swoon>.

Yeah, I know it's nutty. Obviously the hat is not my grail hat, right? Nope, it is. But I just can't bring myself to wear it with any sort of regularity. It's too perfect, too valuable, too rare, too irreplaceable.

Which is probably a blessing. I'd be a mess wearing it all the time - worrying about it - blowing off, getting misplaced, some moron in a bar or some such taking it off my head (not likely to happen, but still - and I never think about that wearing any other hat). It is the one hat I have that must remain as perfect as it is. So it mostly sits in its box.

I have tried to replicate it with a new custom. It turned out great, but it's not nearly as heart-stopping as my grail hat. The color is not close enough, the felt is not close enough, the ribbon is not close enough, and the vintage is not there. It's a spectacular hat, but it's not grail territory. But I can wear it anywhere because it is completely rebuildable and replaceable.

I am beginning the process of trying again, with a hatter who has a color closer to my grail hat. He will build it in a style that I want, my favorite style, in fact, but with slightly trimmed down proportions, specced by me, that will suit my face and head size and shape (I'm not a big guy).

So I understand the whole 'making more of this than is necessary' thing. It's nutty, but kinda fun.

 

[belfastboy]

I’d like to see your whiskey with copper. Depending on how your hat comes out, I’ll be asking for one of the mink blend hats too. The copper sounds very interesting.

When you get away from the standard colors it gets risky. It’s hard to tell how it’s going to turn out. Can you make it to a fabric store with an existing hat in whiskey to drape ribbon over the hat to try different colors and tones? Even if you can only find cheap ribbon, you can send a sample to the hatter to see if he can match the color with some vintage cotton-rayon grosgrain or silk.


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That is a great idea. I have two huge fabric stores in my
area. I am on the road fir another month or two. I think in an earlier Gannon thread Moon posted a pic of his Whiskey/Copper. Also i think Gannon shows it on his web or instagram. It is a classic and many here have borrowed it.

 

[scottyrocks]

From their website, here is Gannon's whiskey with what appears to be a copper ribbon:

Allowing for photographic differences, Gannon's Whiskey looks nothing like VS's Whiskey. So my suggestion in post #20032 can now be taken with a couple of grains of salt. But ultimately, you have to be happy with the final product. Anyway, hope this helps.

And the color of this particular copper ribbon has now given me an idea for the hat I am in the process of speccing out.

 

[Zombie_61]

I wekcome some input. I have a beaver /mink blend in Whiskey close to being on the block and am stuck for ideas on ribbon colour. I have a Whiskey in beaver with a copper coloured ribbon (borrowed the idea from Moon) Love the look but dont want to repeat. What other colours have worked for you?

Just to give you some idea of how different colors might look against the Whiskey felt:

 

[Bill Hughes]

I’d like to see your whiskey with copper. Depending on how your hat comes out, I’ll be asking for one of the mink blend hats too. The copper sounds very interesting.

When you get away from the standard colors it gets risky. It’s hard to tell how it’s going to turn out. Can you make it to a fabric store with an existing hat in whiskey to drape ribbon over the hat to try different colors and tones? Even if you can only find cheap ribbon, you can send a sample to the hatter to see if he can match the color with some vintage cotton-rayon grosgrain or silk.


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Here is my Gannon Whiskey with copper.

 

[enofile]

This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.
I hope this is the way to post on this thread. Wow, at my age, this is a new and mysterious language to use. As a neophyte to vintage hats, I have too many questions to ask, but initially:
1. Is there some place on the “Lounge” where I can see either a hierarchical list of the quality of hat companies, or an explanation of what to look for in a quality hat.
2. Like in everything I suppose, there is a fine line between tacky and cool. Where is that line for vintage hats?
3. What is the correct etiquette for wearing a hat indoors? I like to wear my hat throughput dinner at a restaurant because life is more casual these days, and “hat head” is a real eyesore.
4. Is their a color code to wearing a hat? Does a black hat have to be worn with gray and a beige hat with brown?
5. Am I in the wrong place on the Lounge? Are all these “foolish” and inexperienced questions answered in one place? If so, I am sorry, and please give me directions how to get where I’m supposed to go.
Enofile
Here's one to break the ice.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Here is my Gannon Whiskey with copper.
View attachment 165741 View attachment 165742 View attachment 165743 View attachment 165744

Thank you, Bill. It’s a great hat.

 

[Rmccamey]

That is a great hat...and picture too. I like the natural light that makes that copper stand off of the felt color.

Here is my Gannon Whiskey with copper.
View attachment 165741 View attachment 165742 View attachment 165743 View attachment 165744

 

[belfastboy]

Here is my Gannon Whiskey with copper.
View attachment 165741 View attachment 165742 View attachment 165743 View attachment 165744

My favourite combo