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[deadlyhandsome]

Would it be easy to just iron myself flat? Thinking of browsing ebay to find some vintage Westerns with the brim length I want and then reshaping it to a flat brim (although I'm not sure if that would work well because the thinner dress hats are thinner and it may not be a nice strong flat brim and the ebay information these posters put up is so so limited)

Ironing a brim flat is very simple. Just don’t cook the felt with too much heat, use a spray bottle, and keep a press cloth between the iron and the felt. There are stiffeners you can add to the felt if you need to, but most westerns won’t need any help to keep shape with a three inch brim. Also, if the hat has a raw edge brim you can trim larger hat brims down. I’d don’t recommend you doing that to rare and/or true vintage hats, but most hats from the mid-1960’s to current are acceptable candidates. I have many fairly recent westerns that I’ve trimmed down. For most of them, the felt is hard and tough and can take some abuse, but it’s nothing like the vintage felt we all seek after.


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[humanshoes]

Would it be easy to just iron myself flat? Thinking of browsing ebay to find some vintage Westerns with the brim length I want and then reshaping it to a flat brim (although I'm not sure if that would work well because the thinner dress hats are thinner and it may not be a nice strong flat brim and the ebay information these posters put up is so so limited)

Go for it JJ. Used westerns in your size should be plentiful and inexpensive. Fire up the steam iron and flatten the brims (use pressing cloth). Fire up the teapot and steam and reshape the crowns and/or brims. Rip off the old ribbons and add your own unique touch. When you get tired of one style, repeat the process. Be fearless. It's hard to screw one up beyond repair. If nothing else, you'll gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the mechanics of hat construction. Add the fact that it's great fun and you have a win-win scenario. Oh, I almost forgot, be sure to show us your new creations in the Conversion Corral thread.

 

[JessieJames]

Go for it JJ. Used westerns in your size should be plentiful and inexpensive. Fire up the steam iron and flatten the brims (use pressing cloth). Fire up the teapot and steam and reshape the crowns and/or brims. Rip off the old ribbons and add your own unique touch. When you get tired of one style, repeat the process. Be fearless. It's hard to screw one up beyond repair. If nothing else, you'll gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the mechanics of hat construction. Add the fact that it's great fun and you have a win-win scenario. Oh, I almost forgot, be sure to show us your new creations in the Conversion Corral thread.

oh very cool there is a thread for this. Now I just need to find a good vintage (from my limited time here anything vintage Stetson, Dobbs, Marathon, Champs, Barclay and Lee) will be winning.

Looking for a nice light grey or grey toned silverbelly and a black 3" brim. If anyone sees one on ebay in size 6 7/8" lemme know! (wish there were more filters to search for hats on ebay)

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

@JessieJames ... sometimes you just gotta flatten them out.

Amen to that Bob.
Some hats you just have to listen to their whispers.
B

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Go for it JJ. Used westerns in your size should be plentiful and inexpensive. Fire up the steam iron and flatten the brims (use pressing cloth). Fire up the teapot and steam and reshape the crowns and/or brims. Rip off the old ribbons and add your own unique touch. When you get tired of one style, repeat the process. Be fearless. It's hard to screw one up beyond repair. If nothing else, you'll gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the mechanics of hat construction. Add the fact that it's great fun and you have a win-win scenario. Oh, I almost forgot, be sure to show us your new creations in the Conversion Corral thread.

Very well said!
Make em yours!
B

 

[Hurricane Jack]

@JessieJames ... sometimes you just gotta flatten them out...

Or look like the Flying Nun! Jessie, you can iron a brim without totally ironing out the flange. It just depends on what you want.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Within a few hours, it took on a slight green tint. Just sitting there on my shelf.

Be careful what color shelf paper you sit it on...you got the rare chameleon beaver fur.

 

[The Jackal]

Be careful what color shelf paper you sit it on...you got the rare chameleon beaver fur.

That would be an amazing hat to have. It automatically color matches your outfit.

 

[Bamaboots]

If anyone sees one on ebay in size 6 7/8" lemme know!

Looked through a few pages of westerns in your size and saw a couple that I think would make suitable candidates for what you're looking to do. I also found this Resistol Beaver 25. Dimensions weren't listed but it's in the OR clone range in that distinctive Resistol silverbelly. Decent price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RESISTOL-W...812212?hash=item443ddf2c74:g:ec8AAOSwyW5c4Vdn

 

[JessieJames]

Looked through a few pages of westerns in your size and saw a couple that I think would make suitable candidates for what you're looking to do. I also found this Resistol Beaver 25. Dimensions weren't listed but it's in the OR clone range in that distinctive Resistol silverbelly. Decent price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RESISTOL-W...812212?hash=item443ddf2c74:g:ec8AAOSwyW5c4Vdn

Oh thank you for that! Do you know what era is that from and if it's easily reshape-able? I'm not that familiar with the Resistol history

It says white gray but it looks more beige/sand (I've bought a hat before that said gray and it was completely a sand/beige). What is up with these wrongly identified colors/photos? Lighting on the photo is horrible

 

[Cornshucker77]

First: have you ever followed The Dead? Have you ever called Dr. Tim Leary a prophet? Have you ever hung out in The Haight tasting sounds and hearing colors? If no then please continue:

Fur felt can certainly appear differently in various light conditions. It also can appear to change color as the surroundings change. Aside from that, it might fade over years, but not over hours.




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LOL

 

[Cornshucker77]

Be careful what color shelf paper you sit it on...you got the rare chameleon beaver fur.

LOL

 

[Bamaboots]

Oh thank you for that! Do you know what era is that from and if it's easily reshape-able? I'm not that familiar with the Resistol history

With the crappy interior shots it's hard to say but what I see of the liner it appears similar to mine from the mid 50's-early 60's. These hats can shaped but w/o that one in hand it's impossible to say how stiff it may be or what sort of shadowing may result from changing the crease. All it takes is some steam.

Also, I ran across this one that might bee a candidate for your western project. Pilgrim is the brand name used by Sears when they sold hats.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1950s-...379069?hash=item2f312b38bd:g:ELsAAOSwep5c5z6o

 

[JessieJames]

With the crappy interior shots it's hard to say but what I see of the liner it appears similar to mine from the mid 50's-early 60's. These hats can shaped but w/o that one in hand it's impossible to say how stiff it may be or what sort of shadowing may result from changing the crease. All it takes is some steam and some.

Also, I ran across this one that might bee a candidate for your western project. Pilgrim is the brand name used by Sears when they sold hats.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1950s-...379069?hash=item2f312b38bd:g:ELsAAOSwep5c5z6o

Sears sold hats? Thank you for sharing.

Yes those shots are horrendous I actually don't even think the color was properly identified, didn't look white/gray looked sand/beige. How are you finding these hats I didn't see any of these in my search.

I typed a combination of: vintage 6 7/8 hat, vintage 6 7/8 hat fur felt, western, fedora. I did not try VTG though

 

[Bamaboots]

Yes, Sears sold hats and are pretty well thought of around here. No, they're off on the color.

vintage fedora 6 7/8
vintage western hat 6 7/8

 

[Bill Hughes]

Sears sold hats? Thank you for sharing.

Yes those shots are horrendous I actually don't even think the color was properly identified, didn't look white/gray looked sand/beige. How are you finding these hats I didn't see any of these in my search.

I typed a combination of: vintage 6 7/8 hat, vintage 6 7/8 hat fur felt, western, fedora. I did not try VTG though

Here are three of the stores and the brand they sold. I’m sure there are others.

• Brent was the Montgomery Ward brand.
• Marathon was the J.C. Penny brand.
• Pilgrim was the Sears-Roebuck brand.

 

[JessieJames]

Here are three of the stores and the brand they sold. I’m sure there are others.

• Brent was the Montgomery Ward brand.
• Marathon was the J.C. Penny brand.
• Pilgrim was the Sears-Roebuck brand.

That's so interesting. The importance and fanciness of those stores are lost these days, I never saw Sears as anything premium or spectacular and now they're gone. They actually carry some interesting history. I think Sears had its hay day with the phone catalogs which was revolutionary at the time. But then I guess they never really evolved past that. Like how Blockbuster couldn't survive.

 

[belfastboy]

oh very cool there is a thread for this. Now I just need to find a good vintage (from my limited time here anything vintage Stetson, Dobbs, Marathon, Champs, Barclay and Lee) will be winning.

Looking for a nice light grey or grey toned silverbelly and a black 3" brim. If anyone sees one on ebay in size 6 7/8" lemme know! (wish there were more filters to search for hats on ebay)

Just a note, look for something cheap not necessarily a keeper vintage. Learn and make mistakes on hats that you won't mind tossing away if you screw it up. I have picked up many hats in your size for under $40 for my wife. Other westerns in my size 7 3/8 for $25....some converted to really good fedoras. Start cheap and have fun with it.

 

[Frunobulax]

Here are three of the stores and the brand they sold. I’m sure there are others.

[*]Brent was the Montgomery Ward brand.

Marathon was Lee. I think Pilgrim was HatCo, what was Brent?

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[Frunobulax]

That's so interesting. The importance and fanciness of those stores are lost these days, I never saw Sears as anything premium or spectacular and now they're gone. They actually carry some interesting history. I think Sears had its hay day with the phone catalogs which was revolutionary at the time. But then I guess they never really evolved past that. Like how Blockbuster couldn't survive.

Maybe not premium or spectacular, but they sold everything to everybody. And a lot more men wore hats, so there were a number of store brands, usually made by a major manufacturer (like Lee making Penney's Marathons).

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