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[Frunobulax]

Gives me another thought. We’ve all found hats with moth divots... but has anyone here caught the moth larvae in the act? Or come upon the moth casings attached to their hats?

Also can you actually see moth eggs on the felt or are they too small?

"Females lay eggs in clusters of between 30 and 200 which adhere to surfaces with a gelatin-like glue. These hatch between four and ten days later into near-microscopic white caterpillars which immediately begin to feed. They will also spin mats under which to feed without being readily noticed and from which they will partially emerge at night or under dark conditions to acquire food. Development to the next stage takes place through between five and 45 instars typically over the course of between one month and two years until the pupal stage is reached. At this point, the caterpillars spin cocoons and spend another approximately 10–50 days developing into adults.[7]"

Wonder how many of those little eggs it would take to make a cake...

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I can remove a hat liner and get it clean with warm water and woolite. But getting the hat liner back into the hat and shaped right seems to elude me.

Any suggestions??

I have done a few also. I have a glass beverage pitcher with a bottom just about the same diameter as the top center piece of the liner. I turn the pitcher upside down & open up the liner on top to dry with the sides draped down the sides of the pitcher. I usually leave it to dry until I'm ready to get back to work on the hat. The liner sort of dries in shape. After that I've had pretty good luck with just the sweat holding it back in, or with just a couple small pieces of seamstress tape.

 

[HunnyD]

Hi there. I inherited some vintage items and don't know the value so a friend recommended me to try fedora lounge. Being that this is my first post, forgive me if I posted in the wrong place. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

For the first item... I'm looking for the time period of production, color, and value of a 7X Stetson Open Road sized at 6 7/8. The shape appears to still be in perfect form. It's in wonderful condition with a couple minor stains, which may or may not come out. I don't know anything about cleaning felt hats. (I'm not sure how to post my own pictures on here. Every time I try, I get an error message saying "there was a problem uploading your file". So until I can figure out the problem, I would be happy to send them to anyone who is willing to help me out.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[jlee562]

A clear beaver 7x would be a desirable hat, but unfortunately 6 7/8 is considered a small size.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi there. I inherited some vintage items and don't know the value so a friend recommended me to try fedora lounge. Being that this is my first post, forgive me if I posted in the wrong place. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

For the first item... I'm looking for the time period of production, color, and value of a 7X Stetson Open Road sized at 6 7/8. The shape appears to still be in perfect form. It's in wonderful condition with a couple minor stains, which may or may not come out. I don't know anything about cleaning felt hats. (I'm not sure how to post my own pictures on here. Every time I try, I get an error message saying "there was a problem uploading your file". So until I can figure out the problem, I would be happy to send them to anyone who is willing to help me out.)

Thanks in advance!

If it’s a more recent Stetson 7X , rather than the 7X Clear Beaver, it’s not a highly desirable hat. Even if it is a Clear Beaver hat, the value depends on the age/era of production, condition, and size. It’s possible for the true market value of a hat in size 6 7/8 to be less than one-quarter of what the exact same hat in a larger size would sell for. Unfortunately, without photos there isn’t much I can tell you.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi there. I inherited some vintage items and don't know the value so a friend recommended me to try fedora lounge. Being that this is my first post, forgive me if I posted in the wrong place. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

For the first item... I'm looking for the time period of production, color, and value of a 7X Stetson Open Road sized at 6 7/8. The shape appears to still be in perfect form. It's in wonderful condition with a couple minor stains, which may or may not come out. I don't know anything about cleaning felt hats. (I'm not sure how to post my own pictures on here. Every time I try, I get an error message saying "there was a problem uploading your file". So until I can figure out the problem, I would be happy to send them to anyone who is willing to help me out.)

Thanks in advance!

I found your hat for sale on eBay. It’s not an Open Road, and it’s not from the 1950s. I wish I could tell you differently, but hats of that era were pretty lousy quality and they don’t usually sell for much. I see similar hats in that size regularly sell for less than $50. Now if it was a 7X from 40 years earlier and if it was six hat sizes larger I’d be making you an offer.

 

[Just Daniel]

Yes, I saw it too. Well passed the Clear Beaver time period.

Generally speaking the folks here are your potential buyers, so not a lot of us like to give away values to (the competition) sellers.

Good luck with your sales. This hat looks outside the most desirable window in size and manufacture period, but maybe the others will have more promise.

Hi there. I inherited some vintage items and don't know the value so a friend recommended me to try fedora lounge. Being that this is my first post, forgive me if I posted in the wrong place. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

For the first item... I'm looking for the time period of production, color, and value of a 7X Stetson Open Road sized at 6 7/8. The shape appears to still be in perfect form. It's in wonderful condition with a couple minor stains, which may or may not come out. I don't know anything about cleaning felt hats. (I'm not sure how to post my own pictures on here. Every time I try, I get an error message saying "there was a problem uploading your file". So until I can figure out the problem, I would be happy to send them to anyone who is willing to help me out.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Holton1432]

HELP!!! I need information on this hat. I can find nothing on it anywhere. Mainly want to know what year it was made, its worth, etc. Thank you to anyone who can help.

20210227_220317

• Holton1432
• Feb 28, 2021

20210227_215747

• Holton1432
• Feb 28, 2021

20210227_215739

• Holton1432
• Feb 28, 2021

20210227_215730

• Holton1432
• Feb 28, 2021

20210227_215720

• Holton1432
• Feb 28, 2021

 

[Scooterz]

Ok I will try this question here. What makes a playboy hat a playboy? I know it is light felt and no liner and the stitched brim. What are the typical factory dimensions? Crown height? Ribbon width 7/8" or? What is the block used? I can never find a decent one in my size that is not really very high priced. So I may have a copy made. I see in another thread that the hat block is a 123?
Cannot find a photo of a 123 on google.

 

[jlee562]

Ok I will try this question here. What makes a playboy hat a playboy? I know it is light felt and no liner and the stitched brim. What are the typical factory dimensions? Crown height? Ribbon width 7/8" or? What is the block used? I can never find a decent one in my size that is not really very high priced. So I may have a copy made. I see in another thread that the hat block is a 123?
Cannot find a photo of a 123 on google.

Some of them did come with liners and some of them apparently did not have the row of stitching. There are one or two examples of an unstitched brim floating around. 3/4" ribbon, distinctive bowkeep, mine is 5 1/4" open crown, 2 3/8" but we have also seen different widths.

123 verification came from the Block profile thread, more discussion here: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/playboys-on-parade.9386/page-13

 

[Frunobulax]

Ok I will try this question here. What makes a playboy hat a playboy? I know it is light felt and no liner and the stitched brim. What are the typical factory dimensions? Crown height? Ribbon width 7/8" or? What is the block used? I can never find a decent one in my size that is not really very high priced. So I may have a copy made. I see in another thread that the hat block is a 123?
Cannot find a photo of a 123 on google.

While I think of a Playboy as being blocked on a 123, with a 5 1/2" crown, mid-ribbon, and about a 2 3/8" stitched brim, there are others that fall outside of the normal distribution. I have, I think, five Playboys (most marked as Playboys), and some of them have wider brims, at least one has a wider ribbon, and I think I have one labeled Playboy with no brim stitching. One thing all of them have is a certain soft, velvety felt quality that only shows up in a few other Stetsons I have.

 

[Zombie_61]

Ok I will try this question here. What makes a playboy hat a playboy?

 

[belfastboy]

Ok I will try this question here. What makes a playboy hat a playboy? I know it is light felt and no liner and the stitched brim. What are the typical factory dimensions? Crown height? Ribbon width 7/8" or? What is the block used? I can never find a decent one in my size that is not really very high priced. So I may have a copy made. I see in another thread that the hat block is a 123?
Cannot find a photo of a 123 on google.

Looking at the pic of the 123 I have a new block that closely resembles it. It is 6" high but it just means blocking it 1/2" short of the base. The profile is very similar. I don't have any pics of it but can shoot a few if interested.

 

[Scooterz]

Looking at the pic of the 123 I have a new block that closely resembles it. It is 6" high but it just means blocking it 1/2" short of the base. The profile is very similar. I don't have any pics of it but can shoot a few if interested.

Is it tapered? A pic would help I suppose. I was really surprised I could not find a photo of one, I didn't realize that old Stetson blocks are kind of mysterious.

 

[belfastboy]

Is it tapered? A pic would help I suppose. I was really surprised I could not find a photo of one, I didn't realize that old Stetson blocks are kind of mysterious.

It is relatively straight sided up to the top where it tapers somewhat as the top begins to dome. It is a stock block from Jerzy in Poland.

 

[Frunobulax]

Is it tapered? A pic would help I suppose. I was really surprised I could not find a photo of one, I didn't realize that old Stetson blocks are kind of mysterious.

I have a feeling the blocks we see these days are not Stetson blocks. Stetson would reportedly give old blocks to employees to use as firewood. I think Stetson block numbers may not be the same as the numbers we refer to. As an example, Peters Bros., years ago, told me they reblock Open Roads on a 52, but Stetson's ORs are blocked on a 122. Not certain I've seen a 122 or 123 in the wild.

 

[OldStrummer]

In a recent post on another thread, I mentioned wearing a hat in inclement weather. I must say, whenever it's raining or blowing, I am always in a quandry trying to decide what hat to wear. Ironically, those are two of the major conditions best suited to hat wearing!

So, what do you folks do? Do you have weatherproof hats you choose to wear? Do you condition hats with sealer or some form of treatment to make them weather resistant? Do you just grin and bear it, knowing that you may have some drying, shaping, blocking, etc. to do when you return indoors?

We've had a lot of rain lately, which is standard for this time of year and the region in which I live. I must say that I tend to eschew my nicer hats and opt for a wool beanie or ball cap when daring the outdoors. You?

 

[dkstott]

It depends on the weather for me. A light drizzling rain and I'm okay with going out in my better hats.

But steady rain calls for my Akubra's.

In a recent post on another thread, I mentioned wearing a hat in inclement weather. I must say, whenever it's raining or blowing, I am always in a quandry trying to decide what hat to wear. Ironically, those are two of the major conditions best suited to hat wearing!

So, what do you folks do? Do you have weatherproof hats you choose to wear? Do you condition hats with sealer or some form of treatment to make them weather resistant? Do you just grin and bear it, knowing that you may have some drying, shaping, blocking, etc. to do when you return indoors?

We've had a lot of rain lately, which is standard for this time of year and the region in which I live. I must say that I tend to eschew my nicer hats and opt for a wool beanie or ball cap when daring the outdoors. You?

 

[belfastboy]

In a recent post on another thread, I mentioned wearing a hat in inclement weather. I must say, whenever it's raining or blowing, I am always in a quandry trying to decide what hat to wear. Ironically, those are two of the major conditions best suited to hat wearing!

So, what do you folks do? Do you have weatherproof hats you choose to wear? Do you condition hats with sealer or some form of treatment to make them weather resistant? Do you just grin and bear it, knowing that you may have some drying, shaping, blocking, etc. to do when you return indoors?

We've had a lot of rain lately, which is standard for this time of year and the region in which I live. I must say that I tend to eschew my nicer hats and opt for a wool beanie or ball cap when daring the outdoors. You?

I use what I call my 'sacrificial anode" hats. These are my Akubras and I wear them in very inclement weather. I don't worry about the rain per se as we get a lot of it up here. So don't worry much if I get caught out in a downpour but if it is raining heavily before I go out I don one of my Akubras knowing they take the wet really well and if it negatively affects them I don't have much money invested in them in the first place. If it is really cold and wet I wear one of my wool Newsboy caps with a rain proof liner.

 

[jlee562]

For the amount of rain we get in the bay area, and for the amount I spend out in it, I generally do not worry about my beaver hats. I don't generally wear vintage if there's a good chance of rain. My go to rain hats are my modern Stetson westerns, big brims are very useful!

Other folks have reported decent results with scotch guard for added protection.