Ask a question, get an answer

[Mighty44]

Hello All--
I've got two felt fedoras with bound brims that curl up too far in back and can't be steamed flat. In fact, my efforts to steam and flatten seem to have made the issue worse. It feels like the binding has shrunk relative to the brim and is creating tension that pulls the brim up and curls it. I was wondering about ironing the brim to flatten them and hopefully ease the tension in the binding ribbon relative to the brim itself. Good idea? Will this make the brim too flat?

Thanks!

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

QUESTION:
Can our member identity be hacked or hijacked by some usurper to post using our member id???

I ask because of a issue this evening in the classifieds where a very well known member has an item to sell and there is some compelling evidence that it may not be that actual member who posted the item in the classifieds.
Very disturbing.
Thanks
Bowen

Responding to my own quote..Lol
Simple answer seems to be yes, if someone got your password.
Guess i was thinking more big picture, Foreign cyber-espionage agency cracking our id info in order to overthrow the Lounge and end our existence as we know it.
Yeah, that’s it!!
B

 

[Rufus1401]

Not trying to ignore you.

I don’t recall seeing anyone here with one of their hats, but I do know the company/hatter has been discussed in the past. Some of the hats look very nice. If you get one please share photos and your evaluation.

Will do. Ordered one with them.

 

[belfastboy]

Hello All--
I've got two felt fedoras with bound brims that curl up too far in back and can't be steamed flat. In fact, my efforts to steam and flatten seem to have made the issue worse. It feels like the binding has shrunk relative to the brim and is creating tension that pulls the brim up and curls it. I was wondering about ironing the brim to flatten them and hopefully ease the tension in the binding ribbon relative to the brim itself. Good idea? Will this make the brim too flat?

Thanks!

No simple answer here.....IF the brim binding is putting the brim under tension then you may be able to flatten it with an iron. But that depends on how much tension the brim is under. I have a stingy brim that I bound and put enough tension on it that it curled up on its own so I did not have to flange it to get the cupping. I cannot flatten it as the tension just causes it to curl again. So the only real way to know is to try and see what result you get

 

[Mighty44]

Any one have any advice about Bickmore Spot Remover?

I've been trying to get an ancient oil stain out of the crown of a silver belly hat. Used the powder once the other morning, buffed out with a hat sponge and thought this was a miracle product -- the stain completely disappeared. However, some hours later, the stain was back where it always was. Repeated the same process the next day. Stain still looks about the same as it always did, maybe a little lighter, but it is starting to get a light colored halo around it from the scrubbing/sanding. Any one else have this experience? Third time the charm or call it a day?

Thanks

 

[Dotneck]

Are there any hatters you can recommend on the east coast of the US? I inherited fifteen vintage fedoras. They are all too small. They are 7 and I’m 7 1/8 but they are nice quality hats. I’m thinking there are two or three I would like to get resized. Who would you trust to disassemble, block, resize, and put back together without damaging the hat?

I’m thinking east coast so shipping costs don’t get out of hand.

I’d like to make a few work on my noggin and trade/sell the rest.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Any one have any advice about Bickmore Spot Remover?

I've been trying to get an ancient oil stain out of the crown of a silver belly hat. Used the powder once the other morning, buffed out with a hat sponge and thought this was a miracle product -- the stain completely disappeared. However, some hours later, the stain was back where it always was. Repeated the same process the next day. Stain still looks about the same as it always did, maybe a little lighter, but it is starting to get a light colored halo around it from the scrubbing/sanding. Any one else have this experience? Third time the charm or call it a day?

Thanks

Have you tried naphtha?

 

[belfastboy]

Are there any hatters you can recommend on the east coast of the US? I inherited fifteen vintage fedoras. They are all too small. They are 7 and I’m 7 1/8 but they are nice quality hats. I’m thinking there are two or three I would like to get resized. Who would you trust to disassemble, block, resize, and put back together without damaging the hat?

I’m thinking east coast so shipping costs don’t get out of hand.

I’d like to make a few work on my noggin and trade/sell the rest.

The first one that comes to mind is Tim @purebeaver (Instagram) he is a good hatter just not sure if he takes on refurbs/resize right now but worth a shot. He is in the Philly area. The other is FineVintageFedoras on Etsy.com. Scott does refurbs, great work at fair prices. He is in Wisconsin so not too far away. I am in Canada and the postage costs about $20 each way and takes a week to 10 days.

 

[ngodbehere]

So I made this hat and I’m not sure what crease I should give it. It’s a sage colored nutria western weight with a midnight blue ribbon I acquired from Art and a blue jay feather (just kinda stuck the feather in there for the photo for the time being). Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Mighty44]

Have you tried naphtha?

Thanks—I think that is the inevitable next step though I’m not set up to do it myself.

 

[Kopfhanger]

Hi guys, I have a question regarding ribbon tieing. Does anyone know how tie a thin western style/ openroad/ akubra campdraft ribbon? I bought a vintage stetson open road but it didn't have a ribbon cause the owner placed a leather band instead. I like the new open road ribbon style but I can't tie a ribbon if my life depended on it. If anyone knows where I can find a how to video or instructions I would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi guys, I have a question regarding ribbon tieing. Does anyone know how tie a thin western style/ openroad/ akubra campdraft ribbon? I bought a vintage stetson open road but it didn't have a ribbon cause the owner placed a leather band instead. I like the new open road ribbon style but I can't tie a ribbon if my life depended on it. If anyone knows where I can find a how to video or instructions I would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

Are you tying the crown ribbon into the bow or is the bow a separate piece from the crown ribbon? I’ve never seen a hat where the ribbon around the crown was finished in a bow rather than the bow being a separate piece of ribbon.

 

[Kopfhanger]

Are you tying the crown ribbon into the bow or is the bow a separate piece from the crown ribbon? I’ve never seen a hat where the ribbon around the crown was finished in a bow rather than the bow being a separate piece of ribbon.

No Idea to be honest, I thought it's one piece with a ribbon tied. But it makes sense that it would be a separate bow. I have only seen it in pictures. Thank you

 

[belfastboy]

So I made this hat and I’m not sure what crease I should give it. It’s a sage colored nutria western weight with a midnight blue ribbon I acquired from Art and a blue jay feather (just kinda stuck the feather in there for the photo for the time being). Does anyone have any suggestions?

View attachment 350459

With those proportions I lean strongly towards a simple centre dent and mid pinches (not tight).

 

[belfastboy]

Hi guys, I have a question regarding ribbon tieing. Does anyone know how tie a thin western style/ openroad/ akubra campdraft ribbon? I bought a vintage stetson open road but it didn't have a ribbon cause the owner placed a leather band instead. I like the new open road ribbon style but I can't tie a ribbon if my life depended on it. If anyone knows where I can find a how to video or instructions I would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

No video to found I am afraid and generally a real lack of info on ribbon/bow work on the internet. The OR ribbon bow is actually 3 pieces, the ribbon around the hat that is tacked to the hat in 3 or 4 spots, then the bow itself which is one piece in a loop tacked in the middle ironed flat, and then the bow keeper in the middle which is just a loop that is tacked in the back. The tricky part is attaching the bow & keeper to the hat without the tack threads showing. I use a double needle, small needle single thread and tie each tack off inside the hat. There is a pictorial available here in the Lounge and you can likely find it by using a Google search with Fedora Lounge Bow Tieing or some such wording.

 

[Nolagurl1956]

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.

Here's one to break the ice.

Hi, I’m new to FedoraLounge. Would you please tell me how to tell if a hat has been hand blocked.

 

[Kopfhanger]

No video to found I am afraid and generally a real lack of info on ribbon/bow work on the internet. The OR ribbon bow is actually 3 pieces, the ribbon around the hat that is tacked to the hat in 3 or 4 spots, then the bow itself which is one piece in a loop tacked in the middle ironed flat, and then the bow keeper in the middle which is just a loop that is tacked in the back. The tricky part is attaching the bow & keeper to the hat without the tack threads showing. I use a double needle, small needle single thread and tie each tack off inside the hat. There is a pictorial available here in the Lounge and you can likely find it by using a Google search with Fedora Lounge Bow Tieing or some such wording.

Thank you so much belfastboy, I will give it a try on my cheaper wool hat and hopefully make it look good.

 

[belfastboy]

Thank you so much belfastboy, I will give it a try on my cheaper wool hat and hopefully make it look good.

And, the good news is that if you use a small needle and are careful if you are not happy with the tack stitch you can remove it and not leave a trace on the ribbon.

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks—I think that is the inevitable next step though I’m not set up to do it myself.

It is not as complicated as it may appear. 4 litres Coleman white gas (Canadian Tire), a stew pot or canning pot, pair of rubber gloves. Outside even on a balcony but indoors can be done in a pinch. If careful it is not messy, outside it is not dangerous unless you decide to spark a doobie whilst doing it. And the residue in the hat gasses off very quickly. With an older hat you have to do the entire hat as spot cleaning tends to just spread the embedded dirt and you end up with a lighter but larger stained area.

 

[ngodbehere]

With those proportions I lean strongly towards a simple centre dent and mid pinches (not tight).

Can you show me an example of what you mean by “mid pinches”? I’m still learning some terminology here. I strongly agree with the center dent, I went ahead and put one on it this morning before rushing out the door for some appointments.