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[pacolizarraga]

Hi Guys!!
Good morning, I just received the following hat size 7 1/4, any idea about the era, no labels inside the sweat.
Brim is almost 3"

Thanks

 

[jeff]

If the felt is thin with not enough meat to pounce a little I would try a 3M white non abrasive pad. I use them to 'polish' the felt. It gets the felt fibres aligned with the nap without removing any fibres.

Belfast - can you post a link (or send a DM) with the exact 3M product you mention above?

I googled "3M white non abrasive pad" and several different items came up.

 

[belfastboy]

Belfast - can you post a link (or send a DM) with the exact 3M product you mention above?

I googled "3M white non abrasive pad" and several different items came up.

I picked mine up on Amazon. The 3M ones are pricey but Mercer makes some that look the same and are cheaper.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Who knows more about this hat ?
Is it 100% Beaver?
Is it 100% Rabbit?
Is it some blend of Beaver/Rabbit?
and at what price does it cost

I found a used one for sale. Listed as a 5X and pure fur felt. This means zero beaver content and most likely 100% rabbit, but it could have some European hare in the mix too (most hat makers like Stetson don’t tell us the mix). As I said before, the type of felt can change from to year to year. What was once fur may now be wool. What once had some beaver in the mix may now be all rabbit. A 3X from 1940 is different from a 3X from 1960 which is different from a 3X from 1980 which is different from a 3X from 2022. The 1940s 3X was some great fur felt with a substantial amount of beaver. The 2022 3X is wool (if it’s even still made?).

 

[Edward]

Anyone know what might have happened to the crown of this modern Borsalino? Do you think it can be easily repaired?

View attachment 443301 View attachment 443302

Short of not having been sanded by large grit paper or brushed with a wire brush, it looks like it's unfelting. It could be caused by a poor felting process & some cheaper felts can start to fall apart if they are 'over' manipulated or repeatedly creased. If it is bad felting then there isn't a great deal to be done. Careful sanding may render the surface a little smoother (if there is sufficient thickness of felt) or spraying with a fine mist of alcohol & flaming it but if the fibres are disconnecting, you can't force them back in, even by hitting them with a hammer.

The wire brush is one thing I thought of too: maybe it was dropped on the crown in mud, or a bird did the inevitable, and the original owner was a bit over-enthusiastic in cleaning it with a stiff brush of some sorts...

I've also lost one sofa to a cat (and later had another and two chairs visibly damaged by the same little lady) who wished to express her displeasure that I had gone away for a week, so I wouldn't entirely rule that out!

 

[jeff]

I have a Gun Club "Royal Flush" as well, in black. Label says it was made in 2001.

I've (obviously) replaced the studded black leather hat band.

One thing I'm not happy about with the hat -- the sweatband started to disintegrate, leaving black marks on my head. I've now re-sealed the leather (clear leather top-coat finish).

 

[belfastboy]

I have a black Gun Club "Royal Flush" as well, in black. Label says it was made in 2001.

I've (obviously) replaced the studded black leather hat band.

One thing I'm not happy about with the hat -- the sweatband started to disintegrate, leaving black marks on my head. I've now re-sealed the leather (clear leather top-coat finish).


View attachment 443624

On the lower cost Stetsons they have been known to use..."Genuine Leather" in their sweats which is a euphemism for reconstituted leather made from the residue left over from the tanning process. It is terrible stuff.

 

[jeff]

> It is terrible stuff.

Indeed, re-constituted leather would explain it.

We had a couch once made with that stuff, fell apart in a couple years, worse: flaking pieces of "leather" got everywhere. Never again.

It might just be time to pull the bad liner and put in a nice new one... which would be a first for me - I've never sewed before.

 

[belfastboy]

> It is terrible stuff.

Indeed, re-constituted leather would explain it.

We had a couch once made with that stuff, fell apart in a couple years, worse: flaking pieces of "leather" got everywhere. Never again.

It might just be time to pull the bad liner and put in a nice new one... which would be a first for me - I've never sewed before.

It is not that hard. There are a number of Etsy sellers....FineVintageFedoras sell them and you can buy them cut and sewn to your size. Once you receive it I can walk you through it. If the hat fits you then remove the sweat, separate it at the join and measure it's length. That way you can order an accurate replacement.

 

[jeff]

Thanks Belfast, I shall give it a try! I'll let you know once I have one ready to sew

 

[Mighty44]

Hi Guys!!
Good morning, I just received the following hat size 7 1/4, any idea about the era, no labels inside the sweat.
Brim is almost 3"

Great hat! Definitely 1940s or ‘50s but others here might know more.

 

[jeff]

Bought a bowler yesterday on the 'bay (was it from one of you?)...

The brand is Bullock & Jones, who as I'm sure many of you know is (was) an upscale mensware store. As such, I'm guessing they out-sourced the making of their house branded hats? Some photos from the auction below.

So the Question of the Day: who likely made hats for them? I'll certainly be lifting the sweatband when it arrives, see if there are any clues to be found. In the mean time, does anyone know much about hats sold by Bullock & Jones?

S

 

[nvilletele]

Where is my hat?

(I bought 5, but one cannot be found. It never left the house though.)

I guess this may be a bit of a rhetorical question of sorts.

 

[Who?]

No clue here, I’m not even sure what’s going on.

 

[jeff]

I bought 5, but one cannot be found. It never left the house though.

Moths? ;-)

 

[Frunobulax]

Where is my hat?

(I bought 5, but one cannot be found. It never left the house though.)

I guess this may be a bit of a rhetorical question of sorts.

They're always in the last place you look.

Moths? ;-)

Mothra!

 

[nvilletele]

Moths? ;-)

Hmmm . . . Do moths like hemp?

( . . . Perhaps my son smoked it?)

 

[nvilletele]

They're always in the last place you look.

Unless of course you keep looking for it after you have found it.
I don’t expect many do, but in this current world I make no assumptions.

 

[Mighty44]

I have a vintage fedora that had a new sweatband installed. It was a little roomy on me so I've put some folded strips of paper towel front and back and it fits much better. Unfortunately, the padding is making the sweatband ripple along the top so that I feel the leather pressing against my temple on either side enough that it is quite noticeable and annoying.

Discounting any presentation or resale issues -- could I just cut out triangular sections along the top of the sweat on either side to relieve the pressure? The sweat is two inches tall, I was thinking about notches on either side about 3/4" tall. Anyone every done this successfully? Advice or considerations?

Thanks!

David

 

[ILB Frank]

I have a vintage fedora that had a new sweatband installed. It was a little roomy on me so I've put some folded strips of paper towel front and back and it fits much better. Unfortunately, the padding is making the sweatband ripple along the top so that I feel the leather pressing against my temple on either side enough that it is quite noticeable and annoying.

Discounting any presentation or resale issues -- could I just cut out triangular sections along the top of the sweat on either side to relieve the pressure? The sweat is two inches tall, I was thinking about notches on either side about 3/4" tall. Anyone every done this successfully? Advice or considerations?

Thanks!

David

Your hat, your choice. But - maybe try some other options first. Maybe use less padding at the temple area. And/or maybe you can work the sweatband so the ripples move towards the back of the hat.