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bowlerman

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,294
Location
South Dakota
One might be more worried about the wife.
"One" is always more worried about the wife...

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I've done a very basic clean, but it will probably need to be reblocked, and my concern is who has that perfect full derby block.

Or I might leave it alone and wear it with "character."
 

Felt and Straw

Familiar Face
Messages
57
Location
NW
I wonder what the highest X was, or did it change over time like Stetson's, so they ended up with 10x or 15x or 100x, to expunge forever any remaining shred meaning of their categories.

The Borso rep said that they did the x's from 1 to 5, with 5 being the finest beaver felt. Dont forget that, unlike the stetson analogy, the x's didnt stand for the amount of beaver, but rather the quality of the beaver.

Most Borsalino X hats don't say Castoro and some Castoro hats have no X's so I am highly skeptical that they have accurate historical knowledge. I have also only seen Italian Market sold hats. You would need to have someone with a link to that period of production or distribution. The Borsalino Museum in Alessandria would be more likely for historical info.

I can only tell you what the company representative told me when I specifically asked about a castoro xx hat from the 40's. I like your idea of contacting the museum for the same company I contacted, let us know what they say.
 

randooch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,869
Location
Ukiah, California
I'm hoping one of you can post a link to any thread discussing how to calculate the circumference of an oval if you have both diameters. I've done searches with every combination of words i can think of and still come up empty. But I know I've seen this topic covered now and then on FL! Thanks a bunch, R
 

Prokofiev

New in Town
Messages
9
Location
Canada
I reformed a hat last night, using hot water. When I took a look at it this morning, the crown was fine, but the leather band was puckered. Uncomfortably so. Is it possible to rectify this, or was it an expensive lesson?
 

Chinaski

One Too Many
Messages
1,045
Location
Orange County, CA
I reformed a hat last night, using hot water. When I took a look at it this morning, the crown was fine, but the leather band was puckered. Uncomfortably so. Is it possible to rectify this, or was it an expensive lesson?

When shaping a hat you usually want to either steam or water the felt, depending on the situation. Leave the sweat alone. If I use water, I'm usually spritzing the hat with a spray bottle. You would definitely want to treat an older, vintage sweatband with with lots of care, as some of them will start disintegrating if mishandled. If I were in your situation I would try some Lexol leather conditioner on the sweat to see if it will rejuvenate those puckers. You may hear other advice as well.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I reformed a hat last night, using hot water. When I took a look at it this morning, the crown was fine, but the leather band was puckered. Uncomfortably so. Is it possible to rectify this, or was it an expensive lesson?

If the leather isnt cracked, you could put some conditioner on it and put on your head for a few hours. That should make it relax a bit.
 

RBH

Bartender
OK Gents [and ladies] I am going to restick this fantastic thread.
I thought it no longer needed stuck and that questions would keep it on the front page.
Sooooo.... please ask your questions here.
And do not be surprised when I move a posted question to this thread.
So a post may be one that I think should be a post on its own and then again I may merge it with this one.
So gents ASK AWAY!!!
 

DudeInBlack

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Location
San Diego
Unidentified Straw Hat - Any ideas?

I got this straw hat at a Renaissance Faire last November. Since then it's become my primary work hat. I do landscaping for a living and man if this thing doesn't keep the brutal So.Cal. sun off my face and neck.

The stand I bought it from had no name, no website, and no retailer. It came with No tags. No labels. No band. No ribbon. Nothing. Just what the heck is this thing?!











I'm dead certain it's not straw since the weave is so fine and it's spun in a counter-clockwise direction. Panama Grass? Wheat, perhaps?

Any ideas? [huh]

--
 

fmw

One Too Many
Messages
1,017
Location
USA
It appears to be braided, not woven and my guess is that it might by synthetic rather than straw. That guess comes from the shiny reflection of the light from your photograph. As you can tell, I have no idea what it is. ;)
 

Lefty

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,639
Location
O-HI-O
chuck-norris-thumbs-up.jpg
 

Yeps

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,456
Location
Philly
I got this straw hat at a Renaissance Faire last November. Since then it's become my primary work hat. I do landscaping for a living and man if this thing doesn't keep the brutal So.Cal. sun off my face and neck.

The stand I bought it from had no name, no website, and no retailer. It came with No tags. No labels. No band. No ribbon. Nothing. Just what the heck is this thing?!











I'm dead certain it's not straw since the weave is so fine and it's spun in a counter-clockwise direction. Panama Grass? Wheat, perhaps?

Any ideas? [huh]

--

I would call that a straw work hat. We had a couple like them when I was doing 18th century living history. They made summer days in the tobacco fields much more tolerable.
 

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
I got this straw hat at a Renaissance Faire last November. Since then it's become my primary work hat. I do landscaping for a living and man if this thing doesn't keep the brutal So.Cal. sun off my face and neck.

The stand I bought it from had no name, no website, and no retailer. It came with No tags. No labels. No band. No ribbon. Nothing. Just what the heck is this thing?!

hat002.jpg


I'm dead certain it's not straw since the weave is so fine and it's spun in a counter-clockwise direction. Panama Grass? Wheat, perhaps?

Any ideas? [huh]


It's similar to this straw hat available at Jas. Townsend & Son. $9.00 is pretty reasonable if you need a replacement.
 
Last edited:

Lefty

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,639
Location
O-HI-O
Lefty,

I know you collect Stetson advertising memorabilia. I have a three-way box--bottom out--with the 3-say photos for wearing a Stetson. I assume you have this one, but if you want a photo--or the real thing--let me know.

Thanks, but I've got the ads as well as photos of the box (with it's how-to photos).
 

DudeInBlack

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Location
San Diego
It's similar to this straw hat available at Jas. Townsend & Son. $9.00 is pretty reasonable if you need a replacement.

Thanks Brad. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find a similar replacement if anything happened to it. It's not as nice as my current one, but I've found very few are. Thanks again. :)

NEW QUESTION:

As you can see, my straw has conformed to the shape of my head. But what shape would this be?


Am I a Long Oval?
 

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