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[suitedcboy]

I think those are void of photos. I will explain as best I can: The leather sweatband can be made in a couple of basic ways. One is the non-reeded where the edge of the leather is directly sewn to the felt. The other is reeded where there is a vinyl tape folded in half longways with a plastic soild cord, called the reed, (think thick fishing line) captured in the fold. The reed is joined with a metal sleeve that is brass. The brass often oxidizes and turns green and bleeds through on vintage hats. The reeded tape is sewn to the leather sweatband and in turn the sweatband is folded inside out and the reeded tape is in turn sewn to the hat right at the break of brim to crown. I think a few reasons can be found for this. The reed style attachment lets the sweatband "float" so the sweatband can conform to your head with its irregularities better than when direct attached. The reed style stops some of the sweat and oils from bleeding into the felt so easily but doesn't stop it completely.
Visually there is a difference easily seen. The reed style has stitching on the edge of leather and then there will be a 1/8-3/16" edge outside of the leather. The edge can be rolled away from the felt at that spot easily to see the back of the leather sweatband stitiching.
Non-reed style will have the stitching holding the leather to the hat with no border and the leather can't be pulled away from the felt unless stitches are broken.

 

[Stroker]

Thank you Gentlemen! I went to the link that alan gave and there were a number of pics that were very informative. Thanks as well to suitedcboy for the verbal explanation as it confirmed my interputation of the pictorial threads. I also picked up a lot of additional information as to dating in those threads. Thanks again!

 

[JohnnyDollar]

foil letters

A while back I saw a vintage fedora in a shop and the liner had foil stickers on it in what I now assume was the initials of the owner. At the time I thought nothing of it thinking it was something done recently. Recently I saw a photo of a vintage lid that had very similar letters.

Does anyone know where to pick these up? I would like to use them on my vintage lids.

 

[RBH]

Hatters use a hand worked letter machine to stamp the foil onto the sweatband.
Factory made hats have information stamped on by a machine like this.

All I could suggest is finding letters at a hobby shop. I am not sure how long they would stick to the sweat.

 

[mattface]

A while back I saw a vintage fedora in a shop and the liner had foil stickers on it in what I now assume was the initials of the owner. At the time I thought nothing of it thinking it was something done recently. Recently I saw a photo of a vintage lid that had very similar letters.

Does anyone know where to pick these up? I would like to use them on my vintage lids.

There's a special machine that hatters used to have in their shops to do it. I had a couple of mine done at Henry the Hatter when I visited their shop recently. They are one of the few shops that still has this machine, but it's finicky and it's not always working. If the machine is working, Joe will be happy to put your initials in for you when you send your hat in for service, or if you are in the neighborhood you can just walk in and he'll do it while you wait.

 

[Jedwbpm]

DelMonico's has the Machine too. here is a picture of my new Christmas hat from my mother-in-law.

Jeff

 

[RBH]

Major Moore also has one and Art has one that perforates the sweat.

 

[jlee562]

Bob at Black Sheep Hatworks has the perforation machine:

 

[mattface]

Here are my initials in my Borasalino.

 

[JohnnyDollar]

Thanks for the replies folks. I am not refering to initials on the sweatband. What I am refering to is 1" gold foil stickers that are on the liner in a rather fancy font. Obviously not OEM stuff, they were added later. Both hats I have seen have the same stickers, on the side of the liner. These hats did not have initials in the band so it was like someone was using the stickers instead. One was in a photo here on the lounge I think, but for the life of me I can not find it now.

 

[JohnnyDollar]

Knew I would find it. These are the stickers in a bowler that rlk posted in a stetson thread. The RK are the same stickers I saw inside a fedora at a local shop.

 

[alanfgag]

These are stamped metal initials, perhaps tin. They appear in early hats pre-1930s. Here is a variant just posted by Josh from a British homburg that he dates to 1930s. It seems to me that I have seen this type in more recent hats manufactured in the UK, but I'm not sure that I am remembering correctly.

 

[JohnnyDollar]

I actually like those even better!

Anyone have any idea if they still make these?

 

[jlee562]

Knew I would find it. These are the stickers in a bowler that rlk posted in a stetson thread. The RK are the same stickers I saw inside a fedora at a local shop.

Hmm...my family has been in the floral business for 3 generations now and those look suspiciously like the gold foil letters that used to be used on funeral ribbons.

 

[alanfgag]

I actually like those even better!

Anyone have any idea if they still make these?

Old typewriter keys would be a fun touch... but I would only use them on the inside of the crown.

 

[srserl]

What is the appropriate hat for a formal ball? I have one coming up at the end of next month and I want to use it as an excuse to buy another hat.

 

[Joe Rotax]

What do you mean by formal - black tie, white tie ?

 

[srserl]

Leave your blue jeans at home and don your finest apparel (see Required Dress Code) as we treat you to an evening you won’t soon forget.

Required Dress Code:
Formal, semi-formal (evening gowns or cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos or suits and ties for men).

That's all the info I have. I plan to wear a tuxedo. Out here in California this is Uber (sorry no umlaut) dressy, where getting dressed up for me usually means wearing long pants, and a less beat up hat, and maybe wearing shoes that are neither sandals, nor tennis shoes.

 

[Joe Rotax]

Some kind of black or very dark blue city hat would be my guess but I'm sure the experts will be along soon..lol

 

[randooch]

Homburg.