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[zetwal]

(I tried uploading photo but wasn't able to get it to work...just kept getting a red exclaimation point...)

First upload your pics to a host such as photobucket. Then copy and paste the IMG code for the pics you want to post from photobucket into your Lounge post.

Welcome to the Lounge ... :yo:

 

[qhepfinger]

Thank you for the help (learned something new today)!
Ok here are the photos:

 

[jlee562]

Hi

I own several Sun Body Guatemalan palm hats, and you need to soak them every month so that they don't get brittle. I own a three or four year old Panama, and I just purchased a Milan. Do I need to spritz them with distilled water every so often so that they don't get brittle either?

Are there any other "maintenance" type things to do with Panamas and Milans? I looked up Panama Hat Maintenance and primarily got data on re-blocking.

Thanks

Assuming we're talking about a natural straw Milan and not a Shangtung, there is no "maintenance" care I'm aware of (and I own two natural straw Milans). Like all hats, eventually they'll need a little TLC in the form of a reblock, but I've never heard of anything with regards to keeping them moist.

 

[56FordGuy]

In TN, I would pay this gentleman a call.

Unfortunately, he's about a four hour one way drive from me.

If you're just starting to look, a custom hat is probably too pricey. They're great and I own one, but bought a lot of off-the-shelf hats first. The very cheapest way to experiment with quality hats in my view is buying them from EBay. There are many styles and eras represented, and you can easily pick out a few that suit your style. If you don't like them, then the investment won't be too much, and you can re-sell them on EBay too. For new hats, at $150 I think you're talking about Stetson and Akubra, although you may have to pay more for some of them, which by the way I don't consider a bad deal. I agree about going to the store to try them on and wherever possible you should do that, but some years ago I decided to just buy online for the variety available, and most of the time it came out OK. Just for the record, what could go wrong in an online transaction? First, you don't like the style on you; solution is to return it. Second, the size is wrong--I've bought hats (especially Borsalinos) that are larger than my size (usually because of a cloth sweatband rather than leather), and smaller than (because of a thick sweatband like lambskin). Again, you can just return them--or learn to live with it. For the ones larger than my size, the solution isn't always to get a smaller size; that may be too small; just pad the sweatband with something or use the sizer foam tape that is available; no problem. A small hat though should be returned for a larger size; don't mess with stretching a hat, it's hard and doesn't always work. But that is the extent of problems I personally have had with online buying, and I consider those problems manageable.

My issue with buying online right now is if it isn't what I'm looking for, I have to take the time to pack it up and ship it back. That, along with shipping costs (usually nonrefundable) and maybe restocking fees just put me off of it right now. Seems like a lot more hassle than it's worth. I would rather drive an hour or so to a shop to find the right hat and be done with it. Buckaroo Hatters has a 10X hat priced at $200, which I would be willing to spend if I could have it properly fit and look good. I just haven't found anyone that can do that within an hour or so of Nashville yet.

 

[1961MJS]

Assuming we're talking about a natural straw Milan and not a Shangtung, there is no "maintenance" care I'm aware of (and I own two natural straw Milans). Like all hats, eventually they'll need a little TLC in the form of a reblock, but I've never heard of anything with regards to keeping them moist.

Thanks Jared, I'd never heard of anyone watering a Panama or a Milan, but I want to keep the Milan especially.

Later

 

[Mystic]

Not sure I can ask this question properly. But, here goes....

What causes a hat body to have wavy places on the sides. To look as though the hat band was to tight for the hat?
If you are familiar with what I'm getting at.....could this be corrected with steam or would it need more work?

I have seen several hats on ebay that had this effect......but, I can't locate one now to show a photo of the problem I'm asking about.

 

[zetwal]

Not sure I can ask this question properly. But, here goes....

What causes a hat body to have wavy places on the sides. To look as though the hat band was to tight for the hat?
If you are familiar with what I'm getting at.....could this be corrected with steam or would it need more work?

I have seen several hats on ebay that had this effect......but, I can't locate one now to show a photo of the problem I'm asking about.

I have seen this happen when a previous owner put stuff behind the leather sweatband in order to make the hat fit smaller. By inference, I think that sweatband shrinkage could be a factor. It's possible too that the ribbon could have tightened after exposure to moisture.

Depending on just what's going on with any given hat, it may not be a big deal. Some very thin fedoras tend to do some of that without any apparent cause. When you put them on they smooth out. In these instances, I wouldn't care about it in the least.

As far as possible repairs go, I will let others speak to that.

 

[buler]

Not sure I can ask this question properly. But, here goes....

What causes a hat body to have wavy places on the sides. To look as though the hat band was to tight for the hat?
If you are familiar with what I'm getting at.....could this be corrected with steam or would it need more work?

I have seen several hats on ebay that had this effect......but, I can't locate one now to show a photo of the problem I'm asking about.

I've seen this on many hats that have the plastic vapor barrier behind them. Probably a moisture issue.

B

 

[rlk]

Can be from different shrinkage of leather/felt/ribbon and or stacking of one hat on top of another. Can require removal of sweatband/ribbon to smooth it out in some cases. A minor stretch may also be all that is required to bring components back together.

 

[Mystic]

Thanks guys....

I suppose it would be better for me to stay away from hats such as this until my hat skills go beyond just brushing a hat....

unless of course I find one cheap enough to experiment on...

I was thinking maybe hats such as these could have been exposed to excessive heat.

 

[zetwal]

Thanks guys...

As you see from these answers, depending on the specific hat, we observe that several factors could be the cause. It's up to you to decide if any particular hat is within your comfort zone.

 

[RBH]

Unfortunately, he's about a four hour one way drive from me.


.....

Welcome to the Lounge and check this thread out. It would be good to meet you at Mikes!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?60794-May-2012-FedoraFest-IV-Covington-TN

 

[56FordGuy]

Welcome to the Lounge and check this thread out. It would be good to meet you at Mikes!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?60794-May-2012-FedoraFest-IV-Covington-TN

Sounds fun, but not sure I can commit at this point, and hate to jump in at the last minute.

With regard to fitting hats, I'm so new at this that I don't even know just how much I don't know. I'm 6'2", thin, with a tall, narrow head. Should I look for a tall hat, that might place the brim closer to my ears, or should I look for a shorter hat? I want to avoid my head looking 10 feet tall. Likewise, what about brim sizes? I would think I should go for a narrower brim, but I'm just not sure. Any opinions?

 

[tealseal]

Sounds fun, but not sure I can commit at this point, and hate to jump in at the last minute.

With regard to fitting hats, I'm so new at this that I don't even know just how much I don't know. I'm 6'2", thin, with a tall, narrow head. Should I look for a tall hat, that might place the brim closer to my ears, or should I look for a shorter hat? I want to avoid my head looking 10 feet tall. Likewise, what about brim sizes? I would think I should go for a narrower brim, but I'm just not sure. Any opinions?

Have you been reading the internet about fitting the hat to your face and body? Mr. Ford, let me offer you this: When I decided to wear hats i was also stressed out by those criteria as well. Do I have a round face, square jaw, etc etc?? I researched and researched and freaked out over and over until I went to buy it. Basically, you gotta wear the hat with the dimensions you feel comfortable wearing, research be buggered. Confidence while wearing the hat is equally or more important than the hat itself. If you love how you look in a gigantic sombrero, that's the hat for you, though I have yet to see someone recommend a sombrero as a hat. So, give her! Be confident that you love the hat you are wearing, and you'll be fine.
Remember, Lincoln was a tall dude and wore a tall hat. Nobody ever gave him any grief about his choice of headwear....food for thought and my free 0.02
--TS

 

[56FordGuy]

Have you been reading the internet about fitting the hat to your face and body?
--TS

I haven't. I've been trying hats out at local western wear shops, and have found that most 'cowboy' (cattleman's crease, wide brim) hats make my head look far too tall. I'm beginning to think I will have to order online in order to find what I want, and want to avoid having to order and return hats because they don't look right. I'm hoping to learn enough that the hat I order fits properly. I tried searching the forum for hat fitting, but didn't come up with much. Might just be my own internet error, though.

 

[tealseal]

I haven't. I've been trying hats out at local western wear shops, and have found that most 'cowboy' (cattleman's crease, wide brim) hats make my head look far too tall. I'm beginning to think I will have to order online in order to find what I want, and want to avoid having to order and return hats because they don't look right. I'm hoping to learn enough that the hat I order fits properly. I tried searching the forum for hat fitting, but didn't come up with much. Might just be my own internet error, though.

Sir I hope I did not offend. I sympathize with your situation and was trying to offer some help as best I can. For fitting fedoras the Miller Hats site has a "guide" and that and its like is what I was referring to. I'd just assumed there was something similar for westerns, but neglected to confirm my assumption. I apologize for causing you any grief.
If this is to be your only or main hat, it might be worthwhile going custom. I say this because Custom hatters will be able to design and build a hat that will fit your build and style, based on photos of you and subsequent discussions.
Perhaps also, you might start a thread called "Western hat fitting" or similar, and ask. I'm sure you will get many knowledgeable responses, for though the discussions primarily revolve around fedoras, there are some western lovers out here.
Regards, TS

 

[56FordGuy]

Sir I hope I did not offend. I sympathize with your situation and was trying to offer some help as best I can. For fitting fedoras the Miller Hats site has a "guide" and that and its like is what I was referring to. I'd just assumed there was something similar for westerns, but neglected to confirm my assumption. I apologize for causing you any grief.
If this is to be your only or main hat, it might be worthwhile going custom. I say this because Custom hatters will be able to design and build a hat that will fit your build and style, based on photos of you and subsequent discussions.
Perhaps also, you might start a thread called "Western hat fitting" or similar, and ask. I'm sure you will get many knowledgeable responses, for though the discussions primarily revolve around fedoras, there are some western lovers out here.
Regards, TS

No offense at all, I appreciate the insight. I'm seriously considering a custom hat, even for a first hat. This will probably be my only proper hat for a while. I'm just hesitant to jump that far in so fast. Surely, out of all the 'stock' hats out there one will fit me properly. I'm not even sure how I would explain to a custom hatter what I'm looking for as an end result, when I'm not sure myself. I know it's western, in gray or perhaps tan. I'm not much on the modern, country music styled hats but want something fairly traditional. Beyond that, I'm having trouble narrowing it down.

 

[job]

56fordguy, Welcome to the forum and let me suggest to you a western hat with a moderate brim. http://www.callisters.com/Stetson-Range-Silverbelly-4X-Felt-Cowboy-Hat_p_2491.html.

 

[Lord Snooty]

56fordguy, Welcome to the forum and let me suggest to you a western hat with a moderate brim. http://www.callisters.com/Stetson-Range-Silverbelly-4X-Felt-Cowboy-Hat_p_2491.html.

Check out Roy Jackson hats. He has some very nice traditional cowboy/ western hats on his web site.

 

[Lord Snooty]

This a non hat question. I cannot post pictures. Whenever I post in a forum I do not get an option to post. I thought I read somewhere I have to post so many times before I am eligible to post pics. Is that correct?