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[guitarmasta12]

Here's a question. Who knows anything about Eagle hats? No one ever talks about eagles.....I have one from the 40's

 

[moehawk]

Thank you RJR!

 

[Bushman]

Hey guys, my birthday is coming up and I'm thinking about asking for the Borsalino Verdi. I'd like to ask a couple questions regarding this hat, particularly things like the quality of the felt, how dark exactly the "charcoal" grey is (I've seen "charcoal" colors range from a medium grey to a near-black), and frankly, some pictures, preferably some good shots of the crown and the pinch itself. Could only find one picture of the hat on here, and it was okay, but didn't answer very many of my questions.

 

[hatsRme]

For about the same money, you can get a custom made hat. Art Fawcett, Buckaroo, Tumwater, Black Sheep, Gary White, to name a few. All are around your budget, and will make you very happy.

 

[tommyK]

Bushman, You'll find little love or info on modern Borso's here. Almost no one here seems to buy them. Not many would say they're worth the price they're asking now. I have a few I bought years ago for around $200-250. I was okay with them at that price but they're much more now. The quality of the hat you'd get for the money would be better spent on a custom hat as hatsRme says.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice and I'm hoping I can get it here, rather than starting a new thread. About a year ago a picked up a new, green "Beaver Brand" fedora on ebay for around $45. I really like the color, but it has some issues that have prevented me from really wearing it. First of all, the hat is tagged as 7 1/8 but aside from being too round in shape, fits my 7 3/8 head. The crown is almost floppy... it doesn't take a crease well. I would like the felt to be stiffer. The brim is very stiff, and I'd like it to have more of a snap/swoop to it. So, I'm thinking a re-blocking is in order. I know we have a number of fine hatters on the board, but I'm conflicted over who to send it out to, and the potential cost of the work plus shipping - it was only a $45 hat to start with. Is my logic on track? Thoughts? Thanks all.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice and I'm hoping I can get it here, rather than starting a new thread. About a year ago a picked up a new, green "Beaver Brand" fedora on ebay for around $45. I really like the color, but it has some issues that have prevented me from really wearing it. First of all, the hat is tagged as 7 1/8 but aside from being too round in shape, fits my 7 3/8 head. The crown is almost floppy... it doesn't take a crease well. I would like the felt to be stiffer. The brim is very stiff, and I'd like it to have more of a snap/swoop to it. So, I'm thinking a re-blocking is in order. I know we have a number of fine hatters on the board, but I'm conflicted over who to send it out to, and the potential cost of the work plus shipping - it was only a $45 hat to start with. Is my logic on track? Thoughts? Thanks all.

It should not be real expensive to have it cleaned and blocked by any hatter that is doing work on hats right now! Check with any of the hatters that post on the lounge.

 

[gtdean48]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice and I'm hoping I can get it here, rather than starting a new thread. About a year ago a picked up a new, green "Beaver Brand" fedora on ebay for around $45. I really like the color, but it has some issues that have prevented me from really wearing it. First of all, the hat is tagged as 7 1/8 but aside from being too round in shape, fits my 7 3/8 head. The crown is almost floppy... it doesn't take a crease well. I would like the felt to be stiffer. The brim is very stiff, and I'd like it to have more of a snap/swoop to it. So, I'm thinking a re-blocking is in order. I know we have a number of fine hatters on the board, but I'm conflicted over who to send it out to, and the potential cost of the work plus shipping - it was only a $45 hat to start with. Is my logic on track? Thoughts? Thanks all.

Consider it like you paid $45 for a felt body & got sweatband & liner as well.
Have you tried steaming the crown & brim yourself?
Steam can reactivate the shellac in the crown & hold a crease plus soften up the brim for you to shape.
If the hat fits the circumference of your head but not the shape, it may need reblocking or you can try training it yourself.
Stretching out the oval can distort the brim some.
I got quite a few ebay buys that I work with to see what I can do myself.
Figure you'll pay $15 shipping each way plus the cleaning/blocking fee...I'd save those funds for another lid if it were me...

 

[RJR]

Echo what GTD says.Try steam and training it with a stretcher.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Thanks for the feedback. I've tried wetting it down with distilled water and that did an OK job for shaping the bash. I'll give steam a shot and see if I can get better results. Is a stiffening spray (like for use on western hats) or perhaps even hairspray viable options if the steam doesn't stiffen up the crown?

 

[gtdean48]

Would never try hairspray, at least the western hat stiffener was made with fur felt hats in mind.
I have no personal experience with them as steam has always gotten me where I wanted one to be, either via direct steam or a steam iron.
Water breaks down the shellac already in the felt but steam heats it back up & the shellac "sets" when it cools again.
I have a bottle of stiffener at the ranch & will see if it list the contents. Pretty sure it is just putting some shellac back in the fur felt fibers...

 

[Bushman]

For about the same money, you can get a custom made hat. Art Fawcett, Buckaroo, Tumwater, Black Sheep, Gary White, to name a few. All are around your budget, and will make you very happy.

Bushman, You'll find little love or info on modern Borso's here. Almost no one here seems to buy them. Not many would say they're worth the price they're asking now. I have a few I bought years ago for around $200-250. I was okay with them at that price but they're much more now. The quality of the hat you'd get for the money would be better spent on a custom hat as hatsRme says.

Thanks for the responses, guys. I went ahead and asked for the new Stetson Grand Central instead.

 

[tommyK]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I went ahead and asked for the new Stetson Grand Central instead.

Be sure and post some pics and let us know what you think. I don't think anyone has got one yet.

 

[hatsRme]

Yes, indeed, PLEASE post pics, and if you're feeling verbose, an opinion would be welcomed... Super choice, Bushman!

And, if I may... price?

 

[Ginseng]

Here's a puzzler. I was playing around with my Biltmore Chicago fedora. Hand re-shaping the crown from center-crease to pinch-front and I noticed that when I did this, the hat got much looser on my head. In fact, where it fit nicely with a center crease, it was literally flopping around on my head with a pinch.

Any idea how this is happening? I thought a hat's size was its size irrespective of the bash.

 

[jlee562]

I havent had that happen by just adding a pinch; but, yes, altering a crease can change how a hat fits. My Stetson 100 is sized large and I can't put my favorite diamond crease into that hat, or it wouldn't fit. For me (i.e. the particular shape of my skull), I've found that going from a center dent to a diamond or c shape tends to make the hat looser most dramatically.

 

[Ginseng]

Thanks for that comment, Jared. It was in fact a pinch-front, diamond up top and the effect was, as you said, dramatic.

 

[RJR]

I have had the same experience with a couple of hats.

 

[Chamuco]

Hello, I need some input here.

I am looking to buy an Akubra Campdraft in Bluegrass green, but I have some issues.

Most of my hats are more western hats or Australian work hats, so I would like to get something in the fedora shape with a brim bigger than 2 1/2", thats why I am looking at the Campdraft.

My issues are as follows, do you think that I can crease that one into a kind of Maltese Falcon shape?

Also, I have a Light Grey Stetson Temple and a regency Fawn Akubra Adventurer, So I am leaning towards the Bluegrass Campdraft, does anyone has a hat in this color? Does it looks nice and fancy? I´d like a versatile hat and my worries here are that it will be too green and I will look like in a costume for St Patricks day.

Any feedback will be very welcomed.

Have a nice weekend !

 

[RJR]

I'm not sure what you have in mind for a crease but the BG Campdraft is pretty subtle blue green.It isn't at all Irish green bright.