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[propp]

I have custom westerns over 10 years old that I wear a good bit & the original sweatbands are still in great shape. If the original is a good quality sweatband, it should last the life of the lid with proper care. Asking for additional sweatbands is not necessary at all. IMHO

Not as a replacement, but if needed for work/repair of other hats...re-sizing, etc.
I've tried on 7 1/4's and 7 3/8's, both of which fit too small, too large, or just right. Same with 58's and 59's.

 

[propp]

I have purchased sweatbands from JW Hats in Salt Lake City and they did not hesitate to sell them to me. As mentioned in the previous post on this thread, they were plain (no name) with just a gold line around them. My understanding is they were the same quality as they use in their hats and also sell to custom hat makers. I purchased them to replace bands in older hats and in newer mass produced hats that have lower quality bands. So, that said, I think it is perfectly acceptable to inquire about replacement sweatbands.

Well, there doesn't seem a lot of consistency in sizing as well on production hats.
What happens if you find a really nice hat, say on ebay, it's your size, and then doesn't fit correctly?
Stretching a bit seems plausable, but what if it's a little loose? The only option I see if mailing off to be re-sized is to measure your head as accurately as possible and ask the sweatband in the hat be trimmed to that measurement.
Because how do you know the shop that's resizing...their replacement sweatband...will fit true?

 

[gtdean48]

...
Stretching a bit seems plausable, but what if it's a little loose? ...

For loose ones, I fill behind the sweatband with felt strips to snug it up. IF the sweatband is in good shape, I will wet it & the surrounding felt, then either let it dry on my head or dry quickly as that usually causes the leather sweatband to contract. I put some leather conditioner on the sweatband after to refresh the oils the evaporating water took with it... HTH

 

[zetwal]

For loose ones, I fill behind the sweatband with felt strips to snug it up.

Exactly! And normal wear and moisture will sometimes allow the hat to shrink a little and conform naturally.

 

[BanjoMerlin]

Exactly! And normal wear and moisture will sometimes allow the hat to shrink a little and conform naturally.

I've been using Scott paper shop towels lately. A few thicknesses take a size off and they tend to absorb sweat before it gets through to the felt. When they get icky I toss them and put in new ones.

 

[OT1899]

Hat Block style 52?

I've noticed postings describing hats as a "52 block" and am curious as to what this really means. I searched TFL and tried "hat block 52 :thefedoralounge.com" on Google for a description of a hat block style 52. I also tried a generic search on Google to no avail. I'm pretty new here and am sure someone on TFL has the answer? Thanks in advance for your responses ...!

 

[jwalls]

I have 2 sets of blocks marked '52' by the manufacturer. They are 5 3/4" tall loaf shaped blocks with little or no taper.

 

[buler]

52 block....

Here is a '52' block in a size 7 1/2.

B

 

[zetwal]

Looks like a fine block ...

 

[propp]

Welcome to the Lounge!

If you'd like to have a few extra sweatbands on hand just ask the hatter of your choice to sell them to you. That doesn't seem at all insulting to me. If he or she doesn't have any extras, or for some reason doesn't want to sell them, that's the end of it. No harm done. Right?

Right. And I wouldn't be expecting anything other than a 'blank', since as Art said, hatmakers have to be careful and certainly wouldn't be putting their name on 'extra's.
But now I'm rethinking the problem, since the problem seems to be the descrepencies with sizing, production hats. Fit too tight vs fit too loose vs what one hatmaker considers a 7 1/4 or 7 3/8...in a linear measurement of the sweatband. I've tried both, and had both fit too loose, too tight, or just right. Personally I like knowing the measurement is CM..58/59.
Also now I think if I were to find a nice vintage felt on ebay(like so many do here) and the sizing wasn't correct, replacing the sweatband would take away from the integrity of the hat; don't you think? And complications include a sweatband that might have shrunk over time, or ever been stretched a little themselves by the previous owner...
Has anyone ever removed a sweatband and trimmed themselves to ensure the fit is correct/custom...then mailed it off to a hatmaker/shop for re-sewing, re-sizing that way? The way I figure, any screw up in sizing belongs on you.
Any advice is appreciated. And my confusion at times is enhanced by the fact the nearest hat shop in my neck is approx 2 1/2 away so I have nowhere nearby I can bop in and ask questions..

 

[propp]

For loose ones, I fill behind the sweatband with felt strips to snug it up. IF the sweatband is in good shape, I will wet it & the surrounding felt, then either let it dry on my head or dry quickly as that usually causes the leather sweatband to contract. I put some leather conditioner on the sweatband after to refresh the oils the evaporating water took with it... HTH

How do you wet it..the sweatband and felt? With a spray bottle, using a sponge, or steam?
And where would you get the felt strips?

 

[St.Ignatz]

How do you wet it..the sweatband and felt? With a spray bottle, using a sponge, or steam?
And where would you get the felt strips?

You can get the felt at some variety stores, send to TheFedoraStore or fabric/sewing stores. I just use a finger dipped in water for a controlled app and Lexol as a follow up.
Tom D.

 

[BanjoMerlin]

But now I'm rethinking the problem, since the problem seems to be the descrepencies with sizing, production hats. Fit too tight vs fit too loose vs what one hatmaker considers a 7 1/4 or 7 3/8...in a linear measurement of the sweatband. I've tried both, and had both fit too loose, too tight, or just right. Personally I like knowing the measurement is CM..58/59.
Has anyone ever removed a sweatband and trimmed themselves to ensure the fit is correct/custom...then mailed it off to a hatmaker/shop for re-sewing, re-sizing that way? The way I figure, any screw up in sizing belongs on you.

Sweatband circumference is only part of the fit equation. You also need to factor in the actual shape of your head and the sweatband doesn't really have much to do with that. A hat with the perfect circumference for your head may still not fit properly if the shape isn't correct.

If you send a sweatband and hat to a hatmaker he/she doesn't really have any way to be sure the shape of the finished hat will be correct for you. If the hat is a round oval and your head is an egg-shaped long oval that hat isn't going to feel right, even though it is exactly the right size.

After I sew in a new sweatband of the proper size the next step for me is shaping it to fit my head. That's the step that makes the hat comfortable on my head.

 

[Neophyte]

Does Aaron Hats still exist? It's like the website is permanently broken or non-existent...

 

[Mario]

Does Aaron Hats still exist? It's like the website is permanently broken or non-existent...

I've read somewhere that they're finally out of business. I wanted to buy a flange from them when I realized that they had gone for good.

 

[Neophyte]

I've read somewhere that they're finally out of business. I wanted to buy a flange from them when I realized that they had gone for good.

That's too bad, I'd been reading so many good things about them.

Thank you for the informations, at any rate...

 

[theinterchange]

That's too bad, I'd been reading so many good things about them.

Thank you for the informations, at any rate...

I tried his site again a few days ago, I knew the previous time I went to his URL it didn't work, so I figured that they had ceased to exist. I believe the original plan was to be online only after the physical locations closed. It's a shame, I had intended to buy a hat from them someday to support a small business... I waited too late.

Randy

 

[gtdean48]

How do you wet it..the sweatband and felt? With a spray bottle, using a sponge, or steam?
And where would you get the felt strips?

I use a spray bottle with distilled water. NO steam on a sweatband ever! Felt squares are at craft dept of WalMart for $.35 a piece. I get plain white ones. HTH...

 

[theinterchange]

I use a spray bottle with distilled water. NO steam on a sweatband ever!

I once hit a "just a hair too big" hat's sweatband [Akubra Fed Deluxe] with a very quick jot of steam and it made the hat fit perfectly to this day.

Something I'd never do again, though. [bad]

Randy

 

[saucerfiend]

What does size 5 in a Borsolino hat translate to in US?

bRIAN