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[belfastboy]

Hey guys, thanks for all the tips.

I probably don’t want to wait a year for a hat and am not quite ready to spend $500 plus either. I am considering midnight blue or dark moss beaver felt with a 2 inch matching ribbon, or slightly contrasting ribbon to bring out the felt color, blue or green.
I wonder if a 2-5/8 inch shallow flange brim, with a 5-3/4 inch open crown with a wide center crease and tight pinch would be similar to these vintage Borsalinos:
View attachment 138627
View attachment 138628
I welcome any comments or suggestions.
Peace.

I think the dimensions you quote above are pretty close. I prefer a 2 5/8 brim with a 5 3/4 or 6" open crown. My usual is the 6" open and the 2 5/8" brim. That extra 1/8" on the brim gives the proportion a better balance IMHO. I like the 6" open as it gives me lots of crown to work with when setting the crease. My vintage Borsalinos have all have a bit of taper to the crown. I love them but really prefer the #52 solid block, no taper full crowns on my customs.

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

Interesting. I have six Akubras, a couple of which have been accidentally crushed/squished/deformed, and I would never have guessed there was any wire in them. Thank you for sharing this!

I am confused by this as well. I am not sure if they are referring to the sweats or the hat bands, or both. My Lightning Ridge definitely doesn't have a wire in the sweat, unless it's the tiniest thing that was sewn in with the sweat. It does however have a leather hat band, which I can't tell either way if there is a wire in it. What throws me off is that many Akubras don't have leather hat bands (i.e. your Fed IV). That, along with their omission of hats with cotton sweats, leaves me wondering.

Ryan
Hat size: 7 1/2

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hey guys, thanks for all the tips.

I probably don’t want to wait a year for a hat and am not quite ready to spend $500 plus either. I am considering midnight blue or dark moss beaver felt with a 2 inch matching ribbon, or slightly contrasting ribbon to bring out the felt color, blue or green.
I wonder if a 2-5/8 inch shallow flange brim, with a 5-3/4 inch open crown with a wide center crease and tight pinch would be similar to these vintage Borsalinos:
View attachment 138627
View attachment 138628
I welcome any comments or suggestions.
Peace.

Your photos remind me of my favorite current production hat: the Stetson New York LE in phantom gray. A 100% beaver hat, 2 5/8” underwelt brim, and a 5 1/2” open crown.

Here’s Ant in his:

Wonderful hat and available for immediate delivery. I would prefer a taller crown too, but 5 1/2 is a classic height.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[aihpcfl]

I am confused by this as well. I am not sure if they are referring to the sweats or the hat bands, or both. My Lightning Ridge definitely doesn't have a wire in the sweat, unless it's the tiniest thing that was sewn in with the sweat. It does however have a leather hat band, which I can't tell either way if there is a wire in it. What throws me off is that many Akubras don't have leather hat bands (i.e. your Fed IV). That, along with their omission of hats with cotton sweats, leaves me wondering.

Ryan
Hat size: 7 1/2

I believe they mean the leather sweat band, inside the hat, not the hat band. See mention of buckram for the Traveler hat at https://akubra.com.au/products/traveller

I too am surprised. Now I'm more curious. What is the weight of the wire? Is it stiff? Does it have some spring to it? What is it made of? Is it corrosion resistant?.....

 

[Hurricane Jack]

am not sure if they are referring to the sweats or the hat bands, or both.

Is it corrosion resistant?.....

A reeded sweatband is a wire & anyone who has ever noticed verdigris in the back of a vintage hat knows the wire does corrode.

 

[Frunobulax]

A reeded sweatband is a wire & anyone who has ever noticed verdigris in the back of a vintage hat knows the wire does corrode.

That's what I was considering, but pretty much everybody uses monofilament now. Unless they're calling that a "wire."

 

[Hurricane Jack]

That's what I was considering, but pretty much everybody uses monofilament now. Unless they're calling that a "wire."

I try to stay out of these kinds of things & haven't really followed the post but if Akubra had used mono it wouldn't have set off the airport metal detector.

 

[Bamaboots]

I've not seen wire but monofilament and the brass ferrule where the ends connect. That's not enough to set one off, is it?

 

[scottyrocks]

Interesting. I have six Akubras, a couple of which have been accidentally crushed/squished/deformed, and I would never have guessed there was any wire in them. Thank you for sharing this!

Yes, Fed IVs do, which became obvious the first time I sent one through the fluoroscope at airport security and it set off the alarm. I had to explain and show them the wire in it.

 

[scottyrocks]

folded paper under the sweatband, or you can get foam spacers from some hat shops. Just don't remove the backing so you can remove the spacer in the future.

Which model did you order?

I remove the backing so it stays in place. The adhesive is so weak that it comes off easily, though.

 

[Frunobulax]

Yes, Fed IVs do, which became obvious the first time I sent one through the fluoroscope at airport security and it set off the alarm. I had to explain and show them the wire in it.

So then, are we talking the reed or something else?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[aihpcfl]

I try to stay out of these kinds of things & haven't really followed the post but if Akubra had used mono it wouldn't have set off the airport metal detector.

Exactly. That's what prompted my post. I was just trying to solve the mystery. And I've learned some things, too.

 

[31 Model A]

What would be the alternative to a Stetson Stratoliner with a wider grosgrain ribbon? Love the Stratoliner, but not the ribbon.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^the easiest alternative, seems to me, is to get the Strat you love and have a new ribbon put on it. Bingo, your custom Strat. Imho
B

 

[31 Model A]

^^^the easiest alternative, seems to me, is to get the Strat you love and have a new ribbon put on it. Bingo, your custom Strat. Imho
B

I thought about that route and it might be the only route.

 

[scottyrocks]

So then, are we talking the reed or something else?

The reed.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

What would be the alternative to a Stetson Stratoliner with a wider grosgrain ribbon? Love the Stratoliner, but not the ribbon.

A custom hat might be cheaper than buying a new Stratoliner and then modifying it. Great custom rabbit fur felt hats are available for under $200 and you’ll end up with a nicer hat too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[aihpcfl]

I say there are almost always no new questions on forums. I should have taken my advice.

The word "reed" gave me a term I didn't know, and something to search on. An internet search brought me back to Fedora Lounge.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/reeded-vs-unreeded-sweatband.44588/page-2#post-1357129

That's from 2011 and the member there mentions the same thing I experienced.

 

[Frunobulax]

The reed.

Thanks, Scotty.

 

[Zombie_61]

A reeded sweatband is a wire & anyone who has ever noticed verdigris in the back of a vintage hat knows the wire does corrode.

Assuming Akubra is actually using wire and not monofilament, this clears it up for me. Thank you Jack!

I've not seen wire but monofilament and the brass ferrule where the ends connect. That's not enough to set one off, is it?

Yes, Fed IVs do, which became obvious the first time I sent one through the fluoroscope at airport security and it set off the alarm. I had to explain and show them the wire in it.

It really depends on the chemical composition of the brass and the sample size. In most cases brass is considered to be non-ferromagnetic because it doesn't contain enough magnetic elements (i.e., iron) to be detected by a properly calibrated metal detector. But put enough of it together, or calibrate the detector to find the tiniest amount(s) of iron, and the alarms will go off.

That being said, the last two times my wife and I traveled to Chicago I brought a hat; a Fed IV the first time, a Campdraft the second. I had to run them through the x-ray machines along with my wallet, keys, shoes, etc., but none of the TSA agents questioned them.