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drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,363
Location
Mexico City
Anyone have success re-sizing a hat? I bought a custom Gannon rabbit felt hat for a gift. i was told the intended recipient was a 56 cm. Turns out he was more like a 59!

Is it salvagable? What can be done?
I've had some small success resizing a few hats. Almost got lynched for it, so I quit [emoji2],
but it is very possible. Ignacio, my hatter, says it is easier to downsize than to upsize. He downsizes a hat in less than an hour. No deleterious effects, unless you do it on vintage hats and publish it.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
19,424
Location
Funkytown, USA
I've had some small success resizing a few hats. Almost got lynched for it, so I quit [emoji2],
but it is very possible. Ignacio, my hatter, says it is easier to downsize than to upsize. He downsizes a hat in less than an hour. No deleterious effects, unless you do it on vintage hats and publish it.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
In this case, however, I'd go back to the hatter, since he's available. Mr. Gannon may be able to size it up on the same type block and replace the sweat/ribbon for a reasonable price.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.
 

Dm101

A-List Customer
Messages
496
Location
Maryland
QUESTION: Has anyone ever use a metal pot as a hat block?
Just brainstorming ideas to get the conehead taper out of this Bolero without having to do the hat-stretcher in sections ascending up the crown from the hole...
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
QUESTION: Has anyone ever use a metal pot as a hat block?
Just brainstorming ideas to get the conehead taper out of this Bolero without having to do the hat-stretcher in sections ascending up the crown from the hole...

The plastic Hat Shaper block work well, but they come Small, Medium, Large. I have a couple of the “straight sided domes” and they work fairly well. They are a lot cheaper than a real block:

http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
Anyone have success re-sizing a hat? I bought a custom Gannon rabbit felt hat for a gift. i was told the intended recipient was a 56 cm. Turns out he was more like a 59!

Is it salvagable? What can be done?

Depending on what Michael tells you, what might work better to sell the 56 and order another hat in 59. I suspect that if you have the original hat reworked you will either lose crown height or brim width: the felt has to come from somewhere. Bummer, but Michael will steer you the right way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,165
Location
North Texas
Anyone have success re-sizing a hat? I bought a custom Gannon rabbit felt hat for a gift. i was told the intended recipient was a 56 cm. Turns out he was more like a 59!

Is it salvagable? What can be done?
I contacted Michael Gannon about this for another hat. The hat I bought was a 60 and I’m a 57.5. The brim width was 2 5/8”. This was his response.

”I can't say for sure how a the 7 1/2 would come out, I have never tried to resize a hat down that far. The one thing I can say for sure is the brim line will be moved down onto the brim so you will see a dark ring around the inner part of the brim on the hat if its blocked down that far.

I really focus on making new hats and don't do repairs/modifications etc so I don't have the experience to say how it will come out. I can probably make a wearable hat out of it but if you are expecting it to look like a brand new hat I just can't make that guarantee. I also can't say for sure what the final brim width would be, it will be wider than 2 5/8 but since I don't have a full uncut brim to work with I can't say exactly what the brim will end up being.”

So I contacted Art Fawcett. He said to give up on any idea of making the brim wider because the brim line would indeed show. So the brim stays the same. He said he would steam the crown and then dip in ice water to shrink it. He will replace the sweatband to fit me. So the crown may wind up being a bit taller. But the way I see it that’s what deep diamonds are for.

The hat is currently at VS Custom Hats.
 
Last edited:

Dm101

A-List Customer
Messages
496
Location
Maryland
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I contacted Michael Gannon about this for another hat. The hat I bought was a 60 and I’m a 57.5. The brim width was 2 5/8”. This was his response.

”I can't say for sure how a the 7 1/2 would come out, I have never tried to resize a hat down that far. The one thing I can say for sure is the brim line will be moved down onto the brim so you will see a dark ring around the inner part of the brim on the hat if its blocked down that far.

I really focus on making new hats and don't do repairs/modifications etc so I don't have the experience to say how it will come out. I can probably make a wearable hat out of it but if you are expecting it to look like a brand new hat I just can't make that guarantee. I also can't say for sure what the final brim width would be, it will be wider than 2 5/8 but since I don't have a full uncut brim to work with I can't say exactly what the brim will end up being.”

So I contacted Art Fawcett. He said to give up on any idea of making the brim wider because the brim line would indeed show. So the brim stays the same. He said he would steam the crown and then dip in ice water to shrink it. He will replace the sweatband to fit me. So the crown may wind up being a bit taller. But the way I see it that’s what deep diamonds are for.

The hat is currently at VS Custom Hats.

Makes me wonder how Max’s @ drmaxtejeda Ignacio does it. I swear there an “eye of newt” somewhere in there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
19,424
Location
Funkytown, USA
Makes me wonder how Max’s @ drmaxtejeda Ignacio does it. I swear there an “eye of newt” somewhere in there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's partially a case of taking a big chance, as far ass sizing up goes. Going up more than a size or so decreases the density of the felt, and there is a significant chance that the felt could tear. Ignacio seems to be very good with this and I'm sure patience and incrementalism is key. But there's no denying the integrity of the felt is compromised when stretching much more than one size. Physics is rather uncompromising.
 
Messages
19,424
Location
Funkytown, USA
^^^^I still say they are going to re-taper in time.
B
That's certainly possible with vintage felts. Seventy years of memory would he hard to overcome - especially with "dead" felts. The beater felts I've resized I always leave on the block for a week or so, to "convince" them. However, I've never tried to go from much more than 7 18 to 7 1/4.

Never tried to shrink one, tho.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.
 
Last edited:
Messages
10,847
Location
vancouver, canada
It's partially a case of taking a big chance, as far ass sizing up goes. Going up more than a size or so decreases the density of the felt, and there is a significant chance that the felt could tear. Ignacio seems to be very good with this and I'm sure patience and incrementalism is key. But there's no denying the integrity of the felt is compromised when stretching much more than one size. Physics is rather uncompromising.
I watched Mike at NW Hats working with an old felt and without him applying too much pressure the felt gave way and tore in half.
 

olskool

New in Town
Messages
26
I need a little help. I want an Indiana jones fedora, I like the taller "raiders" hat. my old one is about 25 years old and seen better days. I am looking at the David Morgan Akubra adventure hat. they say in there add,,,,,

The open crown is 5½ inches, the raw edge brim is 3⅛ inches on the front and back, 2¾ inches on the sides. Akubra's Imperial Quality fur felt.

would this style be as tall as the raiders hat. dose anybody here have one? and do you know how stiff the hat is? I don't want a flippy floppy one. any help would be apprecheated. or maybe someone could give me a better suggestion.
 

Just A Hat Rack

Practically Family
Messages
619
Location
Buckeye Nation
I need a little help. I want an Indiana jones fedora, I like the taller "raiders" hat. my old one is about 25 years old and seen better days. I am looking at the David Morgan Akubra adventure hat. they say in there add,,,,,

The open crown is 5½ inches, the raw edge brim is 3⅛ inches on the front and back, 2¾ inches on the sides. Akubra's Imperial Quality fur felt.

would this style be as tall as the raiders hat. dose anybody here have one? and do you know how stiff the hat is? I don't want a flippy floppy one. any help would be apprecheated. or maybe someone could give me a better suggestion.
The crown on the original Indy hat was 5 1/2 inches. The brim was 2 5/8 on the sides, and 2 3/4 in the front and back giving the Adventurer a slightly larger dimensional brim than the original. You may also want to check out the Fed IV as well. The crown is an 8th taller, the brim an 8th shorter on the sides, but the front and back brim dimensions are the same. As for the floppiness, I'm not sure how stiff or floppy you want the hat. I own a different Akubra made with the Heritage felt, and it isn't overly stiff. I wouldn't consider it floppy, but definitely not western stiff, and it has loosened up a little since owning it for a few months.
 
Messages
10,847
Location
vancouver, canada
I have held the David Morgan Adventurer in a hat shop and it is definitely closer in feel to a standard fedora than it is to a western weight "cowboy" or the Akubra outback style hats. I find the David Morgan hats to be pricey compared to bringing one in direct from Aus. I have hats from Everything Australian and their customer service is great. Hats Direct although a little bit more $$ than EA carries much more inventory.
 
Messages
10,847
Location
vancouver, canada
I have held the David Morgan Adventurer in a hat shop and it is definitely closer in feel to a standard fedora than it is to a western weight "cowboy" or the Akubra outback style hats. I find the David Morgan hats to be pricey compared to bringing one in direct from Aus. I have hats from Everything Australian and their customer service is great. Hats Direct although a little bit more $$ than EA carries much more inventory.
I stand corrected just checked out the DM site and their pricing is not that much more than Hats Direct
 

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