Ask a question, get an answer

[John J]

color choice

Good afternoon, I hope all is well covered.

anyway I have a wedding to attend next month and would like to wear a hat to /from and when outdoors , some functions will be outside if weather is nice

Suit is a hickey freeman small windowpane, the base color is charcoal But has a Brownish tint vs the cooler blue tint that's common in charcoal, the window pane is small rust / tan

the only nice hat I have at the moment besides the two straws Ive been wearing all summer is a Biltmore Rosellini Birch color with C crown.

I don't think the birch would be the best choice for the above suit but there is a bit of tan in the suit.

I'm waiting for Bob to get back as Ill be ordering a keynote or his Curator in Black cherry, it may be a while before he gets to my project. I'm hoping hes not too backed up! Id hope to have hat by early winter.(anyone know his ETA??)

OK for this wedding and also to fill the gap between the birch Rosellini and the black cherry when it happens what would be a good practical color?

I was thinking a Grey of some sort (lots of different greys avail ) I don't want it to match the suit too close. though some sort of grey would work with all but one winter coat which birch is perfect for.

Cognac perhaps, Taupe? something that will work with many things but not too dark to compete with the black cherry. I like the navy's but they are limited and the black cherry will cover all the navy does.

many thanks


"John"

 

[John J]

off the rack sizing and Crown heights?????

hello again,

Thanks for the help thus far. I have to say now that I started wearing hats again I'm bewildered with the sizing issue.

the few hats Ive ordered thus far Ive had to send back or tweak to get a decent fit (I hope my first custom is better)

by tape measure Im a 23 7/8" thus a 7 5/8 61cm .

in a tilley hat 7 3/4 fits best. the builtmor rosellini I just ordered 7 5/8 was a tad big thus I had to shink it (wet the leather and put over lamp) .

I have a personal friend that owns a mens store He sells Dobbs and Stetson I tried on almost every 7 5/8 and 7 1/2 he had on shelf and no two FELT the same! My friend measured my head and we came up with 7 5/8 but the only hat that fit nice was a single 7 1/2 stetson. all the stetsons 7 5/8 were a tad big (and round vs oval) most 7 1/2 were too tight.

the dobbs 7 5/8 were hit or miss most biggish, dobbs 71/2 too small.

are sizes all over the place like this as a rule ?? or is quality suffering across the board with the bulk makers.?

also Crown Height. I do like a basic dent But I noticed online off the shelf hats all the dent crowns I saw were a shortish 4" (too short for a dent?? Hits top of my head) any off the shelf makers with taller crowns (non cowboy)

thats it for this question More later.

many thanks

"John"

 

[alanfgag]

Cognac perhaps, Taupe?...

Welcome "John"!

I think some photos will be necessary to spark replies.

 

[jlee562]

hello again,

Thanks for the help thus far. I have to say now that I started wearing hats again I'm bewildered with the sizing issue.

the few hats Ive ordered thus far Ive had to send back or tweak to get a decent fit (I hope my first custom is better)

by tape measure Im a 23 7/8" thus a 7 5/8 61cm .

in a tilley hat 7 3/4 fits best. the builtmor rosellini I just ordered 7 5/8 was a tad big thus I had to shink it (wet the leather and put over lamp) .

I have a personal friend that owns a mens store He sells Dobbs and Stetson I tried on almost every 7 5/8 and 7 1/2 he had on shelf and no two FELT the same! My friend measured my head and we came up with 7 5/8 but the only hat that fit nice was a single 7 1/2 stetson. all the stetsons 7 5/8 were a tad big (and round vs oval) most 7 1/2 were too tight.

the dobbs 7 5/8 were hit or miss most biggish, dobbs 71/2 too small.

are sizes all over the place like this as a rule ?? or is quality suffering across the board with the bulk makers.?

also Crown Height. I do like a basic dent But I noticed online off the shelf hats all the dent crowns I saw were a shortish 4" (too short for a dent?? Hits top of my head) any off the shelf makers with taller crowns (non cowboy)

thats it for this question More later.

many thanks

"John"

1) Yes, production hats are all over the map.

2) Akubra makes the open crown Campdraft and Federation, as two possibilities for a taller crowned hat.

 

[Benjammin]

Looking for hat band with animal teeth, a la Crocodile Dundee

I've been looking around online trying to find a hat band with teeth (doesn't have to be crocodile, but most the ones I'm finding are). I can't post a photo at the moment (on a cell phone), but in the movie Dundees hat has many teeth (12-15 I'd guess), and the only ones Ive been able to find have only 6 or 7 teeth, which doesnt look as nice to me. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, and could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

 

[Missouri Mason]

Like this?

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1452

 

[Benjammin]

Like this?

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1452

close, but as I mentioned, 6 or 7 teeth looks too sparse for my taste, thanks though

 

[Felt4ever]

hey, today I tried on a nice black fedora. I think it might have been a Bailey Stacey Adams, but I`m not sure. does any one know if that's a thing? It was quite nice, but could not justify $300, thought I would look online, but now I seem to have forgotten what the hat was called, I do know it was a bailey though.
Thanks

 

[bowlerman]

In my recollection, unless there was a recent merger, Bailey and Stacy Adams are two separate hat companies. I would never pay 300 for any of their hats. I did have wool bowlers from both companies but have since gotten rid of them. Their blocking seems asymmetrical and hard to get a good fit. Many custom hatters will make you a fine hat for 300 or less. I do kinda enjoy a Panama derby I have by Bailey. Good luck!

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnTheHat]

Clean wool felt

A wool felt hat blew off me in rain and path was wet and had some oil or something. What can i clean it with?

 

[jimjr]

What's the best way to size down a hat? By the measurements it's 23 1/2 and I'm about 22 3/4. Is this too much to try to place fillers behind the sweat?

 

[gtdean48]

What's the best way to size down a hat? By the measurements it's 23 1/2 and I'm about 22 3/4. Is this too much to try to place fillers behind the sweat?

Felt strips behind the sweat or try the quick dry method of the sweat = soak the sweatband then use a heat source to quickly dry the sweat so the leather draws up.
Some use hair dryer, light bulb or put it in a hot car in the sun...

 

[jlee562]

Three sizes is too much to pad out, I would imagine.

 

[gtdean48]

Three sizes is too much to pad out, I would imagine.

Wow, didn't do the math. Jared is right = way too much to pad or shrink....

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

Question about breaking in a new "stiff" hat... There has been a lot of talk on here about softening felt. My question: Does "working" the felt to soften it up cause the felt to shrink more or maybe faster? I've only done this on a few hats and it seems to weaken or loosen the felt to some degree and when it meets with water it tends to shrink more than if I let it soften slowly with age. Is this the case? *note* when I let my hats soften with age, they never really get as soft as they would if I would have worked them by hand. Instead, only the areas that I grab at the most become soft and the rest just becomes a little less stiff.

 

[Qvist]

What is a proper way to measure crown height?

Modern Stetsons are considered to have a short crown but when I push my new Stetson Chathams crown open an measure it, it is ~5 1/2" tall from brim. When bashed to its tear drop shape the crown is only 4 1/2" tall in the middle of the "tear drop". The tallest point of the crown when bashed to tear drop is ~4 3/4".

So the question is: how tall my hats crown is? Or: what is a proper way to measure crown height?

 

[gtdean48]

Question about breaking in a new "stiff" hat... There has been a lot of talk on here about softening felt. My question: Does "working" the felt to soften it up cause the felt to shrink more or maybe faster? I've only done this on a few hats and it seems to weaken or loosen the felt to some degree and when it meets with water it tends to shrink more than if I let it soften slowly with age. Is this the case? *note* when I let my hats soften with age, they never really get as soft as they would if I would have worked them by hand. Instead, only the areas that I grab at the most become soft and the rest just becomes a little less stiff.

New hats continue to "felt" has the fur fibers lock tighter & tighter together. Working & wetting then drying speeds that process up.
I know that quite a few Indy hat wearers that soften up the crowns & brims by working them over & over.
Normal wear & handling as well as getting caught in the rain will be slower than forced handling & repeated wettings....

 

[gtdean48]

What is a proper way to measure crown height?
...

Push the crease out of the crown so it is in open crown state. Put something straight & level across the brim with the hat upside down.
Insert a ruler in dead center of the crown & see where this straight edge hits the ruler.

 

[Dan Allen]

I picked up this hat that is branded as "lion Hats". A search on the lounge and net didn't produce much info.
can anyone tell me anything about it and possible age. It has a relatively low crown, 4 1/8 AS bashed and a 2 3/4 bound brim.

 

[Orangegrad]

Cleaning spot stains

Some of my fedoras have a few small stains. Not enough to warrant a naptha bath or a full cleaning from one of the custom folks. But large enough to be noticeable.

Any suggestions for cleaning spot stains?