Ask a question, get an answer

[blueAZNmonkey]

Sounds like tension to me.
Previous holes should not affect your stitch.

Is your actual tension of your under spool good?
If you correctly put in the the metal cover, hold the thread and let it dangle it should not go down.
If it falls right down you have to tighten the screw.

And, since you mention actual holes, how thin is the needle you stitch with? Try to go quite thin.
I use a 60 or a 70( might be European size number though)
Holes should disappear with a little steam and a brush. If not, your needle is way too thick.

Thanks Esther -- the holes made by my machine do disappear with steam. I'm using tiny garment needles -- not embroidery, denim, or leather points. I just thought maybe the repeat pricking of cwrtain areas might have been tampering with the end results... I rethreaded my underspool and ran some beater felt through the machine again, and everything worked fine! I'll give it another try on the next hat

 

[Bill Hughes]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

I've been a cowboy hat enthusiast most of my life. Closet is full of Stetsons as a result. This past weekend my wife bought me my first Stetson fedora (Frederick). I'm now hooked on fedoras!

Problem is that this will be a bit warm to wear in summer months. What is a good fedora for warmer weather, preferably something with at least a 2" brim?

 

[hatsRme]

I've been a cowboy hat enthusiast most of my life. Closet is full of Stetsons as a result. This past weekend my wife bought me my first Stetson fedora (Frederick). I'm now hooked on fedoras!

Problem is that this will be a bit warm to wear in summer months. What is a good fedora for warmer weather, preferably something with at least a 2" brim?

That depends on what you like, but summer time is straw hat time. I'm a big fan of Panama Hats, and so Panama Hats Direct is a good place to look. Panamas don't do well in the rain, though...

Have fun on the journey, and let us see what you have!
One more P.S. here... a weekend article in the fashion section of the Wall Street Journal talks about the newest trend toward WWWIIIIDDDEEE legged trousers, so you're ahead of the pack, sir!

 

[101 Pathfinder]

I have a Stetson Drifter in Buffalo felt that I want worked into a Fedora. Pretty simple and straight forward. Trim the brim down to 2 3/4 inch
and replace the band with a Grosgrain ribbon & bow. Here's the thing. I want it done by Stetson. I've e-mailed them a couple of times but haven't received an answer or an acknowledgement. I even thought about boxing up the hat and just mailing it to them along with my request
of the changes I'd like made. Also, I have a Pinnacle Fedora in 100% Beaver that was made by "M.Anderson" according to the slip under the sweatband. I'd like him or her to do the work on the Drifter hat as well. Sooooooooooooo....what do I do?? Thanx in advance for the help.

 

[Frunobulax]

I've been a cowboy hat enthusiast most of my life. Closet is full of Stetsons as a result. This past weekend my wife bought me my first Stetson fedora (Frederick). I'm now hooked on fedoras!

Problem is that this will be a bit warm to wear in summer months. What is a good fedora for warmer weather, preferably something with at least a 2" brim?

As Charlie @hatsRme says, summer is straw season, to deal with the warmer weather. However, I'm a felt fan, and wear most of my hats (with the exception of some of the heavier weights) year round. I shy away from some of my vintages with more delicate sweatbands, but tend to sport a felt hat more than not.

That depends on what you like, but summer time is straw hat time. I'm a big fan of Panama Hats, and so Panama Hats Direct is a good place to look. Panamas don't do well in the rain, though...

Have fun on the journey, and let us see what you have!
One more P.S. here... a weekend article in the fashion section of the Wall Street Journal talks about the newest trend toward WWWIIIIDDDEEE legged trousers, so you're ahead of the pack, sir!

Oh, Lordy, they're not bringing back elephant bells, are they?

 

[moontheloon]

I have a Stetson Drifter in Buffalo felt that I want worked into a Fedora. Pretty simple and straight forward. Trim the brim down to 2 3/4 inch
and replace the band with a Grosgrain ribbon & bow. Here's the thing. I want it done by Stetson. I've e-mailed them a couple of times but haven't received an answer or an acknowledgement. I even thought about boxing up the hat and just mailing it to them along with my request
of the changes I'd like made. Also, I have a Pinnacle Fedora in 100% Beaver that was made by "M.Anderson" according to the slip under the sweatband. I'd like him or her to do the work on the Drifter hat as well. Sooooooooooooo....what do I do?? Thanx in advance for the help.

probably not gonna happen unfortunately

your best bet is to either contact a hatter who does conversions or do it yourself

talk to @DOGMAN @T Jones or @bond on how to go about doing it yourself

also check out this thread

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-conversion-corral.22306/

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

probably not gonna happen unfortunately

your best bet is to either contact a hatter who does conversions or do it yourself

talk to @DOGMAN @T Jones or @bond on how to go about doing it yourself

I have a Drifter, but it's pretty stiff. What I like about the fedora is how it seems to have the right flexibility, perhaps because it's wool and is a snap brim - speculation on my part.

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

As Charlie @hatsRme says, summer is straw season, to deal with the warmer weather. However, I'm a felt fan, and wear most of my hats (with the exception of some of the heavier weights) year round. I shy away from some of my vintages with more delicate sweatbands, but tend to sport a felt hat more than not.



Oh, Lordy, they're not bringing back elephant bells, are they?

I'm a trend setter certainly! Thanks for the feedback.

 

[101 Pathfinder]

I have a Drifter, but it's pretty stiff. What I like about the fedora is how it seems to have the right flexibility, perhaps because it's wool and is a snap brim - speculation on my part.

Yes, the Drifter is very stiff. I ride a motorcycle every day. Rain or shine. So my hat of the day is always in my right side saddlebag until I get to where I'm going. This isn't a problem for my crush hats and being that the bags on my Indian are quite large, I haven't had an issue with any of my other hats. Except the Drifter which is simply to large to fit in the bag.

 

[RJR]

I have a Stetson Drifter in Buffalo felt that I want worked into a Fedora. Pretty simple and straight forward. Trim the brim down to 2 3/4 inch
and replace the band with a Grosgrain ribbon & bow. Here's the thing. I want it done by Stetson. I've e-mailed them a couple of times but haven't received an answer or an acknowledgement. I even thought about boxing up the hat and just mailing it to them along with my request
of the changes I'd like made. Also, I have a Pinnacle Fedora in 100% Beaver that was made by "M.Anderson" according to the slip under the sweatband. I'd like him or her to do the work on the Drifter hat as well. Sooooooooooooo....what do I do?? Thanx in advance for the help.

I don't believe that HATCO (Stetson) will modify/service their hats.I may be wrong.

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

All my cowboy hats, and now my two new fedoras are Stetsons. I've always loved their quality, fit and feel. What other brands rival Stetsons for a great hat? Preferably one that doesn't completely break the bank.

 

[FedOregon]

I mostly go in for vintage hats or customs now. I've been disappointed with most of the modern factory made hats.

 

[Bill Hughes]

I have a Stetson Drifter in Buffalo felt that I want worked into a Fedora. Pretty simple and straight forward. Trim the brim down to 2 3/4 inch
and replace the band with a Grosgrain ribbon & bow. Here's the thing. I want it done by Stetson. I've e-mailed them a couple of times but haven't received an answer or an acknowledgement. I even thought about boxing up the hat and just mailing it to them along with my request
of the changes I'd like made. Also, I have a Pinnacle Fedora in 100% Beaver that was made by "M.Anderson" according to the slip under the sweatband. I'd like him or her to do the work on the Drifter hat as well. Sooooooooooooo....what do I do?? Thanx in advance for the help.

The tag in your Pinnacle (I'm looking at mine right now) probably reads "I personally checked this hat. Hope you enjoy it. M. Anderson". So M. Anderson is some sort of quality control not the person who put the hat together. Hatco makes thousands of hats everyday. I don't know for sure but I would doubt that one person builds a hat from start to finish.

You're looking for custom work. I would go to one of the custom makers to get exactly what you want.

 

[Redfokker]

I mostly go in for vintage hats or customs now. I've been disappointed with most of the modern factory made hats.

+1

 

[alanfgag]

All my cowboy hats, and now my two new fedoras are Stetsons. I've always loved their quality, fit and feel. What other brands rival Stetsons for a great hat? Preferably one that doesn't completely break the bank.

Stetson closed its factory in 1971. It continues now as one of a number of historic brand names belonging to a manufacturing company in Garland, TX. You can leaf through some of their catalogs here:

http://www.hat-co.com/public

 

[Edora37]

Is it recommended to snap the brim of a fedora back up every evening when not wearing it to preserve the brim flange or is this just recommended for long term storage?

 

[Bob Roberts]

I always snap mine up out of habit.

 

[Zombie_61]

Is it recommended to snap the brim of a fedora back up every evening when not wearing it to preserve the brim flange or is this just recommended for long term storage?

I always snap mine up out of habit.

Surely someone with far more experience than I have can answer this, but I wonder if snapping the brim up and down every time you wear a hat would somehow weaken the felt or the flange and eventually lead to the brim becoming "floppy"?

 

[Edora37]

Surely someone with far more experience than I have can answer this, but I wonder if snapping the brim up and down every time you wear a hat would somehow weaken the felt or the flange and eventually lead to the brim becoming "floppy"?

This is what I was thinking....not sure. I have read it should be snapped back up, but that might just be for long term storage?? I can see it potentially weakening it.