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[Frunobulax]

Found them! Thanks! I will give them a try. This is the first really lite felt I have scorched and noticed the marked left even though it was very quickly done. I may refrain from doing that in the future.

I gotta ask. How did you scorch your hat? Too close to the campfire?

 

[hatsRme]

Kind of new to the site and not finding such a resource: is there a list of haberdashers or milliner's sorted by region of the country?

But you said you were a longtime lurker!
NOT to worry, CA...
Check this hatters list thread (which probably should be a sticky).

 

[cadillacactor]

But you said you were a longtime lurker!
NOT to worry, CA...
Check this hatters list thread (which probably should be a sticky).

Hahaha Too true. Lurker may not be the term for "Every hat question I've had for the last few years since I started wearing Panamas and Fedoras led me here and was already answered so I could cherry pick that thread and go on my merry way, but I didn't spend much time here otherwise...."

 

[RJR]

We have no way of knowing where you're located to make solid recommendations for hatters but several here on the Lounge could pretty easily put in a leather sweat.

 

[FedOregon]

Some hatters run a flame across the felt as a finishing touch on the felt, kind of like burning off the little pin feathers on a bird you've plucked before you put it in the freezer or the pot...

 

[FedOregon]

To me it looks like the sweatband is too big. You could try removing the stitching on the back edge, removing a bit and then sewing it back together...

But, yeah, I'd take mine to a local hatter. About $25? is what he charges.

BTW, are you going to post a pic of the top end of your hat so we can enjoy the view?

 

[moontheloon]

Some hatters run a flame across the felt as a finishing touch on the felt, kind of like burning off the little pin feathers on a bird you've plucked before you put it in the freezer or the pot...

Bob at BlackSheep does this ... scorch finish ... he will replace the pouncing process with this on some felts that he uses

he will be using this method on a hat he is making for me

 

[cadillacactor]

BTW, are you going to post a pic of the top end of your hat so we can enjoy the view?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzsyDlb10n5DWnVRNXExeVdQTnc/view?usp=drivesdk

I'm in Northwest Indiana. I heard there's one in Cincinnati, but Fort Wayne or Indy would be ideal. I can make it to the South Bend area a couple times a month, too.

 

[DougC]

Nortwestern Indiana would be close to Chicago--Optimo might be able to help?

 

[Frunobulax]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzsyDlb10n5DWnVRNXExeVdQTnc/view?usp=drivesdk

I'm in Northwest Indiana. I heard there's one in Cincinnati, but Fort Wayne or Indy would be ideal. I can make it to the South Bend area a couple times a month, too.

I'm kinda surprised Indy doesn't have a hatter, but they don't. Cincy (Batsakes) seems a little far, but Mr. Miller will operate by mail.

Nortwestern Indiana would be close to Chicago--Optimo might be able to help?

Last I heard, Optimo stopped servicing OPH (Other Peoples' Hats).

 

[RJR]

I'm kinda surprised Indy doesn't have a hatter, but they don't. Cincy (Batsakes) seems a little far, but Mr. Miller will operate by mail.



Last I heard, Optimo stopped servicing OPH (Other Peoples' Hats).

Correct.

 

[bluesmandan]

It's starting to get warm, so I'm looking for a good straw for daily golf. I think the Broadbeach will work for me and give a little more sun protection than Akubra's "Country Club" hat (slightly wider brim). But it seems to be a special order everywhere I look, with a 3 month wait. Anyone know where it might actually be in stock?

Thanks!

 

[blueAZNmonkey]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzsyDlb10n5DWnVRNXExeVdQTnc/view?usp=drivesdk

I'm in Northwest Indiana. I heard there's one in Cincinnati, but Fort Wayne or Indy would be ideal. I can make it to the South Bend area a couple times a month, too.

As a hobbyist restorer, I can say from my own experience that putting in a leather sweatband by yourself is not a very difficult process. It takes about an hour or so from start to finish if your leather band is the right size. I've had to do it to many of my vintage hats. All you need is a very thin milliner's needle, sew-all thread, an exacto knife, and patience. It's only a few steps:

1) Use the exacto to remove the old band and crown braid. 2) Place the new band in and sew a very crude guide stitch through the outside of the reed. 3) Flip down the leather and stitch a nice even line through the vinyl. 4) Remove the guide stitch. 5) Tack the braid back into the crown in the same manner it was originally sewn.

A band from Bond's Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/finevintagefedoras?ref=pr_faveshops) ~ $19.00
Milliners needles: ~ $4.00
Sew-all thread: ~$5.00
Exacto knife: ~$4.00

I think the above total would come in cheaper than shipping your hat to a milliner and paying for the service -- but it all depends on your personal crafting skills =)

 

[blueAZNmonkey]

Question (but first the dilemma):

I've figured out the right nuances to successfully bind the brim edges on my project hats (yay!)
I've also figured out a great process for kettle-curling without the use of those 200.00 shackles (yay!)

What I haven't quite figured out is how to do both of those steps together. On one of my project pieces, I ironed the brim flat and did a whippet-esque binding. Then i tried to curl the brim and the ribbon (although it possessed a heavy cotton content) scorched and puckered =(

I ended up removing all the stitching of the edge ribbon, re-pouncing the curl, and began hand-stitching a new binding because the machine can't manage the odd angle of the curl.

All that to say: Do the curling shackles correct this issue? I ask because I want to be able to machine stitch the edge binding (looks much better than when I use the awl) and the only way for me to do that without spending bookoo on a much better sewing machine is to stitch first, curl second.

My hope is that the curling shackles can correct the issue because even though the shackles are pricey, they're much cheaper than the kind of machine I'd need for sewing after curling...

Any firsthand anecdotes would be much appreciated!

 

[bluesmandan]

Bump.

 

[Doomstein]

Unfortunately not, though David Morgan stocks a somewhat similar (though a bit less dressy) Akubra hat called the "Range Hat".

https://www.davidmorgan.com/shop/product/1330/hemp-range-hat

Really the only significant difference I can see is the lack of brim binding.

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

Anyone have thoughts or opinions on the Stetson Temple? Is it a good hat for casual as well as business attire? What's the best color to match both business and casual - mink, caribou, black? Does it wear and hold up well?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I had one for over a decade. Nice hat, but I eventually replaced it with an Akubra. Current Stetsons strike me as overpriced for their level of build quality.

Akubras are less expensive, but are better made of better materials. Akubra hats laugh off rain and snow without losing shape (which happened to my Temple) or the felt's dye running (which never happened to mine, but has been reported with Stetson Temples over the years).

It's hard to go wrong with an Akubra Stylemaster as your first "real" hat - its moderate dimensions look great on nearly everyone, and it works as both a casual and dressy hat. Acorn Fawn (tan/brown) or Moonstone (light gray) would be my recommendations. (I have one in the Carbon/Steel/Mid-Grey color... which is quite dark and reads as black in most lighting.)

Other popular Akubra fedoras with larger dimensions - though you might find them too imposing if you're not used to wearing wider brims and taller crowns - include the Campdraft, Federation, Squatter, and Adventurer. Same or smaller dimensions include the Bogart, Hampton, Fedora/Sydney, etc. See:

http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shop-by-brands/akubra.html

https://hatsdirect.com/collections/the-akubra-range-1

 

[NoSkinnyJeans]

I had one for over a decade. Nice hat, but I eventually replaced it with an Akubra. Current Stetsons strike me as overpriced for their level of build quality.

Akubras are less expensive, but are better made of better materials. Akubra hats laugh off rain and snow without losing shape (which happened to my Temple) or the felt's dye running (which never happened to mine, but has been reported with Stetson Temples over the years).

It's hard to go wrong with an Akubra Stylemaster as your first "real" hat - its moderate dimensions look great on nearly everyone, and it works as both a casual and dressy hat. Acorn Fawn (tan/brown) or Moonstone (light gray) would be my recommendations. (I have one in the Carbon/Steel/Mid-Grey color... which is quite dark and reads as black in most lighting.)

Other popular Akubra fedoras with larger dimensions - though you might find them too imposing if you're not used to wearing wider brims and taller crowns - include the Campdraft, Federation, Squatter, and Adventurer. Same or smaller dimensions include the Bogart, Hampton, Fedora/Sydney, etc. See:

http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shop-by-brands/akubra.html

https://hatsdirect.com/collections/the-akubra-range-1

What are your thoughts on the Akubra Bogart?

 

[Doctor Strange]

It's exactly the same dimensions as the Stylemaster... but with a center-dent rather than teardrop crease. So I think it's pretty equivalent, an equally good choice for a moderate-sized, pre-shaped fedora. I have center-dent creases in all my open crown and custom-made hats, so I'm obviously a fan of both styles.