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[alanfgag]

I have one Sissal and several Panama straw hats in differnt qualities.
The Sissal fibers are very thin and fine-woven; feel, stiffness, weight and breathability are comparable with my best Panama hat. I do not no if all Sissal hats are of that quality.
Because I didn't like the original center-dent, I modified the crown to a tear drop using some steam; which worked out fairly good.

The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.

 

[Chasblount]

The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.

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Wow. Learn something new on here every day. Alan, if I had seen your Baku on eBay I would have thought it was a Panama but that there was something different about it. Thanks for posting yours with the description. It is a great looking hat.

 

[Bcraig]

I got the hat in and did not really like the way the Homburgish style looked on me so I took the steam to it and reshaped it.
Here are a few pics my wife took of me wearing the hat after the reshaping.
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Thanks for the likes Guys,I am very pleased with how this turned out.
This is the first hat I have steamed and shaped since I last steamed and shaped several of my Resistol Cowboy hats back in 1973 when I was 13 !

 

[alanfgag]

Wow. Learn something new on here every day. Alan, if I had seen your Baku on eBay I would have thought it was a Panama but that there was something different about it. Thanks for posting yours with the description. It is a great looking hat.

The wealth of variation in vintage woven hats is rich indeed. There are some great examples posted in the Panama Hats thread, though virtually none originated in Panama. Baku hats are among the very lightest in weight.

 

[JWSV11]

This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.

Here's one to break the ice.

This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.

Here's one to break the ice.

I am having trouble finding a solid answer of what is the best type of ribbon for a felt fedora hat. I know of grosgrain and petersham are there better?

 

[jlee562]

I am having trouble finding a solid answer of what is the best type of ribbon for a felt fedora hat. I know of grosgrain and petersham are there better?

outside of the odd example or two, 99% of men's hats use grosgain ribbon.

 

[JWSV11]

Thank you sir. Material should be rayon preferably?

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I am having trouble finding a solid answer of what is the best type of ribbon for a felt fedora hat. I know of grosgrain and petersham are there better?

I think I read somewhere that Optimo and other hatters are using silk...

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[JWSV11]

Thank you for the quick information. I’ve just finished my first hat last week, I will try and post a picture soon for feedback.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thank you sir. Material should be rayon preferably?

The preferred grosgrain is a cotton and rayon blend. This same blend is available in petersham but must of us prefer the finished non-petersham edge. Silk also makes for nice ribbons and to be honest some polyester doesn’t look bad.


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[JWSV11]

Here’s my first.

 

[ChicagoWayVito]

Here’s my first.

Is this a hat that you made? If so please consider adding it to the new Tabletop Hatters of the Lounge thread. You can find it here: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/tabletop-hatters-of-the-lounge.96123/

 

[Steinbockhase]

The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.

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beautiful

 

[Zombie_61]

Here is my Sissal
View attachment 152471

The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.
View attachment 152527

I think the patterns created by the weaves and the color variations are very attractive. I hope someday I'll find a sisal hat that fits my head and budget.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Does anyone know something about John the Hatter hats?
This hat seems brand new. The felt is super soft and clean, and the sweat is immaculate.
It cannot be of recent manufacture, can it?

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[Bill Hughes]

I traded for this 1940s Stetsonian. As you can see it needs work. I will send it to Art Fawcett to have the the binding and sweatband replaced. The ribbon treatment may also get replaced if needed. The real bummer in my mind is the sweatband. It's the only place that has the Stetsonian label.

My question is - how badly will this affect the value?

 

[Air Wing Marine]

BEE COOL STRAW HATS

Is anyone familiar with the Bee Cool Milan straw hats? How is their quality? What is the company history?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

BEE COOL STRAW HATS

Is anyone familiar with the Bee Cool Milan straw hats? How is their quality? What is the company history?

I own and have owned a few Bee Hats. I currently have a Bee Cool and it’s a coarse weave but genuine Panama. I can’t say I know much about the company, but the straws and felts that I’ve seen, including westerns, seem to be aimed at the economy market.


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[Air Wing Marine]

Are you familiar with their Milan straw?

 

[Frunobulax]

I traded for this 1940s Stetsonian. As you can see it needs work. I will send it to Art Fawcett to have the the binding and sweatband replaced. The ribbon treatment may also get replaced if needed. The real bummer in my mind is the sweatband. It's the only place that has the Stetsonian label.

My question is - how badly will this affect the value?

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Bill, I can't speak for the masses, but for me, quite a bit. I like to get my vintage hats with as much factory equipment as possible, and the loss of the sweatbands with debossments, etc. is a major loss that affects my view of the value of a hat. I usually dismiss them outright, unless they're bad enough I see the opportunity to rebuild them myself. At that point, I give up on resale entirely and resolve the hat is mine forever.

That's not to say you don't have a great hat there, and as you know, Art will do a fine job on it and you'll have an exceptional hat. Also, others may not feel as I do about having all the original equipment. Plus, heck, it's an Art rebuild, a work in its own right.

I hope that you enjoy this hat and wear it in good health. That wide brim binding is fantastic!