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[belfastboy]

Hi, I have some nice 1950s hats that i would like to keep, but they are slightly small. I can get them on my head, I just have to pull hard and it's a little snug. They also sit higher than I'd like. Should i stretch with a hat stretcher or cut the leather sweatband? Which offers more stretch accomodation? Less permanent? Trying to decide if i want to keep what I have or sell.

Thanks!

I have never had great success with stretching a hat anything more than 1/2 size at most. You can ease it out but to stretch a hat you will most often distort the crown and the brim (depending on width). The felt stretches but the leather sweat does not and tends strongly to reverting to original size. The leather sweat is sewn in so cutting it will not really solve the issue and the stitches are so close together you will only get the easement at the join. In my experience a hat either fits you or it don't......trying with workarounds is always a disappointment unless you are only needing a few millimetres.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I’m looking at a top hat and I’m seeing wear similar to what I see on a great many top hats. The wear is at the sharp 90 degree bend at the top of the crown where it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Is there anything that can be done with this? Anything besides coloring it in with a sharpie that my wife suggested?

 

[HuangCheng]

I’m looking at a top hat and I’m seeing wear similar to what I see on a great many top hats. The wear is at the sharp 90 degree bend at the top of the crown where it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Is there anything that can be done with this? Anything besides coloring it in with a sharpie that my wife suggested?

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It is a beautiful detail for me, Maybe you can try hair dye? I'm no sure

 

[HuangCheng]

I have this Stetson hats book by Jeffrey B Snyder,
I'm interesting in the book shows in the book,
Looks like a Stetson catalog, but no looks like a Miller stockman catalog,
It has many pages like a dictionary, Wondering if I can buy one or any key words to search?

 

[Antinomy]

Hi there! Who worked with FEPSA, why so little position on his website?

 

[BobHufford]

I'm interesting in the book shows in the book,
Looks like a Stetson catalog, but no looks like a Miller stockman catalog,
It has many pages like a dictionary, Wondering if I can buy one or any key words to search?

The captions reference Sears catalogs (although they also mention specific cities -- I was unaware that Sears had regional catalogs back then). There would only be a few pages of hats in each. If you have an Ancestry.com membership you can see the full archive of those catalogs on-line.

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1670/

You can probably find copies of the actual catalogs on eBay or at used book websites.

 

[glider]

I'm looking at an older Stetson Gun Club that looks like a pork pie to me. Anyone have any information on this.

 

[belfastboy]

Hi there! Who worked with FEPSA, why so little position on his website?

The answer is that very few suppliers/hatters work with FEPSA. Optimo out of Chicago make their hats with FEPSA felt but very few (if any) others in North America. We had a supplier out of PA but FEPSA stopped selling to him for an unstated reason. So at this point there is really no easy way to get a FEPSA felt unless you buy from Optimo . The alternative is D'Aquino (Etsy.com) out of Lisbon. They sell FEPSA rabbit but their hats are just okay quality. You can get beaver as a special order but their customer service is spotty at best.

 

[BobHufford]

I'm looking at an older Stetson Gun Club that looks like a pork pie to me. Anyone have any information on this.

Like this?

1958:

1959:

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi there! Who worked with FEPSA, why so little position on his website?

David at Vintage Silhouettes offered a few colors of FEPSA. The problem is sourcing the felt. FEPSA has huge minimum order amounts for US exports and they don’t want buyers selling felt as a middleman/wholesaler. They are protecting their cachet as an exclusive felt by limiting who can buy them. I think they also get some pressure from their big US customers to keep the felt out of general availability.

 

[steur]

I’m looking at a top hat and I’m seeing wear similar to what I see on a great many top hats. The wear is at the sharp 90 degree bend at the top of the crown where it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Is there anything that can be done with this? Anything besides coloring it in with a sharpie that my wife suggested?

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Nothing to be done with that I'm afraid, Brent. A very common problem with top hats, because these are actually two different pieces of silk that are attached to the base of the hat. So there will always be a seam there and with the sharp angle it's prone to wear easily over time. The sharpie is not a bad idea.

 

[glider]

Like this?

1958:

1959:

Yep, that's it except the one I'm looking at is black and has the rifle pin.

 

[glider]

and thank you !

 

[TheOldFashioned]

I’m looking at a top hat and I’m seeing wear similar to what I see on a great many top hats. The wear is at the sharp 90 degree bend at the top of the crown where it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Is there anything that can be done with this? Anything besides coloring it in with a sharpie that my wife suggested?

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I almost sent you a link for that hat because the price is great, but decided not to because it wasn't mint due to that very wear. Too bad because the rest looks great. I figure with a topper you either go whole hog or not at all, there's no allowance for good enough.

My search continues as well.

 

[TheOldFashioned]

I've been able to find old Sears catalogs at antique shops.

I'm pretty sure there's a Lounger here on the outerwear/jacket side that downloaded a bunch of the old Sears catalogs from Ancestry during a free trial, though he may have only focused on that specific material.

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I have this Stetson hats book by Jeffrey B Snyder,
I'm interesting in the book shows in the book,
Looks like a Stetson catalog, but no looks like a Miller stockman catalog,
It has many pages like a dictionary, Wondering if I can buy one or any key words to search?

The captions reference Sears catalogs (although they also mention specific cities -- I was unaware that Sears had regional catalogs back then). There would only be a few pages of hats in each. If you have an Ancestry.com membership you can see the full archive of those catalogs on-line.

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1670/

You can probably find copies of the actual catalogs on eBay or at used book websites.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I almost sent you a link for that hat because the price is great, but decided not to because it wasn't mint due to that very wear. Too bad because the rest looks great. I figure with a topper you either go whole hog or not at all, there's no allowance for good enough.

My search continues as well.

It’s soooo close. I’ve been looking at it four times a day since it was listed.

 

[M Hatman]

I’m looking at a top hat and I’m seeing wear similar to what I see on a great many top hats. The wear is at the sharp 90 degree bend at the top of the crown where it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Is there anything that can be done with this? Anything besides coloring it in with a sharpie that my wife suggested?

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In a word...No. That is the base cloth that is under the spun silk. Loss of spun silk is not repairable.

However, CAREFUL application of a dye or color like the marker can disguise the loss.....

DO NOT touch the cloth directly with the marker, rather apply the marker to your finger (or a damp cloth or q-tip) and gradually color the area until it looks good to the eye. Often a direct application with the marker will produce a black area that will "stand out" too much otherwise.

 

[Raazor123]

I recently purchased a Fedora and wondering what kind it is any info you can give i'd appreciate it

 

[Steve1857]

It sounds like one of those hats you'll regret more not buying than actually buying, so buy it, Brent

Needless to say, Mark's advice is good.

It’s soooo close. I’ve been looking at it four times a day since it was listed.

 

[Zombie_61]

I recently purchased a Fedora and wondering what kind it is any info you can give i'd appreciate it
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That style of hat is often referred to as a Tyrolean, Bavarian, or Alpine hat. You can read a bit more about it here.