Discolored Brim

[kaosharper1]

I recently bought a vintage hat that is in pretty good condition. It's silverbelly and the crown seems to be discolored. It definitely has a brownish tinge to it. I've tried brushing, but its not just dust. Since I don't have much experience with vintage hats, I thought I'd check if there is some cleaning method short of sending it out for a full cleaning.

Thanks.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

This has come up, in my experience, a couple of times lately.

Jimmy the Lid and I both have vintage hats with similar discoloration as you describe (impossible to say it's the same phenomena as yours but it may be).

What he figured out is that some of these old hats were stored in their boxes, inverted as is proper but, unfortunately some cellophane inside the box turned orange and crumbled with age, settling in the bottom of the box. The crown then, takes on a transfer of color that sets in over decades in the box. A real shame. On his hat and mine it's not just a deposit of color but a real change of the felt's color - almost a bleaching effect.

A professional opinion like that of Optimo would be best. If it's not through-and-through, then a refurb of the hat wherein they invert the felt might be the best way to overcome it. But it'd probably require a little investment.

 

[kaosharper1]

Actually, I screwed up in my post. Its the brim that's discolored. I think the crown is OK. The crown is definitely a more "silver" color while the brim has a brownish tinge to it.

 

[Wil Tam]

okie dokie then

Actually, I screwed up in my post. Its the brim that's discolored. I think the crown is OK. The crown is definitely a more "silver" color while the brim has a brownish tinge to it.

Gene,

In regards to JtL & yourself, great explanation

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[HarpPlayerGene]

Well, that's a switch from what JTL and I have run up against. I'll be scratchin' my head on that one for a while...
[huh]

 

[Wil Tam]

prb the same...

Well, that's a switch from what JTL and I have run up against. I'll be scratchin' my head on that one for a while...
[huh]

Could be the same type of cellophane stain but the hat brim was resting on it and some of the "crumbled" cellophane ended up on the top of the brim then bled into it with time....[huh]


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[HarpPlayerGene]

Good 'nuff guess, Will - and thanks for the 'thanks'.

Perhaps kao will include some photos of the hat. It might keep this thread up there until others weigh in. I'm curious now what the problem/solution may be.

 

[gtdean48]

My 2 Canadian Open Roads have a slight color difference on the crown around where the sweatband is. These hats don't have that layer between the leather & the felt like my US made OR does. It seems that petina developed differently, maybe due to the effect of the leather behind that part of the crown. It is a subtle difference but it's there. No idea about the brim issue but...
worthlesswithoutpics

 

[jimmy the lid]

Here's what Gene's talking about... When I unpacked my light blue OR, I found crumbled pieces of orange cellophane covering the bottom of the hat box. Upon inspection, I could see that there were spots of orange-ish discoloration on the crown of the lid itself. My conclusion is that these discolorations were caused by the contact of the cellophane with the crown over time. In this particular case, cleaning the lid wouldn't really help -- since, due to the chemical reaction, the original color is no longer there to recover. Since the major discoloration was essentially on the top of the crown, my workaround was to hide it in the folds of a teardrop crease. That being said, there is some minor discoloration on the brim as well, but not really noticeable for the most part. It is easier to see the discoloration inside under electric lights -- but, when wearing the hat outside, it virtually disappears and is not an issue.

So, all of that being said, until kaosharper1 shows us some photos, it's not clear that what I'm describing applies to his lid. But, since Gene mentioned this discoloration phenomenon, I thought it might be useful to post this here:

Cheers,
JtL

 

[kaosharper1]

Pictures

Thanks for thinking about this guys. I'll see what I can do about pictures, but unfortunately my wife is off on a vacation jaunt with a friend and she took the camera with her. Maybe I can get a disposable over the weekend.

I thought it might be from the hat sitting out and dirt settling on the brim for many years. The hat is an otherwise very nice Lee Trail that was unsold old stock.

 

[kaosharper1]

I decided to take it in for a clean and reblock, though it didn't really need a reblock. The brim smelled funky as well. I took it over to Baron's in Burbank and Mike said they'd take care of it. I took over a Stratoliner that I bought on EBAY for $40 that could use a clean as well. Mike at Baron was really great. I'll post picks when it comes back.

 

[jonbuilder]

I have some experience with this hat in that I brought it form johnnyphi and sold it to kaosharper1. I did not noticed the color contract between brim and crown or I would have mentioned it. I do remember seeing dust when brushing the hat. I believe this dust has been brought up in the johnnyphi club thread and Johnny mentioned the dust might be dye.

As for my experience-cleaning hats I have 19 vintage hats and no newer hat. I researched the many posts with excellent advise found on the lounge. The last hat I cleaned was a Stetson sliver belly 7X OR style with cattle crease. I tried to re shape the stiff crown with steam with little success. I than sprayed the crown with water and re steamed while brushing the crown. I was than able to successfully reshape the crown. After the hat dried, I noticed the upper part of the crown where I had wet the hat was lighter in color and a drip ring had formed around the side of the crown, I figured I the upper crown had been cleaned with the wetting and brushing while steaming. I than soaked the entire hat in distill water and than brush the entire hat while steaming. The hat dries a consistent color. One warning the liner was glue in and came loose no big deal for me because I take glued in liners out of hats I wear regularly. If the liner is sewed in this will not be an issue at all.

 

[kaosharper1]

Jon:

I figured you probably didn't notice. I noticed it in full sunlight, but brim definitely smelled funky. Anyway, I though cleaning would take out the smell if nothing else, which bothered me more than the color difference. Otherwise it's a great hat. I reshaped it with a little water into the diamond crease I prefer, and it looked great other than the color difference. Its definitely quality felt! The only thing Baron hats mentioned to me was that your steaming made the sweatband a lot more brittle, so I'd watch out for that in the future.

 

[Jazzsaxy123]

I’ve noticed some discoloration in my 1950s Royal Stetson. I’ve drawn arrows next to the slight discoloration to point it out. The discoloration is not really a big deal to a lot of people but it does bother me a bit debating whether or not to spend money to have a thicker ribbon to cover it up

Also a chance to show it off

 

[belfastboy]

I’ve noticed some discoloration in my 1950s Royal Stetson. I’ve drawn arrows next to the slight discoloration to point it out. The discoloration is not really a big deal to a lot of people but it does bother me a bit debating whether or not to spend money to have a thicker ribbon to cover it up

Also a chance to show it off

If the hat is special to you and want to keep it totally original then consider taking it to a hatter for cleaning. I could not see the stain as your pic was so small. See if you have a custom hat maker or a good western store that offers cleaning/restorations services and get their advice.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I’ve noticed some discoloration in my 1950s Royal Stetson. I’ve drawn arrows next to the slight discoloration to point it out. The discoloration is not really a big deal to a lot of people but it does bother me a bit debating whether or not to spend money to have a thicker ribbon to cover it up

Also a chance to show it off

Are you talking about the area above the ribbon the whole way around the crown? It looks like a common occurrence caused by hats being stacked for long periods. I’ve had two Stetson Playboys with the same issue, and a few other hats too. It would take a really wide ribbon to hide it. You could also have the felt dyed, but there’s no telling how it would turn out. Yours isn’t as bad as many and I think I would probably just live with it.